He sits there and doesn’t work. You give him a kindly reminder to start working and he still doesn’t. He turns to his neighbor and starts talking. You remind him about his sticker chart and give him yet another reminder to start working. He doesn’t. He comes and asks to go the bathroom. You say no, he pouts and walks away. You give him a warning he needs to work and he chooses to throw himself on the floor and scream. What do you do next? Could this situation have been avoided?
Behavior modification. What is it? According to Vicki Phipps, behavior modification is the theory that rewarding a good behavior is more effective than punishing a bad behavior. She also states you should reward the good behavior as soon as it happens. This helps a child realize how important good behavior is, in hopes of it becoming intrinsically motivating. She also provides several different types of behavior modifications to try.
According to LD Online there are steps to managing behavior through consequences. Consequences that are reinforcers strengthen behavior and consequences that are punishments weaken behavior. First you need to identify the problem and define it. Then you need to come up with a way to change the behavior. Identify a specific reinforcer and how you will implement it. Finally you need to apply the reinforcement and use it consistently. This website has several examples of different examples for behavior consequences and modifications. Some of them are very simple and some are quite complex. I am wondering how a teacher with 21 students handles more than 4-5 behaviors?
I came across another site on how to handle students who have more than one behavior. The Ehow site gives 7 steps to behavior modification. Starting with evaluating the behavior, observing the child, identifying the behavior and what you want it to look like, and sitting down with the child to tell them what you expect. Other steps include figuring out what compliance would look like, offering rewards for behavior that is changed, and also being ready for days that don’t go so well. I think this site is very helpful for not only teachers finding the first step, but for parents as well. I also think these modifications can only truly work if both teacher and parent are on the same page.
But a few things I wonder are why does it seem there are so many more behaviors each year I teach. Are students becoming less respectful of their teachers? Does it start with bad parenting? Or maybe just parents are parenting differently and giving kids more slack when it comes to modifying behaviors. Or maybe it’s my teaching style. I wonder if I will ever find the answers…
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First, I liked the websites, especially the eHow listing the steps. I also think all of the possible causes you mentioned contribute to the increased behavior issues we're seeing at school. Why should students respect teachers when there is much negative publicity about education? Parenting has changed. It has become harder to raise a child who respects adults and follows direction without an explanation of why the task is important. It has also become increasingly difficult to discipline effectively at home. Grounding a child means taking away several electronic devices and 24 hour monitoring of the internet.
ReplyDeleteI can't offer an help except to say I doubt it is your teaching style.
I work with elementary students and I use a variety of different strategies to get students to work for me. I really try to endear myself to my students. I spend non-class time actually talking to the kids. We laugh together. I gain their trust. This does not mean I become more of a friend then a teacher. Knowing my students helps when I want students to work or when students are having a tough day. They understand my expectation and respect my authority. My students are able to communicate their frustrations and know that I am willing to listen to them. I also think it is wonderful to know that all I have to do is give the ‘disappointed look’ and they are snapped back into shape.
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