2.2 Manage student behavior

2.2 Manage student behavior through clear expectations and a balance of positive reinforcement, feedback, and redirection

A.) Behavioral expectations
B.) Response to behavior

2.2 Manage student behavior through clear expectations and a balance of positive reinforcement, feedback, and redirection.  Elements within this standard, such as setting expectations, should be developed with classroom input and posted for all to see.  These standards for behavior should be both culturally and developmentally appropriate.  Student misbehavior is prevented by the teacher who continually monitors the class and anticipates areas of possible concern.  The strategies should allow both the teacher and the students to retain their dignity and return to the task of learning without disturbing the learning of the other students.

A.     Behavioral Expectations
Considerations for Practice at Level III
Post rules that are visible to all students.  Limit the number of rules and state them positively.
Share your standards of conduct with the families of your students.
Explain and model the classroom behavior you expect.
Review the rules with students as necessary as activities in the classroom change, such as before a group learning activity, before individual work while the teacher is working with a small group, or before a special program or speaker.
Considerations for Practice at Level IV
Involve your students in the creation of the code of conduct.
Students should be able to explain the standards of conduct to their families or to someone else and should be able to explain why they are important.
When rules are working, involve students in any revisions.  Solicit from them possible solutions.
Ask students to propose ideas for how their conduct could change so that the classroom environment is more productive and better supports learning.

B.      Response to Behavior
Considerations for Practice at Level III
Do not use punishment as a first resort.  The only behaviors that require immediate punitive actions are fighting, bullying, cursing, drug use or other dangerous behaviors.  All other behaviors can be handled through positive and/or proactive interventions.
Praise students who are behaving appropriately.  For instance, if student A is leaning back in his seat, precariously balancing on two chair legs, don’t say anything to him about that.  Instead, make a point of praising student B for sitting up straight.  You’ll be amazed at how quickly student A will sit up straight!  Student A has been denied any reinforcement or attention for his infraction, a proven strategy to extinguish unwanted behavior.
Talk to the student privately; remove the student audience.
Involve the families, in a respectful way, to enlist their help with the student.
Put a sticky note on the student’s desk as a reminder of the desired behavior.
Remain objective; don’t allow your emotions to rule your authority.
Considerations for Practice at Level IV
Ask the student for input about what would help prevent the undesirable behavior.
Ask the student to write a letter to his family about the undesirable behavior.
When other students have exited the classroom, direct the student to call home in your presence to discuss the misbehavior.
Reflect on the intervention.  Did it stop the misbehavior?  Did it allow the student to return to learning?
Ask the student to discuss the misbehavior with you in objective terms.  Don’t allow the student to become emotional or to blame others.  Keep the discussion professional and objective.

 Resources
There are so many good books on this topic, it is difficult to list them all here.  A quick Google search will yield a wealth of resources.  A good place to start is http://www.honorlevel.com/.  This site includes some very good articles, such as 11 Techniques for Better Classroom Discipline; Techniques that Backfire; Four Steps to Better Classroom Discipline; and more.

Every school should have a copy of the Pre-Referral Intervention Manual (PRIM).  The PRIM contains over 4,000 intervention strategies for the 219 most common learning and behavior problems. It includes an appendix of materials for the implementation of the behavioral interventions.  It was developed by regular and special education teachers, and is one of the most comprehensive learning and behavior intervention manuals available.  It is available on Amazon.