Strategies for Managing Student Behaviours

 Strategies for Managing Student Behaviour

 Authors: Jisang Kim, Araunah Fleisher, Amelia Pedini, Natasha Abbott and James Cartwright



Strategy 1: Conscious Discipline



Conscious discipline is a behavior management strategy with 20 years experience across 73 countries and in 22 languages (Conscious Discipline, 2020.) Conscious discipline is based on making students aware of their own behavior and how they can adapt it. It is the idea that the brain has three states and teachers need to assess which state a child is in when addressing unwanted behaviour. 

The three states of the brain are:


Survival State- Am I safe?


Emotional State- Am I loved?


Executive State- What can I learn from this?








The first state is when a child feels in danger which can cause them to lash out. It is when students are fearful of their own safety which can lead to them acting out with physical violence. The emotional state focusses on the child’s ability to feel loved. This is when the child is looking for reassurance from the people around them that they are cared for and feel safe.  The aim of the model is to try to take the student out of these two states and move them to the executive state where they can evaluate their actions and how they can learn from it. Students can only function well when they are in the executive state of their brain.

 



Example 1


A student uses physical violence towards another student after an argument during the class.


Using the conscious discipline model, we would take the student away from other students and talk to them calmly. Once they are in a calmer mood they would be accompanies to the reflection part of the classroom. In the reflection part there are a number of ways to encourage the child to move towards the executive state of their brain. These strategies include calming music, a darker ambience and a sensory station filled with things to touch and play with to bring their agitated state down. Once the student is calm, the teacher from the reflection room would talk to the student. They would talk about their behavior and give the student a chance to explain why they acted in a certain way. Finally, the teacher will discuss how they could have acted and give them appropriate steps to follow for the next time they have a similar experience. Once the student, is safe, feels calm and has evaluated their behaviour then they are free to rejoin the other students.







Example 2

A student always arrives at class in a bad mood. They do not seem interested in class and are often disruptive.

Conscious discipline encourages teachers to greet all students at the door. Firstly, by having a physical interaction such as a fist bump or hug, it welcomes the student warmly to the classroom and makes them feel comfortable in the setting. If a student has had a bad morning or they seem upset, the teacher can show the following image and the student can point to the face which represents their current feeling. 

Once the student identifies their feeling, the teacher can address it. If a student is feeling an emotion that is not happy or calm it alerts the teacher that they need to be given time to address their feelings. The student can spend time in the classroom’s safe space until they feel ready to join the class. The teacher can also spend one on one time with the teacher discussing their feelings until their emotional state has changed.


Personal Reflection


For me, conscious discipline would be the best form of managing students behaviour in my class. I have already seen a number of examples in my classroom of how well it works and how quickly students respond to it. Last year, a student approached me to sat that he had not done his homework. He told me that a fair consequence of this would be to stay in during recess and complete it then. As the teacher I accepted his self-imposed consequence and saw it as a fair response to his actions. This shows how quickly students learn to move to their executive brain state after making a mistake and how they can quickly evaluate how to make up for previous choices.


My classroom is also enriched by the safe space encouraged by Conscious Discipline. Any time when a student feels angry, worried or frustrated they can choose to sit in the safe space which indicated to the teacher that they need a break and a chat. What I have enjoyed about the safe space is the way other students respect students choices to sit there and understand that those students may need some extra help and assistance.


Finally, my favourite reflection for conscious discipline is the way students are greeted when entering the classroom. Every student is given a personal greeting and they choose how they would like to be greeted. Every child is welcomed into the classroom so they feel safe and loved when they are in school. Many students see the classroom as a place of calm away from their home lives.


References


Discipline, C. (2020, September 21). Conscious Discipline Homepage. Retrieved October 02, 2020, from https://consciousdiscipline.com/





Strategy 2: Social and Emotional Learning



What is Social and Emotional Learning?

According to Alexis Clark (n.d.), Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) may be defined as "the process of developing and using social and emotional skills. It’s the skillset we use to cope with feelings, set goals, make decisions, and get along with—and feel empathy for—others." There are five main parts to Social & Emotional Learning: Self-Management, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision-Making. 


I got this wheel chart from the Socorro Independent School district website which explains the five competencies in summary:

https://www.sisd.net/domain/9196



Social & Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning means the processes by which children acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to:
  • Recognize and manage their emotions
  • Demonstrate care and concern for others
  • Establish positive relations
  • Make responsible decisions
  • Constructively handle challenging social situations
Social Emotional Learning Skills
The goals of SEL lessons include teaching the following basic skills:
  • Self-Awareness:
    • Identifying and recognizing emotions
    • Accurate self-perception
    • Strengths, needs, values
    • Self-efficacy
  • Self-Management:
    • Impulse control and stress management
    • Self-motivation and discipline
    • Goal setting
    • Organizational skills
  • Social Awareness
    • Perspective taking
    • Empathy
    • Difference recognition
    • Respect for others
  • Relationship Skills
    • Communication
    • Social engagement and relationship building
    •  Working cooperatively
    • Negotiation
    • Refusal
    • Conflict management
    • Help seeking
  • Responsible Decision Making
    • Problem identification and situation analysis
    • Problem solving
    • Evaluation and reflection

    • Personal, social and ethical responsibility


Benefits of Social Emotional Learning 

SEL is a useful tool to combat problem behaviors and to build relationship skills in students. Some of the areas of improvement from students include improved academic performance, better school attitudes, fewer negative behaviors and lower emotional stress from students. Studies have shown that Kindergarten students who have developed their social emotional skills go on to get their college degrees at twice the rate of their peers (Crowley, M., et al. 2015, as quoted in Clark, A., n.d.). 





In my opinion, Social Emotional Learning is a great tool that can be used in the classroom and it allows students to improve their social and collaborative skills. For example, for Kindergarteners and Primary school students (and even higher levels) who need to develop their relationship building skills--SEL is a great way for those students to apply those skills in specific situations. 

Example 1: 

A student is being disruptive to his classmates by constantly making fun of them.

First of all, the school should already have protocols or guidelines in place for teachers to handle these kinds of students. Teachers need to find the right way to work with students who have these issues. But, in terms of SEL, The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (2020) recommends the following actions: 

--Conduct assessments so that school administrators can determine how common bullying is occurring in their schools. 

--Awareness and training: Have training sessions with teachers so they can better respond to bullying situations. CASEL recommends that both teachers and students gain an awareness about the causes and consequences of this problem by examining their own beliefs and biases.

--Rules and Reporting Procedures: Rules about bullying should be clearly communicated to students and be shown in written form throughout the school. A good idea by CASEL is the implementation of anonymous reporting procedures regarding bullying, so that students can inform administrators of any problems that they encounter. 

--Classroom Climate: If norms are not enforced in the classroom, there will be more cases of bullying in the classroom. Standards of conduct should be clearly communicated to students. A good idea is to hold periodic classroom meetings to discuss any problems in regards to student misbehaviors. Teachers can also try to include the bullying student into more activities and even, leadership roles, as to reduce their disruptive behavior. And, of course, teachers should try to be warm and friendly to their students--which will improve the interpersonal relationships between them and their students. 

--Interventions: According to CASEL (2020), "Beyond classroom curricula, students who are victimized, who witness bullying, or who regularly bully others need extended opportunities to practice relevant SEL skills, such as anger management, assertive communication, and social problem-solving." Some ideas could include incorporating a 'buddy system' for students, so that students won't feel socially disconnected to their peers. Victimized children should seek the counsel of school psychologists to help them deal with their emotional issues as a result of bullying. 

--Promoting positive peer interactions: Teachers can incorporate more collaborative work in their lessons, for example pair and group work. Schools could incorporate cohort groups to encourage more cohesive social groups in schools. Activities can include some of the SEL skills so that students can practice them throughout the year. 

--Parental involvement: Family relationships may be one cause of bullying from students. Maybe parents need some help in teaching their child better socialization skills, so some kind of guidance may be useful to help them in this process. Also, awareness is key, as some parents may not know their child is involved in bullying other students. 

References

Clark, A., 2020. Social-Emotional Learning: What You Need To Know. [online] Understood.org. Available at: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/social-emotional-learning-what-you-need-to-know [Accessed 3 October 2020].

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (n.d.). Social and Emotional Learning and Student Benefits. Chicago: Author. Available at: http://www.promoteprevent.org/sites/www.promoteprevent.org/files/resources/SELbenefits.pdf

Sisd.net. 2020. Social & Emotional Learning / Welcome. [online] Available at: https://www.sisd.net/domain/9196 [Accessed 3 October 2020]

Weissberg, R., 2020. Why Social And Emotional Learning Is Essential For Students. [online] Edutopia. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-sel-essential-for-students-weissberg-durlak-domitrovich-gullotta [Accessed 3 October 2020].



By Araunah Fleisher

Strategy 3: The Responsive Classroom Approach

Why do we need classroom behavior management strategies?
A reliable behavior management strategy is paramount in order to maximize valuable classroom time, focus on academics and reduce teacher stress and burn-out. 

"When students misbehave, they learn less and keep their peers from learning. Classroom behavior problems take up teachers’ time and disrupt the classroom and school. In fact, difficulty managing student behavior is cited as a factor associated with teacher burnout and dissatisfaction." (Martella et al., 2012)



"Traditionally, behavior management training in special education has occurred at the individualized level. The middle circle is handled from a classroom perspective and includes effective instructional supports. Behavioral and academic programming are key aspects in the prevention of and reaction to problem behavior in the classroom. The largest circle represents schoolwide supports designed  to prevent and respond to behavior difficulties at the school level. These concentric circles are dependent on one another and form a comprehensive approach to behavior management." (Martella et al., 2012)


What is The Responsive Classroom Approach?
The Responsive Classroom Approach is a evidence-based SEL framework that teachers can apply to their classroom behavior management strategy. It is NOT a curriculum or a list of checkboxes to tic whilst teaching. It is a strategy which is based on a teaching methodology that relies on a set of well-designed best practices. These best practices allow students to develop their academic, emotional, and social skills in a safe, happy and engaging learning environment.



Core Values: "In order to be successful in and out of school, students need to learn a set of social and emotional competencies—cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control—and a set of academic competencies—academic mindset, perseverance, learning strategies, and academic behaviors." (Principles & Practice, 2020)





How does it look in the classroom?
"Responsive Classroom is an approach to teaching based on the belief that integrating academic and social-emotional skills creates an environment where students can do their best learning."

  • Interactive Modeling—Teachers will actively participate in modeling expected behaviors (such as daily routines/transitions), academic goals and social skills (example: giving and receiving feedback from teachers and peers).
  • Teacher Language—Teachers will use POSTIVE, and appropriate language and tone to effectively communicate to and with students, in such that students are able to develop the skills they need to succeed academically, socially and emotionally.
  • Logical Consequences—Teachers will give appropriate consequences (NOT PUNISHMENTS) to students which are useful, and enable students to fix and/or learn from their mistakes in healthy and nurturing way.
  • Interactive Learning Structures—Teachers will provide active and interactive projects and materials for students to use and build upon their academic, social and emotional skillset.



Some specific procedures in the Responsive Classroom are:

  • Morning Meeting— whole-group circle time that involves a greeting, sharing, morning message and an activity
  • Establishing Rules—a collaborative effort to discuss best-practices within the learning environment, involving direct student input
  • Energizers—whole group transition activity to inspire thinking
  • Quiet Time—relaxed transition to wind-down after lunch
  • Closing Circle—A five- to ten-minute gathering at the end of the day that promotes reflection and celebration through participation in a brief activity or two
  • Active Teaching—The teacher presents, explains, illustrates, and demonstrates curriculum to students in a way that best enables them to achieve the learning objective **(The three phases of active teaching are Teach and Model, Student Collaboration, and Facilitate Reflection)
  • Student Practice—a process where students can explore the content and skills taught during a lesson *An opportunity for the teacher to identify and correct any student misconceptions before they practice further
  • Small Group Learning—a structured collaboration of student-centered learning that takes place after active teaching

How to apply Responsive Classroom Approach in teaching practice?

1. Model Ideal Behavior/Expectations- "Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many studies show that modeling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations." (Guido, 2018)
  • have mock conversations/role-plays
  • use pre-made visuals/media or realia examples for demonstrating sample "best work" before starting a task or project
  • Teachers should be mindful of their own tone of voice and body language/facial expressions

2. Collaborate on Rules- Teachers should collaborative with students early-on in the school year to establish rules in the learning environment. "Encourage all students to help you build classroom rules, as you’ll generate more buy-in than just telling them what they’re not allowed to do." (Guido, 2018)
  • ask students what should/should not be allowed
  • frame rules positively
  • have a group-wide democratic census

3. Avoid Class Punishments- isolated behavioral issues can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis instead of giving out class-wide punishments because it could damage rapport with on-task students, and be ineffective with students who are struggling because it doesn't actually solve the underlying problem. To address negative behavior:
  • call individual students by name if they are struggling
  • re-iterate expectations and rules
  • offer assistance and alternatives
  • keep language positive and avoid using a harsh voice
4. Offering Praise- "Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study.(Guido, 2018)
  • instill good self-esteem in students
  • inspire the whole class to do well
  • re-enforce good behavior and worth ethic


Example 1: 
A K-6 grade student gets up out of their seat and begins walking around or tries leaving the classroom during a lesson - I believe that there could be many reasons for this undesired behavior. The student might have ADHD, either diagnosed or undiagnosed, and no tools to understand their own struggles and how to work around them. Another reason could be that student might also feel bored, unchallenged and disengaged, or the exact opposite, the material is too challenging for them and they disconnect. 
In any of the aforementioned cases, I believe that an SEL approach to behavior management strategies would benefit the student the most. Specifically, I would use a Responsive Classroom Approach to remind the student of our collaborative rules and expectations that we agreed upon as a classroom and then re-direct their behavior in a positive way. I would not give a punishment but ask the student to communicate to me his/her needs instead of walking around, as it is disruptive to their classmates.

Example 2:
A K-3rd grade student starts verbally/physically fighting with other students - I usually teach beginner to low elementary level ELL students and I tend to see this problem more frequently than others. Due to lack of language skills, some students feel that they cannot express themselves in English and therefore they become easily frustrated and lash out at others. Younger students who tend to lack experience with regulating their own emotions and expressing themselves in their native language are especially prone to this misbehavior as well. In this situation I would also use the SEL based Responsive Classroom Approach to manage the disruptive behavior. 
  1. Assess the situation and make sure both students are not in any physical harm/injury and are safe.
  2. Physically separate students from the others and assign them group work/break-out activity.
  3. Give counseling to the two students who are arguing/fighting
  4. Model language that they can use to express themselves
  5. Remind students of their responsibility and role in our learning community
  6. Re-introduce them to the whole group and continue the lesson

Personal Teacher Reflection: I believe that the SEL-based Responsive Classroom approach would best fit my current ELL classroom for a few reasons. First of all, I work with many young learners who are developing their sense of self and discovering how to communicate and interact with the world around them. At this point in their academic lives, I think it is necessary to have an socio-emotional based approach to learning in order to develop healthy self-reflection of their behavior and to practice self-regulating it. I think that building routines into our curriculum, such as circle-time and energizers or brain-break transitions would be helpful. Also, Modeling has been extremely useful in my ELL class as it has been the best way for me to communicate expectations and desired goals for non-verbal students. Overall, I would love to try this behavior management strategy in my current classroom.

References


Guido, M. (2018, April 10). 20 Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques. Prodigy Education.https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/classroom-management-strategies.

Martella, R. C., Nelson, J. R., Marchand-Martella, N. E., & O'Reilly, M. (2012). Chapter 1: Behavior Management Models. In Comprehensive behavior management: individualized, classroom, and schoolwide approaches. essay, Sage.

Principles & Practice. (2020, February 19). The Responsive Classroom Approach . Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about/principles-practices/

Strategy 4: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Amelia Pedini

"If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.
If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.
If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.
If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.
If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we… teach? …punish?
Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?"

                                                                          - Tom Herner (NASDE President, 1998)


What is PBIS? 

In 1997, an amendment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) included the language, “Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports,” which provided methods used to identify and support positive behaviors in schools. PBIS seeks to minimize or eliminate negative behavior schoolwide through the encouragement of positive behaviors.


In the 1990s, the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Dept. of Education, founded the National Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to help schools create effective school-wide disciplinary practices. That program was a response to the disproportionately large number of suspensions, especially out-of-school suspensions, given to minority students.


PBIS focuses on the prevention of negative behavior problems. The emphasis on primary prevention brings classroom management front and center.  This is illustrated in the following pyramid:



Improving School Climate

The goal of PBIS is to create a positive school climate, in which students feel safe and supported to learn and grow. However, school climate can vary widely from school to school, even within the same school district. A number of factors come into play to create school climate, including school location, neighborhood culture, teaching methods, student diversity, and school administration. For PBIS to create positive changes in a school’s climate, it needs to be consistently implementedby all faculty and administrative staff. 

Succinctly put, positive school climate includes:
  • A feeling of safety
  • Respect
  • Engagement in learning
  • Involvement in school life
  • Shared vision
  • Involvement of teachers, students, and families

Implementing PBIS

 Instead of allowing negative behaviors to grow into disciplinary measures, the focus is on teaching and promoting positive behaviors. By building on these positive behaviors, escalations into discipline are reduced. PBIS uses a three-tier approach

Tier 1 – Most Students
The majority of PBIS supports are within Tier 1. Schools begin at Tier 1 by creating an outline of positive  behavior to establish schoolwide. Depending on the school, positive behaviors might include simple actions such as walking calmly in line, raising hands to speak, or keeping a neat and tidy classroom. As the school staff and students focus on these behavioral goals, negative behaviors begin to diminish. When teachers are spending less time in disciplining students, instructional time increases.

Approximately 80% of students never need to move beyond Tier 1 in interventions and support.

Characteristics of Tier 1 – Universal or Primary Prevention:
  • Schoolwide
  • For all students, staff members, and settings
  • Designed to reduce disruptive behaviors
  • Increases instructional time
Tier 2 – Some Students
For the roughly 15% of students who struggle with the Tier 1 interventions and supports, Tier 2 addresses at-risk behavior. The specialized interventions and supports at the Tier 2 level help to prevent the problem behaviors from becoming worse.

Students who demonstrate negative behavior may be dealing with social, emotional, or academic issues that are the hidden causes of distruption in the classroom. 

Characteristics of Tier 2 – Secondary Prevention:
  • Group supports for some students
  • Specialized interventions for students demonstrating at-risk behavior
  • Prevents worsening of problem behaviors
Tier 3 – Few Students
Students who do not respond to the interventions and support in Tier 2 receive further individualized supports in Tier 3. These interventions target students who exhibit high-risk behavior. These kind of interventions can result in an individual plan created to address specific academic or behavioral concerns.

The individualized plan for each student at this level may include efforts by special education teachers or school psychologists. Typically, less than 5% of students require Tier 3 interventions.

Characteristics of Tier 3 – Tertiary Prevention:
  • Individual support for a few students
  • Specialized interventions for students with high-risk behavior
  • Designed to reduce severity of ongoing problem behaviors

Examples of ways to incorporate PBIS into the classroom:

Routines:

Set clear routines for everything you would like students to do in your classroom. Even if you feel like you're overdoing it, repeat yourself and be explicit with details. Be sure to show them how you would like things to be done. Give students multiple opportunities to practice classroom routines. Reinforce expected behaviors and explain the consequences if the expectations are not met.


Silent signals:

Use American Sign Language or create your own silent signals to remind your students to pay attention and remain on task, as well as supporting students in managing their needs with minimal disruption. For example, students can raise their hands with the sign "W" to signify a request to get a drink of water. Additionally, these signals can be for the entire class or you can come up with special signals for a particular student who needs extra support. 


Proximity:

 Merely coming physically closer can help a student stay on task without verbal instructions. Make it a habit to circulate around your classroom while students are completing tasks to keep them focused. You can even rest your hand on their shoulder to get the student’s attention. For example, a daydreaming student may be snapped back to the task at hand when they realize you're standing near them.

 

Quiet Corrections:

 When a student is unable to focus on the task at hand, they may be seeking attention, so it is important for teachers to remove the "stage" when addressing them. Avoid using shame and intimidation when you approach the student and  instead quietly and quickly whisper to the student what you would like them to do and the consequence they will receive if the expectation is not met, then move on. If the student still does not comply, administer an appropriate consequence. Quiet corrections allow the teacher to remain in control of the situation and keeps the attention off of the student.


Give students a task:

If you notice a student has a behavioral challenge, consider giving them a task or job to complete for you, for example sending a message to another teacher. This will give the student an opportunity to reset and come back and join the class. Teachers can also encourage leadership and positive peer interaction by pairing the student up with a classmate as a helper on an academic task to encourage social and emotional learning.


Take a break:

 Students benefit from a 3-5 minute break to reset and refocus. Include time for students to rest and reset during an activity or before transitioning to a new task. Brain breaks, like games, puzzles, and stretching, are helpful and fun.


Positive phrasing:

 Teachers can easily get into the habit of threatening students with statements that actually emphasize the negative behavior and further creates tension. Instead, describe the positive impact of a behavior.  Class rules should also be positively phrased, instead of, “Don’t speak out of turn" the rule can be, “We raise a quiet hand when we'd like to speak."


State the behavior you want to see:

Positively narrate the behavior you want to see and acknowledge students who meet expectations right away. This rewards positive behavior while also repeating the expectation for students who may have missed it the first time. For example, as students are cleaning up the classroom, keep them on task by acknowledging the students who are meeting your expectations by saying, "I see (student name) doing a great job of picking the scraps of paper off the floor". Other students quickly follow suite.  

Tangible reinforcers:

Rewards can be edible treats, toys, or a desired activity. Be sure that you set clear expectations for how to earn rewards. Be sure to only set realistic goals so students can earn the reward consistently in order to maintain the efficacy of the reward. 

Personal Reflection:  I use PBIS techniques with my students many times each day. I realized early on that stating what you don't want to see in terms of behavior might actually introduce an idea to them that otherwise wouldn't even occurred to them. For example, telling your class to never sword fight with the scissors might actually inspire them to try it. Instead, I only use language to reinforce the behavior I do want to see. Positive reinforcement encourages students and creates a positive classroom atmosphere by focusing on what the students are doing well, rather than focusing disproportionately on problem behaviors. Both children and adults are more motivated to be cooperative and stay on task if they feel safe, loved, and acknowledged for all the ways they are good. I once had a student who struggled with intense self depreciating behaviors. He could easily spiral into "I'm so stupid" or "I'm a bad boy" complete with a tearful meltdown. I quickly learned that by regularly praising and acknowledging his strengths, his sense of confidence and belonging in the class sky rocketed. His meltdowns ceased and he even became a cheerleader for other students with remarks like "I think your picture is really awesome!" and "Sometimes it's hard at first but you'll get it because I can tell you're really smart". In using PBIS in the classroom, it also modeled SEL skills to the students who then went on to share the same positive communication with their peers. Overall, PBIS prevents problem behaviors from arising or getting worse while also creating an increasingly positive classroom culture.  

References:

Jones, Dr. Fred (2020) Tools for Teaching Supplies Specifics for PBIS and RtI. Educationworld.com Retrieved from  https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones047.shtml

PBIS Rewards (2020) What is PBIS? pbisrewards.com Retrieved from https://www.pbisrewards.com/blog/what-is-pbis/

Bennet, Nneka A. (2018) 9 Examples of Positive Behavior Support & Interventions. kickboardforschools.com Retrieved from https://www.kickboardforschools.com/blog/post/pbis-positive-behavior-interventions-supports/9-examples-of-positive-behavior-support-interventions/

 

Evidence Based Teaching - 
Highest Impactful Behavior Management Strategy
Strong Teacher-Student Relationships

Natasha Abbott 

What does behavior management mean? Behavior management refers to deliberate ways that you nurture positive behavior in your students while discouraging negative behavior. 6

There are at least two reasons that behavior management strategies are important. First, students in classes that behave well learn more students in classes who don’t. Second, poor student behavior is psychologically draining for both the teacher and the students in that class. 6

There are 10 top impactful behavior management strategies and techniques on student success and your sanity. However, most educators may not be sure which behavior management strategies and techniques have the most impact for students. Out of all 10, the behavior management strategy with the highest impact is Teacher-Student Relationship

Strong teacher-student relationships are crucial. 6
To a large extent, the nature of your relationship with your students dictates the impact that you have on them. If you want to have a positive and lasting difference on your kids, you need to forge productive teacher-student relationships. 

Strong teacher-student relationships: 

  • Shape the way children think and act in school
  • Improve how well they do at school 

When you have a good relationship with your students, they are more likely to feel positive about class and about school in general. They are also more willing to hard work, to risk making mistakes, and to ask for help when they need it. Ultimately, teacher-student relationships have a large and positive impact on students’ academic results.

In fact, the quality and nature of the relationships you have with your students has a larger effect on their results than socio-economic status, professional development or Reading Recovery programs1. It is not that these things don’t matter, but rather that your relationships with students matter more. This positive teacher- student relationship is considered high performance. If you want to make a real and lasting difference, the evidence shows that investing time and effort into building high-performance with students is one of the most powerful things you can do.

What do such relationships entail? 

  • How to build strong teacher-student relationships
  • How to adopt a high-performance relational style 

 

Productive Teacher Student Relationships: Element 1 – Care 6

Angela Maiers 6 has been exploring teacher-student relationships with her own classes for over 20 years. In her article 12 Things Kids Want From Their Teachers, she describes how she found that building such relationships requires you to show genuine care for your students – both as learners and as people.

You need to: 

  • Be accepting, warn and nurturing
  • Be aware of and empathetic to their thoughts and feelings 
  • Let them know they are important to you 

And, to do all of this, you need to take the time mentally present with them throughout the day. Students first care about how much you care; rather than how much you know. When teachers and students have a warm and caring relationship, the students show greater levels of school adjustment (even years later)3 and achieve higher marks. This doesn’t mean that you should be too permissive. Students like order and security, but they also need to know you have nothing but their best intentions at heart.

3 KEYS TO CARING TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS 6

  1. Warmth – accept your students for who they are and care for them as a good parent cares for their child. Show them that they are important to you.
  2. Empathy – understand how your students think and feel about what is going on around them.
  3. Time – take the time to physically and mentally present when talking with your students.

Some other Techniques of showing you care:

  • Extensive Communication with student
  • Continuous parent communication and encouragement parent involvement
  • Mentorship program
  • Home visits when necessary
  • SEL check (ensuring students overall well-being)

 

Productive Teacher Student Relationships: Element 2 – Expectation 6

Caring about your kids is critical. However, forging productive teacher student relationships takes more.

You need to believe your students are capable of succeeding and you must expect them to do so.

Your beliefs about students are important because they subconsciously influence how you treat each child. If you want to have the largest impact on student results that you possibly can, it is important that you genuinely believe that:

    • Children need guidance and structure
    • All children can and should behave well
    • Improvement comes from hard work
    • Some students will need more support than others to meet your standards

When you have high expectations of your students, you act on your beliefs by demanding that students behave well, work hard and understand the material that you are teaching them. Press your students to understand difficult material and to engage thoughtfully with their work. Push them to achieve more than they ever thought possible, but support them along the way. If you treat a student of what they are capable of accomplishing you help them become just that. You accept a child for who they are, but you do not accept (or gloss over) that it is okay for them to misbehave or to do substandard work. Accepting such work sends the wrong message – a message that you don’t really believe they can do any better. 6

Relational Styles In Brief 6

The two essential elements of high-performance, teacher student relationships are care and expectation.

While some people see these as polar opposites, this is not the case.

Effective teachers care about their kids, while also expect them to do well.

teacher student relationship styles graphic

As teachers can show high or low amounts of care, as well as high or low amounts of press, teachers can relate to students in four distinctly different ways.

On any given day, a teacher may display behaviors from each of the four styles – and sometimes the situation warrants such flexibility. Despite this, when you look at their typical ways of interacting with students over time, different teachers exhibit different relational styles6

The 4 Relational Styles Explained 6

The 4 relational styles are:

  1. Authoritarian
  2. Friendly
  3. Aloof
  4. High-Performance

The Authoritarian Style

Authoritarian teachers show high amounts of press and low amounts of care. While they may want students to learn, they view their relationships with students as an us-vs-them phenomenon, where it is important for them to come out on top. Authoritarian teachers are rigid, and value rules for rule’s sake. They often overact to small infringements, and they are sometimes sarcastic and cynical. 6

The Friendly Style

Friendly teachers show a high degree of care but a low amount of press. While they may care deeply about students’ self-esteem, they misguidedly accept minimal effort and mediocre work. Friendly teachers let their belief in student-directed learning prevent them from giving students the instruction and guidance they need. This often leads to chaotic classrooms and students working independently on tasks they have not been shown how to do. 6

The Aloof Style

Aloof teachers show low amounts of press and low amounts of care. While they may go through the motions of teaching, they do so mindlessly. They are often apathetic and indifferent, as their minds are elsewhere – think Bad Teacher. Aloof teachers don’t seek conflict with kids, yet their indifference and lack of structure lead students to act out. Then, over-reactions, escalating conflict and passive-aggressive behavior often follow. 6

The High-Performance Style

Teachers who forge high-performance relationships care for their students while simultaneously pressing them to excel. They have a passionate desire to help students learn and improve, which leads them to demand high standards of behavior and effort. Yet, they also value their kids as people and take an interest in their lives. These teachers provide their students with strong guidance (both academically and behaviorally), while also nurturing personal responsibility and self-regulation. 6

Research5 shows that when teachers adopt a high-performance style of relating to students, the students have better attitudes about school, and they achieve better results.

Ultimately, if you want your students to excel, you should forge high-performance relationships with each of them. Setting high standards without providing a warm environment lacks a balance. However if you develop both high standards and a caring/ warm supportive environment it will be beneficial to all students.

 Example 1: Brian comes to school all week for the first week of school. Each day Brian seems as a normal student, chatty, and engaged during class. On the 6th day (a Tuesday after labor day), Brian comes to school extremely emotional. One minute he is having a crying spell in class and the next he snaps on another student. He isolates himself during lunch, although for the pass week he was a chatterbox. He also is disengaged during the lesson, singing out loud to himself, and refuses to take his BOY assessment causing a disruption in class. At this point we are still in the joining phase and perhaps Brian may not be as comfortable with me to volunteer what is bothering and causing a disruption in his behaviors. First, I would calmly communicate with Brian one on one to see what's going on. Ensure that I do a SEL check, allowing him to rate himself and why. I would then show Brian how much I care about his well-being by simultaneously empathize, and address the expectations of the class. I would support Brian by allowing him to write down his feelings or either discussing his feelings of why he is having a difficult day. Once, Brian then comes out and says he had to watch his younger siblings last night because his mother had to work. He then addresses that at least 2 out of 3 times a week his mother works late and he is responsible for his younger siblings that did not want to go to sleep last night. While this is common within our community, staying balanced with Brian is key. As a high performance teacher, I would not only show Brian that I care, but I would press for him to excel. I would communicate with Brian on what good scholars do (expectations). In addition to continuously give warm praises. I would allow Brian to write a brief journal entry of his feelings, provide extended time, provide visuals of expectations, and provide a time out/ cool down place if needed to reflect. Later I would contact the parent to identify resources if needed. I would also offer an after school availability/ lunch option for Brian to complete his assessment and engage in building a positive teacher relationship. I would also involve Brian in the mentorship program. This way one of the staff members that is part of the mentoring program would support him closely.


Reflection:

Ultimately, I believe that developing a positive teacher-student relationship is key to a great school year. This classroom behavior management strategy is my first choice because it sets the foundation for academic achievement and paves the pathway for great classroom management. Taking the time to develop this relationship is also vital to the classroom climate. In my class I believe my teaching style serves as an authoritative but yet caring and empathetic way of interacting with a student. I believe I fall into the "high performance" category because I am able to address student expectations and also understand students well-being. As usual I press for student success and for them to excel. I take the time on the first day of school to understand students and connect with their world. I may begin with an icebreaker/ SEL activity. Then I give them just enough about myself, my characteristics, one fact of my family and things I enjoy doing. Majority of the time this allows for students to share as well. Once students feel comfortable with you, they tend to respect you. They also try really hard to not let you down and to do everything in their power to attain good grades. After setting the foundation with the  "getting to know" each other activity, students are generally comfortable. I then empathize on the classroom culture, school expectations, rules, routines, schedule, norms, incentives, and/ or consequences, etc. 

References

  1. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge. [↩]
  2. Cornelius-White, J. (2007). Learner-Centered Teacher Student Relationships Are Effective: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 113–143. [↩]
  3. O’Connor, E. E., Dearing, E., & Collins, B. A. (2011). Teacher – Child Relationship and Behavior Problem Trajectories In Elementary School. American Education Research Journal, 48(1), 120-162. [↩]
  4. Middleton, M. J., & Midgley, C. (2002). Beyond Motivation: Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Press for Understanding In Math. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 373-391; Wubbels, T., Levy, J., & Brekelmans, M. (1997). Paying Attention to Relationships. Educational Leadership, 54, 82-86; Davis, H. A. (2006). Exploring the Contexts of Relationship Quality Between Middle School Students and Teachers. Special Issue on the Interpersonal Contexts of Motivation and Learning, 106, 193-223.[↩]
  5. Middleton, M. J., & Midgley, C. (2002). Beyond Motivation: Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Press for Understanding In Math. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 373-391; Wubbels, T., Levy, J., & Brekelmans, M. (1997). Paying Attention to Relationships. Educational Leadership, 54, 82-86; Davis, H. A. (2006). Exploring the Contexts of Relationship Quality Between Middle School Students and Teachers. Special Issue on the Interpersonal Contexts of Motivation and Learning, 106, 193-223. [↩]
                 6. Killian, S. (2016). Potent behaviour management strategies. 
                 7. Rogers, B. (2015) Classroom Behaviour: A practical guide to effective teaching, behaviour                                                           management and colleague support.

 


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