I’m learning a lot about behavior management in my classroom this year. I definitely have quite a few students that could benefit from varied approaches to their behavior. Most of the cases seem to stem from the attention they are seeking from myself and their peers. The stories behind the behaviors are still somewhat uncertain, but from what we know, our eyes have been opened and we’ve been able to make adjustments.
My student that I’ve been monitoring also receives counseling if necessary throughout the day, so our team has been working closely with administration and counselors to make her learning environment a better place for herself and her peers.
The daily checklist has been modified more recently to cover more than just her touching behavior. It now includes calling out at inappropriate times. Hopefully soon it will include defiance as well. It’s going step by step to make sure she recognizes the behavior and why it is inappropriate. It allows her to see there are consequences for her behaviors. She has been able to monitor herself and place checks in the appropriate slots if her behavior has been under control. Each week, the number of checks that must be filled in to receive her tickets increases. If that amount has been filled in she gets 2 tickets daily. These tickets can be redeemed for a “prize” of her choice, as long as it is manageable. So far, she has chosen to spend some of her free time with certain faculty. This seems to give her the attention she is seeking, and it allows for some positive interactions with others.
She seems to be quite motivated by it. There have definitely been days that she has given up on the checklist because she is “having a bad day” according to her, but those days are few and far between. Usually it only takes one reminder for her to pull out her blue checklist.
I am very impressed with your behavior plan, and I really like the fact that you are working with your student on improving her behavior through ONE step at a time, instead of expecting her to change everything at once. I think it’s important that you are working with others to ensure that her plan is successful and I also like that the reward at the end of the week allows her to enjoy what she is seeking — more attention. My student has a similar behavior plan in which teachers sign each section after each period, but I like that your student keeps herself accountable by checking her own as well. I have asked her after the specific class periods (that she has with me) how she thought each thing went (completing work, respecting others with kind words, and staying in her seat) but she always replies “good” so I need to think of a way for my student to reflect on her behavior more. Is your student able to express herself through the plan in more ways than with a check?? I would be interested to know if that works well!
By: Kristin Wetherby on March 28, 2010
at 11:46 pm