The simplest way to ensure that students expect success is to make sure that they achieve it consistently. Brophy, 1987

CHAMPs Classroom Management Strategy December, 2010

Understatement: Not all students come to us motivated and/or responsible. Some are responsible and highly motivated. Some are responsible, but only moderately motivated. Some are like Huck Finn, severely at risk.

What is a Misbehavior? Anything that keeps the teacher from teaching or the student from learning is misbehavior.

There are no “simple” solutions. Punitive consequences are not enough There are no “simple” solutions. Punitive consequences are not enough. Role-bound power is not enough.

What CHAMPs Is; What CHAMPs Isn’t CHAMPs is not a “canned” program nor is it a rigid set of procedures. Instead, a teacher using the CHAMPs strategies will reflect both her/his individual needs and style of the teaching and the students’ need for structure while manipulating the following five behavioral variables that research shows will promote better student behavior: 1. Structure (organize) your classroom to prevent misbehavior. 2. Teach your expectations regarding how to be successful within the structure that you have created. 3. Observe whether students are meeting your expectations. 4. Interact positively with all students. 5. Correct misbehavior fluently, briefly, calmly, consistently, immediately, and (as much as possible) privately.

The CHAMPs Basic Beliefs Teachers can structure and organize their classrooms to prompt responsible student behavior. Teachers should overtly and consciously teach students how to behave responsibly in every classroom/school situation.

Teachers should focus more time, attention, and energy on acknowledging responsible behavior than responding to misbehavior. Teachers should preplan their responses to misbehavior to ensure that they will respond in a brief, calm, and consistent manner.

The Power of Positive Interaction Interacting with every student at least three times more when he/she is behaving responsibly (through non-contingent attention and contingent praise) than when engaged in misbehavior, is one of the most powerful strategies you can employ to ensure a positive and productive classroom environment.

Consequences for Misbehavior – Gentle Verbal Reprimand The Gentle Verbal Reprimand – Go over to the student(s) engaged in a misbehavior and quietly remind/tell the student(s) what he/she should be doing at that moment. The following are characteristics of effective verbal reprimands: • Short • Given while physically near the student (not from across the room) • Respectful in tone and content • Clear and unequivocal • State the expected behavior rather than accusing the student of misbehavior • Given in a way that gives the illusion of privacy

CHAMPs Acronym The acronym CHAMPs reflects the “categories” or types of expectations that you, as a teacher need to clarify for students about every major activity or transition that occurs in your classroom.

The CHAMPs Acronym Conversation: Can students talk to each other during this activity/transition? Help: How can students ask questions during this activity/transition? How do they get your attention? Activity: What is the task/objective of this activity/transition? What is the expected end product? Movement: Can students move about during this activity/transition? Can they sharpen their pencil? Participation: What does appropriate student work behavior for this activity/transition look/sound like?

CHAMPs Template Classroom Activity Help Movement Conversation Participation

Begin at the Beginning Build positive relationships with your students’ families by making initial contact with them at the beginning of the year and maintaining contact throughout the year.

Ideally contact should be made before school starts. Contacts within the first 2 weeks of school will increase parental involvement throughout the school year. It’s never too late to initiate a relationship with your students’ families.

Provide the following information: A welcome greeting that indicates that you are interested in getting to know your students’ families Some information about your background A list of the major goals for the rest of the year (academic and social-emotional) The best time for parents to contact you A copy of classroom guidelines for success and rules Invitation for questions or comments

The First Month It is MUCH easier to teach responsible behaviors from the very first day than to deal with negative behaviors throughout the year. The tasks of the first month ensure that you build positive relationships with students and communicate your expectations clearly. Research shows: Teachers who take the time to teach expectations explicitly, get further in the curriculum than teachers who don’t.

The First Month When you teach students how to behave responsibly during the first month of school, you dramatically increase their chances of having a productive year.

Expectations for Classroom Activities Define clear and consistent behavioral expectations for all regularly scheduled classroom activities (e.g., small group instruction, independent work periods, etc.)

Expectations It is noted that clearly defined behavior expectations are not enough. Expectations must also be communicated and taught in a 3-step process:

Organization: Classroom Rules Identify and post 3-5 classroom rules that will be used as a basis for providing positive and corrective feedback.

Organization: Classroom Rules Keep the number of rules to a minimum Keep the wording of rules simple Have rules logically represent your basic expectations

Organization: Classroom Rules Keep the wording positive Make your rules specific Make your rules describe behavior that is observable

Organization: Classroom Rules Publicly post rules in a prominent place Tie following the rules to consequences Always include a compliance rule

Organization: Classroom Rules Students should be as familiar with the consequences as they are with the rules. (Consider a “What If Chart.”) Deliberately teach the consequences for rule infractions and rule compliance. Consider different rules for different activities.

E x V Theory of Motivation Expectancy x Value = Motivation Expectancy = degree to which an individual expects to be successful at that task. Value = degree to which an individual values the reward(s) that accompany that success. Feather (1982)

E x V Theory of Motivation Often educators attribute a lack of motivation only to the value component of the formula. “He doesn’t care about good grades.” “He doesn’t care about free time or stickers.” These explanations do not take expectancy into account. If either one of these factors is 0, then motivation is 0.

Motivation: Ratio of Interaction Our students are very demanding of attention and will go to many lengths to get it. An emotionally intense reprimand may be more rewarding than a brief “good job.” Which is longer, more rich and intense? Your feedback for positive behavior or your corrections for negative behavior?

Motivation: Ratio of Interaction The behavior you attend to the most will be the one that you will see more of in the future. What behavior do you attend to? Positive student behavior or negative student behavior?

Motivation: Ratio of Interaction Not only is what you attend to important, the frequency and distribution of your attention is also important. Research says: Teachers should use a 5:1 ratio. For every 1 corrective or negative interaction, the teacher needs to provide 5 positives for appropriate behavior.

“They can’t get your goat if they don’t know where it’s tied” Bill Jenson

Correction Procedures When you treat student misbehavior as an instructional opportunity, you give students the chance to learn from their mistakes.

Correction Procedures 3 important concepts: Being prepared for misbehavior reduces annoyance and frustration. Correction procedures are only effective if they reduce the future occurrence misbehavior. This means data! Most chronic misbehavior serves a purpose.

Analyze Misbehavior Types of misbehavior: A. Awareness type: student is unaware of the misbehavior. The intervention should focus on making expectations clear, and helping the student become more aware of her behavior and its affect on others. B. Ability type: student misbehaves because she does not know how to exhibit the appropriate behavior. The intervention should focus on teaching the student how and when to perform the appropriate behavior. (continued)

Analyze Misbehavior Types of misbehavior (continued): C. Attention seeking type: student engages in misbehavior to gain attention from peers and/or adults. Interventions should involve ignoring the misbehavior, and teaching and reinforcing the appropriate behavior (a.k.a. DRA). D. Escape/avoidance type: includes behavior that functions to release the student from an aversive situation or person(s). Interventions will vary based on the specific function of the behavior but will likely include corrective consequences.

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Much chronic misbehavior occurs to help a student escape or avoid something. Avoid difficult work or aversive work Avoid aversive social situation (adult, peer) Avoid school in general The use of corrective consequences alone, however, is not sufficient. Your intervention must also include a component in which appropriate or responsible behavior will be rewarded.

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Step 1: Remove any positive consequences that are maintaining the misbehavior by: Ensuring that the student will no longer get what he/she has been getting from the misbehavior (attention, etc.). Ensuring that the student will no longer get out of what he/she has been avoiding with the misbehavior (work, social interaction).

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Step 2: Demonstrate that positive behavior (a replacement behavior) leads to positive results for the student. Example: if the student misbehaves to get out of work, give breaks contingent upon work.

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Step 3: When possible, make the situation the student is avoiding less aversive: Would it help to change the way the task is presented? Is the pace too slow? Too boring? Is the work too hard? Does the student need extra help? Does the student know how to ask for help? Does the student know what to do to get out of uncomfortable social situations? Would counseling or social skills training make the situation easier? Is there a different place for the student to sit or work?

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior The replacement behavior must: Yield as immediate positive results for the student as the misbehavior (long-term reward plans are unlikely to work with these students.) Be a behavior that the student can easily do (not a new or difficult behavior for the student). A good replacement behavior makes the problem behavior irrelevant, inefficient, and ineffective for the student

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Suggested Rewards for Replacement Behaviors: Extra free time Free homework coupon Skip an assignment coupon Contingent breaks Work-break schedule

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Step 4: Implement corrective consequences appropriate to the misbehavior. Plan to be consistent. Make sure the corrective consequence fits the severity and frequency of the misbehavior. Plan to implement the consequence unemotionally. If it is necessary to interact with the student at the time of the misbehavior, be brief and never argue.

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Suggested Corrective Consequences: Time owed Extra work Work during recess After school work session Restitution Positive practice (do it the right way 3 times) Overcorrection (fix it to better than it was before) Response cost/loss of privileges Demerits

Escape/Avoidance Misbehavior Non-Examples: “Linda, you skipped 2 days, so we’re going to suspend you for two more.” “Joey, you lost your math book because you’re obviously not ready to learn today.” “If you’re just going to sit there, you can sit in the office.” “You earned detention for not completing your work 3 days in a row.”

Motivation The simplest way to ensure that students expect success is to make sure that they achieve it consistently. Brophy, 1987