New Bridge Middle School □R□Rigor □R□Relevance □R□Relationships

 The processes include:  Self-reflection—if student behavior is irresponsible, school staff should reflect on what they can do to help students.  Using data—objective information about behavior is more reliable than labels, conclusions, or stereotypes.  Structuring for success—all school settings should be organized to promote successful behavior from students.  Collaboration—helping students behave responsibly is the shared responsibility of all school staff.  The beliefs include:  All students must be treated with dignity and respect.  Students should be taught the skills and behaviors necessary for success.  Motivation and responsibility should be encouraged through positive interactions and building relationships with students.  Student misbehavior represents a teaching opportunity.

OCS Goal # 3: New Bridge Middle School students will learn in a safe environment to be civil, healthy, and productive citizens.

Historical Perspective  Behavior and discipline have always been a problem and frustration for educators.  At-risk students are nothing new— reread Huckleberry Finn.  Discipline is consistently ranked as one of the leading problems in education.

Historical Perspective  Behavior management has typically consisted of trying to “make” students behave.  This attitude leads to an over- dependence on reactive procedures.  Reactive procedures are not bad or wrong, they are simply ineffective in changing behavior.  Unproductive attitudes are developed.

Future Perspective  A safe school is one in which no one is spending time or energy in trying to protect themselves from emotional or physical harm.  A civil school is one in which everyone is pleasant, polite, and respectful to everyone else--even during disagreements.  A productive school is one in which people are motivated, engaged in meaningful learning tasks, and experiencing growth.

Beliefs: Guiding Principles About Interactions With Students  School is important to a student’s success in life (although some students and some families may not believe this).  All the people in a school should be treated with dignity and respect.  Kids come first!  The adults in a school (all the adults in a school) bear the ultimate responsibility for making the school safe, civil, and productive.

Strategy 1: RATIO OF INTERACTIONS Plan to interact at least three times more often with each student when he/she is behaving appropriately than when he/she is misbehaving (3:1 ratio).

Consider this…  Some students are starved for attention.  For these students, the form of attention may not matter.  For these students, the behavior you pay the most attention to is the behavior you will see more of in the future.

Interactions with students are considered positive or negative based on the behavior the student is engaged in at the time you attend to him or her; therefore, we need to make an effort to interact with students more when they are exhibiting desired behaviors.

The “Criticism Trap”  Studies show most teachers pay significantly more attention to students’ misbehavior than they do to students’ positive behavior.  Short run outcomes are desirable, but a destructive pattern is established in the long run.  The only way out of the “Criticism Trap” is to have more interactions with students when they are behaving responsibly than when they are misbehaving.

Avoiding the “Criticism Trap”  All students should perceive unconditional acceptance and high expectations from all school personnel.  All students should receive frequent positive feedback on their behavioral and academic efforts.

How do I increase positive interactions?  Each time you have a negative interaction with a student, tell yourself you owe that student three positive interactions.  Identify specific times during to day to give positive feedback on some aspect of the student’s individual behavior or class performance.  Schedule individual conference times with students to compliment them on their behavioral or academic performances.

Increasing positive interactions continued…  Make a point to periodically scan the classroom, specifically “searching” for important reinforceable behaviors that you can acknowledge to students.  Identify particular events that occur during the day (ex: student getting water or sharpening pencil) that will prompt you to observe the class and identify a reinforceable behavior.  Make a point to reduce the amount of attention (time and intensity) a student receives for misbehavior and to increase the amount of attention (time and intensity) the student receives when NOT engaged in misbehavior.  Use an “adult voice” when interacting with students.

Connectedness "Increasing evidence shows that when students feel cared for by people at their school and feel like a part of the their school, they are less likely to use substances, engage in violence, or initiate sexual activity at an early age." McNeely, C.A., Nonnemaker, J.A., Blum, R.W.; (2002)

Strategy 2: 3 DISCIPLINE VOICES  Inside everyone’s head are internal voices that guide the individual. These three voices are referred to as the child voice, the parent voice, and the adult voice.  Educators tend to speak to students in a parent voice, particularly in discipline situations, which usually leads to further confrontation.

Characteristics of the Child Voice – The Jellyfish  Student Characteristics: -defensive -victimized -emotional -whining -lose mentality -strong negative non-verbal -hopeless -playful -spontaneous -curious

Characteristics of the Child Voice – The Jellyfish  Teacher Characteristics -Enforces rules inconsistently -Shows favoritism -Responds emotionally/acts impulsively -Uses tests/assignments as punishment -Becomes overwhelmed by student behavior -Manipulates students -External awards for compliance

Characteristics of the Parent Voice – The Shark  Student Characteristics -authoritative -directive -judgmental -evaluative -demanding -threatening -can be loving/supportive

Characteristics of the Parent Voice – The Shark  Teacher Characteristics -uses emotional manipulation -remains distant -shows little concern for student feelings -demands respect without earning it -affords new rights -promotes competition -uses humiliation -should be used to STOP dangerous behavior

Characteristics of the Adult Voice – The Dolphin  Student Characteristics -non-judgmental -factual -win-win attitude -free of negativity -negotiating -non-verbal -question format

Characteristics of the Adult Voice – The Dolphin  Teacher Characteristics -communicates deep concerns for students’ thoughts and ideas -conducts class meetings; establishes democratic practices -uses respectful language -uses humor appropriately -feels confident to express emotions -doesn’t use bribes or threats -focuses on self-improvement -used for changing behavior

Strategy 3: ESTABLISHING A 3-LEVEL SYSTEM FOR RESPONDING TO MISBEHAVIOR  Advantages of having a pre-determined plan: -Staff members can be on “automatic pilot” when responding to misbehavior. -Staff responses to misbehavior will be more consistent and more effective. -Staff members can put more time and energy into teaching, connecting with students, and recognizing student successes.

What are your beliefs? 1.Who is responsible for managing student behavior at school? 2.What should the goals of a school’s behavior management efforts be? 3.How can a school’s behavior management goals best be achieved?

Strategy 3: Developing a plan for dealing with discipline problems…  The staff must be proactive, positive, and instructional when teaching students to behave responsibly.  Student misbehavior should be corrected calmly, consistently, and immediately by any staff member.  Addressing chronic student misbehavior is a collaborative responsibility involving the entire staff who observes it.  Teachers should have flexibility when designing their own classroom management plans, but their plans should conform to the school’s developed plan.

The 3 Level System  Level 1: mild infractions  Definition: Minor misbehaviors that can be adequately corrected at the time they occur, and which do not require documentation.  Adult response: A staff member observing a Level 1 infraction corrects the student at the time, in the setting (a teaching moment).

The 3 Level System  Level 3: severe infractions -Definition: Serious misbehaviors that require immediate administrative involvement (office referral) and written documentation. Behaviors that are illegal or so severe the misbehaving student’s continued presence in a setting poses a threat to physical safety or to adult authority (ex: the adult could lose control of the situation if the student were to stay in the setting). -Adult response: A staff member observing a Level 3 infraction sends the student to the office or calls for help to remove the student, and completes an “incident report” form that goes to administration.

Level 3 infractions continued…  The specific misbehaviors considered Level 3 (severe) infractions include: -Illegal acts – Acts that involve breaking a state or federal law. -Physically dangerous acts – Acts that pose a threat to physical safety. -Acts of defiance – Acts in which a student engages in overt and immediate refusal to comply with a reasonable adult direction. Student defiance will be considered a Level 3 interaction only when the following conditions are met: 1. The “adult” voice is used when interacting with the student. 2. The direction is clear and observable. 3. The direction is immediate. 4. The direction is given three times. 5. With the second repetition, the staff member emphasizes the seriousness of the student’s choice. 6. With the third repetition, the staff member writes the direction (giving the student time to respond, slowing down the process).

The 3 Level System  Level 2: moderate infractions -Definition: Misbehaviors that, while not requiring immediate administrative involvement, do require documentation because: The reporting staff member wants/needs administrative input on the incident (ex: a teasing incident that may be harassment); and/or The reporting staff member feels the administrator should be aware and/or have a record of the situation (ex: a Level 1 misbehavior is becoming chronic). -Adult response: A staff member observing a Level 2 infraction corrects the student at the time and/or assigns a school-wide correction, and completes an “incident report” form that goes to the administrator. Note: The student does not come to the office at this time, only the paperwork.

Establishing procedures for dealing with misbehavior  Define problem behaviors  Categorize problem behaviors  Clearly define the inappropriate behavior  Define borderline behaviors  Identify responses for each category of behaviors  Make students aware of how you will respond to misbehavior  Be consistent and always evaluate

I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated and a child humanized or dehumanized. I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated and a child humanized or dehumanized. Haim Ginott

Review of Strategies…  3:1 Ratio of Interactions  3 Discipline Voices  3 Level System for Misbehavior Follow up…  Video  Individual reflections  Discipline data