Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN: © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CHAPTER SIX ENCOURAGING POSITIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN THE CLASSROOM Two major types of behavior problems are of concern to the teacher: Inappropriate classroom behavior and study-skill problems Forms of inappropriate classroom behavior Talking out Fighting Arguing Being out of ones’ seat Swearing Avoiding interactions with others Immature and withdrawn behaviors

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Two Major Types of Behavior Problems (cont’d) Study skill problems Failure to complete assignments Poor attention during lectures or class discussions Failure to follow directions Poor management of study time

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 Problem Behaviors (cont’d) Problem behaviors are exhibited in one of three ways: Low rate of appropriate behaviors High rate of inappropriate behaviors Absence of the appropriate behavior from the student’s repertoire Can these behaviors be modified?

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 Yes: THE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PROCESS The modern term behavioral support is preferred to the more traditional term behavior management because it places emphasis not on the student exhibiting the behavior, but rather on the ways in which the instructional environment can be manipulated to support the encouragement or development of appropriate behavior.

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 To begin: Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) Behavioral support is the foundation of the SWPBS approach to school discipline. This approach, like the Response-to-Intervention (RTI) model, seeks to prevent problems whenever possible and, when problems do occur, to identify them as early as possible and offer appropriate interventions.

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 SWPBS Model Like RTI, the SWPBS model includes three levels or tiers of interventions: School/classroom-wide system for all students, staff, and settings Specialized group systems for students with at-risk behavior Specialized individualized systems for students with high-risk behavior (Simonsen et al, p. 33)

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Current Federal Law As current Federal law requires, for each student identified as eligible for special education services, the IEP team must “consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports” if “behavior impedes the child’s learning or that of others.”

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Recall: PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIOR SUPPORT Remember that behaviors are learned Take into consideration a behavior’s antecedents and its consequences (ABC) Use positive and negative reinforcement to increase the probability that a behavior will occur Remove reinforcers or introduce aversives to decrease the probability that a behavior will occur (AKA Punishment) Identify consequences that are meaningful to students (Ask/observe & create a menu.) Beware of noneducational interventions See text.

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 Data are key: METHODS FOR GATHERING DATA Gathering data about the classroom behavior and study skills of students is an essential component of a behavioral support program. Functional behavioral assessment: systematic approach aimed at providing sufficient information to educators to allow them to:

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 Functional Behavior Assessment (cont’d) 1. understand the factors contributing to the problem behavior, and 2. plan the positive behavioral interventions necessary to bring the problem behavior under control. (McLoughlin & Lewis, 2008)

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Methods for Gathering Data – How to. Direct observation of behavior Specify behavior to be observed in measurable terms. Select a measurement system Permanent Products Frequency Counts/Event Recording Duration & Latency Intervals

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 Methods for Gathering Data – How to. Direct observation of behavior Decide who will observe and how often observations will occur Collect and graph baseline data Collect data during interventions

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 POSITIVE STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING AND IMPROVING BEHAVIOR Establish behavior expectations and communicate them to students Prevent inappropriate conduct by monitoring behavior and providing feedback Reinforce appropriate behavior Provide reinforcers that are valued by students Use token economies to deliver reinforcers With older student, use contingency contracts

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 15 POSITIVE STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING AND IMPROVING BEHAVIOR (cont’d) Teach behaviors by shaping Use modeling to improve student behavior Consider involving peers in behavioral programs Involve students in managing their own behavior Involve parents in behavior management programs

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 16 THINGS TO REMEMBER To be successful members of the general education classroom, students may need to increase some behaviors, decrease others, and learn new ways of acting. Classroom behavior problems interfere with instruction and social interactions; study skills problems affect a student’s academic performance. Intervention may be necessary if there is a low rate of appropriate behavior, a high rate of inappropriate behavior, or an absence of the appropriate behavior from the student’s repertoire.

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 17 THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) Behavior is learned and can be taught; it is increased by reinforcement and decreased by the removal of reinforcers or the introduction of aversive events. Behaviors do not occur in isolation; their antecedents and consequences must be considered. Direct observation of student behavior provides the most useful data for classroom teachers.

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 18 Teaching Special Students in General Education Classrooms 7 th edition Rena B. Lewis and Donald Doorlag PearsonEducation, Inc. Principles of Managing Behavior Behavior is Learned (according to behaviorists) –Operant behaviors vs. respondent behaviors. Antecedents and Consequences need consideration –A B C – to understand behaviors’ functions Classroom Organization can influence behaviors. Increasing Behaviors is a focus of teaching –Positive reinforcement R + (e.g., …) –Negative reinforcement R - (e.g., …) – Reinforcement should alsways be the first option. 5.3

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 19 More Principles of Managing Behavior Decreasing Behaviors is the second choice. –Extinction (has 3 components) –Punishment by withdrawing or administering Time-out (withdrawing opportunity for reinforcers) Response Cost (withdrawing actual reinforcers) Aversive consequences (administering aversives) Begin with a Reinforcement Menu: Consider Identifying Consequences that Are Meaningful to Students – Ask. Beware of Noneducational Interventions 5.4

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 20 THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) Class rules and procedures make students aware of the expectations for behavior. Methods of using reinforcers to change behavior include token economies, contingency contracts, and group contingencies. Preventing behavior problems involves careful monitoring of students, reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, and use of negative teacher attention for potentially disruptive behavior.

Teaching Students with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms, 8e Lewis/Doorlag ISBN # © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 21 THINGS TO REMEMBER (cont’d) Students can participate in self-management of behavior by setting goals, monitoring their own performance, or implementing interventions such as self-reinforcement or self-instruction. Effective reinforcers are those valued by the student.