An Overview of The Good Behavior Game Jessica Pomaybo © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 1

Learner Objectives Participants in this seminar will be able to: Describe steps involved in implementing The Good Behavior Game. State problem behaviors included in classroom disruption Identify problems of implementation of The Good Behavior Game © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 2

Our Agenda Describing advantages of The Good Behavior Game Describing steps in implementing The Game What not to do when implementing The Game © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 3

A Case Illustration Charlie is a 6 th grader who loves to learn. Lately, going to class is not a lot of fun. A few of his peers are always causing disruptions. Charlie actually feels bad for the teacher and other kids. Charlie sits back and reads most of the time because once the disruptions start it will be some time before they end. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 4

The Study Guide Please refer to the outline. Fill in blanks as needed. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 5

What is classroom disruption? Classroom disruption can mean such things as talking out of turn, being out of seat, and disturbing others. Usually these things are a minor rule violation, but if it occurs frequently it could turn into a major rule violation. This behavior happens in the classroom. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 6

Classroom disruption is something that will happen. Whether it happens more or less depends on the students and teacher in the classroom. The age of the students may also play a role in disruption. Prevalence © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 7

Glossary ODR stands for office discipline referral (Kerr & Nelson, 2006). Intergroup contingency is when the entire group of students on a team has to reach a set goal before being rewarded (Kerr & Nelson, 2006). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 8

Glossary Reinforcers are consequences that students will work to earn (Tingstrom et al., 2006). The Good Behavior Game is where students are put into teams and win reinforcers based on behavior goals (Tingstrom et al., 2006). The Good Behavior Game is also called The Game or the GBG. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 9

How we identify the problem Students receiving all ODR’s from the classroom for causing disturbances to others. If one student is receiving all ODR’s from a classroom then you should focus on this particular student (Collela, Trovato, Kerr & Buckland, 2007). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 10

Related problems Students who are weak in academics may cause disruptions to get out of the classroom environment. Students may also lack social skills and this is a way of seeking peer attention. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 11

Contributing factors According to Embry (2002) the organization of the school can have an effect on behavior. If students are already developmentally at risk then the way the school is run and what classroom the student is in can impact students significantly (Embry, 2002). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 12

What not to do! When using The Good Behavior Game © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 13

When using The Game do not:  Let students pick behaviors to target  Debate scoring with the students  Use boring or undesired reinforcers  Make goals unattainable at the beginning  Keep all goals at an attainable level as the game goes on (Special Connections Website, 1999). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 14

What works: Research you can use © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 15

Advantages of The Game Reduce classroom disruption without taking away instructional time It is a classroom intervention that will be useful for all students (Tingstrom, Sterling-Turner, & Wilczynski, 2006). The entire class has to show individual effort (Tingstrom et al., 2006). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 16

Advantages Cont. The Game is aimed at students’ positive behavior instead of punishing negative behavior (Van Lier, Muthen, Van Der Sar, & Crijen, 2004). Easy to implement and helps to create positive and comfortable learning environment. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 17

Steps to Implementing the Good Behavior Game © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 18

© 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 19 Step 1: Collect all needed materials, such as timers, rewards, and data forms. Data forms may be downloaded from the internet (The Good Behavior Game Manual, n.d.)

Step 2 The teacher seeks input from the students about what they think would make a great classroom. The teacher also asks for what they think is poor behavior for the classroom. The poor behavior is then referred to as “fouls” (Embry, 2002). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 20

Step 3 The students and teacher then make and define the rules and behaviors for the game. The rules are always posted so students can always see the score (Embry, 2002). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 21

Step 4 The classroom is then split into teams by the instructor The teacher should be careful to include disruptive and non-disruptive students on each team (Embry, 2002). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 22

Step 5 Take data on behaviors that you want to target. The instructor should be picking the target behaviors (The Good Behavior Game Manual, n.d.). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 23

Step 6 Play the game in intervals, such as in core classes or any classes where there are disruptions (Embry, 2002). Review the rules before each time the game is played (The Good Behavior Game Manual, n.d.). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 24

Step 7 Place a check by the team name if someone breaks the rules. The teams with the fewest checks wins (The Good Behavior Game Manual, n.d.). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 25

Troubleshooting Possible problems and solutions for implementing The Good Behavior Game © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 26

Possible problems: Students purposely trying to sabotage their teams. An increase in peer pressure that may lead to fighting or harassment Not all of the reinforcers may be appealing to the entire class (Tingstrom et al., 2006). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 27

Possible Solutions Students that are sabotaging the Game can either be permanently or temporarily removed from the game. Simply do not count the points for the students that are sabotaging the game for others. Put the sabotaging students onto one team (Tingstrom et al., 2006). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 28

Possible Solutions Randomize the reinforcers and behaviors by having a random drawing. If students do not know what the reward is at the beginning they may be less likely to sabotage (Tingstrom et al., 2006). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 29

Possible Solutions Have group meetings if students are harassing each other about the Game. If group meetings do not work have teachers meet with the students individually to cut down on harassment (Tingstrom et al., 2006). © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 30

Where you can get more help Helpful websites for The Good Behavior Game Blueprints for Violence Prevention Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 31

Case study Please refer to the case study included with the study guide. Read and determine what mistakes were made when implementing The Good Behavior Game © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 32

References Collela, C., Trovato, C., Kerr, M. M., & Buckland, W. (2007). Using office referral data to improve student behavior: A principle’s guide. Unpublished manuscript, University of Pittsburgh. Embry, D.D. (2002). The good behavior game: A best practice candidate as a universal behavioral vaccine. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 5 (4), Kerr, M.M. & Nelson, C. M. (2006). Strategies for addressing behavior problems in the classroom, 5 th Edition. Columbus Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 33

References Tingstrom, D.H., Sterling-Turner, H.E., Wilczynski, S.M. (2006). The Good Behavior Game: Behavior Modification, 30 (2), Van Lier, A.C., Van der Sar, R.M., Muthen, B.O., Crijen, A.M. (2004). Preventing disruptive behavior in elementary school: Impact of a universal classroom-based intervention. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, 72 (3), © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 34

Contact information Jessica Pomaybo address: © 2008 Jessica Pomaybo 35