Developing a Classroom Management Plan Using a Tiered Approach

Classroom Management – Why a Tiered Approach?  Based on Response to Intervention (RTI) educational approach where:  students in need of of support are identified  their progress is monitored  adjustments are made to the levels and/or types of interventions.  This same tiered approach can be applied to effective behavioral supports in a classroom based on the needs of each individual student.  There are 3 main Tiers of Classroom Management:  Preventative Classroom Management  First-line Interventions  Intensive, Individualized Interventions

Tier 1 Preventative Classroom Management In general, Preventative Classroom Management incorporates:  High Teacher expectations  Stimulating instruction with high levels of student engagement  Clearly communicated rules and norms  Established routines and procedures  Positive teacher-student rapport  Efficient use of classroom time

Tier 1 Preventative Classroom Management (continued) To develop a core curriculum of behavioral supports, teachers need:  Good instructional practices where students are occupied in the instruction (response cards, peer tutoring, graphic organizers)  Well-designed and clearly communicated rules and procedures that set the stage for effective student behavior  Behavioral Pairs can be effective: Teacher first defines the behavior of concern then identifies an incompatible desired behavior for the student to learn as a replacement behavior  A classroom climate with positive relationships with students and strong teacher guidance that is:  Calm and confident  Reinforces rules  Redirects misbehavior  Uses proximity, eye contact, and calling student by name

Tier 2 First Line Interventions When challenging behaviors appear, teachers should provide additional supports: Surface Management Techniques:  Planned Ignoring – sometimes behavior stops if not recognized  Signal Interference – nonverbal signals such as rining of chimes or flickering lights can signal students to change behavior  Proximity and Touch Control – presence of a nearby teacher can remind students to refocus, refrain, and reengage  Engaging Students’ interest  “Hypodermic” Affection – deliberate delivery of kindness of individualized attention  Humor – defuse tense situations and redirect  Hurdle Help – provide instructional support rather than a reprimand  Regrouping – move students around  Direct Appeal – a reminder of the rules  Antiseptic Bouncing – non-punitive removal from the classroom  Interpretation as Interference – help student develop a more rational view of a situation which might help them calm down

Tier 2 First Line Interventions Reinforcement Systems can provide consistent consequences to specific behaviors for the purpose of increasing target behaviors:  Token economies – students earn tokens for desired behavior that can be used to obtain an item or preferred activity  Behavior Contracts – specify contingent relationships among behaviors. They work best when they focus on the desired behavior. When student adheres to contract, they are given a reinforcer. Benefits include:  Clear goals for both student and teacher  Development of a tracking system  Shift in responsibility from teacher to student in terms of daily management

Tier 3 Intensive, Individualized Interventions  Begins with Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)  Why is student behaving like this?  What socially acceptable behavior can we teach to address the same need?  Social Skills Instruction – appropriate, adaptive behaviors can be taught and learned by all students  Social skills instruction should be customized to meet individual students’ communications and behavioral needs  Social skills instruction can’t be considered successful until the skills is generalized to new settings  Self-monitoring Instruction  Identify target behavior  Buy in from student on advantages of self-monitoring  Define method for monitoring and collect data on behavior  Teach student to self-monitor  Implement system with reinforcement  Work to fade the teacher monitoring

Conclusion  An RTI model provides a framework for teachers to evaluate classroom practices and make decisions about the level of intervention or support needed.  Effective instruction and clear expectations can go a long way in many classrooms  Without a solid “core” of behavioral support in the classroom, students do not have the guideposts necessary to learn, practice and develop desirable skills.  The tiered behavior framework allows teachers to clearly communicate with administrators, parents and colleagues how they are providing behavioral supports for students in their classrooms.

Checkpoint What are the 3 tiers of a classroom management plan? Briefly describe each tier.  Tier 1 – Preventative Classroom Mangement – anything a teacher does that proactively establishes positive behavioral expectations in a classroom.  Tier 2 - First-Line Interventions – Additional supports a teacher provides when challenging behaviors appear.  Tier 3 – Intensive, Individualized Interventions – a personalized behavior plan designed to address students specific behavioral support needs.