1. Effective Classroom Practice: Strategies to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior

2. Effective Classroom Practices
Expectations & Rules
Procedures & Routines
Continuum of Strategies to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior
Continuum of Strategies to Respond to Inappropriate Behavior
Multiple Opportunities to Respond
Active Supervision
Academic Success & Task Difficulty
Activity Sequence & Offering Choice
When we talk about building classroom systems these are the features we want in place in all classrooms.
Each of these are research based practices.
This particular list came from a synthesis of work from many researchers including Brandi Simonson at the University of Connecticut and Lee Kern and Nathan Clemens from Lehigh University.
More detailed information regarding studies conducted for each of these practices can be found in a 2008 article titled “Evidence Based Practices in Classroom Management” from the journal Education and Treatment of Children. And in a 2007 article titled “Antecedent Strategies to Promote Appropriate Classroom Behavior” from the journal, Psychology in the Schools.
A copy of each article is included in the mini-module resource folder. (Article 1 and Article 2)
To underscore the value of classroom systems, let me show you data from an elementary school here in Missouri.

3. Why Acknowledge Appropriate Classroom Behavior?
Effective acknowledgment …
Can increase
on-task behavior,
correct responses, work productivity and accuracy,
attention and compliance
cooperative play
Foster intrinsic motivation to learn which comes from mastering tasks
Have vicarious effect with benefits that may be long lasting
More specifically…
Using strategies to acknowledge appropriate student academic or social behavior in the classroom can increase… on-task behavior, correct response, work productivity and accuracy, attention, compliance and cooperative play (Simonsen et al, 2008).
Use effective acknowledgment can help foster the intrinsic motivation to learn that comes from mastering tasks (Conroy et al, 2009)
And, evidence indicates certain types of acknowledgement, especially verbal praise, can have a vicarious effect on other students who observe the interaction (Kern & Clemens, 2007).
Consider this example, a simple statement such as, “Josh, I see you are sitting quietly and working on your assignment, great job!” explicitly identifies and acknowledges the student for the appropriate behavior he demonstrated AND it also provides a prompt to the rest of the class that in-seat, on-task work is expected and that positive attention from the teacher is available for that behavior (Kern & Clemens, 2007).

4. Example Strategies to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior
Verbal praise
Thumbs up, high five
Token economy
Notes/phone calls home or to principal
Student of the hour/day/week
Special privileges earned through group contingency
Teachers can acknowledge appropriate student behavior in a variety of ways
(Sprick, Knight, Reinke, McKale, 2006, p. 132)
These are some typical and common ways teachers tend to acknowledge appropriate behavior. (Read Slide)

5. Acknowledging Appropriate Behavior
Effective strategies are ….
Clear and specific
Contingent on desired behavior
Applied immediately
Teacher initiated
Focus on improvement and effort
Although most teachers already use some type of acknowledgement in their classrooms, researchers have found these strategies may not be used frequently or effectively especially with students who demonstrate problem behavior (Conroy et al, 2009; Kern & Clemens, 2008).
To effectively acknowledge student academic or social behavior consider the following guidelines…
First, acknowledgement should include specific statements about the appropriate behavior children displayed. “You did a great job counting numbers!” or “I can see everyone is working very hard on this assignment.” Effective strategies avoid simple, repetitive phrases such as “good job” or “nice work”. These comments are not specific enough and when overused tend to become background noise which students cease to hear (Conroy et al, 2009).
Effective acknowledgement should be provided dependent on students meeting classroom academic and/or behavioral expectations and should be provided immediately following the behavior. Praising children later can diminish the effectiveness of the acknowledgement (Conroy et al., 2009, p.19).
Acknowledgement strategies should be teacher initiated, rather than asked for by the student. Waiting for a child to say, “Look what I’ve done” is far less effective than the teacher catching the child demonstrating the appropriate behavior and acknowledging it immediately (Conroy et al, 2009, p.19).
Acknowledgement strategies are most effective when they focus on improvement and effort. For example, “Josh today you have 5 of your homework problems correct. Yesterday you only got 3 correct. I can see that you are working hard to improve.” Or, “Terry, thanks for being on time today. I appreciate your effort in being a responsible student.” (Conroy et al, 2009).

6. Acknowledging Appropriate Behavior
Effective strategies ….
Provided frequently during acquisition
Fade as skill develops
Avoid comparison/competition across children
Sincere and appropriate for student’s age
Includes hierarchy of alternatives
To enhance effectiveness… provide acknowledgement more frequently when students are first learning a new skill. Gradually fade the acknowledgement strategy as the skill is mastered. Then refocus high rates of acknowledgement on new skills that need to be developed (Conroy et al, 2009).
Effective acknowledgement strategies always compare children’s work with their previous work and skill level such as letting a students know their performance is better than it was during a previous lesson or day. Avoid statements such as, “Nico you did a better job of staying in line than Amy did.” or “Jerry did the best work today.” These types of acknowledgement compare students and may unintentionally create unwanted competition (Conroy et al, 2009).
Finally, strategies of acknowledgement will only be effective IF they are meaningful to students. Children from different backgrounds, experiences and socio-economic status will respond differently to particular types of acknowledgement. This is why it is important to consider planning for a hierarchy of alternative acknowledgement strategies (Conroy et al, 2009 & Simonsen, 2008).

7. Acknowledging Appropriate Behavior
Classroom Continuum:
Level 1 = Free and Frequent
Use everyday in the classroom
Level 2 = Intermittent
Awarded occasionally
Level 3 = Strong and Long Term
Quarterly or year long types of recognition
“A continuum of strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior refers to having a range of evidence-based strategies that focus on identifying and recognizing appropriate classroom behavior. The continuum should include the use of simple as well as more complex strategies to acknowledge displays of appropriate behavior” (Simonsen et. Al, 2008, p. 362)
For example, consider a leveled system for acknowledging appropriate academic or social behavior in the classroom classroom…
Level 1, Free and Frequent are the types of feedback teachers normally deliver easily and on a daily basis, such as thumbs up, praise or stickers.
Level 2 types of acknowledgement are only delivered occasionally and are more powerful. These can include student of the week/month or special privileges (hat or pajama day, extra recess or computer time) or some type of token economy.
Level 3 acknowledgement is considered as strong and long term. These are delivered on a quarterly, semester or year long basis. Examples may include a group contingency that allows all students in the class to work together toward earning something such as a field trip, party or celebration.

8. Classroom Continuum of Strategies
Free & Frequent
Intermittent
Strong & Long Term
Verbal Praise
Smile
Stickers
Rubber Stamps
Thumbs up
Home Notes
Token Economy
Phone Calls
Special Privileges
Computer Time
Social/Free Time
Special Seat
Group Contingency
Field Trip
Special Project
Recognition Ceremonies
Honor Roll
Increasing the level of acknowledgement in the classroom seems like a simple intervention, but it takes some planning and effort.
(Sprick, Knight, Reinke, McKale, 2006, p. 131.)
Just as we develop a school wide system for recognizing appropriate behavior, a system of recognition must also be developed within each classroom.
Acknowledgement should be easy and simple to administer, connected with school wide expectations AND clearly communicated. Students need to know why the feedback is being given.
Consider this example of a classroom system. It includes free and frequent, intermittent and long term feedback. It also aligns with the schoolwide system of recognition.
(Provide Example from a school experience you know)….

9. Classroom Continuum of Strategies
1. Clear and specific Related to rules Hierarchy of alternatives
Connection to SW System
Free and Frequent =
Intermittent
Strong and Long-term
(Use Handout 1)
Take some time to think through your classroom system for positive feedback. Do you have a plan that includes free and frequent feedback? If so, how is this systematically provided at the classroom level? Are you addressing feedback on an intermittent basis? And what type of feedback do you provide that is strong and long term?
Also consider how your classroom plan for positive feedback aligns with the school wide system of recognition. Are there connect points? Is it cumbersome to implement a classroom and school wide plan for positive feedback? If so, what can be scaled back or tweaked to make implementation manageable for all faculty and staff?
*Give participants time to think about and record their classroom system for positive feedback. Ask participants to share ideas with group.
Handout 1

10. References
Brophy, J. (1998). Motivating Students to Learn. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Conroy, M. A., Sutherland, K. S., Snyder, A., Al-Hendawi, M. & Vo, A. (2009). Creating a positive classroom atmosphere: Teachers’ use of effective praise and feedback. Beyond Behavior, 18(2), pp
Evertson, C., & Emmer, E. (1982). Preventive classroom management. In D. Duke (Ed.), Helping teachers manage classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Evertson, C. M., Emmer, E. T. & Worsham, M.E. (2003). Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers. Boston: Pearson Education.
Freiberg, J., Stein, T., & Huan, S. (1995). Effects of a classroom management intervention on student achievement in inner-city elementary schools. Educational Research and Evaluation, 1,
Good, T. & Brophy, J. (2000). Look Into Classrooms. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
IRIS Center, Research to Practice Instructional Strategies. Nashville: Vanderbilt University.
Johnson, T.C., Stoner, G. & Green, S.K. (1996). Demonstrating the experimenting society model with classwide behavior management interventions. School Psychology Review, 25(2),
Kern, L., Clemens, N.H. (2007). Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 44(1),
Newcomer, L. (2007, 2008). Positive Behavior Support in the Classroom. Unpublished presentation.
Shores, R., Gunter, P., & Jack, S. (1993). Classroom management strategies: Are they setting events for coercion? Behavioral Disorders, 18,
Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D. & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for Research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), pp
To help you remember what we’ve discussed today a Fact Sheet about providing a classroom continuum of acknowledgement is available.

11. Classroom Continuum to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior
If a school wide system of recognition is already in place why is it important to also develop a classroom continuum of recognition?
Give examples of how a classroom plan for acknowledging appropriate behavior might align with a school wide system of recognition.
What response can you give to faculty who say it’s cumbersome or too much work to implement both a school wide system and a classroom system of recognition?
After teams have been given time to think about and discuss their classroom systems of recognition, pose these questions to the group (Read Slide)…