Effective Responses
What’s Inside:
The importance of responding to rule violations.
Appropriate responses to rule violations.
Why it is important to effectively respond to challenging behaviors in the classroom.
How to appropriately respond to challenging behaviors.
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The Importance of Responding to Rule Violations:
Responding effectively to rule violations is a critical part of classroom management. How you respond to behaviors that violate classroom expectations communicates your values and the importance you place on classroom expectations. One of the strongest predictors of rates of disruptive classroom behavior is the percent of rule violations to which teachers respond effectively. Responding to violations “more often than not” (that is, at least 51% of the time), communicates to students that such behavior is “not okay” or violates expectations of the classroom. This communication is a powerful teaching tool.
Research shows that, in classrooms where teachers respond at even higher rates (e.g., respond to 80% of violations), there are very low rates of disruptive behavior. Low rates of disruptive behavior are associated with higher rates of on-task behavior and engaged learning, and lower teacher stress.
How will you choose to respond to disruptive behavior? The following are some suggestions for effectively responding to rule violations to decrease misbehavior.
Appropriate Responses to Rule Violations (use one or a combination!):
- Label the behavior and/or the rule violations
- That’s an interruption; You broke our rule about being respectful; You are out of your seat, what rule is that breaking?
- Give the student a clear direction about what to do
- Raise your hand and wait to be called on; Please walk to the book nook.
- Provide the opportunity for the student to repeat the behavior correctly
- When you raise your hand, I will call on you.
- Please try that again – how can you ask for the materials instead of grabbing them?
- This morning we struggled with transitioning quietly; so, we’re going to practice transitions before we go to recess. Once we do it well, we can go to recess.
- Praise the child for correcting their behavior
- Thank you for raising your hand.
- Provide a consequence/remove a privilege
- You have lost 5 minutes of computer time.
- You have lost the privilege of line leader today. Please move to the back.
- Use a physical prompt to redirect behavior
- Tap on the desk when a student is off task; press your fingers to your lips for work quietly; raise hand in air to show wait to be called on.
- Offer choices
- You can follow the rules and remain with us in the circle or you can participate from your desk.
- You can follow the rules and work together or you can complete the activity separately.
- Show empathy (some students struggle with behavioral control)
- I’m sorry you are struggling to follow the rules today.
- Tell the student to move to a different area
- Engage the student in a problem solving process
- What would help you follow rules better in this situation?
- Would you like to sit somewhere else?
- Would you like help getting started?
- Use a neutral tone of voice
- Discrete vs. Public Feedback for Corrections
- When possible try to correct behavior in a discreet manner that is more of a private interaction between you and the student. This will reduce the likelihood that peers will develop a negative reputation of the child.
The Importance of Responding to Challenging Behavior:
Responding effectively to challenging behavior is a critical part of classroom management. How you respond to behaviors that do not match classroom expectations communicates your values and the importance you place on fostering a positive classroom environment.
One of the strongest predictors for reducing challenging behaviors is the rate that teachers effectively respond to these behaviors. Responding to challenging behaviors “more often than not” (that is, at least 51% of the time), communicates to students that these behaviors are “not okay” or do not match classroom expectations. This communication is a powerful teaching tool. Research shows that, in classrooms where teachers respond at even higher rates (e.g., respond to 80% of these behaviors), there are very low rates of challenging behavior. Low rates of challenging behavior are associated with higher rates of on-task behavior and engaged learning, and lower teacher stress.
How will you choose to respond to challenging behavior? The following are some suggestions for effective responses to decrease those behaviors.
Appropriate Responses to Challenging Behaviors (use one or a combination!):
- Label the behavior and link it to a classroom expectation
- Jay, what you said was disrespectful. Remember, in this class, we try to respect everyone.
- Remind the child about the expectation
- Talia, remember we walk, not run, to the carpet area.
- Show empathy (to prevent escalation)
- I understand you are frustrated right now.
- I know you are excited.
- I’m sorry that you are struggling right now.
- Offer choices or problem solving
- Would you like to take a break and re-try in 2 minutes?
- Would you like to take a few deep breaths?
- You can follow the expectations and remain with us in the circle or you can participate from your desk.
- You can follow the expectations and work together or you can complete the activity separately.
- Provide a opportunity
- When you raise your hand, I will call on you.
- Please try that again – how can you ask for the materials instead of grabbing them?
- This morning we struggled with transitioning quietly; so, we are going to practice transitions before we go to recess. Once we do it well, we can go to recess.
- Praise the child for correcting their behavior
- Thank you for raising your hand!
- Use a physical prompt to redirect behavior
- Tap on the desk when a student is off-task; press your fingers to your lips for work quietly; raise hand in air to show wait to be called on.
- Tell the student to move to a different area
- Engage the student in a problem solving process
- What would help you follow the expectations better in this situation?
- Would you like to sit somewhere else?
- Would you like help getting started?
- Use a neutral tone of voice
- Discrete vs. public feedback for corrections
- When possible, try to correct the behavior in a discreet manner that is more of a private interaction between you and the student. This will reduce the likelihood that peers will develop a negative perception of the child.
- Provide a consequence/remove a privilege
- Because you were disrespectful to Maria, you have lost 5 minutes of free computer time.
- You didn’t follow my instructions two times. You have lost the privilege of line leader today; please stand behind Jamal.
Things to Remember:
- Student behavior is a form of communication. Try to consider what the child is trying to say or needs in the situation.
- Behavior can be changed through teaching, practice, and reinforcement.
External Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m11_TywtIs8
https://tennesseebsp.org/resources/classroom-management/#/lightbox&slide=17
https://childmind.org/article/breaking-behavior-code/
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/behavior_pg_092308.pdf
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