RTI & Student Conduct: Research-Based … to Intervention RTI & Student Conduct: Research-Based Interventions to Manage Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom Jim Wright

Response to Intervention

RTI & Student Conduct: Research-Based Interventions to Manage gChallenging Behaviors in the Classroom

Jim Wrightwww.interventioncentral.org

www.interventioncentral.org


Access the introductory PPT from this workshop at:http://www.jimwrightonline.com/sandusky.php



What are key ‘big ideas’ that can help What are key big ideas that can help teachers to better manage student

behaviors?behaviors?• Behavior is not random• Rule out the most obvious reasons for student

misbehavior first• The instructional setting has an impact on student

motivation and engagementmotivation and engagement• Student motivation can be reframed as academic

engagement


engagement• Identify and eliminate triggers to student misbehavior

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Big Ideas: Similar Behaviors May Stem from Very Different ‘Root’ Ca ses Different ‘Root’ Causes

(Kratochwill, Elliott, & Carrington Rotto, 1990)

• Behavior is not random but follows purposeful patterns• Behavior is not random but follows purposeful patterns.

Students who present with the same apparent ‘surface’ Students who present with the same apparent surface behaviors may have very different ‘drivers’ (underlying reasons) that explain why those behaviors occur.) y

A student’s problem behaviors must be f ll id tifi d d l d t carefully identified and analyzed to

determine the drivers that support them.

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Source: Kratochwill, T. R., Elliott, S. N., & Carrington Rotto, P. (1990). Best practices in behavioral consultation. In A. Thomas and J. Grimes (Eds.). Best practices in school psychology-II (pp. 147=169). Silver Spring, MD: National Association of School Psychologists..


Common ‘Root Causes’ or ‘Drivers’ for Behaviors Include…

Power/Control• Power/Control• Protection/Escape/Avoidance• Attention• Acceptance/Affiliation• Expression of Self• Gratification• Justice/Revenge


Source: Witt, J. C., Daly, E. M., & Noell, G. (2000). Functional assessments: A step-by-step guide to solving academic and behavior problems. Longmont, CO: Sopris West..pp. 3-4.


Student Motivation Levels Are Strongly Influenced Student Motivation Levels Are Strongly Influenced by the Instructional Setting (Lentz & Shapiro, 1986)

• Students with learning or motivation problems do not exist in isolation. Rather, their instructional environment plays an enormously important role environment plays an enormously important role in these students’ degree of academic engagement engagement.


Source: Lentz, F. E. & Shapiro, E. S. (1986). Functional assessment of the academic environment. School Psychology Review, 15, 346-57.


Big Ideas: Academic Delays Can Be P t t C f B h i a Potent Cause of Behavior

Problems (Witt Daly & Noell 2000)

Student academic problems cause many h l b h i bl

(Witt, Daly, & Noell, 2000)

school behavior problems.

“Wh th [ t d t’ ] bl i b h i bl “Whether [a student’s] problem is a behavior problem or an academic one, we recommend starting with a functional academic assessment, since often behavior problems occur , pwhen students cannot or will not do required academic work.”


Source: Witt, J. C., Daly, E. M., & Noell, G. (2000). Functional assessments: A step-by-step guide to solving academic and behavior problems. Longmont, CO: Sopris West, p. 13


ABC: The Core of Behavior Management“....at the core of behavioral interventions is the three-term contingency consisting of an antecedent, b h i d ”behavior, and consequence.”

A CA B Cwww.interventioncentral.org 8

Source: Kern, L., Choutka, C. M., & Sokol, N. G. (2002). Assessment-based antecedent interventions used in natural settings to reduce challenging behaviors: An analysis of the literature. Education & Treatment of Children, 25, 113-130. p. 113.


Advantages of Antecedent Strategies vs. ‘Reactive Approaches’

1 Can prevent behavior problems from occurring1. Can prevent behavior problems from occurring2. Are typically ‘quick acting’3 Can result in an instructional environment that 3. Can result in an instructional environment that

better promotes student learning


Source: Kern, L. & Clemens, N. H. (2007). Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 65-75.


‘The Teflon Teacher’: What are ff ti b l d b l effective verbal and non-verbal

tools for working with an uncooperative student? p. 26

• Planned ignoring• Teacher command sequenceTeacher command sequence• I-centered statements

Acti e listening• Active listening• Pairing criticism and affirming statements


• Strategies to ‘connect’ with the student10


Teacher Tips for Working With ‘Emotionally Unpredictable’ Students

While you can never predict what behaviors your students might bring into your classroom, you will usually achieve the best outcomes by:the best outcomes by:

• remaining calmf ll i l d i t ti t t i f • following pre-planned intervention strategies for misbehavior, and

• acting with consistency and fairness when intervening with • acting with consistency and fairness when intervening with or disciplining students.



Classroom Conflicts: Students can become caught up in power struggles with teachers because:

• they are embarrassed about (or try to hide) poor • they are embarrassed about (or try to hide) poor academic skills

• they enjoy ‘pushing the buttons’ of adults• they enjoy pushing the buttons of adults• they use misbehavior as a deliberate strategy to have

work expectations lightenedwork expectations lightened



Classroom Conflicts: Teachers can become caught up in power struggles with students because:

• they do not realize that they are simply reacting to • they do not realize that they are simply reacting to student provocation and are mirroring the student’s escalating behaviorescalating behavior

• they may misinterpret innocent student behavior (e.g., laughing in class) as deliberate misbehavior and an g g )attack on their authority



Defiant Kids: What should I keep in mind when working with p gdefiant students?

The primar r le teachers sho ld follo is to sta o t ardl The primary rule teachers should follow is to stay outwardly calm and to behave in a professional manner. The benefits of this approach are that:of this approach are that:• Over time students may be less defiant because the

teacher no longer ‘rewards’ them by reacting angrilyteacher no longer rewards them by reacting angrily• Because the teacher deals with misbehavior impartially

and efficiently, she or he has more time left for y,instruction



Defiant Kids: How do I deliver a command without power struggles?You can increase the odds that a student will follow a teacher command by:• Approaching the student privately, using a quiet voice.• establishing eye contact and calling the student by name

before giving the command.• stating the command as a positive (do) statement, rather than

a negative (don’t) statement. • phrasing the command clearly and simply so the student

knows exactly what he/she is expected to do.



Use Planned Ignoring (Colvin, 2009)

• ‘Planned ignoring’ is a strategy in which the teacher overlooks low-level problem student behavior (e.g., minor talking out) if low level problem student behavior (e.g., minor talking out) if that behavior does not distract other students, disrupt classroom routine, or otherwise violate important behavioral expectations.

NOTE: The teacher can always follow up privately with a student regarding low-level problem behaviors even if the g g pinstructor chooses to ‘ignore’ them during the class period.

Pl d i i i t d d if th t d t’ b h i • Planned ignoring is not recommended if the student’s behavior is a serious infraction or if the student has a pattern of escalating behaviors until he or she gains teacher attention.


escalating behaviors until he or she gains teacher attention.Source: Colvin, G. (2009). Managing noncompliance and defiance in the classroom: A road map for teachers, specialists, and behavior support teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.


Defiant Kids: Teacher Command Sequence: Extended Version

1. Make the request. Use simple, clear language that the student understands.

If possible, phrase the request as a positive (do) statement, rather than a negative (don’t) statement. (E.g., “John, please start your math assignment now.”) Wait a reasonable time for the student to comply (e.g., 5-20 seconds)



Defiant Kids: Teacher Command Sequence: Extended Version (Cont.)

2 [If the student fails to comply] Repeat the request as 2. [If the student fails to comply] Repeat the request as a 2-part choice. Give the student two clear choices with clear consequences Order the choices so that with clear consequences. Order the choices so that the student hears negative consequence as the first choice and the teacher request as the second choice choice and the teacher request as the second choice. (E.g., “John, you can use your free time at the end of the day to complete your math assignment or you can the day to complete your math assignment or you can start the math assignment now and not lose your free time It’s your choice ”) Give the student a


time. It s your choice. ) Give the student a reasonable time to comply (e.g., 5-20 seconds).



3. [Optional-If the student fails to comply] Offer a face-saving out. Say to the student, “Is there anything that I can say or do at this time to earn your cooperation?” (Thompson, 1993).




4. [If the student fails to comply] Impose the pre-selected negative consequence. As you impose the consequence, ignore student questions or complaints that appear intended to entangle you in a power struggle.



Defiant Kids: What other effective communication strategies can Defiant Kids: What other effective communication strategies can I use ?

Active listening.• “Let me be sure that I understand you correctly…”• “I want to summarize the points that you made, so

that I know that I heard you right…”• “So from your point of view, the situation looks like So o you po t o e , t e s tuat o oo s e

this…”



Defiant Kids: What other effective communication t t i I ?

Pairing criticism and affirming statements.

strategies can I use ?

Pairing criticism and affirming statements.• Description of problem behavior: “Trina, you said disrespectful things

about other students during our class meeting this morning. You continued to do so even after I asked you to stop.”

• Appropriate behavioral alternative(s): “It’s OK to disagree with Appropriate behavioral alternative(s): It s OK to disagree with another person’s ideas. But you need to make sure that your comments do not insult or hurt the feelings of others.”

• Specific praise/affirming statement: “I am talking to you about this behavior because I know that you can do better. In fact, I have really


y , ycome to value your classroom comments. You have great ideas and express yourself very well.”


Defiant Kids: What are some conflict ‘pitfalls’ that I should watch out for?

A id i t h b t d d b l • Avoid a mismatch between your words and nonverbal signals.

• Take time to plan your response before reacting to provocative student behavior or remarks.

• Do not become entangled in a discussion or argument with a confrontational student

• Do not try to coerce or force the student to comply.



Defiant Kids: What are proactive steps to minimize fli t ith t d t ?conflict with students?

Off th t d t f i it t t i • Offer the student face-saving exit strategies. • Act in positive ways that are inconsistent with the

student’s expectations.• Select fair behavioral consequences in advance.q• Avoid making task demands of students when they are

upset. upset.



Excerpt: Motivation Deficit 6: The student is unmotivated because he or she lacks a positive relationship with the teacher.

• Profile of a Student with This Motivation Problem: The student appears indifferent or even hostile toward the student appears indifferent or even hostile toward the instructor and thus may lack motivation to follow teacher requests or to produce work.

• What the Research Says: Because humans are highly social beings, positive teacher attention can be a very


powerful motivator for students (e.g., Kazdin, 1989).


Motivation Deficit 6: Lack of Positive Relationship (Cont.)( )• What the Research Says (Cont.): At times, however,

instructors and students can fall into a ‘negative reinforcement gtrap’ (Maag, 2001; p. 176) that actively undercuts positive relationships: A student who has difficulty with the classwork

i b h d i h b h h h i i l’ misbehaves and is then sent by the teacher to the principal’s office. Both teacher and student are reinforced by the student’s exclusion from the classroom: The teacher is student s exclusion from the classroom: The teacher is negatively reinforced by having a difficult student removed from the room and the student is also negatively reinforced by o t e oo a d t e stude t s a so egat e y e o ced bybeing allowed to escape the challenging classwork. Because this scenario is reinforcing to both parties, it is very likely to be


repeated with increasing frequency unless the teacher intervenes to break the negative cycle.

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Motivation Deficit 6: Lack of Positive Relationship (Cont.)

• How to Fix This Motivation Problem: The teacher

( )

provides the student with increased doses of positive attention at times when the student is engaging in

(appropriate behavior. (At the same time, the teacher keeps interactions with the student brief and neutral when that student misbehaves although the student otherwise is student misbehaves—although the student otherwise is held to the same behavioral expectations as his or her peers.)peers.)



Motivation Deficit 6: Lack of Positive Relationship (Cont.)Try These Ideas to Improve the Student-Teacher Relationship:

( )

• Strive for a High Ratio of Positive Interactions with Students (Sprick, Borgmeier, & Nolet, 2002). A general, proactive rule of thumb to promote positive teacher-student relationships is for instructors to maintain a ratio of at least three positive interactions with any student for every three positive interactions with any student for every negative (disciplinary) interaction that they have that student. student.




( )

• Commit to a Short Series of Positive ‘Micro-Conversations’ (Mendler, 2000). The teacher selects a student with whom that instructor wants to build a more positive relationship. The instructor makes a commitment to spend 2 minutes per day for ten consecutive days engaging the student in a day for ten consecutive days engaging the student in a positive conversation about topics of interest to that student. NOTE: During those two-minute daily student. NOTE: During those two minute daily conversations, the teacher maintains a positive tone and avoids talking about the student’s problem behaviors or


poor academic performance.

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( )

• Emphasize the Positive in Teacher Requests (Braithwaite, 2001). The teacher avoids using negative phrasing (e.g., "If you don't return to your seat, I can’t help you with your assignment") when making a request of a student. Instead, the teacher request is stated in positive terms (e g "I will the teacher request is stated in positive terms (e.g., I will be over to help you on the assignment just as soon as you return to your seat"). When a request has a positive 'spin', return to your seat ). When a request has a positive spin , that teacher is less likely to trigger a power struggle and more likely to gain student compliance.



‘Defensive Management’: The Power of Teacher The Power of Teacher Preparation p 32p. 32



Defensive Management: A Method to Avoid Power St lStruggles

‘Defensive management’ (Fields, 2004) is a teacher-g ( )friendly six-step approach to avert student-teacher power struggles that emphasizes providing proactive instructional support to the student, elimination of pp ,behavioral triggers in the classroom setting, relationship-building, strategic application of defusing techniques when needed, and use of a ‘reconnection’ techniques when needed, and use of a reconnection conference after behavioral incidents to promote student reflection and positive behavior change.


Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.


Defensive Management: Six StepsDefensive Management: Six Steps1. Understanding the Student Problem and Using

Proactive Strategies to Prevent ‘Triggers’. The teacher collects information--through direct observation and perhaps other means--about specific instances of student problem behavior and the instructional components and other factors psurrounding them. The teacher analyzes this information to discover specific ‘trigger’ events that seem to set off the problem behavior(s) (e.g., lack of skills; failure to understand problem behavior(s) (e.g., lack of skills; failure to understand directions).

The instructor then adjusts instruction to provide appropriate The instructor then adjusts instruction to provide appropriate student support (e.g., providing the student with additional instruction in a skill; repeating directions and writing them on the board)


the board).Source: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.


Defensive Management: Six StepsDefensive Management: Six Steps

2. Promoting Positive Teacher-Student Interactions. gEarly in each class session, the teacher has at least one positive verbal interaction with the student. Throughout the class period, the teacher continues to g p ,interact in positive ways with the student (e.g., brief conversation, smile, thumbs up, praise comment after a student remark in large-group discussion, etc.). In a student remark in large group discussion, etc.). In each interaction, the teacher adopts a genuinely accepting, polite, respectful tone.





3. Scanning for Warning Indicators. During the class 3. Scanning for Warning Indicators. During the class session, the teacher monitors the target student’s behavior for any behavioral indicators suggesting that the student is becoming frustrated or angry. Examples of behaviors that precede non-compliance or open d fi i l d t i k tt i defiance may include stopping work; muttering or complaining; becoming argumentative; interrupting others; leaving his or her seat; throwing objects etc ) others; leaving his or her seat; throwing objects, etc.).





4. Exercising Emotional Restraint. Whenever the student 4. Exercising Emotional Restraint. Whenever the student begins to display problematic behaviors, the teacher makes an active effort to remain calm. To actively monitor his or her emotional state, the teacher tracks physiological cues such as increased muscle tension and heart rate, as

ll f th ti well as fear, annoyance, anger, or other negative emotions. The teacher also adopts calming or relaxation strategies that work for him or her in the face of strategies that work for him or her in the face of provocative student behavior, such as taking a deep breath or counting to 10 before responding.


g p gSource: Fields, B. (2004). Breaking the cycle of office referrals and suspensions: Defensive management. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20, 103-115.



5. Using Defusing Tactics. If the student begins to escalate 5. Using Defusing Tactics. If the student begins to escalate to non-compliant, defiant, or confrontational behavior (e.g., arguing, threatening, other intentional verbal interruptions), the teacher draws from a range of possible descalating strategies to defuse the situation. Such strategies can i l d i t ti ith th t d t hil include private conversation with the student while maintaining a calm voice, open-ended questions, paraphrasing the student’s concerns acknowledging the paraphrasing the student s concerns, acknowledging the student’s emotions, etc.





6. Conducting a ‘Reconnection’ Conference. Soon after 6. Conducting a Reconnection Conference. Soon after any in-class incident of student non-compliance, defiance, or confrontation, the teacher makes a point to meet with the student to discuss the behavioral incident, identify the triggers in the classroom environment that led to the

bl d b i t ith th t d t t t problem, and brainstorm with the student to create a written plan to prevent the reoccurrence of such an incident Throughout this conference the teacher incident. Throughout this conference, the teacher maintains a supportive, positive, polite, and respectful tone.



Response to InterventionPlan Your Teaching and Learning Supports

According to the ‘Rhythm of the Year’ (Handout According to the ‘Rhythm of the Year’ (Handout Available on Conference Page)

(UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools)(UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools)

• Month 1: Getting off to a Good Start – Welcoming and Social Support for Newcomers & Enabling School AdjustmentSupport for Newcomers & Enabling School Adjustment

• Month 2: Enhancing Student Engagement• Month 3: Enhancing Learning Supports Toward and Right After • Month 3: Enhancing Learning Supports Toward and Right After

Mid-Year• Month 4: Minimizing Stress Reactions & Preventing Student and Month 4: Minimizing Stress Reactions & Preventing Student and

Staff “Burnout”


Source: UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools (n.d.). A resources aid for…improving teaching and learning supports by addressing the rhythm of a year.. Retrieved from http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/rhythms.pdf

Response to InterventionPlan Your Teaching and Learning Supports

According to the ‘Rhythm of the Year’ According to the Rhythm of the Year (UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools)

• Month 5: Re-engaging Disconnected StudentsMonth 5: Re engaging Disconnected Students• Month 6: Increasing Graduation Rates by Working at All Levels• Month 7: Spring Can Be a High Risk Time for StudentsMonth 7: Spring Can Be a High Risk Time for Students• Month 8: Helping Students and Families Plan Transitions to a New

Grade/New SchoolGrade/New School• Month 9: End-of-the-Year Student Celebrations at All Levels:

Hope, Congratulations, Safe Exuberancep , g ,• Summer


Source: UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools (n.d.). A resources aid for…improving teaching and learning supports by addressing the rhythm of a year.. Retrieved from http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/rhythms.pdf

Documents

RTI & Student Conduct: Research-Based … to Intervention RTI & Student Conduct: Research-Based Interventions to Manage Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom Jim Wright