Mistakes in Classroom Behavior Supports

1. Rules are not clearly stated and visible.

Simply stated rules must be posted in clear view of the students. It is also helpful to place them near any other materials being utilized in the behavior plan, such as a chart. These rules must be explained to students several times before the behavior plan is implemented.

2. Expectations are too high.

As all teachers know, students will not behave appropriately 100% of the time. Expecting appropriate behavior 75% of the time is a realistic starting point for a behavior plan. The bar can be set higher as the students become acclimated to the plan.

3. Rules are not fair, reasonable and age appropriate.

Expectations of appropriate behavior must conform to the student's developmental level. For younger students rules must always be stated in a concrete manner. For example, a phrase like "good sportsmanship" is not appropriate for a kindergarten class, while "taking turns in order" or "do not throw game pieces" are acceptable.

4. Changes to the behavior chart are not made immediately or in the presence of the student.

It is important to catch inappropriate behavior and make immediate changes to the behavior chart or system while verbalizing this process for the student. The same is true for appropriate behavior. It is important to catch the behavior and give a compliment, while relating it to the behavior system. For example: "Billy it is nice to see you working on that assignment quietly. I am putting a star next to your name. Three more stars and you will get a reward."

5. Rewards are not distributed fairly.

Rewards need to be given out in a fair and consistent manner. Exclusion from rewards needs to be fair as well. It is unreasonable to expect teachers to observe all inappropriate behaviors, but consistency is extremely important.

Some behavior plans that rely on weekly rewards may skew toward rewarding students who are frequently absent. In this case a student who only attended 3 or 4 days out of a week may be rewarded for displaying appropriate behavior for a significantly shorter amount of time than their counterparts. Systems based on the Token Economy model even this out. In this instance, students will get a reward based on how many symbolic tokens they have received for good behavior, rather than being rewarded for not displaying inappropriate behavior that week.

6. Rewards are not desired by students.

Whatever rewards are decided upon need to be a real commodity for the students. If students are not motivated by rewards they have no reason to be involved in the behavior plan. While younger students may be motivated by stickers or colorful pencils, older students are more likely to be motivated by rewards given by parents in the home setting. Some of these things may include more time on the family computer, activities with friends or even extra allowance. Although this type of collaboration with parents may require some extra effort, it can be accomplished.

Again a plan based on a token economy includes a variety of rewards to choose from with the most valuable requiring a greater percentage of appropriate behavior.

7. The teacher is relying on common sense assumptions.

Sometimes when working with a behavior plan common sense should be thrown out the window. It is common sense to assume that students come into class conforming to expectations of their age or grade level. However, it is often times more practical to assume that students may not always understand how to behave appropriately. Clearly define the rules in your classroom and continue to explain definitions of appropriate behavior if necessary.

8. Becoming blind to appropriate behaviors in certain students.

When there is a student in class who is consistently displaying disruptive behaviors it is natural for teachers to become hyper vigilant about catching these behaviors. A teacher does this to maintain an environment where the rest of the class can continue to learn. However, it is equally important to catch these same students displaying appropriate behaviors, or even the beginnings of appropriate behaviors. Even a student with significant behavior problems will behave appropriately a few times during the day. It is important to reward this behavior. This is termed "shaping", and increases appropriate behavior when utilized consistently.

Notes: Improper usage of classroom behavior supports.

It is important to mention that when classroom behavior supports are used improperly they can serve to increase students' negative behaviors. For example if expectations are unreasonable, as is the case with expecting 100% appropriate behavior, a feeling of failure will be created. The student will come to believe that s/he will never meet expectations and therefore has no reason to try. This may also damage the student's self-esteem.

Likewise, if a student is unclear as to exactly what is expected, they will begin to feel as though they are being treated unfairly and entrench themselves in their negative behaviors.

Webmaster note: I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to Lynn Dorney for this helpful and informative article. This is solid advice that all teachers should consider, whether they've been teaching for years or just starting out. It's always a good idea to take a fresh look at your classroom behavior plan.

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