Managing Inappropriate Behavior in the Classroom.
ERIC Digest #E408.
The atmosphere of the classroom has much to do with
student behavior. The setting should be appealing, with attention given
to varying the physical features and the schedule to prevent boredom in
both the teacher and the student. Teachers should let students know
specific do's and don'ts: which behaviors are expected or desired and
which will not be tolerated. Then teachers must consistently reinforce
the desired behaviors while ignoring or in some other way extinguishing
the undesirable ones.
WHAT ABOUT ESTABLISHING RULES?
Some teachers make too many rules, and the children, confused or
frustrated, ignore them. Teachers should establish only a few rules
and should specify the consequences for not following them.
HOW CAN TEACHERS INCREASE STUDENT MOTIVATION FOR
ACADEMIC TASKS?
One approach could be to make one activity contingent on another:
students can earn time in one favored activity by performing well in
another. Students having difficulty in one subject area could serve
as tutors to younger students in that same skill, dependent upon the
older child's satisfactory performance. Classroom privileges such as
helping to distribute papers can also be made contingent on
performance.
WHAT ABOUT TOKEN ECONOMIES?
This approach, in which pupils are given a mark for rewards
redeemable at a later time, can help students learn. However, token
economies are usually costly. In addition, results of research
investigating whether or not performance is maintained after the
system is removed have been discouraging.
HOW CAN TEACHERS DECREASE UNWANTED BEHAVIOR?
Teachers can reward a student when a specified behavior does not
occur, or when it occurs below a designated frequency or duration
level. Differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) is a way
to decelerate a behavior when behaviors other than the target
behavior are systematically reinforced.
Overcorrection is another possibility. Teachers instruct
students to correct the inappropriate behavior and execute the act
within a natural sequence of events. For example, in one case a child
who mouthed objects was told "no" and required to brush his teeth and
wipe his lips with a washcloth each time he put a potentially harmful or
unhygienic object in his mouth.
Satiation involves actually giving students more of the
event that the teacher ultimately wishes to eliminate. The classic
example of this technique involves a hospital resident who hoarded
towels. Staff began giving her towels-up to 60 per day-until she
voluntarily returned more of them and ceased the hoarding.
WHAT ROLE DOES PUNISHMENT PLAY IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT?
Punishment can be defined as a technique that decelerates the
frequency of a behavior when it is given contingent on that
behavior. Reprimands, frowns, reminders and other subtle expressions
can serve as punishment, and can be very effective when used
appropriately.
A possible disadvantage of punishment is that its
effects may overgeneralize, eliminating more behaviors that originally
intended. Another difficulty is that the student might associate the
technique with the person who administered it, causing ill feeling
toward the teacher.
WHAT ABOUT TAKING SOMETHING AWAY TO DECREASE UNWANTED
BEHAVIORS?
Teachers can take away the opportunity to obtain reinforcement,
attention, or a portion of some event contingent on target behavior.
These three procedures are also known as timeout, extinction, and
response cost. Timeout can involve physically removing a student for
short periods from the reinforcing event or area. Ignoring tantrums
is a withdrawal of attention that may lead to extinction of the
problem behavior. Taking away tokens or points for disobeying rules
is an example of response cost.
IF A TEACHER CAN'T CONCENTRATE ON INDIVIDUAL PROBLEMS,
ARE THERE GROUP METHODS THAT WILL WORK?
*Independent group contingencies. Each student receives
the same consequence for stated behavior, as in staying after class for
out-of-seat behavior. Although easy to administer, this approach does
not take into account individual student differences.
*Dependent group contingency. The same consequence is
given to all members of a group. In order to receive the consequence, a
selected member must perform at or better than a specified level. One
student's behavior can influence the group's consequence. This approach
can improve peer group behavior at the same time. A program in which a
student accumulates free time for the entire class by on-task behavior
may encourage fellow students to support his appropriate activity and
not engage him in off-task interaction.
*Group consequence, contingent on group. The entire
class is considered as one group. An example is making free time
dependent on appropriate behavior: an individual's inappropriate
activity reduces the entire class's reward. This approach might be
effective when several individuals are behaving inappropriately.
However, repercussions might occur if group members feel unduly punished
due to the behavior of an individual student.
WHAT ARE SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR?
1. Examine the events that maintain students' behavior.
2. Keep data to determine whether or not an approach is
working. Compare behavior during baseline and treatment phases.
3. Consider a variety of techniques.
4. Combine approaches to be more effective. For example,
a teacher might praise appropriate behavior while ignoring inappropriate
behavior.
5. Concentrate on teaching new behaviors and deal with
inappropriate ones only to the extent that they interfere with the
individual's or group's learning.
The information in this digest is taken from "Managing
Inappropriate Behaviors in the Classroom" by Thomas C. Lovitt, Reston,
VA: The Council for Exceptional Children, 1978, 44 pp. (ED 157 255)
RESOURCES
Cheney, C. O. (1989). "Preventative discipline through effective
classroom management." 15 pp. Reno, NV: University of Nevada. (ED
304 689) This document is reproduced in its entirety in "Preventive
Discipline and Behavior Management," Computer Search Reprint C572,
Reston VA: The Council for Exceptional Children, 1989.
Johnston, L., and others. (1984). "Setting limits: Tips
for teachers of young children." Project enlightenment. (ED 293 294)
Romney, D.M. (1986). "Dealing with abnormal behavior in
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Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, Eighth and Union, Box 789,
Bloomington, IN 47402
Smith, D.L. (1988). "Preparing teachers for classroom
management decisions using simulated open-ended video vignettes." 11 pp.
(ED 290 729)
Wolfgang, C.H., & Glickman, C.D. (1986). "Solving
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330 pp. (ED 216 788)
