Behavior Management in Classroom Settings

Dr. Megan Kirk

Dr. Amy Walker

Blumberg Center

March 1, 2018



Introductions



Functions of Behavior



Impact of trauma on learning



Discipline and classroom management strategies



Behavior is not random, but follows purposeful patterns.



Students who present with the same apparent ‘surface’ behaviors may have very

different ‘drivers’ (underlying reasons) that explain why those behaviors occur.



A student’s problem behaviors must be carefully identified and analyzed to

determine the drivers that support them.



Talk about behaviors, not judgments…behavior is not “random” or “evil”



Inappropriate behaviors are learned and predictable



A child’s inappropriate behavior is his/her best effort to communicate



Setting/people influence child’s behavior



Actions or events that can be observed, measured, and repeated



Seen



Counted



Done again



Behaviors?



Lazy



Bad attitude



Aggressive



Define the problem behavior in clear, observable, measurable terms



Develop examples and non-examples of the problem behavior.



Write a behavior hypothesis statement.



Select a replacement behavior.



Write a prediction statement.

Student: ____________________

Observer: ___________________

Behavior: ___________________



Ecological:



May be a method of communicating with the environment



Observational Learning:



May be a learned behavior that serves a purpose for the child (it gets them what they

want)



Behaviorism:



May be related to specific antecedents (what happens before the behavior) and

consequences (what happens after the behavior)



Determining what the “function” or “reinforcer” for the behavior enables us to

understand the purpose of the child’s behavior



Common Denominator:



Antecedents 

or 

consequences 

(e.g., reactions to the problem behavior) often shape

the 

behavior

.

Antecedent 



 Behavior 



 Consequence



Occur immediately before a behavior



Potential “triggers” for problem behavior



Can affect the frequency and intensity of behavior



Examples



Difficult or ‘excessive’ tasks



Denial of desired items or activities



Some common types:



Aggression, self-injury, property

destruction, disruption, elopement



Some effects:



Risk of physical harm, lack of social

development leads to isolation, skill

acquisition deficits, independent

skill deficits (long-term care), family

stress



Some common drivers



Power/control/access



Protection/escape/ avoidance



Attention



Acceptance/affiliation/

gratification



Justice/revenge



Access something



Attention: adult or peer attention



Tangibles: want object



Sensory: good feelings



Avoid something



Attention: hiding from peers or adults



Tangibles: destroys objects



Sensory: discomforting feelings



Phase 1: Form



FITS



Frequency



Intensity



Duration/Time



Setting



Previous Interventions



Educational Impact



Statements of function



Provides information relevant to decision making



Communicates the function of the behavior to people of different backgrounds



Contains much of the information needed to develop a function-based intervention



ABC



A: anything in the environment that may influence behavior prior to the actualization of

the target behavior.



B: what the person does



C: reinforcement/punishment



An exceptional experience in which powerful and dangerous stimuli overwhelm the

child’s capacity to regulate emotions.



Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is

experienced by an individual as physically and emotionally harmful or threatening and

that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s physical, social, emotional, or

spiritual well-being.



Not all experiences of trauma lead to a trauma response.



Many variables impact the process



Child Traumatic Stress is when children are exposed to traumatic events/experiences

and the exposure overwhelms their ability to cope.



1 out of every 4 children attending school has been exposed to a traumatic

event that can affect learning and/or behavior



Trauma can impact school performance.



Lower GPA, higher absence rate, decreased reading ability, increased behavior

problems



Trauma can impair learning.



Chronic exposure can adversely affect attention, memory, and cognition,

interfere with problem solving, result in overwhelming feelings of frustration and

anxiety



Traumatized children may experience physical and emotional distress



You can help a child who has been traumatized.



Natural disasters



Forced displacement



War/terrorism



Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, assault or neglect



Serious accident or illness/medical procedure



Victim/Witnessing



Domestic Violence



Community Violence



School Violence



Interpersonal Violence



Inherently disruptive experiences in childhood that produce significant and

potentially damaging levels of stress and associated physical changes



Potentially traumatic events in a child’s life that can have negative, lasting effects on

health and well-being.



More than 68% of children have experienced a possible traumatic event by age 16



Child Sexual Abuse



Child Physical Neglect



Child Physical Abuse



Child Emotional Abuse



Child Emotional Neglect



Witnessing Domestic Violence Against the Mother



Loss of a Parent to Death or Abandonment



Mentally Ill, Depressed, or Suicidal Family Member



Incarceration of a Family Member



Drug Addicted or Alcoholic Family Member



Attachment to a caring adult



The ability to calm oneself



Learning to ask for help



Trust



A sense of belonging



Learning how to self-advocate



Showing empathy



Learning to show

appreciation



Developing a sense of control



Letting a child know that you

are available to help



Hope



Verbally saying “I love you”



Acknowledging when you are

wrong



Having clear expectations

and rules



Helping a child develop

problem-solving skills



Giving a child choices



Establishing consequences



Allowing a child to

experience success and

failure



Failure to provide for a child’s basic needs



Perceived as trauma by a young child who is completely dependent on adults for

care



Opens the door to other traumatic events



May interfere with a child’s ability to recover from trauma



Impairs memory, concentration, new learning, and focus.



Linked to heart disease, obesity, addiction, pulmonary illness, diabetes,

autoimmune disorders, cancer



Impacts an individual’s ability to trust, cope, and form healthy relationships



Disrupts emotion identification, ability to self-soothe or control expression

of emotions, and one’s ability to distinguish between what’s safe and unsafe



Shapes a person’s belief about self and others, one’s ability to hope, and

one’s outlook on life



Trauma is a “neuro-developmental insult” and impacts the development of

the brain.



When triggered into a trauma response over and over, there are major

multi-systemic impacts on the developing brain



Brain architecture is “experience dependent”

(neuroplasticity)



www.changingminds.org



Because of constant exposure to violence and trauma, children and youth can

become locked in a permanent state of fight/flight.



This makes these children and youth react to normal experiences as if they were life and

death threats.



This is not a rational/cognitive process. It is wired into their physiological response.



Things, events, situations, places, sensations, and even people that a youth

consciously or unconsciously connects with a traumatic event



What is insignificant to a child who has not been traumatized can be seen as very

threatening to a child who has been traumatized.



The latter then responds in a way that seems to be out of proportion with the situation to

the uninformed observer



A seven-year-old boy whose father and older brother fought physically in

front of him becomes frantic and tries to separate classmates playfully

wrestling on the school playground.



A ten-year-old physically abused boy who is innocently bumped by

another student passing him in the classroom erupts in anger, tackling the

child to the ground.



A teenage girl who was abused by her stepfather refuses to go to PE class

after meeting the new PE teacher who wears the same aftershave as her

stepfather.



When someone is reminded of an old trauma, it becomes a state and they

physiologically and psychologically return to the time they were traumatized.



Make an effort not to exclude student from school.



Shape behavior by helping youth recognize the impact of their actions on

themselves and their community.



Build youth’s capacity to manage strong emotions.



Invest great energy, creativity, and resources upfront in order to

support young people’s long-term success.



Take the long view and understand that behavior change is slow and

incremental.



Trauma can impact school performance



Decreased reading ability



Lower GPA



Higher rate of school absences



Increased drop-out



More suspensions and expulsions



Decreased reading ability



A safe and respectful environment that enables students to:



Build caring relationships with adults and peers,



Self-regulate their emotions and behaviors, and



Succeed academically, while supporting their physical health and well-being



All students need safe and supportive schools.



Traumatic experiences can impact learning, behavior, and relationships at school.



Trauma-sensitive schools focus on what the adults do



How the adults can support students by making small changes



Shift in mindset



https://traumasensitiveschools.org/why/



Children have a natural love

for learning yet what we as a

collective society have

forgotten is that children are

first emotional beings.



They operate at an

emotional level, not an

intellectual level.



That's the definition of

being a child.



Trusting the process of

meeting the social and

emotional needs of our

students to achieve high test-

scores and successful

graduation rates is the

ultimate in making the shift to

a trauma-informed school.



Trauma compromises a child’s

ability to regulate themselves.

(Beyond Consequences in the Classroom, 2016)



Being 

trauma-informed

 includes having a plan for when you feel a child is in need

of treatment, is receptive to help, or self-discloses trauma or abuse to you.



What’s your comfort level in talking with young people about trauma they may

have experienced?



Do you know referral sources for mental health treatment, how to make referrals,

connect the youth to resources, and follow up if appropriate?



From “What is wrong with you?” to “What is going on? How are you feeling?”



The extent to which students will be affected by a traumatic event may depend on

how often they are reminded of the trauma and the nature and severity of

secondary stresses.



Trauma-sensitive schools acknowledge the prevalence of traumatic occurrence in

students’ lives and create a flexible framework that provides universal supports, is

sensitive to unique needs of students, and is mindful of avoiding re-traumatization.



Help teachers understand that children may not be able to express their suffering

in ways that adults can understand



Emphasize the importance of helping children feel safe



Create support systems for teachers to develop classroom strategies for

addressing the needs of traumatized children



Adapt school curricula and procedures to respond to the needs of traumatized

children



Develop protocols for early identification and services before children are at risk

for discipline or school failure



Trauma can impair the acquisition of developmental competencies in



Cognitive functioning



Emotional regulation



Interpersonal relationships



Brain is activated (alarm state); children feel vulnerable and unsafe.



Cannot shift to calm state necessary for learning



Children develop coping strategies that are not understood by the adults in

their lives, or by themselves, which often contribute to secondary problems,

like disciplinary actions.



Acute trauma can impair concentration and memory



Intrusive thoughts, interrupted sleep, nightmares



Moodiness, frustration, anger, social withdrawal



Chronic trauma can result in



Executive functioning deficits impacting goal setting, organizing, planning,

anticipating consequences



Lack of ‘internal maps’; distorted inner representations of world



Poor relationships with school staff and peers that impact learning



“I found it difficult to hear Mrs. Patterson when she spoke in the classroom. I felt as

if she were speaking from beneath tumbling water, or from the end of a long tunnel.

She assumed I was daydreaming…”



“I could see the math teacher’s mouth moving…but couldn’t hear a thing. It was as

if I were in a soundless chamber…I just couldn’t process a word of it.”



Trauma in early childhood can have a detrimental effect of the developing brain.



Brain structures that regulate emotion, memory, and behavior can be smaller in

size; decreased integration of brain hemispheres and irregular brain activity

correlated with poor emotional control and aggression



Abnormally high levels of stress hormones



Anxious, withdrawn



Difficulty with impulse control



Impaired short term memory



Confusion, disorientation



Acting out



On edge



Daydreaming



Be aware of both the children who act out AND the quiet children who do not

appear to have behavioral problems.



Poor hygiene, appearance



Deterioration in relationships



Sleeping/eating



Academic failure



Use of drugs or alcohol



Avoidance of people or places



Increase in discipline issues



Absenteeism



Tier 1: Universal



School policies, culture, and climate establish a physically and emotionally safe climate



Discipline policies balance accountability with an understanding of trauma



Activities are structured in predictable and emotionally safe ways



Prompt intervention for behaviors by students or adults that are inconsistent with this

standard (e.g., bullying)



Ongoing professional development opportunities about trauma occur as determined by staff

needs assessments



Tier 2: Supplemental Support



Screening students for trauma symptoms to determine if other assessments or referrals

are warranted



Building consultation teams that support classroom teachers’ efforts to be more

responsive to students affected by trauma



Tier 3: Intensive Intervention



Teacher/environmental interventions that identify triggers and develop

strategies to reduce and address these issues



Comprehensive functional behavior assessments coupled with intensive,

evidence-based trauma interventions to teach individual students alternative,

appropriate methods to meet their needs.



Ryan is an 8

th

 grade boy. This morning, when he

arrived at school, his teacher asked him for his

homework and Ryan did not have it. She expressed

frustration and took away his recess as a

consequence. A short time later, his desk-mate

accidentally bumped Ryan. Ryan punched him in the

stomach. His teacher, upset by this outburst, began to

yell at Ryan to stop. Ryan began to scream, kick

chairs, and hide under his desk. After 10 minutes of

trying to get Ryan out from under the desk, he was

brought to the principal’s office and given a five-day

suspension for fighting and disruptive behavior.



Ryan is an 8

th

 grade boy from a highly under-resourced

neighborhood. He has been witnessing severe domestic violence

between his parents since he was a baby. One night, in front of Ryan,

his father beat up and injured his mother so badly that a neighbor

called the police; his father was handcuffed and taken away by the

police, and his mother was taken in an ambulance to the hospital.

Ryan slept little that night, terrified and anxious what would happen

to his mother and father. In the morning, Ryan’s neighbor took him

to school. This morning, when he arrived at school, his teacher ( who

did not know about Ryan’s traumatic experience) asked him for his

homework. When he did not have it, she expressed frustration and

took away his recess as a consequence. Ryan was upset and

triggered by being in trouble with his teacher.



A short time later, his desk-mate accidentally bumped Ryan. Already

triggered to some degree into a heightened state of vigilance (i.e.,

“survival” brain), this physical contact fully triggered Ryan into a

fight/flight reaction. Ryan punched his desk-mate in the stomach. His

teacher, upset by this outburst, began to yell at Ryan to stop, which

further escalated Ryan. He began to scream, kick chairs, and hide under

his desk.



After 10 minutes of trying to get Ryan out from under the desk (during

which time his teacher felt helpless and defeated, and the other

children looked on in fear and frustration), Ryan was brought to the

principal’s office and given a five day suspension for fighting and

disruptive behavior, inadvertently exposing Ryan not only to a major

loss of instructional time, but also to a period of time during which he

would have no refuge from the trauma and suffering in his home life.

Regulation



The ability to experience and

maintain stress within one’s window

of tolerance.



Generally referred to as being calm,

focused, or relaxed.

Dysregulation



The experience of stress outside of

one’s window of tolerance, generally

referred to as being stressed out or in

a state of distress.



It is believed that affect dysregulation

is a fundamental mechanism involved

in all psychiatric disorders.

(Beyond Consequences in the Classroom, 2016)



Build and develop relationships



Regulating activities to calm the brain and increase the window of stress tolerance



Help with transitioning



Create a regulating environment



Movement



Address developmental deficits



Create a “family” culture



“Safety first”



Make school fun

(Beyond Consequences in the Classroom, 2016)

(Beyond Consequences in the Classroom, 2016)

Ineffective



Excessive

questioning



Lecturing



Giving logic



Asking to make a

better choice



Comparing



Promising a

prize/reward



Standing over the

student



Encouraging



Reacting



Raising your voice



Ignoring



Threatening



Adding points to a

point chart



Time-out



Minimizing



Giving rational

thinking



Expressing anger

Effective



Connecting



Slowing down



Understand



Breathing



Time-in



Gentle touch

(

sometimes

)



Regulating



Sitting



Quieting



Joining



Maximizing



Expressing passion



Relating



Supporting



Exploring



Empathy



Validating



Accepting



Engaging



Apologizing

http://www.gobblynne.com/



Review what happened



Spend time rebuilding the relationship



Re-regulate



Teach social skills, critical thinking skills, problem sovling skills, emotional

intelligence



Address belief systems and build self-esteem



Reinforce the “family” culture



Adjust your expectations, if needed



Find humor



Take time to talk and acknowledge each student. When the student walks into the

classroom, convey the message, “

Welcome. This class would not be the same without

you here today!”



Recognize that student’s moods and help to regulate instead of ignoring or

criticizing the moods.



Listen to the students (you don’t have to agree, just listen).



Smile at the students and stay in a warm place in your heart, no matter their attitude

or disposition.



Take an interest in what’s important to each student.



2 x 10



The  2×10 strategy is simple: spend 2 minutes per day for 10 days in a row talking

with an at-risk student about anything she or he wants to talk about

.



Ask the students for help and let the students help.



Share the student’s idea with others. (“Billy had a good idea for…”)



All of the things that a teacher does to organize students,

space, tie, and materials so that instruction in content and

student learning can take place.



Two major goals…



To foster student involvement and cooperation in all classroom

activities



To establish a productive working environment



Key Elements of Effective Classroom Management



Prevention



Intervention



Resolution



Managing Today’s Classroom



Kids do things for people they love.  Make deposits so you

can make withdraws

.



Low Level Intervention Strategies



Using Questions to Intervene



Classroom Meeting 

(more details included in your

packet)



Check-in each morning



Students share their current concerns



Students talk and great each other or ask

questions



Opportunity for team and climate

building



Calming Corner/Cool Down Zone



Teach students to how and when to use

it



Practice using it until students go on

their own



Post expectations and procedures in the

space



Page number bubble (student job)



Book covers to project (student job)



Post expectations and procedures in the space



Match the Picture



S.T.O.P.



Space



Time



Objects



People



 Classroom Procedures and Organization



Have a plan and work your plan



Students help create procedures



Teach and practice, practice, practice

procedures



Remember to incorporate your school wide

PBIS plan



 Breakfast Club – 

Deana Conner and Sarah

Mains



What does is look like?



What is taught?



 Functional Behavior Assessments



Why do we fill out FBA’s?



FBA Forms



CBSED



PBIS World



Create your own to fit your needs



Get permission!



Document, document, document



Establish patterns of behavior



 Behavior Intervention Plans



Sticker charts – increase/decrease expectation if

needed



Self Monitoring Behavior Checklist



Magnet System (the art of the rip and run)



Earned Breaks vs. Built in Breaks



Use a team approach



Try strategies for at least 3 week and then

reevaluate



 What’s happening or what’s going on?



Do not give feedback or judge



Why did you do ________?



What’s hard for you?



What’s easy for you



Three things you like to do at school



You may have to give some suggestions



 Guidelines for Conferencing with

Students



Responding to Uncooperative Students

During Conferences



Public Procedures, private reprimands



Do not deny previously earned rewards



Follow through



Be consistent



Give choices



Ask for help and know when you need to remove yourself



Clear, direct messages (more details included in your packet)



Included in your packet: Consequences



Logical consequences



Relate to the problem



Reasonable



Done respectfully



Teach responsibility



Included in your packet: Time-Out



Included in your packet: Strategies That Keep You Out of Power Struggles



Important Concepts for Using Intervention Strategies Effectively



Don’t take the bait



Delay consequences



Public rules, private reprimand



To comply of not to comply



Remember to breathe



Deal only with what you see and hear



Disengage



Strategy Practice Scenarios



Samples of dialogue to use with students