The Case of

Joe
Katie McBride
Behavioral Issue
Joe
fourth grade student in my general education class
moved to the United States from Zambia two years ago
struggles academically and behaviorally
receives Title I instruction for forty minutes/day
has poor relationships with peers

Joe displays several problem behaviors including:
Disrupting the class with noises and drumming on his desk
Blurting out without raising his hand
Taking items from his peers and claiming they are his
Data Collection and Analysis
Problem behaviors and when they occur:
Joes noise-making behavior is most prevalent during
quiet, relatively unstructured, independent work time.
Blurting out is most common during class discussion and
instruction, often when I have called on another student.
His behavior is at its worst in very unstructured activities
(games, assemblies, etc.) and manifests itself through
impulsivity and conflict with peers.

Joe behaves best in group work, especially if he takes on a
leadership or tutoring role, and working one-on-one with
me.



Date: Subject/Activity: Frequency
of Blurting
Out:
Frequency
of Noises:
2/12/14 Morning Bell Work
Independent work time
and reviewing answers as
a class
3 2
2/12/14 Science Small group
activity/presentation
2
interruptin
g group
members
0
2/12/14 Silent Reading 0 2
2/12/14 Math 5 2
* Today, Joe also found
a classmates pen, used it
for a while, and when
confronted, claimed he
had brought it from home.
He then became very
argumentative.
Date: Subject/Activity: Frequency
of Blurting
Out:
Frequency
of Noises:
2/13/14 Morning Bell Work
Independent work time
and reviewing answers as
a class
2 1
2/13/14 Writing Center
Peer Editing
1
0
3
0
2/13/14 Silent Reading 0 1
2/13/14 Math 3 0
Date: Subject/Activity: Frequency
of Blurting
Out:
Frequency
of Noises:
2/14/14 Morning Bell Work
Independent work time
and reviewing answers as
a class
4 3
2/14/14 Science - quiz 0 1
2/14/14 Writing with dialogue
lesson
Conferencing
3

0
0

0
2/14/14 Valentine Math adding
and subtracting fractions
with conversation hearts
6 0
2/14/14 Bullying Assembly 4 0
*Today has been a rough day for Joe, probably due to the
excitement surrounding Valentines Day. Two students
sitting near him reported that some of their candy went
missing. I asked everyone to make sure they had only their
candy, but didnt want to press Joe too much. The day
ended with me giving the students who had candy missing
additional pieces.

Data Collection
Behavioral Strategy Plan
Conference to discuss issues and, with the help of a behavioral
contract and self-recording form, increase frequency of hand-
raising and amount of uninterrupted work time.
Goals:
Joe will raise his hand consistently to share a response or ask a
question.
Joe will work without making noises for five minutes, and increase that
amount of time by five minutes weekly.
Joe will keep track of his success and shortcomings with a form using +
and that will assist in determining his rewards and consequences.
Rationale: Joe played an integral part of coming up with his
reward and consequence. He is motivated to do well with the
incentive of free drawing at the end of the day and does not like
to lose recess (his consequence). For each + sign on his form, he
receives one minute of free draw time and for each sign, he
loses one minute of recess.
Strategy Effectiveness
Joes target behavior continues to improve with the
implemented strategy.
He is able to work for sustained periods of time without interruptions
about 80% of the time.
An added bonus of this positive change is an improvement in his grades!
As Brophy pointed out, Self-monitoring of attention during academic
work led to increased attention and academic productivity (Brophy,
1996, p. 300).
He raises his hand to speak rather than blurt out about 70% of the time.
Frequently tutors new ELL students in the class.
Joes behavior is still a work in progress, but it is apparent he is
willing and trying to do better. His parents were initially harshly
punishing Joe at home for signs on his form, which created a
period of poor behavior similar to how he acted before the
intervention, but after several meetings, they have been more
supportive.
My Professional Stance
Pre-strategy:
Impatient and frequently frustrated
Felt helpless
Allowed Joes poor behavior to negatively affect my opinion of him
Set academic and behavior expectations low

Post-strategy:
Feel in control and see improvement
More supportive and trusting teacher/student relationship
Project positive expectations
Exercise patience and determination
Enjoyment in working with Joe

If students are treated as well-intentioned individuals who respect themselves and others
and who desire to act responsibly, morally, and prosocially, they are likely to develop
these qualities (Brophy, 1996, p. 20).