Needy Not Naughty -

keeping all children in

school
Big Question: What can we as teachers do to
keep misbehaving kids in the learning
environment?
What is problem behaviour?
Gross Misconduct
Behavior risking serious
harm
Continual disobedience
May result in Stand
Down, Suspension,
Exclusion or Expulsion








Primary Level:
intervention activities
are preventative and
proactive

80%



15%
5%
Secondary level:
focus on students
deemed at risk for
behavioural
problems
Tertiary Level: focus
on the individual
student exhibiting
the most severe
levels of problem
behaviour
CONTINUUM OF ASSESSMENT AND
INTERVENTION ACTIVITIES
(CHAFOULEAS, RILEY-TILLMAN & SUGAI, 2007)
The Numbers
Exclusions for continual disobedience have
risen from 32.5% of all exclusions in 2000
to 41.2% in 2009, Suspensions have risen
from 23.8% to 30.2%
Schools continue to stand down, suspend
and exclude more Maori students than any
other ethnic group. Male students are two
and a half times more likely to receive
these punishments than their female
counterparts
Primary school students - rates of
exclusion start rising in the 10-14 age
group and above but are relatively
uncommon younger than that
Rates of suspension are falling overall, but
the number of suspensions for continual
disobedience is rising
Stand downs for continual disobedience
are falling except among New Entrants
EDUCATION COUNTS
RISE IN REMOVALS FOR CONTINUAL DISOBEDIENCE
% OF
TOTAL
STAND
DOWNS,
SUSPEN
SIONS,
EXCLUSI
ONS
So what?
Removing students from schools has huge academic
and social consequences both for the student(s)
directly involved, for other students, and for the wider
New Zealand society. Ministry of Education
Is this punishment? The benefits of reduced
disruptive behaviour that result from isolation do not
outweigh the disadvantages associated with removing
the learner from the interpersonal contact with
others. (Schloss & Smith, 1998)
Disciplinary: behaviour ---> adverse consequences
Research has shown that teachers give three to fifteen times as
much attention to negative childrens negative behaviour than to
positive behaviour.
seonline.tki.org.nz/Programmes-and-initiatives/PB4L/For-teachers
Tendency to focus on the behaviour you DONT want rather than
the behaviour you DO want - what are the children going to focus
on?
Removal: time out, independent work, to the principles office, or
home (stand-downs or suspensions) --- yes this is sometimes still
very appropriate!
Traditional Approaches
Think about it....
Misbehaviour is not always attention seeking. It may be
motivated by environmental, social, physical or
psychological factors or as a reaction to anxiety seeking
avoidance
Though you must have a set of expectations that everyone
must meet, you have to look carefully at each individual
case
Most of what a child does is to tell you that they NEED
something - not that you always have to supply to that need
New Methods of Behaviour Intervention
Ideas which are used extensively by behaviour professionals like
child psychologists or RTLB

A students actions are more complicated than we think and must be considered in full if we
want them to change
Behaviour intervention involves careful and specific observation and RECORDING before,
during and after it is put in action
Targeted Behaviour must be observable and measurable
You must select clear and specific goals and objectives for the intervention just like setting
learning intentions: what student will be able to do after the intervention program has been
completed
ABA: APPLIED BEHAVIOURAL ANALYSIS
Antecedent Characteristics Target Behaviour Consequences
STUDENT ORIENTED

PROVIDES CLEAR AND SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

PROVIDES A CRITERION LEVEL: FREQUENCY,
TIME FRAME, PERCENTAGE, OR STEPS
REQUIRED
Targeting Behaviour
Set your boundaries immediately and repeatedly for what is
acceptable make them clear to students before they have an
opportunity to cross those boundaries
Examples: inappropriate language, defiance, classroom
disruption, misuse of property, teasing, tardy, out of assigned
area, repeated non-compliance, physical aggression,
harassment, stealing, tobacco or banned substance, off
campus/truant, dress code
Identify behaviour, then identify motivation or antecedent
Record frequency of behaviour
ABA Control Techniques
Classroom rules or expectations
Routine and schedule -- helps to teach Time Management
Consistency
Physical environment
Careful planning to a level at which your students can be successful
Explicitly teach the purpose of school: I am the teacher I am here to help you learn. Mistakes are not only acceptable but they are
necessary to your learning. Tests, tasks and homework are so that I know how I am doing as your teacher and what you need from
me. ---- Remove anxiety - remove avoidance behaviours.
ANTECEDENT CONTROL: taking charge of what happens before the behaviour Does
RELATED PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: developing skills to face challenges
Social Skills - socially acceptable learned behaviours
Emotional Control - very much based on theories of Operant Conditioning in which
controlled behaviours are rewarded with positive or negative reinforcements
Extinction - removing an excessive emotional response
Counterconditioning - provides a replacement reaction
Self Management
(SCHLOSS & SMITH, 1998)
Consequence Control - changing the outcome
Reinforcement = a process through which a target behaviour is strengthened as the
result of its effect on producing specific consequences
Think about reinforcers and punishments for certain behaviours beforehand and
evaluate their strength for the individual student
Examples of Reinforcers: food treats, opportunity for social
interaction, enjoyed academic activities, tokens, awards, praise
Examples of Punishments: deprivation of tangible commodities
(specific items), withdrawal of specific favoured activities, limiting
discretion over commodities or activities (limits a childs choice),
dockage of tokens, reprimand, time out

Consequences can and probably will be individual, but you can prepare yourself by
setting up a class-wide system of behavioural goals, rewards and punishments (or
consequences) including a warning system
Restorative Practice
Student responsibility
Traditional disciplinary model: Toby hits Jane. Jane cries. Toby is told, Dont hit. No recess for
you.
There are always two sides to a story. Why did Toby hit Jane? Not that there is an excuse... but
there is an antecedent that you can control.
Restorative Model:
Jane tell me what happened.
Toby tell me what happened.
Who was affected? How?
What can you (both?) do to make it better?
What will you do in the future when....?
Can I give you some ideas?
http://restorativeschools.org.nz/restorative-practice
PB4L: Positive Behaviour for Learning
PB4L Plan begun in 2009 as a result of Taumata Whanonga behaviour summit. Funded by
MinEdu and provides plans, training and initiatives for schools and teachers as well as
parents and ECE services. Access to a Behaviour Crisis Response Service and Intensive
Behaviour Service
The Principles:
Positive Behaviour for Learning represents a major shift in managing disruptive behaviour by students in our education
system.
It is built on the foundation that positive behaviour can be learnt and difficult and disruptive behaviour can be unlearnt.
It moves away from seeing individual students as a problem, and towards proactively changing the environment around
them to support positive behaviour.
It recognises that punitive and exclusionary approaches to discipline do not bring about long-term and sustainable changes
in behaviour.
It supports the national application of a small number of evidence-based programmes and frameworks that we know work.
It recognises that there are no quick fixes. It takes a long-term view to ensure that changes in behaviour are sustained.


http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SpecialEducation/OurWork
Programme/PositiveBehaviourForLearning.aspx
RTLB: Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour
RTLB are full time teachers providing services to a
cluster of school
Focus on working with teachers in a preventative
method rather than interventionist
Inclusivity on a continuum of student needs
PB4L
http://rtlb.tki.org.nz/
Putting it simply.... + +
+
Focus on the BEHAVIOUR not the child
make rules with the students, teach rules explicitly
create a positive environment - say 5 positives for every negative
Use descriptive praise
move around the classroom, make eye contact, alter your voice appropriately
correct errors immediately, but make it a safe environment for mistakes to be made
be consistent with your expectations

create a behaviour contract with the student
if student is removed from the learning environment they must make up for lost time and learning
- no avoidance!
Involve the student in the confrontation: repeat back to me what you will do differently in the
future
have a plan for when it all goes wrong - know what your options are in every situation
if your school does not have a behaviour contingency plan or policy, push for it!
Involve the family before it gets really bad
References

Charouleas, S. Riley-Tilman, T. Sugai George (2007). School Based Behavioral Assessment: informing intervention
and instruction. The Guildford Press: New York.
Martella, R. Nelson, J. Marchand-Martella, N. (2003). Managing Disruptive Behaviours in the Schools: a
schoolwide, classroom, and individualized social learning approach. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.
Schloss, P. Smith, M. (1998). Applied Behaviour Analysis in the Classroom 2nd Ed. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.
Education Counts. Stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions and expulsions from school. Retrieved from:
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/indicators/main/student-engagement-participation/80346 on 5/7/2012
Ministry of Education. TKI: Resource Teacher Learning & Behaviour Online. At: http://rtlb.tki.org.nz
Ministry of Education. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L). At:
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SpecialEducation/OurWorkProgramme/PositiveBehavio
urForLearning.aspx
Excercise
Ben attempts to complete a task in class that he finds difficult
Ben does not have the skills to control his anxiety
Ben has a tantrum and rips up his work
Ben is reprimanded and sent to time out
Identify the antecedent, personal characteristics, behaviour
and consequence then discuss ways in which you might
control an elemenet of the event and help Ben to control his
behaviour.