Developing positive

relations with students

Jeff Warber
Action Research Plan
Grand Valley State University
 Abstract
• Behavior specific praise
• Instruction for student achievement
• Redirect off task behavior and low achieving
students
• Modify student behavior
Abstract • Level of student engagement
Introduction

• Describe how action research project

will benefit the students
• Create open communication as how
data is collected and stored
• Be transparent by keeping student’s
data private and confidential
• How can you create meaningful class
discussions with variety of student
abilities in 4th grade math class?
 26 elementary students in elementary public
school

Methodology 14 boys

12 girls
4 English
7 striving 3 special needs 4 thriving 8 other type of
Language
readers students students students
Learners
Methodology

• Off task and low achieving students

struggle with math concepts
• Develop steps to increase student’s
ownership for every type of learner
• Create measurable and attainable goals
for students to meet
• Use behavior specific praise compared to
general praise to modify student
behavior
Findings

• Students too more risks with small table discussions or

whole group discussions
• At first there only a few students answering questions
towards the end it was 15 to 20 per math questions
• More students were excited to share and explain their
thought process with their table partner
• Created positive learning atmosphere for various types
of learners
• Allowed students to understand the teacher commands
without putting them down
Student involvement data
Student engagment observation data sheet
Review student behavior Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
27-Jan 28-Jan 29-Jan 30-Jan 31-Jan 3-Feb 4-Feb 5-Feb 6-Feb 7-Feb 10-Feb 11-Feb 12-Feb 13-Feb 14-Feb 17-Feb 18-Feb 19-Feb 20-Feb
Asked questions 4 0 4 2 2 0 1 3 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 6 7 9 8
drawing 0 3 3 3 3 4 8 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 5 0 5 0
actively listening 2 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 0 1 2 4 4 3
on task 1 1 2 1 3 1 0 2 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 2 5 3
yelling 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
talking during the lesson 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 1 4 5 3 4 4 3 0 0 1
doing another task 9 8 6 7 6 17 3 10 2 2 2 4 6 4 9 1 3 0 4
other 10 12 9 10 10 0 9 7 6 9 9 9 9 11 6 7 10 3 6
Total students 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26

Classroom engagement
28-Feb
26-Feb Classroom actively engaged
Week 4

24-Feb 30
20-Feb
25
18-Feb
20
14-Feb
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

12-Feb 15
10-Feb 10
6-Feb 5
4-Feb 0
31-Jan

4-Feb
5-Feb
3-Feb

6-Feb
7-Feb

11-Feb
12-Feb

18-Feb
19-Feb
10-Feb

13-Feb
14-Feb
17-Feb

20-Feb
21-Feb
28-Jan
29-Jan
27-Jan

30-Jan
31-Jan
29-Jan
27-Jan
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Asked questions drawing actively listening
Asked questions drawing actively listening
on task yelling talking during the lesson
on task yelling talking during the lesson
doing another task other Total students
doing another task other Total students
Student involvement chart
Classroom actively engaged

30

25

20

15

10

3-Feb

4-Feb

5-Feb

6-Feb

7-Feb

10-Feb

11-Feb

14-Feb

20-Feb

26-Feb
12-Feb

13-Feb

17-Feb

18-Feb

19-Feb

21-Feb

24-Feb

25-Feb

27-Feb

28-Feb
29-Jan

30-Jan
27-Jan

28-Jan

31-Jan

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Asked questions drawing actively listening on task yelling

talking during the lesson doing another task other Total students
Student overall classroom participation
Classroom engagement
28-Feb
27-Feb
26-Feb
25-Feb
Week 4

24-Feb
21-Feb
20-Feb
19-Feb
18-Feb
17-Feb
14-Feb
13-Feb
Week 3

12-Feb
11-Feb
10-Feb
7-Feb
6-Feb
Week 2

5-Feb
4-Feb
3-Feb
31-Jan
30-Jan
Week 1

29-Jan
28-Jan
27-Jan
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Asked questions drawing actively listening on task yelling talking during the lesson doing another task other Total students
Student observation form
Student Observation form

Classroom Teacher_________________________

Student name______________________________
Disengaged Behaviors Engaged Behaviors

• B=blurt out answers • F= focused giving the speaker attention

• M= making inappropriate noises (laughing, humming
shouting and etc.)
• A= avoidance (not doing the assignment, leaving the
room without permission, etc.)
• E= no eye contact with speaker
• AB= Aggressive (fighting, pushing, hitting, etc.)
• P= Participating (small groups, whole class
discussions)
• R= raising hand to answer
• AQ= ask questions about the lessons (work to build
their knowledge about the topic)
• C= collaborate with other students

Date Classroom task Observations (off task) Observations (on task)

 Student observation form

Student motivation form

Student participation (contribution) Teacher evaluation

 Student observation form

Student environment plan handout

Engaged student Disengaged student

 Student observation form

Student environment plan handout

Classroom behavior (morning, before lunch and Specials behavior (Gym, Art, Spanish, and Music)
after lunch)
Future research
ideas

• Randomly select different subject

matters and the results
• Develop new strategies for various
types of situations
• Discover ways to overcome
challenges or obstacles that could
hinder the research process
Any questions
Works Cited
• Bolsinger, P. (Ed.). (2013). Increasing Student Engagement and Retention Using Classroom Technologies: Classroom Response Systems and Mediated Discourse Technologies.

Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu

• Briere, D. E., Simonsen, B., Sugai, G., & Myers, D. (2015). Increasing New Teachers’ Specific Praise Using A Within-School Consultation Intervention. Journal of Positive

Behavior Interventions, 17(1), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300713497098

• Caldarella, P., Larsen, R. A. A., Williams, L., Wills, H. P., & Wehby, J. H. (2019). Teacher Praise-To-Reprimand Ratios: Behavioral Response of Students at Risk for EBD

Compared with Typically Developing Peers. Education & Treatment of Children, 42(4), 447-468. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1353/etc.2019.0021

• Clair, EB, Bahr, MW, Quach, HL & LeDuc, JD 2018, 'The Positive Plus Program: Affirmative Classroom Management to Improve Student Behavior', Behavioral

Interventions, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 221-236. Retrieve from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/doi/full/10.1002/bin.1632

• Gage, N. A., MacSuga-Gage, A. S., & Crews, E. (2017). Increasing Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise Using a Multitiered System for Professional Development. Journal

of Positive Behavior Interventions, 19(4), 239–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300717693568

• Gregory P. Thomas. (2017) ‘Triangulation:’ an expression for stimulating metacognitive reflection regarding the use of ‘triplet’ representations for chemistry learning. Chemistry

Education Research and Practice 18:4, pages 533-548.

•
Works Cited
• Jin, Q., & Kim, M. (2018). Metacognitive regulation during elementary students’ collaborative group work. Interchange, 49(2), 263-281. doi:

http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1007/s10780-018-9327-4

• Korb, R. (2012). Motivating defiant & disruptive students to learn: Positive classroom management strategies Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press doi: 10.4135/9781483387710

• Owens, J. S., Holdaway, A. S., Smith, J., Evans, S. W., Himawan, L. K., Coles, E. K., … Dawson, A. E. (2018). Rates of Common Classroom Behavior Management Strategies and

Their Associations with Challenging Student Behavior in Elementary School. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 26(3), 156–169.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426617712501

• Markelz, A. M., Taylor, J. C., Kitchen, T., Riccomini, P. J., Catherine Scheeler, M., & McNaughton, D. B. (2019). Effects of Tactile Prompting and Self-Monitoring on Teachers’

Use of Behavior-Specific Praise. Exceptional Children, 85(4), 471–489. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402919846500

• Rathel, J. M., Drasgow, E., Brown, W. H., & Marshall, K. J. (2014). Increasing Induction-Level Teachers’ Positive-to-Negative Communication Ratio and Use of Behavior-Specific

Praise Through E-Mailed Performance Feedback and Its Effect on Students’ Task Engagement. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 16(4), 219–233.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300713492856

• Sutherland, K. S., Wehby, J. H., & Copeland, S. R. (2000). Effect of varying rates of behavior-specific praise on the on-task behavior of students with EBD. Journal of Emotional

and Behavioral Disorders, 8(1), 2. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1177/106342660000800101

• Willans, A., & Williams, C. (2018). Freedom to learn: Creating a classroom where every child thrives. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu