EDUC 3007

ESSAY:
PLANNING FOR
INTERVENTION

Tia Langston
110229730

Words: 1,951
Introduction
Behaviour management is a topic that many graduate teachers can feel distressed over,
knowing that they will eventually encounter it in their teachings. Behaviour management in
education refers to the use of strategies and plans that eliminate negative or harmful
behaviours in the classroom and work towards a classroom full of positive behaviours.
In a primary school classroom, dealing with aggressive students who can clash at times, it is
important to use age appropriate intervention strategies that follow levels of intervention;
low (whole class), moderate (group work) and high (individuals). The following suggested
interventions focus on middle primary aged students who have had conflicts and aggressive
disagreements with their peers, resulting in the teacher fearing that this will escalate to
physical aggression. These strategies work towards a common goal that the students will
learn to self-regulate their behaviour and be responsible enough to deal with their
situations in a positive manner (Porter 2006).

Intervention
Using intervention in the classroom can be a complicated process for teachers to grasp as
the strategies used can sometimes work for some students but not others, hence why it is
important to ensure you carefully select strategies relevant to the students and the situation
and continue to retry others if they are unsuccessful. Behaviour intervention refers to a plan
that uses a number of steps to teach good behaviour, these steps use different strategies to
help the student understand that their using negative behaviours and work towards
eliminating these and exercising more positive behaviours. Intervention can be necessary
when the prevention plans haven’t been successful and the educator can predict that the
students are on a path to a negative outcome (Understood 2014).

When creating a plan for intervention, it is important to firstly identify the problem or
behaviour, then determine why it is occurring and then decide the strategies that best suit
the circumstance and put them in place. It is important to make this plan carefully as there
can be a high risk when dealing with child behaviour, if one takes an authoritative approach
with accusations towards the child, they can become hostile and break the relationship they
had with the teacher. The loss of this relationship will make it very difficult for any
intervention plan to take place as the student will no longer have any trust in their educator.
The plan can be a list of steps and strategies that can be used for circumstances that may
arise, these should be planned from a low level to a high level intervention. Although low
level disruptive and unproductive behaviours are much more likely to occur in the classroom
over aggressive and highly difficult behaviours, it is still important to have a plan in place for
the chance that these behaviours escalate towards an unsafe situation (Sullivan et. al. 2014).

Qualities of the teacher

As an educator, conducting a behaviour intervention with their students, it is important to
not initially let yourself slip into an dictator approach as it is crucial to use inclusive
strategies that allow student voice. The educator needs to be willing to try a number of
different strategies until they find the one that works for each circumstance. It is important
to follow the important teaching principles that one respects their students dignity, allows
for fair treatment and focusses on a goal of self-regulation for each student. The educator
should support the development of pro-social behaviour and have high expectations while
also sharing the power legitimately (MLE Course Principles 2019).

Low level intervention – Tier 3 (whole class)

In the initial stages of an intervention, it is important to begin with a whole class discussion
to provide an overview of the types of behaviours you do want to see in the class and the
ones you do not want to see. This allows the educator to indirectly talk to the few students
who are behaving badly by stating an issue that has occurred but ensuring they to not say
names. This can begin with teaching the whole class strategies to help them resolve their
own conflicts, when and if they arise, and discussing why these are a better method than
resorting to aggression, physical or verbal violence or allowing another person to fix their
problems for them, i.e. the teacher. Students need to learn positive approaches to these
types of situations and have the opportunity to practise these strategies in a safe, controlled
environment to ensure they are comfortable to use them in the unforeseen future (Larrivee
2009).
It is important to spend the group time also discussing the classroom rules that would have
been made at the beginning of the year. This is the time that teachers need to reiterate
those rules and ensure that the class still agrees with these rules and the consequences for
breaking them. Discuss why these rules are in place and ask the students questions to
prompt their thinking, ‘What would happen if we didn’t have any rules?’, ‘Do we all think we
can follow these rules?’ and remind students that they helped create them and agreed to
them at the start of the year. This is a time where the educator can also use an I-message to
ensure the students know how they feel when the rules are broken, such as ‘I feel
uncomfortable and unsafe in this classroom when the safety rules are broken’ (Jones &
Jones 2011).

Moderate level Intervention – Tier 2 (group)

If the negative behaviours continue, even after the discussions with the whole class, it is
crucial to have a conversation with the group of students who are directly involved in the
conflict in a safe but separate place to the rest of the class. This type of intervention allows a
more thorough look into the problems at hand and why they are occurring. The students
can all sit down together and can each have the opportunity to express their side and
reasoning to the situation. The teacher can lead the students to using their own I-messages
towards one another to express how they have felt during the dispute. It is important for
the students to refrain from blaming or accusing each other but to simply state how they
felt in each situation. This can then lead towards apologies, where the students can each
admit where they went wrong and apologise for how it made the other person feel, even
though they may not be accepting responsibility yet. If this does not work, as some children
struggle to express their feelings and offer apologies, the teacher can offer each student a
moment to express and blame-free explanation for why they thought what they were doing
was not bad, allowing for more understanding from the other parties involved (Jones &
Jones 2011).

Once each child has had their say, the teacher can facilitate a negotiation process, this can
be done through a conversation where both parties break down each aspect of the
disagreement. While this conversation is occurring, it is crucial for the students to take it
seriously and are appropriate in their responses. The students will need to know that they
have to be respectful of all others involves, this can be done through the use of non-verbal
cues, such as; eye contact, nodding to show you have listened and using respectful body
language that shows the others you are engaged and listening (Hyde, Carpenter & Dole
2017). They will then work towards finding a resolution that they can both agree on, this can
also incorporate some compromising. Students may have to compromise to resolve the
problem, all students will then have to give up something small in order to gain something
big, a resolution and end to the dispute. Compromising may be a challenge, depending on
the age group, it may be beneficial to ask students to put themselves in each other shoes to
try understand how the other is feeling and what they have to lose to get to a happy
solution. This can lead to both parties feeling more comfortable with the decisions and help
them make that compromised decision (Jones & Jones 2011).

High level Intervention – Tier 1 (individual)

Unfortunately, even with two levels of intervention with both the whole class and the group
of students involved, the dilemma can still progress and become dangerous for everyone
involved. When this continues to progress, it is highly important to split the students up and
have an individual intervention with them. Initially the teacher needs to not jump to
conclusions, even if the situation has taken a turn for the worst, to ensure the child has had
time to express their opinion. When discussing with the child the educator can use
Larrivee’s (2008) RRRR confrontation process to show respect to the student but also states
the changes they need to see in the student. This process begins with ‘Relate’, where the
teacher states what they are concerned about and why, then the students has the
opportunity to do the same. Secondly is the ‘Restate’, where both parties restate what the
other’s concerns were, which leads to the ‘Request’ where they each have time to declare
their requests from one another. Finally, is the ‘Resolve’, this can be done through a
negotiation until both the student and teacher reach an agreed upon outcome (Larrivee
2008).
If this is not successful, it will be necessary to plan a meeting with their parent(s) to discuss
the child’s actions and make a joint plan on what will happen next. This allows the parent
and the teacher to work together in strategising with the best interests at mind for the child.
Educators need to be aware that parents have experience and knowledge into their child
that they do not, this is important to realise to ensure that the discussion doesn’t lead to
accusations of incompetence or feeling unsupported, from both sides. According to Porter
(2011), there are four main principles to follow in a parent discussion about their child,
beginning with understanding it is a school based problem and thus the teacher must be the
one to solve it, secondly; the aim is not to have the parents punish their child, thirdly; all
parents want their child to do well and you need to restore their pride in their child, finally;
ensure you’re not judging them on their parenting abilities for the child’s behaviour.
Parents and teachers need to work together to firstly define the problem and then map the
influences that led the child there. They can then work together to set goals and brainstorm
strategies that work towards supporting the child on a path to positive behaviour. Once the
plan is in place and the strategies have been implemented, it is crucial to the progress of the
child that they both keep in contact to share the change they have notices whilst also
praising the child on their positive changes (Porter 2011).

Considerations
Although challenging behaviour can occur in any classroom and can escalate beyond what
was imaginable, it is important to remember that some behaviours can be due to other
factors, such as a diversity and thus need to be handled very differently and cautiously.
Disruptive behaviour can be due to diagnosed and undiagnosed behaviour problems such as
oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, ADHD or even anxiety, which can present
behaviour problems. In these circumstances, the educator needs to provide a safe and
structured environment and address all instances immediately as early intervention is
crucial in “ensuring children develop social and emotional wellbeing” (Hyde, Carpenter &
Dole 2017, pp. 159).
Conclusion
In an educative setting, challenging behaviour will always present itself in one way or
another, although low and disruptive behaviour is much more likely than aggressive
behaviour it is important to be prepared. When dealing with any negative behaviour it is
important to begin the intervention process early, this can begin with a whole class
discussion to a smaller group discussion and can finally lead to a one-on-one intervention
with the individual(s), if the problem persists and worsens. By using the intervention
approach the educator has a number of different strategies to help lead the students
towards positive behaviours and keep the classroom a safe and inclusive place.
Reference list
Hyde, M, Carpenter, L & Dole, S 2017, Diversity, inclusion and engagement 3rd edition,
Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, VIC.

Jones, V & Jones, L 2011, Comprehensive Classroom Management: Creating Communities of

Cupport and Solving Problems, Pearson/Merrill Publishers, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Larrivee, B 2008, Authentic Classroom Management: Creating a Learning Community and

Building Reflective Practice, Pearson Education, New York City, USA.

Managing Learning Environment 2019, Course Principles, Course Content.

Porter, L 2006, Student Behaviour: Theory and Practice for Teachers, Allen & Unwin, Crows
Nest, New South Wales.

Sullivan, A, Johnson, B, Owens, L & Conway, R 2014, ‘Punish Them or Engage Them?
Teachers view of Unproductive Student Behaviours in the Classroom’, Australian Journal of
Teacher Education, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 43-56.

Understood 2014, Behavior Intervention Plans: What You Need to Know, Understood
Educational Strategies, viewed 8 November 2019, <
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-
approaches/educational-strategies/behavior-intervention-plans-what-you-need-to-know>.