ABC Project: The Case of

Arnold

Maggie Gearns
CEP 832
Michigan State University
Behavioral Issue
Arnold is an 11 year old student in my sixth grade science class. Arnold displays some
challenging behaviors including:

● Aggressive/hostile reactions towards teachers and peers

● Defiance/refuses to follow directions
● Frequently brings toys to class
● Does not complete classwork or homework
Data Collection and Analysis
I observed Arnold for a period of two weeks prior to
implementing an intervention plan. During this time I
noticed that he seemed to work best during quiet
classroom activities when he was left alone. His
behavior issues occurred most frequently during times
when students were working in groups. Arnold
struggled to be a cooperative group member and
often interpreted requests from his group member as
them “telling him what to do”. The strengths that I
observed in Arnold included his sense of humor and
his participation in class discussions. I formally
observed how often Arnold played with nuscience
items during class when he was expected to be
working on his classwork. I recorded the data in the
table to the right:
Behavioral Strategy Plan
I created a plan to motivate Arnold to complete his classwork and decrease other
negative behaviors. I took the following steps to work with Arnold:

1. Conference with Arnold- I met with Arnold during my prep hour to discuss the
need for change, brainstorm motivators and explain the plan
2. Set up Contingency Contract- The goal Arnold worked towards was “Arnold will
complete 80% of his classwork”. If Arnold met his goal for 4 consecutive school
days, he could choose a mystery motivator.
3. Positive Affect/Reinforcement: During the implementation of the plan, I
displayed positive affect towards Arnold, worked to build a relationship with him,
and reinforced his efforts with effective praise.
Sample Goal Tracking Sheet

***Note: 2/25 and 2/26 were snow days.

Plan for Aggressive/Hostile Behavior
I created the following plan to address possible aggressive/hostile behavior towards
myself or students:

1. Explain why aggressive behavior is not an appropriate response and that it will not
be tolerated.
2. Work with Arnold on the five step approach to test social perceptions as outlined in
the Brophy text (encoding, interpretation, response search, response decision and
enactment).
3. Set firm limits for aggressive behavior- give consequences such as parent contact,
office referral or detention as needed.
Rationale
Due to Arnold's resistance to authority, I decided to take an approach that focused more on
building relationships, positive reinforcement and praise, rather than pressure and coercion.
Brophy (1996) recommended using successive approximations to move students towards a desired
behavior. Arnold started with a goal of completing 60% of his classwork, and the goal was raised
after each successful week until he reached 80%. Arnold displayed aggressive behavior at the
beginning of the year that seemed to have improved. I decided to focus my intervention on his
academic performance and address the aggression and hostility as it came up. I chose to
incorporate the five step approach described in the Brophy text to help Arnold challenge cognitive
errors and to think about ways to respond more appropriately when he is challenged.
Strategy Effectiveness
Overall, I think the strategy was effective. Arnold struggled during the first few days of the plan, but
once we started working on a new science unit he seemed more motivated and met his goal during
the second week of implementation. Although he was not always focused, his work completion
did improve during the implementation of the plan. During the third week of implementation,
Arnold was referred to the assistant principal for punching another student. The aggression was
not provoked, and Arnold claimed it “was a joke”. I explained to Arnold that aggressive behavior
would not be tolerated, set firm limits, and gave a consequence of a referral and parent contact.
Arnold has not shown aggressive behavior since this incident, so I am hopeful that the strategy was
effective.
Professional Stance
The attributes for effective socialization that I worked on during this intervention were modeling, projecting

positive expectations, and using firm but flexible limits. Prior to this intervention, I had a tendency to allow

students to have privileges first, with the expectation that they would follow through. According to Jenson,

Rohde & Revis (2009), it is more effective to have students meet expectations first and “earn” privileges, rather

than losing privileges for not following through. Instead of giving privileges first, I now have students work

independently for the first 20 minutes of class, and then allow them to work with partners after they have shown

me that they are on task. I have become more confident in helping students like Arnold who struggle with

aggression to recognize their own cognitive errors and find ways to respond more thoughtfully in upsetting

situations.
Professional Stance Continued
I find that I may shift out of an effective stance when I lack confidence in my own ability to maintain authority and

handle challenging behavior effectively. To maintain an effective stance, I can work on developing “ego

strength”, the underlying self-confidence that allows effective teachers to maintain a calm, problem-solving

orientation (Brophy, 1996, pg. 22). I will also continue to develop “clarity about roles and comfort in playing

them” so that I can clearly explain my expectations and be comfortable in holding students accountable for

meeting them. Through working with Arnold, I have learned about myself as an educator and how I can continue

to work on developing my own attributes to motivate, encourage and engage tough to teach kids.
References
Brophy, J. E. (1996). Teaching problem students. New York: Guilford Press.

Jenson, W., Rhode, G., R., & Reavis, H. K. (2009). The Tough Kid Tool Box. Eugene, OR: Pacific Northwest

Publishing.

Rhode, G., Jenson, W. R., & Reavis, H. K. (2010). The Tough Kid Book (2nd ed.). Eugene, Or.: Pacific Northwest Pub.

Image: https://pixabay.com/