Managing Student Behavior

Chapter 11

Imagine it is the first day of class and you are anxiously awaiting the arrival of your students…

Teachers who try to create the best teaching and learning environment will still have to face student misbehaviors and classroom discipline problems.

Teachers usually blame students for the problems of misbehavior in the classroom, but they fail to realize that these issues may stem from other factors, such as appropriateness of the curriculum or teaching methods.

This chapter describes the 20-Step System of Discipline, designed to help teachers deal with issues of discipline in the classroom.

It was created to accommodate differences in teaching style and philosophies as well as differences in maturity level of students.

This system, designed by Descamps and Lindahl, combines the behavior management strategies developed by B.F. Skinner (1968), T.A. Harris (1969), William Glasser (1969; 1992; 1999), and Thomas Gordon (1974).

This system provides teachers with a set of responses to use when dealing with different student behaviors in the classroom.

The 20-Step System of Discipline recognizes three types of student behaviors and breaks them down into three categories:

• Desirable Behaviors

• Minor Disruptions

• Unacceptable or Severe Behaviors

For each category of behavior, there is a corresponding set of responses, or steps, for teachers to choose from and follow.

• If students display desirable behavior, the teacher should focus on maintaining this positive atmosphere, use it to maximize learning, and prevent the situation from changing.

Corresponding Responses to Behaviors

• When minor disruptions occur, teachers should redirect this behavior, trying to bring it back to the positive level without implementing negative consequences.

Corresponding Responses to Behaviors

• If students display unacceptable behavior, the teacher should impose logical consequences and may need to seek intervention from another teacher, the student’s parents, or a school administrator.

The 20-Step System of Discipline is made up of the following three categories, each corresponding to a type of behavior:

»Prevention Steps

»Redirection Steps

»Intervention Steps

Prevention Steps

The teacher:

• utilizes prevention steps when desirable student behaviors occur in the classroom.

• sets up circumstances that help students succeed and prevent them from failing or getting into trouble.

• takes a proactive role establishing a positive climate.

Prevention Steps

• These are the most important steps in classroom management.

• An environment of quality teaching and positive interaction is created.

• Students experience success. They find learning and relating to the teacher and to other students a rewarding event.

Step 1

Meets Student’s Needs for Belonging, Competence, Freedom and Fun

The Teacher:

• Helps students feel that they belong in the classroom.• Helps students experience success.• Gives students opportunities to make decisions.• Make learning fun.

Step 2

Implements a “community of learners” model

The Teacher:

• Helps students develop a sense of belonging.• Puts students in charge of classroom tasks.• Uses class meetings to resolve conflicts.

Step 3

Engages parents as key players.

The Teacher:

• Provides opportunities for parents growth.• Involves parents as teachers.• Offers leadership opportunities to parents.

Step 4

Helps students experience success.

The Teacher:

• Establishes a cooperative learning environment.• Provides opportunities for practice and recycling.• Adjusts difficulty of learning tasks to students’ level.

Step 5

Communicates behavior expectations and effect of compliance.

The Teacher:

• Describes desirable behavior.• Explains reasons for behavior standards.• Describes the impact of student compliance.

Step 6

Recognizes positive behaviors.

The Teacher:

• Is quick to identify students’ strengths.• Smiles and praises students frequently.

Step 7

Changes circumstances that may produce misbehaviors.

The Teacher:

• Stands by students who are likely to misbehave.• Makes changes in the classroom environment.• Changes the order or nature of instructional events.

Redirection Steps

• These steps are used in response to minor disruptions.

•The interaction at this stage is between the individual student and the teacher.

•The teacher responses at an adult-to-adult level and hopes the students will take responsibility for their own actions and perform in a more desirable manner.

•The steps are designed to redirect students to desirable behavior without using any consequences.

Step 8

Recognizes Positive Behaviors while Ignoring Minor Irritants

The Teacher:

• Recognizes positive individual or group behaviors •Ignores minor individual or group behaviors •Wears “luminous glasses” vs. “dark colored glasses”

Step 9

Redirects Nonverbally

The Teacher:

• The teacher sends nonverbal messages that request a change of behavior

•This is done by communicating through gestures and eye contact

Step 10

Asks for Status or Rule

The Teacher:

• “What are you supposed to be doing?”•“What is the rule about…?”•“How is your work coming along?”

Step 11

Requests a Change of Behavior

The Teacher:

• Makes eye contact and politely asking the student to conform his/her behavior.•Thanks the student when the behavior change occurs.

Step 12

Has a Conversation with the Student about Minor Disruption

The Teacher:

• Describes the effect of the student’s behavior.• Privately asks the student to explain what is going on.• Encourages student to redirect behavior.

Step 13

Moves Student to Time-out Area

The Teacher:

• Informs the student that the minor disruptions must stop•Moves the student to a time-out area•Returns the student to his seat when ready to continue work

Step 14

Conducts a “Win-Win” Conference

The Teacher:

• Shares the effect of the disruptive behavior and asks the student to share his/her side.• Discusses solutions with the student until both agree on a satisfactory course of action.• Informs the student that the minor disruptions must stop.

Intervention Steps

• The teacher uses intervention steps when unacceptable behaviors occur or when student misbehaviors become severe.

• Intervention steps are teacher actions that result in the students experiencing logical consequences for their behavior.

• Intervention steps assume that the less mature students will resist changing their behavior unless consequences are applied.

Step 15

Applies rules and consequences.

The Teacher:

• Seeks student help to develop rules and consequences.• Uses logical consequences when rule is broken.

Step 16

Negotiates Glasser’s improvement plan.

The Teacher:

• Privately asks the student: “What were you doing?”,”What were you supposed to be doing?”, “What are you going to do about it next time?”, “What would be a logical consequence if you do it again?”.• Asks the student to put the contract in writing.

Step 17

Asks another teacher for help.

The Teacher:

• Sends student to another teacher’s classroom.• Draws up contract with conditions to return to class.

Step 18

Asks parent(s) for help.

The Teacher:

• Describes student behavior that needs to be changed.• Accepts the feelings and opinions of parents.• Shares data documenting the need for change.• Proposes plan for parents to follow at home.• Reports to parents on student progress weekly.

Step 19

Asks the principal for help.

The Teacher:

• Seeks advice on how to handle the situation.• Secures administrative support for the plan of action.• Keeps principal apprised of progress.

Step 20

Asks that student be reassigned to another classroom.

The Teacher:

• Documents steps taken attempting to improve student conduct.• Meets with support team to recommend a course of action.

How to Establish Standards of Behavior

Students should be aware of what constitutes desirable behavior, minor disruptions, and unacceptable behavior, and they should also know what teacher responses are expected for each type of behavior.

Teachers and students should discuss together what behaviors fall under each category and discuss possible consequences.

How to Match Teacher Actions with Student Behaviors

The type of student behavior determines which step of discipline the teacher will use, but each step is further broken down into levels. Before the teacher chooses which specific response, or level, to use, he/she must have information about what is causing this behavior in order to respond with the best choice for the situation.

Conditions Necessary for the 20-Step System to Work

The school program must maintain democratic goals and values that should also be reflected in the classroom.

The role of the teacher as a professional must be established.

The student must be an active participant in the classroom.

The school program must maintain democratic goals and values that should also be reflected in the classroom.

• Students should be treated as responsible adults who must face consequences for their actions.

The role of the teacher as a professional must be established.

• Teachers must be professionals and take charge of their professional lives (i.e. have a say in the budget, hiring of personnel, and the allocation of resources).

• This will convey to students a sense of professional ownership and purpose.

• Teachers must face their tasks in a problem-solving manner. It is not a routine job, but one that requires much thought and skill to be able to respond to different situations accordingly.

The student must be an active participant in the classroom.

• Students must be given as much responsibility as possible for their own education.

• Some things students should take part in are identifying class rules and consequences, identifying learning procedures, and implementing the discipline system.

• An active student role promotes the development of self-directed, responsible citizens.