Instructional Interventions for Classroom Disruption
Examples of behavior
·
Inappropriate
noises (tapping pencil, humming, animal noises, play noises such as imitating
airplanes or motorcycles, etc.)
·
Getting out of
seat and wandering around the room
·
Bothering other
student, trying to engage them in conversation
·
Trying to engage
other students in conversation
·
Throwing things
·
Laughing/giggling
at inappropriate times
Desired alternative behavior(s)
·
Remain in seat
for ____ minutes (or during instructional activity) unless given teacher
permission to get up
·
Use movement
options/breaks without bothering other students or making noise
·
Raise hand or use
other teacher-approved cue (e.g., eye contact,
write on slate, hold up card) to answer during class time
·
Remain on task
(e.g., writing, reading, drawing) for a minimum of _______ minutes
·
Ask to move; ask
for a break
·
Seek help with a
problem
·
Indicate unable
to do work
·
Use acceptable
tone, volume of voice
·
Tell what “on
task” or “topic related” means
General instructional strategies that might be useful
in teaching the desired behavior(s)
·
Develop classroom
rules as a group
·
Give choices
within classroom vs. teacher directed only
·
Physical breaks,
sensory breaks, movement options
·
Teach social
skills and provide opportunities to practice
·
Teach errors in
thinking
·
Verbal cues for
student to use to self cue as a reminder of he/she is supposed to be doing (e.g.,
“At this moment, am I…..?”)
·
Erasable,
individual slates or other type of board so student writes down question or
answer she/her just has to say right
now. Can then show it to the teacher
with little or no calling out or classroom disruption
·
Teacher or
student assigned “jobs” in cooperative groups – gives everyone responsibility
and encourages following group expectations
·
Provide
instruction on what to do when, turn taking, how to “signal”, what cues to look
for, reading social situations and cues
·
Teach
empathy/perspective taking
·
Adjust demands at
critical times (e.g., just before lunch, end of the day, just before student
needs medication, after an especially hard, stressful task)
Instructional materials that might prove useful in
teaching the desired behavior(s)
·
Practical Ideas that Really Work
for Students with Disruptive, Defiant, or Difficult Behaviors Kit: Preschool
through Grade 4 and Grades 5 through 12 by Kathleen McConnell, Gail Ryser, and James R. Patton.
Pro-Ed, Inc.,
·
Good Behavior Game www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/gbg.shtml
or www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plans/lesson-9167.html
·
Teaching Social Skills to
·
Videos of popular shows that include inappropriate behaviors
(“Simpsons”, “That 70’s Show”) or books that allow
for discussion of inappropriate behaviors, how they affect others, etc.
·
Teachers Guide to Behavioral
Interventions,
Improving Classroom Behavior; Classroom Management for Elementary
Teachers (5th edition);
Classroom Management for Secondary Teachers (5th edition) and
various other intervention manuals.
·
Skillstreaming series for social skill
instruction; PREPARE Curriculum
Research
Press,
·
Good Thinking and the Tough Kid series (Tough Kid Book, Discipline Kit, Social Skills Book,
Tool Box, New Teacher Kit, audio and video series)
Sopris West, 4093 Specialty Place, Longmont, CO 80504 1-800-547-6747
·
Hot Stuff to Help Kids Chill Out –
The Anger Management Book and The Anger and Stress Book
by Jerry Wilde, Ph.D., LGR Publishing,
·
TRIBES Curriculum (a research-based community building
program)
CenterSource
System, LLC,
707/838-1061 www.tribes.com
·
Short Term Play Therapy with
Disruptive Children
Childswork/Childsplay,
1-800-962-1141 www.childswork.com
·
Questions Teachers Ask about
Sensory Integration Sensory Resources, LLC, 1-888-357-5867. www.sensoryresources.com
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Adult attention |
Escape/avoidance |
Power/control |
Peer affiliation |
Justice/revenge |
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Teacher: Instructional strategies
to promote desired alternative behavior And/or Instructional
strategies to reduce the target behavior [Note: when alternate behavior is incompatible
with target behavior, the same strategy may work both to promote & to
reduce] |
- Give positive attention as much as
possible - Direct teaching of group expectations - School or class jobs - Line leader - “Hold that thought” and write it down” –
make sure you get to the student asap - Watch for clues or be aware that student
is approaching tolerance and move in proximity to student - Visual cue like a color card for attn. - “Hero” system - Nonverbal signals like holding up a hand
to indicate you heard the student & will get there next (teach these
ahead of time) - Arrange a time for the student to
“perform” or get recognition - Address in a business-like
fashion - Antiseptic bouncing |
-
If
anxious, cue when student will be called on (e.g., when I stand near you…) -
Line
leader -
Break
tasks down into smaller steps or segments -
Visual
schedule -
Teach
that uncomfortable situations are a fact of life – how to deal with mistakes -
Provide
enough frustration to respond to & reinforce student for being
appropriate -
Give
escape strategy -
Give
choice in activity or order of activities -
Trap
the student into doing work – does the student know that he or she really can
do it? -
Antiseptic
bouncing -
Movement
breaks -
Sensory
tools -
Reinforce
the student for “sticking to it” – staying on task and working or using free
time appropriately -
Give
the student visuals to show how much work he/she has completed (e.g., a chart or
graph). Make the initial sections
larger to give the student the feeling that they are off to a fast start -
Token
economy |
-
Develop
relationship with student to get him/her on your side -
Develop
classroom rules with student input -
Line
leader -
Leadership
activities -
Hold
thought and write a note about it -
Antiseptic
bouncing -
Sensory
tools -
Proximity
control -
Contracting |
-
Videos
with examples and non-examples -
Teacher
selected groups -
Buddy
system -
Line
leader -
Use
of cooperative learning groups -
Hero
system -
Teacher
selected groups -
Group
contingency -
Remove
audience |
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Student: Instructional consequences for
alternative appropriate behavior And/or Instructional
consequences for inappropriate target behavior |
-
Leadership role -
Special note to
mentor or principal or parent -
Token economy -
Extra privileges
(lunch with teacher, peer activity) -
Classroom job -
Verbal praise -
Positive attention -
Remove audience -
Loses positive attention -
Have the student identify appropriate ways to get adult attention |
- Time in a private workspace - Headphones - Choice of independent activities - Praise for positive efforts - Direct reinforcement for effort and
process - Clear feedback - Completion of work during teacher
selected time (if can, but won’t) - Alternate work student can do (if
can’t do the work) - Student does not earn points or
tokens - Have student identify appropriate
ways to escape |
-
Classroom
job -
Do
errands for teacher -
Choose
class activity -
Leader
role -
Use
vignettes to teach perspective taking -
Have
the student serve as a mentor for younger kids (work with an adult on this) -
Have
the student identify appropriate ways to gain power or control |
-
Special
privileges: lunch with a peer -
Let him/her take a
special role (e.g., class photographer, care for class pet, etc.) -
Loss of peer interaction, activity -
Have the student serve as a mentor for younger students (work with
an adult on this) -
Have the student identify appropriate ways to get peer attention and
affiliation |
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Avoid the use of |
- Nagging, long verbal interactions - Sarcasm - Lots of verbal reprimands |
-
- Removal from
class, activity, peers (things that allow escape) -
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Power struggle -
In-class
confrontation |
-
Public
conferencing -
Student losing
“face” -
Withholding
peer interaction if the student needs practice or really needs to be included |
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Special considerations |
- Determine if it is a skill (student doesn’t know how
to do it) or a performance deficit (student has demonstrated it in the past,
but is not motivated to perform the task or does not realize it is
appropriate in this setting or situation).
Does the student need direct teaching of some social skills? Opportunities to practice, get feedback,
generalize? - Evaluate room layout and environment (acoustics,
temperature, distractions, etc.) - Assess learning styles of student(s); provide
instruction in various modalities (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic,
combinations) - Medical/mental health diagnoses |
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