Active Supervision
Expect, Inspect, and Respect
Chris Borgmeier
Ravenswood City
School District
Most Common Reasons for
Misbehavior in Common Areas:

Expectations & routines are not clear
–If
we expect students to behave responsibly, the adults in the school must come
to a specific agreement on what constitutes responsible behavior.
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Expectations have not been taught
Insufficient supervision (inactive; not scanning)
Inconsistent supervision
Emotional supervision
Insufficient positive feedback to students behaving
responsibly
Inconsistent use of consequences for misbehavior
EXPECT, INSPECT, & RESPECT
Active supervision works well in:
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Large volume areas
High census areas (lots of students)
Lightly staffed areas (1 or 2 adults for every
80+ kids)
Unstructured activities (kid-directed) areas
such as playgrounds, cafeterias, hallways,
etc.
Expect, Inspect, & Respect

EXPECT: Teaching Expectations
–
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INSPECT: Active Supervision
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Develop and teach expectations
Active Roaming & Scanning
Develop Clear Consequences
REACT - Consistently use consequences
RESPECT: Positive Interactions
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Recognize students for following expectations
Positive interactions with students
Examining the Physical Space,
Routines, and Traffic Patterns
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Are there any safety concerns in the area?
How can we monitor all areas of the space?
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Planning Supervision Traffic patterns
Active scanning
Knowing & Planning for Student Activities & Traffic
Patterns
Activity:
Examining the Physical Space
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Draw a map of the common area in which you
work
Draw traffic patterns for supervisors
Draw traffic patterns for students
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# of supervisors present
# of students present
Identify specific areas of concern
EXPECT
Teaching Expectations
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Develop consistent expectations across all
staff working in each common area
Teach & practice the expectations w/ the
students
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Boundaries of the area
Specific behavioral expectations
Attention signal
How to enter/leave the area
Activity: Defining Expectations
Identify the following:
1. Boundaries/ where students should/should not be
2. How to arrive/leave the area
3. Attention Signal
4. List 5-10 behaviors expected by staff
5. How you can formally teach these expectations to
students – develop a lesson plan to teach
behavioral expectations
Booster Lessons:
Reviewing Expectations
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When might a refresher be necessary?
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Following breaks (winter break, etc.)
If behavior seems to be breaking down
For students who are not following the rules
For new students
INSPECT
Active Supervision
Prevention/ Being Proactive
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Constant Movement
Scanning
Precorrect
Consistent Responding
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•
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Consistently enforcing consequences
Being assertive
Catching students doing right thing
How Does Active Supervision Work?

Increasing consistency and accountability for
student behavior

Increases opportunities to Prevent & React:
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Catch problems before they develop & precorrect
Consistent monitoring and responding to student
behavior both appropriate & inappropriate
Constant Movement
The Supervisor should move an
average of 30 feet a minute while
supervising playground activities
Purposeful Movement
•
Targets known problem areas, activities, groups,
and individuals
•
Plan your movement patterns to meet needs of
setting
•
Don’t become too predictable
•
Don’t get caught congregating w/ other staff or
groups of students
Scanning
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Extends ability to supervise large areas
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Increases opportunities for positive contact
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Increases consistency in implementing rules
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Know zones/areas to maximize supervision
& scan from those areas regularly
Effective Scanning Techniques
(a)
(b)
(c)
Look & Listen
Target known problem areas, activities,
groups, and individuals
Target both appropriate and inappropriate
behaviors
RESPECT
Research
 High
rates of positive contact with
individuals or groups of students can
be expected to significantly reduce
student problem behavior for up to
90% of all students
React & Respect
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Delivery of Consequences
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Immediate
Consistent
Contingent
Teach consequences to students
 Reinforcement for appropriate
behaviors (4:1 ration)
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Activity: Responding to Behavior
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Devise responses & strategies for:
–
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Positive Contacts & Reinforcement
Correction strategies
 Strategies
for responding to misbehavior
 Know which behaviors you will be targeting and
Know how you’ll respond in advance