To Behave or Not to Behave
Tina Winrow & John Mouanoutoua
© winnim2007
Behavior Vision
Our vision is to have a safe and secure
school environment in which the dignity
of all individuals is respected.
Our vision asserts that all will:
Respect themselves and others.
Act as responsible, productive citizens.
Demonstrate the ability to problem solve, predict
consequences, and make appropriate
choices.
© winnim2007
Behavior
We believe:
• Behavior can be changed
• Behavior can be taught
• Behavior can be modeled
• Behavior reflects basic needs
• Behavior is non-negotiable in areas of safety
and security
• Behavior has consequences
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Behavior that needs to be
learned, needs to be
taught.
When children are well-trained,
it’s habit-forming.
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All behavior has a purpose.
To treat behavior you must know
the reason for it.
The good student is good for a
reason; the student in trouble
also misbehaves for a reason.
Treating all behavior problems
the same won’t work.
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Three variables in every discipline
situation:
•Teacher
•problem student
•rest of class
The only controllable variable is:
•The teacher
If the teacher is out of control, the
situation is out of control.
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Teachers must have a plan and
not just react to behavior.
To change behavior you must
first identify the specific
characteristics.
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Behavior Springs from Identity
Actions
Beliefs
Identity
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Teachers: Reactive vs. Proactive
Reactive teachers respond to disruptive
behaviors without forethought
Proactive teachers have a plan for dealing
with disruptive behaviors
Why do problems occur?
• Teachers don’t teach expected behavior
• Teachers are disrespectful of students
• Teachers have frequent outbursts of anger
• Teachers are negative about kids
• Teachers are not aware of what is going on
around them
• Teachers don’t provide an appropriate
curriculum
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Out of Control Students
•
•
•
•
Have experienced academic failure
Have negative levels attached to them
Have received punishments
Have little or no hope of success in
school
• Have friends who reinforce his/her
behavior
• Have low self-concepts in relation to
school
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Key Concepts
• Effective management can prevent the
beginning and spread of inappropriate
behavior.
• Some inappropriate behavior is a
symptom of another problem.
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5 Keys to Changing Behavior
The child must:
• want to change
• see others do it (be a role model)
• know how to change
• have opportunities to practice
• receive support
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Identify Students’ Primary Needs
Research shows that difficult students act out
because needs are not being met.
• Extra attention
• Firmer limits
• Motivation
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Students who need extra attention
•
•
•
•
•
•
Demand excessive attention
Frequently disturb you and students
Talk out in class
Make silly noises
Constantly get out of seat
Interrupt with attention-seeking
behaviors
• Work only with complete attention
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Teacher’s response:
Make you feel annoyed!
Student’s reaction to teacher’s response:
Stop disrupting when giving attention; but will shortly
continue demanding “more” attention
Strategy for students who need extra
attention
Give massive amounts of positive attention
for appropriate behavior.
Attention, whether positive or negative,
from you is the goal of these students. Give
lots of attention for appropriate behavior,
minimal for negative – students will soon
learn how best to get what
they want.
© winnim2007
Students who need firmer limits
• Constantly challenge you and students
• Talk back to you in front of other
students
• Argue/Lie
• Verbally/physically fight with
students
• Refuse to do what is asked
• Are in power struggles with you
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Teacher’s response:
Make you angry!
Student’s reactions to teacher’s
response:
Confrontation and refuse to comply!
Power Struggles Occur
Strategy for students who need
firmer limits
• Provide very firm and consistent limits.
• Power and control is the goal of these
students. Remember, demonstrating
mutual respect is the key. It is important
that they are allowed to save face in the
classroom.
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Students who need encouragement
• Have no friends, alienate peers
•
•
•
•
•
Emotionally disturbed
Seem depressed, rarely smile
History of school failure
Poor social skills
Very quiet, or talkative, around peers
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Teacher’s response:
Make you frustrated!
Student’s reactions:
Student emotionally shutdown and engages in
negative thinking
Strategy for students who need
encouragement
• Teach the students to use positive
self-talk
• Create opportunities for success
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Students who need motivation
• Make excuses for why work cannot be
done.
• Will not attempt to do academic work.
• If an attempt is made, the students will give
up easily.
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Teacher’s Response:
A feeling of helplessness
Student’s Reaction to teacher’s
response:
Student still unresponsive to completing the
task
Strategy for students who need
motivation
• Focus all behavior efforts toward getting
the students to do work.
Students lack confidence in their ability to
do the work. It is important to maintain
high expectations. May need to break
assignments into manageable parts
until the students are not so
overwhelmed.
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Students who are in denial
• Repeated disciplinary actions
• Say “I don’t care”
• Minor corrections cause major reaction
• Previous school failure
• Sometimes parents are hostile to school
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Students who are in denial
• Denial is caused by pain
• Denial is a survival mechanism
• The greater the pain the greater the denial
• Behavior that is denied can’t be changed
• Self-evaluation is key to ownership
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Teacher Feels
• Exasperated
Behavior
• Deny
• Blame
Students in
Denial
Response
• Accuse
Wants
• Self Acceptance
• Innocence
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Strategy for students in denial
• The intervention for students in
denial is feedback plus self-evaluation.
Student must be confronted about the
behavior in a manner that is not
confrontational. The teacher needs to
encourage the student to take ownership of his/her actions.
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Students who are rebellious
• Use profanity and inappropriate language
• Disrespectful to adults
• Disrupt the class
• Challenge teacher’s leadership
• “Make me” attitude
• Apathy towards punishment
• Frequent referrals
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Teacher Feels
• Angry
Behavior
Rebellious
Students
• Rebels
• Challenges authority
• Seeks peer approval
Response
• Punish
• Overpower
• Get even
Wants
•
•
•
•
Peer approval
Control
Leadership
Power to choose
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Students who are impulsive
• Side talk and talk-outs
• Out of seat
• Off-task
• Make noises unconsciously
• Annoying behaviors
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Teacher Feels
• Annoyed
• Irritated
Behavior
• Talks out
• Off task
• Active
Impulsive
Students
Response
• Remind
Wants
• Attention
• Approval
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Strategy for students who are
impulsive
• Use feedback to develop impulse control
and internalize behavior.
Impulsive behavior needs immediate
feedback. They need a reminder (visual or
verbal) that they are engaging in
inappropriate behavior.
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Strategy for rebellious students
• End rebellious behavior by structuring
different group norms.
Rebellious students look for friends by
rebelling against authority. Their
effectiveness depends on whether the group
norms approve of rebellious behavior.
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Norms:
Norms are the day to day
activities that occur within
your classroom.
Norms:
Norms are unspoken agreements within a
group about how to behave. Norms
are the code the group uses to admit
friends.
Strategies for Prevention
•
•
•
•
Clear limits, consistency, and caring
Develop and enforce a code of conduct
Intervene at first sign of trouble
Focus on opportunities to make students
feel capable, connected and contributing
• Involve parents whenever possible
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Reflection
List five actions that you could take to
demonstrate that you care about your
difficult student and that you are not
going away.
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Detention
• It should be a productive time
• Use the opportunity to be proactive
• Build positive relationships
• Student should not want to return
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Behavior Support Packets
The questions below were written to help
you think about how you behave. Please
answer them honestly. Also be neat, spell
correctly and write in complete sentences.
You are expected to answer all the questions.
Your teacher, a counselor, the principal or
your parents may read your answers.
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Student Response Form --Disrespect
1. How were you disrespectful?
2. What does the word respect mean to you?
3. Why did you act disrespectfully?
4. What would school be like if everyone
acted rudely?
5. Write a goal that will help you be
more respectful toward others.
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Student Response Form:
Disobedience
1. What happened that caused you to be working
on this packet?
2. Do you think it is fair or unfair to expect
students to obey their teachers in class? Why?
3. What do you think would happen if all the
students disobeyed the teacher every day?
What would the classroom be like?
4. “You can’t change the rules but you can
change the way you look at them.”
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Reflection
List what you think are your current
strengths and weaknesses in dealing with
difficult students.
Write your plan on how to handle one type
of difficult student.
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Have a plan to get through the maze of
behavior problems
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REMEMBER:
YOU CONTROL YOUR OWN WORLD!
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Bibliography
Canter, Lee, Succeeding with Difficult Students, Canter &
Associates, Santa Monica, CA, 1993.
Clark, Ron, The Essential 55, Hyperion, New York, New York, 2003.
Cook, Delores, Cue Cards for Teachers, Positive Approaches for
Teachers, 1997.
DeBruy, Robert L. and Jack L. Larson, You Can Handle Them All,
Manhattan, KS, 1984.
Duvall, Rick, Building Character & Community in the Classroom,
Creative Teaching Press, Cypress, CA, 1997.
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Gray, Jenny, Teaching without Tears, Your First Year in the
Secondary
School, Fearon Publishers, Belmont, CA, 1968.
Mendler, Allen N., Power Struggles, Discipline Associates,
Rochester, NY, 1997.
Morrish, Ronald G., Secrets of Discipline, 12 Keys, Woodstream
Publishing, Fonthill, Ontario, Canada, 1998.
Nelsen, Jane, Positive Discipline in the Classroom, Prima
Publishing, Rocklin, CA, 1997.
Resources for Better Schools, Behavior Packets, Advantage
Press, Inc.,
Lisle, IL, 1999.
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Rosenblum-Lowden, Renee, You Have to Go to School, Sage
Publications,
Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA,
Smith, Rick, Conscious Classroom Management (or “Just
Say No”), Inservice Training.
Wolfgang, Charles H. and Carl D. Glickman, Solving
Discipline Problems,
Allyn & Bacon, Inc., Boston, 1986.
Wong, Harry, The First Days of School, Harry K. Wong
Publications,
Mt. View, CA, 1998.
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