Positive Interventions
and Effective Strategies
for Academic and
Behavioral Change
www.behaviordoctor.org
caughtyoubeinggood@gmail.com
Laura A. Riffel, Ph.D.
©2008 permission to copy with restrictions on
credit to original author
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On this page, list the things you do to reward yourself for a “job well done.”
1.
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When thinking about motivating students there are several areas to consider:
1. How do we motivate students to exhibit appropriate behaviors?
2. How do we motivate students to put forth their best effort on assignments?
3. How do we motivate the adults to encourage appropriate behaviors and efforts?
Motivating Students to Exhibit Appropriate Behaviors
Frequently, adults say “Be Good” to students and expect the students to understand what
being good means to that particular adult. In the realm of each child’s life there could be as
many as 10 different adults who have molded what “being good” means (parents, grandparents,
aunts and uncles, babysitters, daycare, church nursery workers, and/or neighbors). Depending on
television viewing habits and movie theater habits, the student could have an even more varied
definition of appropriate behavior. When the student enters school, it is assumed that all
students know what the following words mean:
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Pay attention
Try harder
Follow the rules
Control yourself
Cut it out
Concentrate
When a student is on an individualized education plan (IEP), and their behavior impedes their
learning or that of others the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) states
that a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) should be employed. Unfortunately, many of the adults
writing the BIP have no idea what should be included in a BIP and fill out the district forms
based on their opinion of the child’s behavior and their reaction to the perceived misconduct
rather than looking at the function behind the behavior. It is very hard to motivate students to
“be good” if we do not understand the reason the behavior is appearing.
As a behaviorist, many schools send copies of a BIP to this researcher and ask for advice.
The information on the following page has been changed to redact any identifying information,
but everything else is as it was sent. Read the BIP literally and then discuss with your neighbor
what might need changing on the following BIP.
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This is not a BIP
ABC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
STUDENT NAME: TAYLOR B. GOODE
STUDENT ID NUMBER: 0000700007
DOB: 11/22/90
GRADE: JUNIOR
BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN- Non-exemplar
ABC PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL
DISABILITY- TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
TARGET BEHAVIOR: What behavior(s) adversely affect the student’s learning?
DESIRED BEHAVIOR: Describe acceptable or appropriate behavior.
REPLACEMENT BEHAVIORS: What will be taught to replace target behaviors?
INTERVENTIONS: What will be done to prevent the target behavior from recurring?
POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES: What will be done when the student uses correct
replacement behaviors?
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES: What will be done with the student when the target
behavior recurs?
IEP Start Date: 11/01/07
IEP End Date: 10/31/08
TARGET BEHAVIOR
DESIRED BEHAVIOR
REPLACEMENT
BEHAVIOR
INTERVENTIONS
POSITIVE
CONSEQUENCE
NEGATIVE
CONSEQUENCE
Fails to make decisions
or come to a conclusion
regarding choices.
The student will make
positive decisions
without causing harm
to herself or others.
The teacher/ para will
help student to follow
directions without
causing harm to others.
Praise, classroom
privileges, free time,
note home.
Remove from situation,
call home, loss of free
time, parents should
not reward negative
behavior.
Becomes physically
aggressive with
teachers
The student will control
anger to the extent of
not requiring to be
physically restrained
The teacher/ para will
show student how to
express feelings verbally
rather than physically.
Praise classroom
privileges, free time,
note home.
Remove from situation,
call home, loss of free
time, shortened
schedule, Alternative
placement.
Does not demonstrate
ability to control
temper
The student will
demonstrate
appropriate behavior
when angry or upset
The teacher/ para will
reinforce student for
making positive choices.
Teacher will speak with
student to explain what
she has done wrong, allow
her to go to lunch early.
The teacher/para will
remind student of coping
skills, provide quiet place,
remove from situation,
deliver direction in a
supportive manner, and
intervene early.
The teacher/para will
provide positive feedback,
provide quiet place,
maintain consistent
expectations.
The teacher/para will
Praise, classroom
remind student of coping
privileges, free time,
skills and to use a voice
note home.
that is controlled and
quiet. The student will
be reminded to refrain
from arguing.
BIP Monitored by: ________________________________________________ Date IEP Team to Review Success of Plan: 10/31/08
Remove from situation,
call home, loss of free
time, shortened
schedule, Alternative
placement.
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As I have traveled around the United States, I have seen many “BIP’s”, some have been
fabulous focusing on the function behind the behavior and some have been horrible
focusing on excluding a student from learning.
In two states, I have seen BIP’s that were honestly five steps for “getting yourself kicked out
of school.”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Send a note home
In School Suspension
Call home
Out of school suspension
Kicked out of school for life
When I shared this information with a politician in Washington D.C., they told me that I
was exaggerating. I wish I was. I have met parents who have been coerced by school
officials to home school their children. Here are two examples: 1) The principal showed up
at the parent’s home with the local student welfare officer and told the mother if she didn’t
sign up to home school her children, the officer was going to take custody of her students
and 2) the local law enforcement officers badgered parents with parking tickets, broken
headlight tickets (lights that weren’t broken before), unleashed dogs (dogs that were tied
up before) and speeding tickets for 1 mile over the speed limit. The reason for this barrage
of harassment…the parents were refusing to home school their students with special needs.
As soon as the mother agreed to home school her children, the tickets stopped. Amazing.
Lest you think these are isolated cases, I want to tell you they are not. I have heard almost
similar stories in two states and less severe stories in many other states. I met the mother
of a kindergarten student in one state who had been kicked out of school for life. “KICKED
OUT for LIFE???” What happened to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)? I keep
meeting administrators who say things to me like, “Does this student really belong in
school?”
Do I think these states are filled with mean and nasty people? Truthfully, I think the
educators do not know how to do a real functional behavior assessment and they can only
think of one thing to do… “get the student out”. Out of sight is out of mind. Unfortunately,
it is not that easy, if a student does not receive a wonderful education, guess who will be
paying for the living expenses of that student in the future?
I don’t usually soapbox in my books, but this is important to me. I believe that we need to
start at the top and change how we educate teachers and administrators. I have met many
educators who tell me they have completed an FBA and then they show me that they
answered 16 questions about a student based on their opinion and called it an FBA.
I also know teachers who give me 10 pounds of anecdotal notes and ask me to “fix” the
student based on the anecdotal notes. There is a time and place for anecdotal notes,
however, it is almost impossible to determine the function of a student’s behavior based
solely on anecdotal notes. Anecdotal notes are based on the adult’s perception of what was
going on and doesn’t necessarily look at the important components.
The next section is focused on teaching the appropriate components of an FBA.
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What is Tertiary Positive Behavioral Support?
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A new way of thinking about behavior (based in research)
Broadens intervention from only one approach - reducing challenging behavior to
Encompassing multiple approaches: changing systems, altering environments, teaching
skills, and appreciating positive behavior
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A team process for goal setting
Functional Behavioral Assessment (Using data to make decisions)
Behavior intervention plan design, implementation, and evaluation
PBIS Includes:
Goal Setting
Identify team members
 most effective as collaborative process
Develop a profile to include:
 student’s strengths
 student’s needs
 student’s target behaviors
Identify settings & situations that require intervention
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)
FBA is a process for gathering information to understand the function (purpose) of behavior in
order to write an effective intervention plan.
Assumptions Underlying FBA
 Behavior is learned and serves a specific purpose.
 Behavior is related to the context within which it occurs
Questions to Address:
 How often does the target behavior occur & how long does it last?
 Where does the behavior typically occur/never occur?
 Who is present for the occurrence/nonoccurrence of the behavior?
 What is going on during the occurrence/nonoccurrence of the behavior?
 When is the behavior most likely/least likely to occur?
 How does the student react to the usual consequences that follow the behavior?
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Defining Target Behaviors
Example
Non-Example
Hit others with fist
Poor impulse control
Crying
Angry, hostile, resentful
Laying on the floor and refusing to move
Stubborn
Frequently, educators want to list every possible behavior and collect data on those
behaviors. It is best to consider putting certain behaviors into classes. Most likely
you would react the same way if a student hit you or kicked you; therefore these
behaviors could be called physical aggression.
Another frequent dilemma is the student who throws tantrums. The team should list
all the behaviors that have been associated with a tantrum and then use tantrum as
one of the behaviors to measure with the following caveat:
Johnny frequently has the following behaviors:
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Hitting
Spitting
Kicking
Knocking everything off the table
Screaming
Head banging
A tantrum will be marked if two or more of the above behaviors happen within a two
minute time frame.
This makes it easier to measure the behavior and everyone will understand what a
tantrum consists of for this particular student.
There should be a thorough review of anything that might be connected to this
student and his or her behaviors.
Record Review
•
•
diagnostic & medical records
psychological information
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•
•
•
•
•
•
educational assessments
social histories
developmental profiles
previous behavior programs
individual education plans
anecdotal records/incident reports/discipline summaries
Methods for Conducting FBA
Indirect Methods:
•
•
•
MAS - Motivational Assessment Scale
FAST- Functional Analysis Screening Tool
PBQ- Problem Behavior Questionnaire
Indirect Methods:
Strengths and Limitations
•
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Strengths
Easy to implement
Minimal time and training
required
Structured methods
May use for initial assessment
•
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Limitations
30% reliability to determine
function
Information can be subjective
Non-specific functions identified
(ex: escape from work)
Descriptive/Observational Methods:
Examples
•
•
•
A-B-C Analysis
Scatter plot
Interval or time sampling
Descriptive Methods:
Strengths and Weaknesses
• Strengths:
• Limitations:
 Objective & quantitative data
 Analysis can be complex
 Behavior is sampled in relevant
 Time requirement
settings
 Increased staff training &
 Can ID environmental
experience may be necessary
relationships
 May not ID function of
 Sufficient for BIP development
infrequent behavior
Reliability (60-80%)
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Possible Functions
Positive Reinforcement:
 Social attention or
 Access to materials

Sensory Stimulation
“TO GET”
Negative Reinforcement:
 Escape from activities or people
 Sensory
 Pain
“TO GET OUT OF”
Setting Events
•
•
•
Medical concerns
Activity patterns
Relationships with others
Analyzing Patterns
•
•
•
Under what circumstances or antecedent events is the target behavior most/least
likely? WHEN? WHERE? WHAT? WHO? WHY?
What consequences or results predictably follow the problem behavior? WHAT DO
THEY GET? WHAT DO THEY AVOID?
What broader issues are important influences on behavior?
Other Information:
•
•
•
•
Times, activities, and individuals when behavior is most or least likely to occur
Conditions that are typically associated before or after the target behavior
Common setting events associated with the behavior
Other behaviors that may occur before or with the target behavior
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Summary Statement
1. When this occurs…
(describe circumstances/antecedents)
2. the student does…
(describe target behavior)
3. to get/to avoid…
(describe consequences)
Example Statements:

When the teacher’s attention is withdrawn or focused on another student,
o
Zoë makes noises;
o this results in the teacher scolding and moving closer to Zoë.

When unanticipated changes in the schedule occur,
o Terry throws materials;
o picking them up delays the transition to the next activity.

When Kim finishes work before the other students,
o the desk gets scribbled on;
o this alleviates Kim’s boredom.

When the teacher assigns work,
o Taylor whines and cries about too much work to do;
o The teacher then tells Taylor to just do what Taylor can.
 Taylor does about half.
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Summary Statement Model
Setting
Events
Antecedent
Setting or Antecedent Events
Target
Behavior
Target Behavior
Function
(Reinforcer)
Reinforcing
Consequence or
Function
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
The summary statement is the foundation for a positive and supportive plan.
BIP Includes the Following:
•
•
•
Proactive
What environmental adjustments will be used to make the student’s problem behavior
unnecessary?
Educative
What behaviors (skills) will be taught to replace or meet the same function as the
student’s problem behavior and improve his or her ability to function more
effectively?
Effective
How will consequences be managed to insure the student receives reinforcers for
positive behavior, not problem behavior?
Proactive
•
•
•
Adjustments to the environment that reduce the likelihood of problem behavior
occurring
Allow the student to be independent and successful
Examples: modifying the curriculum, reorganizing the physical setting, clarifying
routines and expectations
Educative
•
•
•
•
Teaching replacement skills
Building generalizable competencies
Allow students to meet objectives in more effective, efficient, and appropriate ways
(e.g., communication alternatives)
Enhance the student’s overall independence, integration, and quality of life
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Effective
•
•
•
Managing consequences to reinforce desired behaviors and replacement skills
Withhold reinforcement following problem behavior
Use of natural, least intrusive consequences that address the identified function
We need to look at the antecedent. (What was happening before the behavior began?)
 Are there patterns in the antecedents:
o Day of the week
o Time of day
o Certain people being around
o Certain subjects being taught
o Certain sensory conditions
We need to look at the behaviors. (What exactly are we measuring?)
o Define the behavior in measurable and observable terms
o Make sure everyone (bus driver, parents, paraprofessionals, admin etc.) is on
the same page with the labeling of behaviors
We need to look at the consequences. (What happens in the environment directly after the
behaviors occur?)
o Does the student get out of work by being sent to the office?
o Does the student get adult attention?
o Does the student get peer attention?
o Do the adults give the student access to preferred materials?
Motivating Students as a Group:
Now that you are working on motivating the adults, we can begin to discuss ways to
motivate large groups of students. Later in the book, we will discuss ways to motivate the
most reluctant students. Motivating students has nothing to do with stickers, toys, or
candy. As a presenter, I hear frequently that students should not be given rewards because
their learning should be intrinsic.
Are Rewards Dangerous??? (Read for yourself)
 Mike Schmoker, author of Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement,
believes educators "grossly underestimate the power of little acknowledgements.''


Shores, R.E., Gunter, P.L., & Jack, S.L. (1993). Classroom management strategies: Are
they setting events for coercion? Behavioral Disorders, 18, 92-102.
“…our research team has conducted a series of reviews and analysis of (the reward)
literature; our conclusion is that there is no inherent negative property of reward. Our
analyses indicate that the argument against the use of rewards is an overgeneralization
based on a narrow set of circumstances.” Judy Cameron, 2002
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“…programs that show increased intrinsic motivation are those programs that
incorporate the elements of good, comprehensive behavioral intervention…” AkinLittle, Little, Eckert, & Lovett, 2004
“The undermining effect of extrinsic reward on intrinsic motivation remains
unproven” Steven Reiss, 2005
List below the items you believe would be motivating to students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Group Contingencies:
Alpha Student
Choose the alpha student and “on a
good day”, wait until they raise
their hand and ask a question, or
volunteer for a duty, then
announce to the class that “Susie
or Johnny” just earned the class 5
free answers on homework. Ask
the student which 5 answers they
would like and give them to the
whole class.
Many times the alpha student
instigates undesired behaviors to
save face during difficult
assignments. This allows the
student to “look good” to fellow
students.
Homework
Designate a certain criteria for
number of completed homework
assignments turned in for each
hour…say 80% for example. If
80% of the class brings in their
homework the next day, you start
spelling out HOMEWORK or
FREE. (You can give more than
one letter). When the word is
spelled out, the class earns a free
homework night.
Determine a criteria for test scores.
Set the bar high and then tell the
students that if everyone attains a
70% or higher on the test, you will
take them outside to play
basketball or allow a “free day”.
Encourage the students to call
each other and remind to
complete and bring homework to
class.
Tests
This gives you a free night of
grading homework.
Encourage the students to form
study groups, make flash cards,
record easy listening reviews to
listen to as they nap etc. You will
be giving them study skills for
college.
Individual Contingency/Group Consequence
Secret Soldier or Secret Student
Tell the class that every day you will put the name of one person in an envelope. You will
be watching that one person and if they are: Respectful of Self, Respectful of Others, and
Respectful of Property (or whatever expectations you choose to focus on) the class will earn
a reward. There are two important things to note here: 1) if the secret student does not
follow the rules it is important not to turn the class against them by stating who it was.
Just say, —I‘m sorry the secret student didn‘t meet expectations today, we‘ll try again
tomorrow.“ 2) If the secret student had a great day then you can tell the class who the
secret student was that day. This will help the class identify with the behavior of that
student and boost the ego of that particular student on that day.
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Want an idea about how to pick a student fairly? Put all the names of your
students on separate popsicle sticks and then put them all in a can. Draw
one out in the morning and you’ll know who to pick.
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Classroom Tootles:
Slips of paper are available in a convenient location where students can grab one and write
up a “tootle” complimenting a classmate on something well done.
I’d like to give a Tootle to: __________________________________________
for :
Way to Go!!!!
Marriage Counselors and Ministers who counsel couples know a secret weapon. Many
times when couples go to marriage counseling they are at the point where each party can
not even stand the way the other breathes, let alone cohabitate with them. The counselor
asks the couples to go home and for the next two weeks write down 10 things they
appreciate about each other. When they come back in two weeks the counselor makes a
similar assignment for the next two weeks. Oddly enough, usually within a month or two
the couple is focusing on the positive and not the negative and are on the road to a happier
marriage.
Focusing on the positive has a way of helping everyone to see the positive in everything.
Pointing out what someone is doing right helps to ensure that the behavior that earned the
compliment is repeated.
This same philosophy works in a classroom, a workplace, or even at home.
Try it….you’ll like it!
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How Do You Compliment High School Students?
Some students are not particularly fond of public displays toward their appropriate
behavior. One way to circumvent this is to send private post cards to the students’ homes.
The post card would just say something like, “Thank you for your respectful attitude
toward others. I appreciate the way you held the door open for me when my hands were
full. Best Regards, Mrs. Jones.”
A high school in a southeastern state wanted to implement this program. They asked the
teachers to choose ten students each nine week period and send them a post card. The
school said they would supply the post cards and pay for the postage. At Winter-Break
they realized they had only sent out 20 post cards total. The principal and assistant
principal sat down and wrote a post card to each teacher and told each one of them
something specific that they appreciated about their contributions to the school. When the
teachers returned after Winter-Break they were abuzz about the cards. The principal asked
them how it made them feel to receive the post card. All responses were positive. The
principal said, “Well, that’s how your students will fell when you send them one.” Post
cards immediately started going out. The teachers reported noticing marked improvement
in the attitudes of all the students who were hoping to garner enough attention to warrant
their own post card.
How Do You Win Over Parents?
Parents rarely get phone calls or correspondence about the good things their students do.
For some parents, they actually cringe every time the caller ID shows the school number
because they are thinking; “What did he do now?”
Start sending letters to parents telling them something like this:
March 31, 2005
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones,
Your daughter Star was caught red handed exhibiting excellent behavior. We would like to
compliment your daughter on her showing respect to herself and others by never being tardy
for a nine week period.
We know that parents play an important role in instilling respect for school. We would like
to thank you for sending your daughter to us every day ready to learn. Our friends at Pizza
Hut would like to present your family with this coupon for $5 off a large family size pizza in
recognition of Star’s great work.
Sincerely,
Your fourth grade teacher
Many businesses are happy to provide schools with discount coupons for things like movie
rentals, fast food, delivery food, oil changes, etc. It’s great public relations for them and a
great way for you to reward parents. Imagine the public rating score of a school that sends
out letters like this.
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Class Meetings:
This might sound juvenile, however, I have used this with college classes and adult trainings and
everyone agrees how nice it is to receive a compliment from your peers.
Class meetings are a great way to end your week. Here’s what you need:
 A class
 Comfortable seating (chairs or no chairs- doesn’t matter)
 An item that you can toss (Koosh Balls work great)
 A problem box for students to turn in problems on slips of paper
All class meetings start out the same:
Rules: You can only talk if you are holding the Koosh Ball. You must try to toss the Koosh
Ball so that the other person can catch it. All tossing of the Koosh Ball is underhand.
Compliments: The teacher starts by modeling the incorrect and correct way to give a
compliment. By being careful not to compliment things like Susie’s shoes, but choosing
observable behaviors that are preferred the teacher can guide the kind of compliments that
the students choose to give. Each person can only receive one compliment. The ball has to
keep going until everyone has had a compliment. Students begin to be on the look-out all
week for different people to compliment so they are ready when the Koosh ball comes to
them.
Class Meeting: The teacher leads the class meeting after that and brings up things that
will be happening the next week so the students have something to look forward to on
Monday. You can discuss new units, field trips, visitors, and books you will be reading
aloud. Whatever is of interest to the class and will keep them interested in upcoming
events. It can be as simple or complex as you want. The students can ask questions by
raising their hands and you toss the Koosh ball to them so they can talk.
Problem Box: All week the students have either written or dictated to you a problem that
they would like discussed at the class meeting. Anonymously, you will describe a problem
and have the students come up with solutions to the problem. After discussing two or
three possible solutions, the class votes on the solution they would like to try and then
everyone agrees that this is how they are going to handle the problem the following week to
give it a try and see if that will work for them. If not, it goes back into the problem box for
further discussion.
Problems: Follow up on problems that were discussed the week before are brought up the
next week to see how the solutions worked. The class votes on whether they will continue
to use the solutions they tried during the week or try something new. This gives them
control over handling their own problems and they serve as reminders to each other about
how to handle particular problems.
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Learning from others’ misteaks mistakes
SKIPPING SCHOOL
I was called in one time as a consultant to help a school that had the highest out of school
suspension rate in the state. I asked them to talk to me about what offenses could result in
an out of school suspension. It seems the number one thing that was happening in the
school was that when a student skipped school they got an automatic out of school
suspension for two days. (Yes, you read that right.)
Being as tactful as possible, I asked them what they thought the function of skipping school
might be for a student. They knew the right answer; the student wanted to escape school.
However, the light bulb didn’t go on when they heard themselves say that. I had to say
“…and you give them two more escape days when they skip?” “Why?” To which they
replied, “That’s what we’ve always done.”
Mark Twain said it best when he said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting different results. Which always floors me when I hear “We’ve
always done it this way” given as an excuse for anything.
It actually took me a year to convince them to change and assign Saturday school for
students who skipped. Incredulously their out of school suspension rate dropped and so
did their attendance problem. It seems students don’t like to come to school on Saturday.
There is a proverb which says, “If you’ve told a student 1000 times to do something
and they don’t do it…it isn’t the student that is a slow learner.”
Dress Code Violations
I have to confess that I was once expelled from school for a day for dress code violation. I
wore pants to school. This gives you an idea about how old I am, in that this was a mortal
sin. I walked about a mile to school. This was my choice because I didn’t like the noise on
the bus and I was way too cool to ride the bus anyway. I wore pants in the winter time
because it was cold in Kansas. I carried my skirt in a bag. When I got to school I went to the
restroom and changed. One day when I arrived at school the bag was missing. I lost it
somewhere between home and school. I had to decide, did I want to face my mother and
tell her I lost a brand new skirt or did I want to take a chance getting caught with pants on
in school?
I decided I could sneak around the halls and no one would notice that I had pants on. I
didn’t make it more than 15 minutes before Mrs. Sedorwitcz caught me and sent me to the
office. I was sent home for the day. Now when you hear this story you are thinking that’s a
silly thing to have cost me losing a day of education. However, it’s still happening. students
are getting sent home for bagging pants, piercings, jell-o hair, and shirts with beer slogans.
It’s not worth missing a day of education for these things. The best defense is a good
offense.
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If you find these things offensive then keep items in the building that would make the
student never want to do that again. Here are some ideas:
Baggy pants
sagging to the
knees
Piercings
Jell-O Hair
T-Shirts that are
inappropriate
Those ties that slide through and lock – sort of like
temporary handcuffs going through the loops of the pants
until they are waist high. Not very comfortable and definitely
not cool looking.
Explaining to the students where this tradition came from.
It’s from the prison system and if you don’t know the
symbolism; ask someone.
Having them come in every day after the first violation to
check in with someone who will praise when they start
wearing appropriate pants.
Alterations on site-Give the home-economics class a chance
to learn alterations and take in the pants so they are the right
size around the waist.
Well, they did it for attention and they definitely get it when
they get sent to the office for it. If you give them attention
then there will be six more that do it to get the attention. The
best bet is to ignore it- it’s really not that disruptive. Their
parents are probably giving them more grief than you ever
could, so let them take the heat.
If you don’t know what this is, students dye their hair with
Jell-O making it bright red, blue, orange, purple. It is
distracting. Keep shampoo at school. Have them wash it out
and send them on their way. Once again, they did it for
attention and they got it. Your best bet is not being negative
about it. Talk to them like an adult. Ask them to save it for
the football game on Friday night. Tell them you can
understand how they thought it would be cool but appeal to
their sense of decency and how disruptive it would be to
smell Jell-O when you’re hungry.
Take the shirt and trade them. Tell them you’ll trade them
back at the end of the day. Keep some regular T-shirts on
hand. Nothing too cool or they won’t bring them back, but
nothing too horrible. I was in one school one time where
they had lab coats painted with big red words “DRESS CODE
VIOLATION” on them. I couldn’t believe they thought that
was a good idea. The kid wore a shirt like that to get
attention and they gave them a bigger bang for their buck.
UPDATE: We have found a cure that has worked in three different states:
Have the teachers stand out in the hallway during passing period passing out slips of paper
that say, “Thanks for dressing for success”. Have the teachers tell the students to hang on
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to them till the end of the week. Let the excitement build. On Friday, announce that any
student who has 10 slips for dressing for success will be able to have free entrance to the
school game or school dance that night. Tell the students to keep watching you will be
doing this again. The schools that have done this can’t believe the difference it has made.
Boys actually have started wearing ties and button down shirts in one school because the
girls complimented them on looking nice. You just have to change the prize from time to
time.
Token Economy
I love token economies because you can use them to point out what a student is doing
correctly. My nieces came to visit me last spring and I set up a token economy for them
while they visited me for a week. I took them to Disney World and Islands of Adventure. I
knew the rules would be different at my house than they were at their home so I set the
ground rules, told them what would earn rewards, and caught them doing the “Aunt
Laura” way by giving them a token. We had a wonderful time and I didn’t have to nag
them to do the things I wanted. If you think token economies are not for older students,
let me ask you this: “Would you come to work happily and on time every day if you were
only paid once a year?”
Setting up:
 Decide what one behavior would make the biggest difference for this student. This
is the behavior you are going to reward.
 State the desired behavior in positive, measurable, observable terms. For instance:
Don’t say “Don’t do this.” Because if I tell you not to think of a pink elephant; what
do you think of when I say that? You think of a pink elephant. So instead say, “Raise
your hand before speaking.”
 Know that in the beginning, the reinforcement of this behavior will have to be much
more frequent. There are a lot of ways to do this. You can set a timer to beep every 5
minutes and if when the timer goes off you look up the student is doing this they get
a token. However, intermittent is just as successful as long as it isn’t an hour
between rewards.
 You can decide that tokens can only be earned in certain environments. For
example, it doesn’t have to be in every class.
 Select the reinforcer (these can change over time). You need to decide what would
set off the bells and whistles for this particular student. It also depends on whether
the function of this child’s behavior is for attention or escape. See the page on
function for more definition on this.
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




Develop a token system that you are going to use. Folders work well. Students can
earn poker chips, pennies, playing cards, jelly bracelets, plastic dinosaurs etc.
Whatever works for the student based on their age, likes, and dislikes. A really
inexpensive token is carnival tickets. The student can Velcro the token to the folder,
put it in a zip lock baggie, keep it in a billfold, put it in a special place etc. However,
the token should be visible or tangible to the student.
Economics- Come up with the price of the reinforcer. 10 tokens = 15 minutes of free
time. 15 tokens = 10 minutes of computer time.
Develop a monitoring sheet for yourself so you can monitor the success of this
program.
Explain the program to the student and ask them if this is something that will work
for them.
From time to time evaluate how things are going. You can either fade the amount of
tokens you give the student or you can raise the price of the reinforcer.
Token Ideas:
 Lance Armstrong type bracelets.
 Poker chips are available at discount stores and sometimes dollar stores.
Academic Interventions:
(Sometimes behaviors occur because students would rather be sent to the office than be
asked to perform in front of their peers. They would rather be known as the class clown or
bully than the kid in class who doesn’t know how to read or do math. For this reason, I am
including just a few great academic interventions that I was taught to use with students
that worked great for me.)
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When you take a student to the “Student Support Team” for behavioral or academic
concerns, brainstorm with your neighbors those interventions suggested from the team
for assisting students to improve:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
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Categories (Teaching Classification Skills) I used this at the junior high levelEven students with lower cognitive abilities can look for similarities and differences. I had
students with severe intellectual disabilities who could put things in the proper place in a
Venn diagram. Here’s how I taught the concept of a Venn diagram:
Hula Hoops:
I would start with something simple like dark socks and white socks. Then I would move
the hula hoops closer together so it looked like this:
And we would sort them again. Then I would add socks with light and dark patterns on
them into the pile of socks. I would then move the hula hoops so they looked like this:
I would model that the patterned socks went in the middle because they were white and
dark both. Once the students understood this concept I moved on to more complex
differences and similarities.
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Categories (Teaching Classification Skills) continued:
Here are some examples of things you can put into categories with hula hoops apart:
1. Plastic animals
a. Animals with two legs - Animals with four legs
b. Animals that fly - Animals that walk
c. Animals that walk - Animals that swing through trees
2. Vehicles
a. Vehicles with two wheels - Vehicles with four wheels
b. Water vehicles – land vehicles
c. Vehicles that fly - vehicles that go on the road
3. Dollhouse people
a. Men - Women
b. Girls - Boys
c. Adults- students
Red and white socks
Brown animals
Animals in the circus
Food from McDonalds
Red, white, and blue socks
Brown and white animals
Animals in circus and
Animals in a farm (both)
Food that you find at both
McDonalds and Dairy Queen
Blue and white socks
White animals
Farm Animals
Food you find at Dairy
Queen
Gatekeeper- For Higher Functioning Students
Take sentence strips and write animals on them with a coordinating picture.
 Give each student a card.
 Stand with your arms straight out to the sides.
 The students line up and approach you- you either tell them to pass or tell them to
go sit down.
 You only let students with certain characteristics through: (example: only animals
with four legs)
 The students have to look at who got through the gatekeeper and see what the
classification was that you were looking for in your entry criteria.
This is a game that could be played with inclusion buddies who pair up one on one with the
students. This game could be modified and used for any secondary level course based on
the subject.
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Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT and High School Students)
Most students with special needs are required to take the criterion reference tests
developed by each state. The rote drill and memorization required for these tests are
difficult for them. Although, they need to practice taking the tests in the same format that
they will be taking them (i.e. bubble sheets) for the memorization practice it is good to put
large motor skills paired with the memorization. Here are ideas for how to put large motor
movement paired with the questions:
Have a Ball
Write the questions on 9 inch diameter balls with a Sharpie pen and toss the ball around
the room having the students answer the question that their right thumb lands on.
Caution: You have to set up rules about how to throw the ball prior to beginning. Once that
is done it is not usually a problem.
Ladies and Gentlemen…”In this corner”
Label the four corners of the room with cards hanging from the ceiling marked “A”, “B”,
“C”, and “D”. Then read a question and have the students go to the corner corresponding to
the answer they think is the correct answer. This helps them first learn to listen to all the
possible answers before they choose. It helps them think about associating the answer with
letter choices. Caution: It’s important to set this up so that if one person goes to the wrong
corner it’s okay because there is more than one way to think about answers to questions.
Then you can have discussions about why one answer is better than another. Start with
some really easy questions first.
Then…. (shape the learning toward the test)
Flash Cards
Teach the students a good study skill. Have them make flash cards for questions like they
will see on the test. Then have them pair up and ask each other the questions. Peer mentors
work really well in this situation.
Practice, Practice, Practice Turn everything into a bubble test. Have them bubble in their
name, address, what they want for lunch etc. Have them write their own tests.
Practice Tests
As much as possible, give the student practice tests in the format they will be using during
the CRCT. You can start with fun pages like dot to dot pictures, replacing the dots with
bubbles to be filled in before connecting the dots. Give them their spelling tests in a
multiple choice format with fill in the bubble format and so on. This will make it less
anxiety ridden when they take the real test because it will look like all the things they have
been doing in the classroom.
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Math Ball
This actually works for any subject. Take a rubber ball- the 8 or 9 inch diameter kind that
you find at discount stores and a sharpie pen. Write math facts all over the ball by dividing
it into 2 inch grids. The game is played by tossing the ball back and forth. The receiver
must recite the math fact and the answer based on where their right thumb is touching. I
always put in a few “free” spaces for fun. Students like this because it adds a total body
movement for those kinesthetic learners and it makes rote drill fun. When I taught middle
school grades I had balls with practice questions for every end of chapter test that we had.
The balls can be geared towards any level from very easy to very difficult.
Michenbaum’s 5-Step Cognitive Learning Theory and Spelling
When I taught an inclusion class every single student made an “A” on their Friday spelling test
because I applied Michenbaum’s Learning Theory to learning their spelling words. The first thing
I did was brainstorm which words they might have trouble with and made up a mnemonic to help
them. Here are just a couple of those mnemonics:
muscles
M-U-S-C-L-E-S, muscles make the very best….biceps
(sung to the tune of Nestlé’s Chocolate)
there
their
friend
sheriff
We go here and there. It’s a place.
Prince Charles is their heir to the throne. It belongs to
him.
I have a friend to the end.
She is riff and she is the sheriff (playing on my last name)
If this sounds juvenile to you, check out mnemonics plus medical school. Most medical
students use mnemonics to help them remember the complex systems of the body.
Here’s just one example:
Superior thyroid artery branches
"May I Softly Squeeze Charlie's Girl?":
Muscular
Infrahyoid
Superior laryngeal
Sternomastoid
Cricothyroid
Glandular
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So after mnemonics are made the students are taught in this manner based on
Michenbaum’s 5-step Cognitive Learning Theory:
Day of the Week
Step
Procedure
Example:
Monday
One
The teacher models the way Singing M-U-S-C-L-E-S
to write and spell the word while writing it. (see above)
at the board with the
students watching. The
teacher tells what she’s
thinking to herself out loud
so the students can hear
what she’s thinking.
Tuesday
Two
The teacher models the way Students and Teacher sing
to write and spell the word the song together while they
at the board; while the
both write the word :
students imitate the
Muscles
process at their seats using
paper or small dry erase
boards.
Wednesday
Three
The students model by
Students sing the song while
saying and writing the
writing the word.
steps to write the spelling
word while the teacher
watches.
Thursday
Four
The students model by
Students whisper the song
whispering and writing the while writing the word.
steps to write the spelling
word while the teacher
watches.
Friday- final test
Five
Students think the process
Students think the song
while they write the word
while writing the word.
Sorting
It’s sad to see students with autism sorting the same thing day after day. Sometimes 18
year olds are still sorting the same red, yellow, and blue bears they were sorting when they
were four years old.
If you want them to sort here are some ideas of other things to sort:
 socks
 laundry by colors (start a laundry business in the school and sort, wash, and fold
laundry for donations that you spend on class treats)
 clothespins
 samples of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion from hotels
 silverware
 canned goods
 hair bows
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hot wheel cars
books- small books vs. big books
pencils vs. pens
balls- (ping pong, tennis, koosh, racquetball)
Go down to the supply closet and see if there are markers or other supplies that the
secretary would like sorted-there will be a social pay off when the job is finished.
For sorting activities you can use the following containers:
muffin tins
egg cartons
divided plates
laundry baskets
small plastic baskets
butter tubs
swimming pools (the blow up kind you can get at the Dollar Store)
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Writing Strategy
For students with learning disabilities the thought of stringing a group of sentences
together to form a paragraph is much too much an abstract thought. So here’s a great
mnemonic to help.
3-2-8 paragraph
The first sentence has three ideas in it.
For my summer vacation I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. That is the ‘3’.
The next phase is writing two sentences about each of the three ideas in the first sentence.
For my summer vacation I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. (1) In Paris, I saw the
Eiffel Tower. (2) We ate lunch at the leaning tower of Pizza. (1) We then went to London
where I saw the Buckingham Palace. (2) The guards really don’t smile when you talk to
them. (1) When we went to Madrid we saw a bull fight. (2) The matador wore a red cape.
That is the ‘2’.
The eighth sentence ties everything together by restating the first sentence:
For my summer vacation I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. In Paris, I saw the Eiffel
Tower. We ate lunch at the leaning tower of Pizza. We then went to London where I saw
the Buckingham Palace. The guards really don’t smile when you talk to them. When we
went to Madrid we saw a bull fight. The matador wore a red cape. I had such a
wonderful vacation in Paris, London, and Madrid. That is the ‘8’.
Once the paragraphs are written you can teach the students to “make it interesting” by
adding fancy words written on index cards.
For my fabulous summer vacation, I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. In Paris, I saw
the gorgeous Eiffel Tower. We ate lunch at the quaint leaning tower of Pizza. We then
went to scenic London where I saw Buckingham Palace. The stoic guards really don’t
smile when you talk to them. When we went to steamy Madrid we saw a bull fight. The
brave matador wore a red cape. I had such a wonderful summer vacation in Paris,
London, and Madrid.
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Three Stars and a Wish
A secondary school in England has increased reading and writing scores of boys to be equal
or above girls by following this intervention.
When students turn in reading or writing work, the teachers must write 3 stars- 3 things
they believe to be good about each paper. The teachers then write one wish- I wish you’d
work on developing your characters a bit more.
The students each Friday write 3 stars and wish about their own endeavors of the week and
review these again on Monday.
John Morris principal of Ardleigh Green Junior School in Hornchurch, Essex UK recently
shared his findings in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Raising Boys’ Attainment Project
sponsored by Cambridge University and DfES in England has published their findings.
(1999-2004) To view the school’s website click here:
http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/leas/havering/schools/ardleigh-green-jnr/
For adults to fill out about literacy in your own school…. From John Morris.
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Token Economy
Token Economies have received a bad rap. If you think about it…you work for a token
economy. We are all waiting for the big pay off at the end. So why did they get a bum rap?
Too many people tied token economies with M&M’s and toys. The payoff should be what
the student is trying to get or escape. In other words, if the student is having behavior to
get attention then they should earn points, tickets, tokens that will pay off with an
attention getting activity. An example of this would be a student who earns ten tickets and
gets to eat lunch in the counselor’s office, listening to music and having a one on one
conversation with that adult. If the function of the child’s behavior is to escape, then the
tokens should pay off with a “get out of homework free card” or fifteen minutes of free time
on the computer. This is a really fun one: Let’s say Johnny is earning tokens for not
disrupting the class. Previously, it was discovered that Johnny was disrupting the class in
the hopes that the teacher would stop teaching, lecture him, and eventually send him to the
office. Thus the function of his behavior was escape. Let’s say now we put this token
economy in place when Johnny is quiet and when he gets five tokens the teacher gives
away an answer to the class homework assignment. Is it worth giving away one answer? I
hope you know the right answer to that question.
Time to work:
____________________________________child who has behaviors that might be
improved with a token economy.
_______________________________ perceived function of the behavior.
_______________________________ item you are going to use for tokens.
______________________ goal number of tokens the student has to earn for a
reward.
______________________________--what will the reward be? (Be creative)
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Strategies to help students do better with studying:
Memory Tests
Bring in 20 items and put them on a table and give the students 30 seconds to look at the
items on the table and then cover it with a sheet. The students then have to write down
everything they remember seeing. This helps improve their brains in using their visual and
language areas (Shelley Carson, Ph.D. 2011)
How Does Your Engine Run????
www.alertprogram.com Great ideas for modulating their mind and body. This is great to
help with anxiety.
Test Taking Strategy
PIRATES- from Hughes, C., Schumaker, J., Deshler, D. and Mercer, C. (1993) The TestTaking Strategy. Lawrence, Kansas; Edge Enterprises, Inc.
Prepare to Succeed
Inspect the Instructions
Read, Remember, Reduce
Answer or Abandon
Turn back, go back and answer any questions that you skipped
Estimate Your Answer
Survey to Ensure all Questions are Answered
There is more to the PIRATES Strategy- check it out online for more information.
Be a Smart Cookie
Teach students to answer all the easy questions first in the test section. Knowing you know
something helps you raise your confidence for the ones you aren’t quite sure of when you
come back to them.
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For anxiety:
Crank up some lively music- (Shelley Carson, Ph.D., 2011) Being in a good mood inhibits parts of
the brain that are negative and critical.
Or
Show 7 minutes of images of land, sea and sky. Nature’s restrful effect can enhance memory and
attention by 20% (University of Michigan Study)
Writing about Anxiety:
January 13, 2011- University of Chicago study- students can combat test anxiety and improve
performance by writing about their worries immediately before the exam begins, according to a
University of Chicago study published in the journal Science.
Researchers found that students who were prone to test anxiety improved their high-stakes test
scores by nearly one grade point after they were given ten minutes to write about what was causing
them fear, according to the article. “Writing about testing boosts exam performance in the
classroom”. The article appears in the Jan 14 issue of Science and is based on research supported
by the National Science Foundation.
For Students Who Don’t Have Ownership of Their Grades
Work on teaching them self-affirmations. Remember Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live
fame? Here are a list of self-affirmations:
I am good enough.
I deserve to have good grades.
I am capable.
I will do well on my tests.
I will be ready for tests.
I’m dependable.
I will be well rested.
I will eat good foods so my body is healthy.
I will exercise my brain, so I do well in classes.
I will practice my breathing so I am cool, calm, and collected for my classes.
Then give all the students a small stack of 3 x 5 cards and have them copy or write their own and
take them home and put them around their bathroom mirror.
STRESS Reduction
Sleeping
Going to bed the night before is extremely important. Sleeping only six hours instead of
eight, increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 50%. Sleep deprived people score
30% lower on memory tests. Help students figure out how to get enough sleep.
Eating Breakfast
Don’t skip breakfast. Students who eat breakfast score higher on tests and report less test-related
anxiety. Best bets? Eggs for brain-boosting choline, and oatmeal for a calming increase in
serotonin levels.
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After the healthy breakfast, treat yourself with a little dark chocolate. It boosts memory, alertness,
and concentration and it’s special chemicals even decrease anxiety.
Chewing Gum
Pop a stick of gum. In one British study, the act of chewing was found to activate the hippocampus,
the brain area responsible for memory, improving recall by 35%.
Link to the article:
http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/06/11/chewing-gum-boosts-brain-power-and-memory/
Mint
The scent of Mint increases alertness, leading to fewer mistakes.
Link to the article:
http://www.testanxietytips.com/brain-foods-to-increase-alertness-and-concentration.html
Brain Connections:
www.braingym.com
Carla Hannaford says these things are great:
Drink water. Drinking water is very important before any stressful situation.
Check out the website above for just a few of the many activities like:
 Brain buttons
 Cross crawl
 Hook ups
To help students study:
Upload your lessons on i-tunes so students can download them. Check out
http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/what-is.html This will help you.
Record your lessons and then upload them on www.blogtalkradio.com - for free and then students
will be able to download the lecture onto their I-pod or I-pad.
Play more games:
10 minutes of non-violent games quickens your thought processes. This lets you make decisions
and see connections faster. These games distract you from anxieties; which hampers quick
thinking.
Check out these websites:
http://www.jc-schools.net/tutorials/PPT
http://facstaff.uww.edu/jonesd/games/index.html
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Final Thoughts
It’s not fair
Frequently, I hear things like: It’s not fair to put one kid in my class on a token economy
because not everyone is getting tokens for being good. I have two things to say to that: 1)
put everyone on a token economy. It’s easy, and 2) Fair is what everyone needs, not
everyone getting the same thing. To drive this last point home let me tell give you a
scenario.
You and I are having a discussion about boating and we are enjoying our conversation.
However, you are just getting over a cold and you are sucking on a cough drop. Suddenly,
you choke on this cough drop and you are turning blue. You can feel the air getting harder
and harder to pull in. I look around the room and see the 40 other people in the room and I
tell you, “I’m sorry. I don’t have time to give the Heimlich to those other 40 people in the
room, so it wouldn’t be fair if I only gave it to you. I’m so sorry.”
I know this is a silly comparison but it’s the same analogy. If you function on the “it’s not
fair” rule, you are functioning on the same emotional level of a seven year old. students
understand if things are explained to them; that, each of us needs different things in life.
One year I had five students on token economies and the students looked out for each
other. The students would come back and say, “Ms. Riffel, Ms. Riffel. Samuel didn’t throw
his shoe at the music teacher. You need to give him a ticket.”
If you explain things to them in the beginning; they don’t function on the “it’s not fair” rule.
Motivating Students to Succeed- Riffel -© 2011-Permission to copy is granted with the caveat that no changes be made to original content
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Remember………………………………….
If a student is pushing your buttons
…………….You are delivering goods.
Motivating Students to Succeed- Riffel -© 2011-Permission to copy is granted with the caveat that no changes be made to original content
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Resources:
Alberto, P., & Troutman, A. (2003). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (6th ed.).
Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall.
Ormrod, J. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.).Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall.
Richards, S., Taylor, R., Ramasamy, R., & Richards, R. (1999). Single subject research:
Applications
in educational and clinical settings. San Diego: Singular Publishing
Group, Inc.
Websites of Interest
http://www.ablenetinc.com/prod
uctLocation.asp?page=/products.
asp
http://www.bestfreestuffonline.
com/kidstuff.htm
http://www.garylamb.com/
Order able net boxes and Big Mac Switches
http://www.irlen.com/index_aut
ism.html
http://www.kelloggs.com/us/
http://www.kraftfoods.com/post
cereals/cereal_1.html
http://www.generalmills.com/cor
porate/brands/index.aspx
http://www.kucrl.org/iei/index.html
Irlen Reading Website for students who are distracted
by lights
Icons of favorite cereal choices
http://www.pecs.com/page5.htm
l
http://www.sensorysmarts.com/
diet.html
http://www.sraonline.com/index.
php/home/curriculumsolutions/r
eading/ocphonicskit/1318
http://www.sunkist.com/takeast
and/
http://www.timetimer.com/prod
ucts.htm
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education
/early-childhood/objectcalendar.htm
https://www.schoolspecialty.com
Picture Exchange Communication System
Free things for students to order
Sixty Beats Per Minute Music
This is the University of Kansas Center for Research on
Learning. The Strategic Instruction techniques are
helpful for all students.
Information on Sensory Diet
Open Court Reading Series
Lemonade Stand information
Visual Timer
Object Calendar
To order the air filled disk for students who need to
Motivating Students to Succeed- Riffel -© 2011-Permission to copy is granted with the caveat that no changes be made to original content
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/ordering/ECommerce;jsessionid
=E1D18FED41551E183FB4
7F820460F008
www.ablelinktech.com
move
www.amazon.com
Book website- type in any title topic
www.aPBIS.org
Association for Positive Behavior Support
www.discoverytoolsandworkshop
s.com
Hemi-sync products
www.pbis.org
National Technical Assistance Center for Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports sponsored by the
Office of Special Education Programs
www.behaviordoctor.org
Site based on the tertiary level of Positive Behavior
Support
http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?fr
f=691384697124
Website where you can order business cards and they
only charge you for the shipping. “Caught you Being
Good Cards”
www.ustoys.com
Online ordering of inexpensive incentives
Visual Assistant- Hand Held Personal Digital Assistant
for verbal and auditory prompting system
Motivating Students to Succeed- Riffel -© 2011-Permission to copy is granted with the caveat that no changes be made to original content
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