Effective Classroom Practice: Response Strategies & Error Correction

MO SW-PBS

Center for PBSCollege of EducationUniversity of Missouri

~80% of Students

Tier 1 = Primary Prevention:

School-/Classroom-Wide Systems for All Students,

Staff, & Settings

Tier 2 = Secondary Prevention:

Specialized GroupSystems for Students

with At-Risk Behavior

Tier 3 = Tertiary Prevention:

Specialized IndividualizedSystems for Students with High-

Risk Behavior~15%

~5%

CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE INSTRUCTIONAL &

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT

Goal: Reduce new cases of problem behavior and/or academic failure

Goal: Reduce current cases of problem behavior and/or academic failure

Goal: Reduce intensity and severity of chronic problem behavior and/or academic failure

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

SupportingStudent Behavior

SW PositiveBehaviorSupport OUTCOMES

Social Competence &Academic Achievement

Effective Classroom Practices

Classroom:

• Expectations & Rules

• Procedures & Routines

• Continuum of Strategies to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior

• Continuum of Strategies to Respond to Inappropriate Behavior

• Active Supervision

• Multiple Opportunities to Respond

• Activity Sequence & Offering Choice

• Academic Success & Task Difficulty

Newcomer, 2008

Newcomer, 2008

Classroom Response Strategies & Error Correction

Identify, Teach, Practice, Reinforce

Classroom Response Strategies & Error Correction

• Providing effective error corrections.

• A continuum of response strategies.

• Consider the SW continuum of response.

• Enhancing classroom climate.

Why Focus on Response Strategies & Error Correction?

• Clearly stating expectations and consistently enforcing them lends credibility to a teacher’s authority (Good & Brophy, 2000)

• Teachers who respond consistently feel positive about their teaching and help students improve their performance (Freiberg, Stein & Huan, 1995)

Why Focus on Response Strategies & Error Correction?

• Teachers should focus on increasing positive behavior and interactions by consistently enforcing expectations (Shores, Gunter & Jack, 1993)

• When teachers are inconsistent in their enforcement of expectations, students become uncertain of what those expectations are and that the expectations apply to them

(Evertson, Emmer & Worsham, 2003)

Why Focus on Response Strategies & Error Correction?

Consider this…

• “The single most commonly used but least effective method for addressing undesirable behavior is to verbally scold and berate a student” (Albetro & Troutman, 2006).

Error CorrectionNon-Examples…

• How many times do I have to tell you to work quietly?

• Didn’t I just tell you to get your work done?

• Why are you talking when I’m talking?

• Do you want me to send you to the office?

• What’s going to happen if I call your mother?

• What do you think you’re doing?

• Don’t you think you should be using your time better?

Response Strategies & Error Correction

Should be….

• Calm

• Consistent

• Brief

• Immediate

• Respectful

Response Strategies & Error Correction

Should be….

• Calm

• Consistent

• Brief

• Immediate

• Respectful

Response Strategies & Error Correction

Classroom Continuum of Response Strategies . . . 1. Prompt = visual or verbal cue

1. Redirect = restate matrix behavior

1. Re-teach = tell, show, practice, acknowledge

1. Provide Choice = range of alternates

1. Conference with Student

Response Strategies & Error Correction

Classroom Continuum of Response Strategies . . . 1. Prompt = visual or verbal cue

1. Redirect = restate matrix behavior

1. Re-teach = tell, show, practice, acknowledge

1. Provide Choice = range of alternates

1. Conference with Student

Response Strategies & Error Correction

Classroom Continuum of Response Strategies . . . 1. Prompt = visual or verbal cue

1. Redirect = restate matrix behavior

1. Re-teach = tell, show, practice, acknowledge

1. Provide Choice = range of alternates

1. Conference with Student

Response Strategies & Error CorrectionConference Procedures:

1) Positive, private, using quiet voice

2) Describe the problem

3) Describe the alternative (what the student should do instead)

4) Tell why alternative is better

5) Practice (student should tell and/or show)

6) Provide feedback

Response Strategies & Error Correction Conference Example

• Max, I know you were upset because the group didn’t include you.

• But you responded by calling them names and trying to argue.

• A respectful/safe way to handle this is to walk away and talk to someone else.

• By walking away and not raising your voice, you won’t get in trouble and someone might be able to help you join a group. Your yelling won’t change the behavior of the other students.

Response Strategies & Error Correction Example cont’d…

• Max, the next time someone tells you that you can’t join their group, tell me how you should handle it.

• That’s great Max. Even though it might be hard, being respectful/safe by staying calm, not raising your voice, and talking to someone about the problem will show other kids you can be a good group member and will keep you out of trouble.

Classroom Continuum of Response1. Calm 2. Consistent 3. Brief 4. Immediate 5. Respectful

Words/actions an adult can use

Prompt Provide verbal and/or visual cue.

Redirect Restate the matrix behavior.

Reteach State and demonstrate the matrix behavior. Have student demonstrate. Provide immediate feedback.

Provide Choice Give choice to accomplish task in another location, about the order of task completion, using alternate supplies to complete the task or for a different type of activity that accomplishes the same instructional objective.

Conference Describe the problem. Describe the alternative behavior. Tell why the alternative is better. Practice. Provide feedback.

Handout 1

Response Strategies & Error CorrectionPractice

Student Scenarios…• Consider the following examples of student misbehavior.

• With a partner discuss how the situation might have been avoided or ended differently if one or more of the Classroom Continuum of Response options were used.

• Using the Classroom Continuum of Response, identify options that might work best in each situation.

Handout 2

Schoolwide Continuum of Response

If problem behavior persists/escalates….

• after classroom strategies are implemented OR

• if behavior fits classification of “major” then – move to SW continuum of procedures for

discouraging inappropriate behavior

Schoolwide System for Responding to Inappropriate Behavior

• List the consequences in your school’s system for responding to inappropriate behavior

(i.e. safe seat, buddy room, detention, ISS, OSS)

• For each consequence consider whether systematic reteaching is included as part of the response process.

• If a reteaching component is not included for EVERY consequence, make plans to adjust this.

Schoolwide Continuum of Response1. Decreases Misbehavior 2. Re-teaches Appropriate Behavior

SW Response/Continuum: Mechanism for Reteaching:

Handout 3

Climate Killers

• Sharp or excessive criticism• Sarcasm or humor at students’ expense• Reinforcers that are not meaningful to students• Lecturing students about behavior• Being inconsistent in rule enforcement and reinforcement• Having no social interaction with students• Showing little interest in students’ lives• Teaching lessons with no attention to student affect or stress

levels during instruction• Warning an angry student to “calm down” without providing

supports to achieve that goal.

Climate Enhancers

• Always model respectful and polite behavior• Praise genuinely and frequently• Set high, but reasonable and attainable expectations• Know your students• Spend time interacting with students• Use effective listening skills• Design classroom to be appealing to students• Celebrate student success and achievement• Use humor

References

• Alberto, P. A. & Troutman, A. C. (2006). Applied behavior analysis for teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

• Kern, L., Clemens, N.H. (2007). Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 44(1), 65-75.

• McCombs, B. L. (1994). Strategies for assessing and enhancing motivation: Keys to promoting self-regulated learning and performance. In H. F. O'Neil, Jr., & M. Drillings (Eds.). Motivation: Theory and research (pp. 49-69). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

• Newcomer, L. (2007, 2008). Positive Behavior Support in the Classroom. Unpublished presentation.

• Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D. & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for Research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), pp. 351-380.

• Sprick, R., Knight, J., Reinke, W. & McKale, T. (2006). Coaching classroom management: Strategies and tools for administrators and coaches. Eugene, OR: Pacific Northwest Publishing.

• Walker, H. M., Ramsey, E. & Gresham, F. M. (2004). Antisocial behavior in school: Evidence-based practices (2nd ed.). NY: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.