In
dealing with behavior issues in the classroom there are several different ways
in which teachers can approach them. I believe in teaching students to be
responsible for their actions and to take charge of their own decision, not
just in the classroom, but also in life as they grow as individuals. Addressing
behavior problems in the classroom will therefore follow a three-step
intervention continuum. First, the teacher will set up the expectations for the
class and for classroom behavior. By having a set of clear expectations, as
well as rules and boundaries, the students will know what the standards for
behavior are and whether or not they want to abide by them. If they do not
abide by them, we come to the second tier, which is having consequences as a
result of their behavioral choice. Some of the consequences could be lower
participation grades, students not being invited to participate in a musical
activity, etc. If the behavior issues continue, the teacher will talk to the
particular student to explain again that there are consequences to the
decisions that they make and that if they make irresponsible choices they will
have to deal with the consequences. It is crucial for students to understand
that there are set expectations and boundaries that they must abide by in
society, not just in school, and that it is up to them to take charge of their
behavior and be responsible for their actions.
I agree with your overall plan for behavior issues and your three-step continuum. When I taught college-age students, I set up very clear parameters as to what was acceptable in my class and exactly what were the students' responsibilities (much like your philosophy). Afterwards, when I started teaching high school, I wanted to go into the classroom teaching the students not only my subject matter, but how to understand and accept their student responsibilities. Unfortunately, I discovered it is not always so clear cut. Sometimes, especially with underclassmen, it is difficult to make them understand and care about their responsibilities. The behaviorism approach to consequences is a difficult concept to get across to some students. I believe you will have to set your standards and stick to them, but (as I am learning) try to find various ways to teach the concept of responsibility. It rarely seems to go quite so smoothly as we think it will! We must help them understand why they must abide by expectations and boundaries within our society, for if it doesn't make sense to them it is just another rule that they may or may not choose to follow. Putting the shoe on the other foot is one of the best approaches to teaching young students some of the ideas of social and individual expectation, but no one approach will deal with the variety of responses we get from students of this age.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas for a behavior continuum - these reflect the social cognitive aspects of your personal learning theory. In addition to having boundaries set, what are some ways that you could implement modeling, self-regulation, or self-efficacy into your intervention continuum?
ReplyDelete