Responses to Avoid

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Learning Goal

I can identify responses to behavior to avoid.

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Recap: Review the video from the previous lessons. How would you respond to this behavior? Provide your answer on typeform.

¨Research has shown that teachers´ actions in their classroom have twice the impact on student achievement as do school policies regarding curriculum, assessment, staff collegiality, and community involvement.¨ (Marzano & Marzano, 2003) As teachers, we want a structured environment. We want students to thrive and become successful learners. However, classroom behaviors can throw a wrench in that plan, especially if it affects a student´s ability to learn. So, how do we respond to these constant behaviors?

Given the different categories we talked about in the previous lesson, we need to categorize our responses as well. Before responding, I encourage you to think : Is this behavior age appropriate?

The reason I want you to think about that is because behaviors can ignite a negative feeling in us. This can lead to a negative response. Age appropriate behaviors should be understood because it means a child is is in a position where they need to be taught. This requires patience. Let´s imagine it is the first day of kindergarten. Students are walking into a new place that has new adults, new children, and new routines. This is overwhelming. What does a child that young do when they are overwhelmed? They cry. Sometimes they cry loudly. Sometimes they are inconsolable. Sometimes, the crying lasts for weeks. Now lets pretend we are 4 weeks into the school year, and this child is still crying, they refuse to do their work, and the crying distracts others from learning. Now we have a behavior, and there needs to be intervention.

Any student discipline or practice should be integrated with a goal of accountability. Interventions should require a student to own their actions and reflect on its impact towards themselves and others. There needs to be an understanding that the way they are behaving is not appropriate and will not be accepted.

Explain

So what responses should we avoid in order to manage negative behaviors?

You want to avoid responses that cause you to lose your control in the classroom.

There are misconceptions when teachers are asserting a certain level of dominance. In fact, one of the key factors to an effective teacher-student relationship is dominating to provide strong guidance. This doesn´t mean we are being forceful or making commands. This just means to provide a clear purpose and direction when addressing behaviors.

You want to avoid responses that lack communication.

No matter how many times we believe we said something, a response without communication is not effective. Especially with K-2 students, they need constant reminders of the expectations. You can use a variety of verbal or physical reminders such as moving closer to misbehaving students or using hand signals as long as students understand what is meant by them. For instance, a finger to your closed mouth indicates being quiet. Immediately punishing with no communication as to why will not help foster positive behavior.

Avoid passive or aggressive responses.

When responding to behaviors, being assertive is the best approach compared to passive or aggressive. You want to be firm in the boundaries you are setting, but not threatening.

Apply

Your task : Watch this video from Polly Bath. What did you take away from the way she suggests responding to students? Provide your answer on typeform.

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References

Epstein, M. H. (2008). Reducing behavior problems in the elementary school classroom. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education.
EAB. (2023). (issue brief). Building A Better Behavior Management Strategy for Students and Teachers. Retrieved 2023
McKinney, A. (2023, July 7). Educator mindsets affect student performance. Teach. Learn. Grow. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2023/educator-mindsets-affect-student-performance/
Vanberbilt University. (2024). How can teachers increase the chances that their students will behave appropriately?. IRIS Center. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/beh1/cresource/q2/p06/
Manzano, R. J., & Manzano, J. S. (2003, September). (PDF) the key to classroom management. Educational Leadership. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283749466_The_Key_to_Classroom_Management
Bath, P. (2019, May 4). How I respond to escalating behaviors. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3tAhFWaLE
YouTube. (2012, February 28). Second grade students misbehaving in reading group. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4KLmUdczc8&t=5s