Nonverbal Interventions:

• Planned Ignoring – used when the teacher decides to purposely ignore the student’s misbehavior.

• Signal Interference – Also referred to as monitoring.  Examples include proximity, eye contact and silence.

Verbal Interventions:

Use the following verbal intervention guidelines:

1.     Remain as calm as possible

2.     Keep the intervention as private as possible

3.     Use proximity

4.     Always use courtesy

5.     Speak about the situation not the student

6.     Give specific directives and avoid generalities

7.     Be certain the verbal intervention is timely

Types of verbal interventions – When using verbal interventions, the teacher should consider using the following approaches: 

• Inferential statements that do not directly “point the finger” at the offending student but still give the message the student’s behavior must change.  For example, “As soon as everyone puts their book away we can begin the lesson.”

• Calmly saying the student’s name.

• Asking questions that are worded in a way that lets the student know their behavior needs change.

Approaches to Improve Behavior

• Use redirection when attempting to change an undesired behavior – rather than “Sit down now!” Try “Take a look at your schedule to see what we should be doing next.”

• Ask questions that provide acceptable alternatives when encouraging a student to change a certain behavior – “Johnny, which would you rather work on at this time, your math or social studies?”

• Help with time management – Provide reminders regarding deadlines.  (timers, reminders on board, quiet verbal reminders)

Management and Discipline

• Keep the class moving – Down time is often an invitation for disruptions and inappropriate behaviors by our most challenging and difficult students.

• Make the most severe consequence the last option – When selecting a consequence for our most challenging and difficult students, there is often a temptation to give the ultimate consequence for the same rule violation that any other student would receive a much less serious consequence for.

• Never intervene when you are upset or emotional – It is critically important to remain relaxed and in control prior to intervening.  Try taking a deep breath and pausing beforehand. 

• Provide choices when correcting – Our most difficult and challenging students often have a desire to feel as though they have at least some amount of control of their fate.  Provide acceptable choice.

• Quiet corrections are the most powerful – It is important to remember that our most challenging students have repeatedly interacted with adults who yell and raise their voices and are rarely intimidated by loud emotional directives.

Positive Adult Relations

• Display a personal interest

• Grudges must be dropped

• Have a buddy teacher ready to help out

• Limit negative faculty room talk

• Open parent conferences with positives

• Tell the student you understand their feelings and emotions

• Positive expectations

• Welcome the student each morning

• Value the student, not the inappropriate action

• Never use sarcasm or humiliation

Social Development

• Assign responsibilities and leadership gradually – If we want our challenging students to develop leadership and responsibility skills, we must provide them opportunities to develop these traits.

• Reward for accomplishments not promises – Some challenging students are experts at manipulating adults by promising to make appropriate decisions if we just grant them a privilege of some sort.  It is critical not to be manipulated in this manner.  Educators should reward students for their accomplishments not promises. 

• Saving face is everything – Provide consequences in a manner that allow students to keep their dignity and feel respected.

Public Rules and Private Consequences

• Teach your rules publicly

• Private consequences