Out of Seat

Start by greeting students by name as they enter class. Ask them how their day is going, how their evening was, how are they feeling that day (all of which give the attention that the student is needing)

Begin class by providing time for teachers and students to connect with each other (e.g., icebreaker activities, restorative circles). You may also integrate short team building activities into your class day so that the student gains meaningful attention throughout class.

If it is during collaborative group work, assign a role for each student (give this student a role that requires frequent involvement)

If it is during whole group, assign a role for the student (e.g., class note taker on the whiteboard, read out loud to the class)

If it is during independent assignments, transition by helping the student get started on the task and remind them of your classroom expectations of on-task behavior

Provide positive praise for any other behavior that is aligned with classroom expectations. Provide praise at the same rate that out of seat behavior occurs (e.g., every 5 minutes, 10 minutes)

Create a class wide reinforcement system for following class expectations (include staying in seat as one of the expectations) and provide frequent opportunities for reinforcement (fade reinforcement as target behaviors decrease)

IGNORE out of seat behavior (remember function/reason is to gain attention so any attention - even negative is going to keep that behavior going)

If you do redirect, do not point out behavior you want to stop. Instead redirect by asking them something about the task they should be engaged in

Immediately praise when the student is in their seat

During another time of day (e.g., before class, after class, lunch), make a plan with the student so that they can be more involved in class activities (e.g., ask them what type of leadership roles they would like to help with)