EBD in General Education Classrooms

How do you manage a classroom with a student who has an EBD?

When there is a student with an EBD in a general education classroom, it is important, as a teacher, to set specific rules and routines at the beginning of the school year. Rules should be simple so they are easy for students to understand such as, "keep your whole body to yourself." You should also set certain consequences if a rule is broken and stick to them throughout the year. Do not react emotionally when a student breaks a rule that is set, this gives the student attention that they may be looking for even if it is negative attention. Trying to maintain a strict schedule is also very important. A student with an EBD may struggle with changes and transitioning from one activity to the next.

The most crucial thing to do in your classroom when you have a student who has an EBD is to support positive behavior. To support positive behavior you can use a tool such as a behavior chart in your classroom (Loveless). This can be displayed somewhere in the classroom, each student would have a clip with their name on it and if they show a positive act they move their clip up and a negative behavior would cause them to move their clip down.

References

Loveless, Becton. “Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in the Classroom.” Education Corner, 13 Oct. 2023, www.educationcorner.com/behavioral-disorders-in-the-classroom/.