What Works Clearinghouse: Evidence-Based Practices
Academic Support Strategies and Resources for Students with Exceptionalities
World of Words is a supplementary curriculum used to help young children develop vocabulary, concept knowledge, and content knowledge in science. The curriculum includes intentional conversations and shared book readings of texts focused on science topics (WWC, n.d.).
Behavioral Support Strategies and Resources for Students with Exceptionalities
Good Behavior Game is a classroom management strategy that aims to improve social skills, minimize disruptive behaviors, and create a positive learning environment. Teachers place students into teams and reward them for demonstrating appropriate behaviors and following classroom rules (WWC, n.d.).
Social/Emotional Support Strategies and Resources for Students with Exceptionalities
Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams
Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a classroom management strategy designed to help teachers create a positive learning environment by decreasing disruptive behavior and improving social skills and prosocial behaviors among students (WWC, n.d.).
Student-Centered Functional Behavior Support
By: Emmy Lou Musgrave
The University of Arizona Global Campus
ESE601: Students with Exceptionalities in the School Setting
Dr. Stephanie Johnson
Introduction
In the scenario presented, the student, Dave, has difficulty sitting for long periods of time in class and often chats with students at inappropriate times. He has trouble staying on task and often disrupts the class with his interruptions. Dave is upset and has had an outburst because Mr. Franklin has taken time away from lunch. The students take too long switching classes and are often late, which frustrates Mr. Franklin. Though this is an ongoing issue, Mr. Franklin seemingly hasn’t mentioned it to the students before. In this paper, we will discuss various possible functions of Dave’s behavior, evidence-based practices to help address and redirect his behavior, and ways Mr. Franklin can be more proactive in his response to student behavior.
Function of Behaviors
There are numerous reasons why a student may behave in a certain way. Some of the most common reasons are to gain attention, access to certain items or activities, escape an activity or situation, and sensory stimulation (IRIS Center, n.d.). In the scenario presented, Dave’s classroom behaviors seem to be attention-seeking. Shouting answers in class, frequently distracting, and talking to fellow students suggest that Dave needs more attention. His frequent moving around the classroom and inability to sit in one place for too long suggest a need to escape from the activities or environment he’s in.
Evidence-Based Practices
One practice that can be implemented in class is precorrection, which reminds students often of the rules and expectations. Restating rules and expectations can help guide the student towards the desired behavior while addressing potential challenges the students can expect (WWC, n.d.). Pre-correction can help Dave understand the task ahead and what is required of him. Another evidence-based practice that can be used for Dave is providing frequent and varying opportunities to respond and engage with lessons. This practice allows for more engagement from students and gives Dave more opportunity to respond to the teacher without being considered distracting. Finally, acknowledging and rewarding students who exhibit good behavior can help Dave, as well as the whole class. This practice allows students to reflect on their behaviors and adjust as needed to receive the reward (WWC, n.d.). Using these strategies in the future can help keep Dave aware of expectations, give him more opportunities to engage in lessons, and give him something to work towards.
Proactive Responses
Mr. Franklin’s response was reactive because it was a punishment given after the behavior had occurred. Mr. Franklin gave the punishment without communicating the issue to the students. To be proactive in classroom management, he could rearrange the classroom to be more productive, implement a reward system for desired behavior, and teach transitions more thoroughly (Browning, Wright, & Cook, n.d.). These three strategies can help the students clean up and transition to the next activity or class faster. Having a clutter-free classroom can make it easier for students to clean up. A reward system incentivizes quick clean-up. Teaching about the importance of transitions can help students know why they need to be quicker at cleaning up.
Conclusion
In a classroom, an educator interacts with dozens of students at any given time. Each of these students has their own way of learning and interacting with the world. Student behavior is often goal-driven, meaning that students act accordingly based on their needs and if they are unsuccessful, misbehavior occurs (Bryant et al., 2024). By using proactive responses and evidence-based strategies, instructors can minimize distracting behaviors in class, while also creating a more positive environment overall.
References
Browning Wright, D., & Cook, C. R. (n.d.). The 16 proactive classroom management skills to support academic engagement. [Guidelines] http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/misc/DBWHandouts/BI12/Diana%20%20Session%201%20Ho%20-%2016%20Proactive%20Strategies%20%20Wed%208am.pdf
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2024). Teaching in inclusive classrooms (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
IRIS Center. (n.d.). How can Ms. Rollison determine why Joseph behaves the way he does? (Perspectives & Resources, Page 7) [Online course page]. In Functional behavioral assessment: Identifying the reasons for problem behavior and developing a behavior plan. Vanderbilt University. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fba/cresource/q2/p07/
WWC | Teacher-Delivered Behavioral Interventions in Grades K-5 (n.d.). https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/PracticeGuide/31