As David sits in his class, bored and unmotivated, his teacher tells him, once again, to get back to work. And he sits and stews, unable to focus because of his anger at being asked to do work that is just not challenging. The teacher stares at him, furious that this bright student continues to under-perform.
Maya's reading difficulties always plague her in small group work. She refuses to read aloud when the group does choral reading and the others in the group complain that she's not participating and will ruin their grades. The teacher says Maya's lack of participation will not affect the group's grade. Now the students complain that it's not fair for Maya to get the same grade without doing the same work.
Joseph walks into the classroom, pushing aside the other children, toppling over the student projects that are on display at the back table. When the students angrily tell him to stop and to be careful, Joseph starts screaming and hitting. He later tells the teacher that the other students are picking on him and that no one likes him.
Understanding Multiple Causes for Behavioral Problems
Behavioral problems in the classroom are among the most challenging issues that teachers face--whether they are new to the profession or seasoned educators. But disruptive behavior is not always due to an emotional or behavioral disorder: students who are gifted are sometimes bored in class, leading them to act out or to refuse to do assigned work; learning disabilities may disrupt a student's social interactions; students on the autism spectrum have difficulties with transitions and changes in routines.
Successful intervention depends on a holistic understanding of the student and his or her needs, based on a thorough assessment of cognitive, emotional, behavioral and social strengths and deficits.
Choosing the Appropriate Classroom Intervention
Teachers use a variety of interventions to address their students' challenging behaviors, beginning with basics for the whole class and moving toward more individualized strategies when faced with complex and disruptive behaviors. Establishing classroom structure, providing consistent routines and giving students individual attention are all basic, first level interventions. Most, but not all, students respond to these basic classroom management strategies.
For those students who do not respond to the general classroom management strategies, teachers begin to consider the impact of students' learning and social issues on their behaviors. As schools have embraced cooperative learning, we have seen an increase in small group work, and, as a result, both academic and social skills are now necessary for a successful learning experience.
The Social Autopsy
Students with learning disabilities often have difficulty interpreting social cues, frequently not understanding why they get into trouble; as a result, they don't effectively learn from their mistakes. Rick Lavoie, in his book, It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend, offers a new approach--the social autopsy. Using this strategy, the teacher and student review the incident and analyze what occurred, what mistakes were made, what worked and what got the student into difficulty.
Collaborative Problem Solving
Ross Greene, in Lost at School, views children with behavior problems through the lens of lagging social skill development. This analytical framework is frequently used to assess academic challenges but is a new paradigm for understanding behavioral issues. His approach involves remediating social skills using a collaborative problem solving strategy--talking with the student about the problem, taking into account both the teacher's and the student's needs, and jointly creating a solution.
These are just a few behavioral intervention strategies; their similarity lies in analyzing the problem behavior from a variety of viewpoints and directly addressing the student's social skill deficits. Similar to the approach taken with students who are academically challenged, these approaches enable the teacher to match the intervention to the child's academic, social and behavioral strengths and weaknesses. Using these interventions, the teacher helps students improve their social skills and their understanding of social situations so they can better negotiate their world.
--Sandy Miller-Jacobs
Dr. Sandy Miller-Jacobs is Professor of Jewish Special Education and Director of Jewish Special Education Programs. These issues will be the focus of her spring 2010 online course, "Behavior Management for Inclusive Classrooms," beginning February 1. For registration information, click here.