Administration

"Intervention Techniques" -- Handbook for Effective Management

Recommendations from Jane McKeel's and Cheryl Binkley's "Handbook for An Effective Classroom."

It may happen in your classroom. It happens to the best of teachers. In spite of having used the best preventive techniques and having established rapport with your students, a child will behave in a way that disrupts your class. Then this behavior may start developing into a pattern. The Sunday class hour is a small part of any given week. Yet, if you regard a healthy spirit as a vital asset to be developed within young people, it may be one of the most important hours of the week. This means you as teacher have a relatively short time to accomplish some important activities and connections with your group of students, to have a positive impact upon their lives. You'll not be able to maintain a meaningful learning environment if one person or a small group of students repeatedly disrupts activities.

One of the keys to staying on top of the situation is to manage two things at once. These two are: 1) be aware of the lesson being taught, and 2) be aware of the behavioral dynamic within your room.

Staying alert to how students are responding to a given activity and to interactions among the kids is as important as lesson content, for it enables you to notice many important things including when negative behavior first occurs. Then you will be able to intervene quickly in behavior that is counter-productive to what you are trying to accomplish. It is easiest to be simultaneously aware of these things when you are thoroughly prepared. Your preparation frees you to concentrate more fully on the students, rather than worrying about what comes next in the lesson plan. Another way to assure coverage of both issues is to use the team approach. While one teacher works with the lesson tasks and materials another adult can assist with the dynamics of the class behavior.

Students Want to Be Good
Young people usually want to do the right thing. They want the approval of the adults in their lives, and they want to have positive experiences in relation to others. A well planned and structured class will give them the opportunity they want and deserve, the opportunity to be good.

Here are ten simple techniques gleaned from behavior experts, other teachers and classroom experience. Use these guidelines, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the cooperation, attention and good behavior you will see in your class.

1. Have clear expectations. Your students need the security of knowing what the expectations are and knowing that you will insure these expectations are met. To accomplish this, agree to a few basic class rules early and post them in clear view for several weeks.
2. Intervene immediately. When there is a breach of the rules, immediate intervention with a reminder to the class of their agreement will help establish a positive class environment. For example, if the class has agreed to listen when a person is speaking, they will need you to insure that private conversations on the side or other distracting behavior does not occur when someone is speaking. By calling attention to the problem immediately you provide that security and assurance. If their basic class rules are ignored, this conveys a message that "anything goes" or "this class is not important." The opposite message is received when students observe from the start that respect and courtesy are not only encouraged but expected here.
3. Reinforce desirable behavior. Catch them being good. "You kids really got this table cleaned in a hurry. That was a lot of work!" "John, thank you for being focussed on the story. It's so much easier to tell a story when people listen well."
4. Allow opportunities for student input. Have them participate in the rule making and problem-solving in specific situations. "How can we make sure that everyone who has something to say will be heard?"
5. Keep students engaged. "Empty" time - either before class begins or during class when some students finish an activity before others - is when counterproductive behavior often starts. Well-planned pre-class activities prevent destructive behavior from starting. Asking students who are prone to disruptive behavior to assist with distributing materials or other helpful tasks often avoids unwanted behavior altogether by keeping them engaged.
6. Use proximity control. Sit between two disruptive students; place your hand upon a fidgety child. Even a pause and direct look into a child's face will often quickly stop a negative behavior.
7. Divide and conquer. If you know certain students have trouble behaving appropriately when together, discretely position them with another person between them or assign them different partners on small group projects. However, also be aware that church friendships are important. We should allow students the same social interactions we expect to have with our friends at church, so long as these don't disrupt class endeavors.
8. Hold a private conversation with a child whose behavior continues to disrupt. "We have a short time here each week and some important things to do. Your constant talking - or negative comments, or teasing others - is creating problems for the class. This behavior is inappropriate. The other students are bothered by it. What can you do to change your behavior?" Allow the child to come up with a suggestion, and make clear that you expect the behavior to stop.
9. Remove the student from the situation. If a student does continue to be unduly difficult, remove him or her from the classroom for a few minutes, and repeat your private conversation. This separates the child temporarily from the class and reinforces your message about the behavior not being permitted.
10. Bring in the reserves. If these efforts fail, it's time to contact your education program's director. The next step, if one is necessary, may be to contact the parents.

These are good guidelines for helping teachers understand how to manage their classes. Ordering information: KOE Publications, 6361 Lincolnia Road, Alexandria, VA 22312 (703)750-0314.