The Alternative Educator's Handbook

Tools for Managing Students with Emotional and Behavioral Issues

Paul J. Pattavina, Ph.D.

• Publisher: BrownWalker Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781627347228
• eBook ISBN: 9781627347235
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Research in Education

The Alternative Educator's Handbook, by Dr. Paul J. Pattavina, is a comprehensive, practical collection of strategies and researched practices to be implemented with students who present social, emotional and behavioral challenges in school. It is a handbook intended to serve as a practical resource for teachers and staff who work with students whose progress in school is interrupted by social and emotional issues – kids who tend to, either intentionally or unintentionally, 'pluck your last nerve'. It reviews student characteristics and intervention procedures, as well as specific forms and procedures created or adapted over time and experience. The ideas in this book will serve as a guide for educators and mental health professionals who are responsible for these kinds of difficult students, in whatever educational setting they might be placed - alternative schools or programs, private clinical or therapeutic schools, intensive behavior support classrooms or flexible resource room classrooms in public schools. This is a book that should be read by special and regular education teachers, school social workers, counselors, clinicians and school psychologists; paraprofessionals and child care workers; principals and assistant principals; school superintendents and board of education members; juvenile probation officers; parents and concerned community members; and college instructors who train special education teachers.The need for effective, alternative programs for students with challenging emotional and behavior patterns continues to be a pressing issue for public schools nationwide. The concern has been exacerbated in the past several years by continued school shootings and violence, creating a grave sense of fear among students, parents and staff, by the actions of kids with guns and other weapons in school. Legislators and public officials have been called to take actions that will keep kids safer in school, focusing particularly on gun control, limiting access and adding guards. And although such measures will be essential towards preventing some school violence, the kinds of programming and resources available for our public schools must also be closely examined. In effect, schools will need to find ways to identify and provide programming options for students who may be disgruntled, alienated, unconnected, impulsive, and who may be looking to be recognized, seek revenge or put an end to bullying, perceived harassment, injustice or a life of ignominy--kids who feel they have nothing left to lose. Companion files for use with the book are posted below.
BrownWalker.com/download/Pattavina-OnlineAppendix.pdf
BrownWalker.com/download/Pattavina-PowerPoint.zip
BrownWalker.com/download/Pattavina-Spreadsheet.zip

SECTION III

BACKGROUND MODELS AND RESEARCH

A. Principles of Behavioral Learning

B. Positive Behavior Interventions and Support

C. Restorative Justice

D. Conflict Management

E. Alternative, Intensive, Clinical and Flexible Support Classrooms

F. Affective Teaching Practices

G. Monitoring Student Behavior

H. Social Skills/Social Cognitive Problem Solving

I. Modifying Degree of Structure and Level of Supervision

A. Principles of Behavioral Learning

Behavioral learning principles have been established on the basis of extensive research findings, published over a period of many years (Johns, 2005; Knoff, 2014). Some important ideas include the following: Behavior is lawful, therefore, behavior can be predicted. Behavior is learned, thus, behavior can be changed through instruction. Behaviors that are ‘reinforced’ (using positive consequences) are likely to occur again. Behaviors that are ‘punished’ (using negative consequences) are not likely to occur again. However, reinforcers and punishers are extremely individualized and subject to other learning principles, such as satiation and perception.

To change behavior, we have to understand the behavior’s ‘function’ (Hawken et al, 2011; Turton, Umbreit and Mathur, 2011). There are two common functions of behavior: 1. Obtain something or 2. Avoid or Escape something. Obtaining or getting something might include several different things (e.g. peer or adult attention, desired activity or item, sensory stimulation: auditory, tactile, etc., or control). Avoiding or escaping something might also include several different things (e.g., difficult task, boring or easy task, physical demand, non-preferred activity, particular person, reprimands or punishment).

Student programming can be bolstered by establishing an inventory of materials for incentives or rewards (Crone and Homer, 2003). This method of using reinforcement learning principles to encourage appropriate school behavior and learning is commonplace in SPED classrooms K-12, nationwide. The idea of creating a school store, for example, is a formal way of structuring a reward system in your class, although it is not the only way of structuring a reinforcement system. Some teachers, for example, prefer to keep student rewards less formal, less time consuming and less costly. Regardless of whether you want an organized store with a menu of items that vary in cost, or simply a collection of items you keep in a drawer or in a box under your desk that you pull out at strategic moments, please keep the following in mind:

➢With difficult students, the effectiveness of reinforcement learning procedures is clear. As a student’s level of disturbance increases, the more likely it is you’ll need to use tangible or primary reinforcers to affect behavior—as well as using a predictable ‘sequence of response’ (Bullock and Normand, 2006).

➢This approach alone will not cure students, nor will it manage or contain all behaviors. It simply provides a clear set of guidelines or expectations, and allows students visible, predictable feedback for their behavior and efforts. It also gives you an opportunity to regularly and systematically reward appropriate behavior (Vannest et al, 2011).

➢Types of materials or reinforcers in a school store need to be age and gender appropriate. Stock things you know or think will be appealing to kids in your class (Johns, 2005).

➢Have a range of materials that enable a menu of things—low priced to high priced; i.e., high price items require students to use more points.

➢Students must earn points based on behavior and school performance (Buron and Curtis, 2003). Therefore, your class point system must be geared to help kids improve regularly or daily in areas you see as most important. Commonly included are such things as ‘appropriate or responsible classroom behavior’, ‘attending to task’, ‘task completion’ and ‘positive interactions with peers and adults’. Some kids may also need a special contract for one or more problem behaviors specific to them.

➢The point value you attach to various behaviors must reflect a degree of importance. In a clinical school setting, for instance, ‘talking it out’ vs. ‘acting it out’ is a highly valued behavior.

➢All kids should have an opportunity to earn points on a daily basis for a common set of expected behaviors (Simonsen et al, 2015).

Points should visibly accumulate over the course of a day and week, rather than waiting until the end of a day or week to assign points based on a recollection of events or a general impression of appropriateness. See a range of examples of behavior point sheets and displays of behavior point patterns at http://brownwalker.com/download/Pattavina-OnlineAppendix.pdf (Pattavina, 2019, May).

Suggested Readings: Principles of Behavioral Learning

Bullock, C. and Normand, M.P. (2006). The Effects of a High-Probability Instruction Sequence and Response-Independent Reinforcer Delivery on Child Compliance, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 39(4): pp. 495–499.

Buron, K.D. and Curtis, M. (2003). The Incredible 5 Point Scale. Shawnee Mission, KA: Autism Asperger Publishing Co.

Crone, D.A. and Homer, R. H. (2003). Building positive behavior support systems in schools. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Hawken, L. S., O’Neill, R. E. and MacLeod, K. S. (2011). An investigation of the impact of function of problem behavior on effectiveness of the behavior education program (BEP). Education and Treatment of Children, 34(4), pp. 551–574.

Johns, B. (2005). Getting behavioral interventions right. Proper uses to avoid common abuses. Horsham, P.A., L.R.P. Publications.

Knoff, H.M. (2014). School Discipline, Classroom Management, and Student Self-Management: A Positive Behavioral Support Implementation Guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Pattavina, P. (2012). PBIS progress report #3 to the Board of education: Use of praise in middle school, Groton Public Schools, Groton, CT.

Pattavina, P. (2019, May). A collection of forms for managing kids with EBD. http://brownwalker.com/download/Pattavina-OnlineAppendix.pdf.

Simonsen, B., Freeman, J., Goodman, S. Mitchell, B., Swain-Bradway, J., Flannery, B., Sugai, G., George, H. and Putman, B. (2015). Scripted behavior interventions—PP10, PBIS Technical Brief on Classroom PBIS Strategies, www.pbis.org/common/cms/files/pbisresources/Supporting%20and%20Responding
%20to%20Behavior.pdf.

Turton, A. M., Umbreit, J. and Mathur, S. R. (2011). Systematic function-based intervention for adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders in an alternative setting: Broadening the context. Behavioral Disorders, 36(2), pp. 117–128.

Vannest KJ, Burke MD, Sauber SB, Davis JL and Davis CR. (2011). Daily Behavior Report Cards as Evidence-based Practice for Teachers. Beyond Behavior, 20:11, pp. 13–21.

B. Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS)

Teaching students with challenging behaviors has continued to be a pressing concern for public school educators at all grade levels for a number of years (Algozzine et al, 1981; Morse, 1977; Patton et al, 2006; Rose et al, 2005). In addition, school outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), in particular, have generally been very poor (Hehir, 2005).

Schoolwide discipline practices described as ‘Positive Behavior Interventions and Support’ (PBIS) is an approach that is currently helping to reframe the way educators, nationwide, are thinking about managing student behavior (Horner and Sugai, 2008; Sugai, 2008). In general, the PBIS approach calls for schoolwide adoption of practices that include:

• clear behavioral expectations,
• systemic ways to encourage appropriate behavior,
• systemic ways to discourage inappropriate behavior,
• ways to teach appropriate behavior and social skills,
• a method to monitor effectiveness, including data-driven decision-making practices.

Three tiers of intervention are seen to be necessary to manage most behavior. Tier One addresses 80%–90% of the population using primary prevention methods. Tier Two is helpful with 10%–15% of students at a secondary level of prevention to reduce current cases of problem behavior. Tier Three is needed as a tertiary intervention for 1%–5% of the population who exhibit behavior problems that are chronic, persistent and intense (ERIC/OSEP, 1999; Simonsen et al, 2015).

Current teacher training efforts based on PBIS have recommended a number of classroom management strategies that need to be evident (regularly) at the Tier One level in order to minimize inappropriate student behavior. These are listed in Table 3 following. In general, as already indicated, there are five broad sets of practices or strategies promoted by this approach, including: 1. providing a high degree of structure and predictability; 2. presenting positively stated expectations; 3. actively engaging students in learning activities; 4. using a continuum of strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior, and 5. using a continuum of strategies to discourage inappropriate behavior. (Horner and Sugai, 2008; Oliver and Reschly, 2010; Sugai and Horner, 2002).

Table 3 Tier One Teaching Practices

–Expected student behavior and routines in classroom(s) are stated positively and defined clearly. –Problem behaviors are defined clearly. –Expected student behavior and routines are taught directly. –Expected student behaviors acknowledged regularly (i.e., positively reinforced at 4:1 ratio of positive to negative comments). –Problem behaviors receive consistent consequences. –Procedures for expected and problem behaviors are consistent with school-wide procedures. –Classroom-based options exist to allow classroom instruction to continue when problem behavior occurs. –Instruction and curriculum materials are matched to student ability (math, reading, language). –Students experience high rates of academic success daily (> 75% correct). –Teachers have regular opportunities for access to assistance and support (e.g., observation, professional staff development, coaching). –Transitions between instructional an...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introductory Notes
• Foreword
• Preface
• I. Introduction
• II. STUDENTS WITH CHALLENGING EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL ISSUES
• III. BACKGROUND MODELS AND RESEARCH
• IV. RECOMMENDED PRACTICES
• Bibliography