Recognize and Respond to Emotional and Behavioral Issues in the Classroom

Andrew Cole, Aaron Shupp

• Publisher: Brookes Publishing
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781598572582
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

Based on the authors' years of experience with students, teachers, and families, this reader-friendly guide is equally useful for working with students with and without a specific diagnosis. Teachers will learn practical strategies they can immediately implement to help students with a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and social difficulties:

• bullying—both verbal and physical
• poor concentration and impulsive behavior
• performance anxiety during exams and class time
• trouble fitting in with peers
• low moods
• aggressive behavior
• rule-breaking and disregard for authority
• resistance to or fear of school
• communication challenges
• struggles with social cues
• lack of personal boundaries

In each concise, accessible chapter, teachers will get a case study and quick profile of a specific emotional or behavioral issue, recommendations on optimal classroom structure and student and family collaboration, and guidelines on when to seek further consultation or referral. Practice exercises and discussion questions make this an ideal resource for professional development sessions, and the helpful forms and handouts (also available online!) are easy to use with students and email to families. A must for new teachers and seasoned educators who want fresh, effective strategies, this book is the perfect starting point for addressing everyday emotional and behavioral challenges so that all students are ready to learn.

Chapter 1

Guiding Concepts

There are many high-quality resources on classroom management. This chapter contains information on some of the foundational concepts that underlie many of the recommendations in the following chapters. However, the reader who is interested in more comprehensive resources on classroom management is referred to the Resources and Recommendations for Further Reading list at the end of the book.

Few concepts in psychology are so widely accepted that they have become ubiquitous in the literature. We will present three such concepts here. These principles form the foundation of many psychological interventions and treatment programs. They can be thought of as necessary ingredients of a successful intervention, but not the complete recipe!

Whether working with a student or guardian, your effectiveness will be greatly influenced by three factors: establishing a positive relationship, setting realistic and attainable goals, and using effective reinforcement. Pertinent information and recommendations related to each of these areas are presented below.

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS

• Focus on establishing a relationship built on respect, validation, and collaboration. Students and caregivers alike will be more open to working with you when they feel as if their perspectives are understood and valued and when their input is solicited.
• Find at least one quality you really like about each student. When this seems most difficult, it is most important!
• Find small ways to show each student that he or she is important to you, such as greeting the student in the morning, remembering something specific that the student shared, and asking questions. Even if you do not get an obvious reaction, never underestimate the impact of simple questions or statements, such as, “John, you said you were going to go camping this weekend; how did it go?” or, “I know you’re really good at building things, Tara, so I may need your help setting up for a special activity later.”
• With students, make an effort to find out about their interests. Notice what they say about themselves and their values through dress and personal accessories. Most students will quickly reject anything that looks like faking knowledge or interest in a topic. Rely instead on the natural desire most students have to share their interests with others. Look for opportunities to allow the student to teach you something.
• With parents, acknowledge their expertise and experience, and make clear your affection for the student and desire for the student to do well in your class. If parents or guardians think that you do not like the student or that you are more interested in punishing the student than in helping him or her, you will quickly lose their support. With particularly frustrating behavior, this may mean taking time to write down the student’s positive qualities and your goal for the student in your classroom, so that these are clear in your mind and you can communicate them clearly to the guardians.
• Maintain professional boundaries. It may seem easier and faster to form a relationship as a friend or confidant, but putting in the time and effort to develop a strong relationship within firm professional boundaries will foster feelings of security, comfort, and trust among your students and will teach them about healthy relationships.
• Avoid using labels such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum with students or guardians unless they have volunteered this information or they are comfortable using such language as contained in the school’s psychoeducational assessment of the child. Focus instead on direct observations and your willingness to help in connecting them with whatever resources may be helpful, such as a school counselor.
• Try not to take negative behavior personally. Remind yourself that the difficulties the student is displaying are the result of many complex factors and that your willingness to help is not the same as assuming responsibility to fix the problem. Lasting change usually involves the efforts of many people and requires the full commitment of the student and guardians.

SETTING GOALS

• Know what your ultimate goal is for a student, but identify the small steps needed to get to that goal. Understand where the student is now so that you can begin identifying all the small steps that will be needed to reach the larger goal. It is often helpful to write down on one side of a paper what you observe of the student now and, on the other side of the paper, what you would hope to see from this student. As the student progresses, write down the steps still needed to move closer to the desired goal.
• Each small step should be attainable. Setting goals that are too far from the student’s starting point can lead to frustration and discouragement for both you and the student. Setting attainable goals leads to feelings of success, confidence, and optimism. Each small goal that is met will create positive momentum toward the next one. Steps can be as small as a student going from raising his or her hand once a week to twice a week, or increasing the amount of time spent focused on an assignment from 3 minutes at a time to 5 minutes at a time.
• Remember that working toward small goals is not letting the student off the hook or lowering expectations. You know what you are working toward with the student, and you are actually using a more effortful and time-consuming approach, but such an approach is much more likely to be effective. When you feel discouraged, it sometimes helps to reflect on a difficult goal that you set for yourself and achieved. This achievement likely involved a series of small milestones (think of your own educational experience!).
• Goals should be clear and observable. It should be easy to determine whether the goal has been met because it can be observed.
• Goals should be explicit. Let the student know what he or she is working toward, and, when appropriate, seek the student’s input in developing goals. The more the student feels like a participant in the process, the more motivated he or she will be and the more each success will be internalized or seen as the result of his or her own efforts.

REINFORCEMENT

• Reinforcement simply means causing a behavior to become more frequent. It can be done by providing something desirable (positive reinforcement or positive reward) or taking away something undesirable (negative reinforcement or negative reward). Reinforcements are effective in bringing about lasting change. Punishment refers to efforts to make a behavior less frequent. Punishment can control a behavior temporarily, but when used in isolation rarely leads to positive growth or lasting change. Reinforcements and punishments are often used in conjunction to simultaneously decrease a negative behavior while increasing a substitute positive behavior.
• Typically, children do not repeatedly engage in behavior that is not reinforced. Practice looking for what keeps negative behavior going. What is the benefit for this individual? It is possible, and even likely, that the person is trying to fulfill a reasonable need.
• Reinforcement does not necessarily mean giving a tangible reward. Sometimes a high five, individual time with a student, or verbal recognition is the most reinforcing thing you can do. These gestures are often very meaningful, even for students who do not have a noticeable reaction to them.
• What is reinforcing for one person may not be reinforcing for another. This seems obvious, but sometimes group rewards are used for valid reasons, such as constraints on time and resources. When targeting a negative behavior, however, the reinforcement will need to be individualized to be most effective.
• Just as you set a series of small, attainable goals for a student rather than one long-term goal, break down reinforcement in a similar way. Reinforce any behavior that is closer to the next goal than you have seen before. This is sometimes referred to as shaping behavior. You are reinforcing each behavior that is a little bit closer to the next goal rather than waiting until that goal is met.
• Remember to focus at least as much time (and preferably more time) on reinforcing what you want to see as you do on addressing negative behavior. Although negative behavior has to be addressed, it often comes at the expense of reinforcing positive and expected behavior. Time spent reinforcing expected behavior is an investment that will help protect you from having to spend more time addressing negative behavior.
• Reinforcement does not have to be direct. Other students are always observing what is being reinforced and what is not. This is another reason why reinforcing expected behavior is so important. The positive effect extends from the individual student to all the students who observe the interaction.
• Not reinforcing a behavior at all is one of the most effective ways to make a behavior end. This is called extinction. However, be prepared. When a behavior that has previously been reinforced stops being reinforced, the behavior temporarily increases. Often, people start to doubt themselves during this time and change their strategy before enough time has gone by for this approach to be effective. If no reinforcement follows, the behavior will likely end.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• Teaching is a very challenging field. Seek out support from your colleagues and look for opportunities to support other teachers.
• Do not hesitate to consult with others. Even if you think you are on the right track, sometimes reassurance is helpful to stay the course through a difficult stretch.
• Take care of yourself. Not only do you teach your subject matter and address the problems that are the focus of this book, you model effective skills in many areas, including communication, stress management, and work habits. Making your personal well-being a priority allows you to continue performing this vital work at the highest level.

Chapter 2

Poor Concentration and Impulsive Behavior

Dana is a student in your second-grade class. She is creative, outgoing, and full of energy. As the school year begins, you notice that she seems to have difficulty waiting her turn in group activities, speaks without waiting to be called on, and is often engaged in off-task behavior. Frequently, in-class redirection has no effect, so you decide to speak with her privately after school. During your conversation, Dana seems remorseful and sincere in her desire to improve her classroom behavior. You can tell she has good intentions, so you decide she is merely having difficulty adjusting to her new grade level. The behavior continues, however, and you find yourself increasingly frustrated by what appears to be her lack of effort.

As the school year progresses, you notice that other students appear to be bothered when Dana does not wait her turn or blurts out answers. They sometimes complain when she fidgets in her seat and acts intrusively. They do not particularly want to be on her team for group activities. She does not seem to go with the flow in unstructured activities, such as recess. She is seen as bossy, loud, and rude. Although she is outgoing and tries to make friends, she cannot maintain friendships very well. Dana attempts to use humor to connect with other students. As she tries to establish a role as the class clown, Dana, with increasing frequency, makes loud, disruptive, and off-topic statements. Consequently, you have to address her behavior with progressively more severe discipline measures, including administrative referrals. Because she is regularly in trouble, her futile attempts to fit in with her classmates have led to further isolation and rejection.

WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE

• Has difficulty following along with classroom activities, directions, or lessons
• Frequently appears to be fidgeting in her seat, looking around the room, responding to minor distractions, playing with pencils or papers, or attempting to get the attention of peers
• Calls out answers or irrelevant statements at inappropriate times
• Interrupts the teacher or peers when they are talking
• Jumps out of her seat to perform tasks unrelated to the lesson
• Routinely forgets homework or turns in assignments that are messy or incomplete
• Has difficulty making and keeping friends or otherwise demonstrates poor social skills
• May appear to have a short temper or an inability to follow directives

DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEMS

Poor concentration and impulsive behavior can be related to biological factors or to skill deficits related to maintaining appropriate behaviors in school settings. Other factors, such as nutrition, anxiety, or low mood, can also lead to (or exacerbate) these problems. Students with learning disabilities sometimes appear to act out or lose interest in lessons when they are confronted with topics or tasks that are particularly difficult for them. Before these learning disabilities have been diagnosed, such students may simply appear to have behavior problems.

Children with poor concentration and impulsivity frequently have co-occurring struggles with academic performance and socialization. Sometimes, caregivers are aware of their child’s lack of concentration in school because these difficulties are exhibited in many areas of the child’s life. Other times, the child does not display these behaviors outside of the classroom because sh...