Behavior Interventions

Working with children who exhibit difficult behaviors in the classroom can be a challenge at times.  But it doesn't mean you have to design and implement elaborate interventions in the classroom in order to achieve success.  Sometimes just the simple can be just as effective.  Below are some suggestions to consider:

1.  Post a class schedule.  Add photos for those students who cannot read.
2.  Alternate challenging activities with maintenance-enhancing activities to prevent student frustration.
3.  Break assignments into "chunks". 
4.  Explicitly teach test-taking strategies.
5.  Teach organizational skills explicitly.
6.  Be aware of how the student communicates.  Do they use a lot of body language?
7.  Provide opportunities for group participation.
8.  Serve as a model for the students.
9.  Let students know your expectations up front.
10. Give clearly stated learning objectives to students.

These are just a few ideas of how to help students who might be acting out in class.  What are some tips that have worked in your classroom?

Challenging classroom behaviors

It is that time of year when teachers start wondering, "What else can I do?'.  They have tried all the tricks in their toolbox but still have that one or two students who are not using appropriate behavior in the classroom.  The following link lists some good suggestions.  What do you do?

http://www.ehow.com/info_7989113_positive-behaviors-classroom.html

Give me 5!

Attention-getters are an important part of classroom management.  These are items that should be taught to the class in the first few days of school and used with consistency throughout the year.  Here is one that I recommend.

Give me 5!

The teacher tells the class "Give me 5!" and the class immediately does the following:

1.  Eyes on speaker

2.  Quiet

3.  Be still

4.  Hands free

5.  Listen

If this is taught to the class at the beginning of the year and is an expectation, then the teacher will be able to gain the class attention easily in any situation.  I have also used :

Teacher says: "Alligator, alligator"

Class responds:  "Chomp, chomp" and can include a hand gesture of alligator jaws chomping.

The class is taught from the beginning that the expectation is to join in the choral response and then have eyes on me and voices off.  What have you used that has been successful????