Josephson,+Aaron,+Positive+Behavior+Support

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Components of Positive Behavior Support “Positive behavior support is not, being positive.”  -a friend

Why this topic? The reason I choose this topic is because it is something I have had some training in and I wanted to be able to share some of my knowledge and experience with others. Also I wanted to see how much I could remember from about three years ago.

What is PBS? media type="youtube" key="a-2R1I1DacQ" height="315" width="420"

If you don’t get any further read these 5 very important things.


 * 1) Supporting behavior is about prevention, if you can stop negative behavior from happening you will not have to deal with it in the first place.
 * 2) Consistency and clarity is key, if you keep this in mind when setting up your classroom, planning lessons and while making decisions during the day you will increase positive behaviors in your students.
 * 3) Remember that your students are people too. If it would be boring, confusing or distracting to you, then it will be for them too.
 * 4) Be careful when responding to negative behaviors. Have a plan and stick to it. This can be more important then what your exact plan is.
 * 5) Not all kids are the same. Something that is supportive for one student may be the opposite for another. It’s OK for some students to have a customized support plan.

Rules  When creating rules for kids make sure they state what you want to happen. Here is an example list of rules. Note; one of these is not a observable rule and therefore should not be on the list. Also a good limit is to stick to five or less rules. Your students are expected to remember them.

Speak kindly to others Walk in the hallway Ask before using others’ things. Clean up after yourself Have fun

 After having created a set of rules for your class it is your responsibility to make sure the kids know and understand what they mean. There are various ways this can be accomplished.

 Ask students to explain what a given rule means. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Directly teach students what the rules mean through example. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Allow students to practice each rule <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> For example; to practice walking in a line down the hall you could have a follow the leader game. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Remember to make your rules tell what you want students to do and that each rules fits the developmental age of your students.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__Here is a great place to get started.__]

Routine <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Your students also need the support of a routine. Like rules, a routine helps the kids to know what is expected of them at all times of their day. This is important because it takes a lot of the guesswork out of a child’s day. If they know it’s time to get their reading book out and read then they aren’t guessing at what is next and stopping to draw a polka-dot cat. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> As you develop a routine for your classroom there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Here are a few of them.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> How long can your students sit before they get restless? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> What regulations regarding scheduling do you need to follow? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Can you reduce the number of times students have to completely shift gears?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> As the year progress you will find that parts of the routine you have set up are not working so well. For example; you have planned art in the morning but you have noticed that students are half asleep at this time and don’t want to do it. You can then make the change of placing art later in the day and shifting a high energy activity to the morning.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Whatever you do, remember to be consistent. A constantly changing schedule adds stress and unneeded stress to a student’s day. Which is NOT supportive of positive behavior.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ready to create your class routine? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__eHow can help you get started.__]

Environment <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Have you ever walked in to a store and been bombarded by too much stuff? Or have you ever walked in to a restaurant with nothing on the walls and staff who seems too busy to be polite? This is how some classrooms feel to students and they are stuck there for nine months. Classrooms with inviting elements and teachers who show caring promote positive behaviors. There are some things you can do to create such an environment in your classroom. Here are a few.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Decorate but not too much <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Have places students can go to calm themselves <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Watch for safety concerns such as sharp edges <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Make sure the room layout flows

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__Check out this SlideShare for more great ideas!__]

Positive Interactions <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your interactions with students play a large role in their behavior. This is especially true when attempting to curve behavior of one or more students. Here is what I mean. Imagine you walk in to work and the first thing your boss says to you is, “Get to work.” Then you sit down at your desk and start greeting your friend who sits next to you. Then you hear your boss say, “Stop talking, you can talk on your break.” You stop talking but have other thoughts in your head. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Imagine Instead that you show up and work and your boss asks how things are going. You share that your friend died last night and that you decided to come to work anyways. Your boss expresses his apologies for the loss. You sit down at your desk and start chatting with your friend about this. Your boss walks by and you remember that you need to get a report finished.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here are some ways to promote positive interaction

Model it Discuss it  Acknowledge it  Reinforce it  Expect it

Quality Instruction <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> You are about to go skydiving. Your instructor tells you these instructions. “After you jump wait about thirty seconds then pull the ripcord. Ready? Not me! Let’s try that again.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You are about to go skydiving. Your instructor walks over and shows you where each item on your suit and pack is and what they are each for. He checks that you understand before moving on. He then goes over the procedure for jumping. He tells you to count to thirty five seconds and then to pull the ripcord. He asks you to show him the ripcord to be sure you understand. The dive goes great!

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quality instruction is another important of positive behavior support. You can have everything else right but if your instruction is not engaging and meaningful your students will still find other things to do. Even if you have everything else right it will be of little use without this component.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What if all this isn’t working? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kids don’t do something for nothing...

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All kids who kick neighbors or blurt out answers don’t do these things for the same reasons. One important component in providing positive behavior support. One way to do this is with a behavioral assessment. There are many types but the premisis is to determine what the reason is for a child’s behavior. Once you have determined this you can then make appropriate changes to address the behavior.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here is a simple example. You have a student who often works ahead on assignment before you are able to tell him everything he needs to know in order to do it well. You have tried many things for this student who, “Just is in too big of a hurry.” You decided to do a behavioral assessment.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The information you get from the assessment is not what you expected. In keeping track of these incidents you noticed a pattern. Your student seems to be in a hurry right before lunch and the end of the day. When you bring this to the student they share with you that they don’t like crowds and have to get to the bus or lunch line before too many other people do.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This video will help you to understand this further! media type="youtube" key="2v1GJflTmrM" height="315" width="420"

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__Here are some resources on behavior assessments:__]