As I remember events in my career as a Special Education Teacher, I recognize similarities to stories I hear as I work with my mentees. I remember feeling many of the same feelings you are going through.
My first teaching assignment was in an Elementary K-5 Sped Resource and Inclusion line with 12 students. I remember dealing with change and going through “growing pains”, to say the least. Some of the issues I dealt with daily was how do I juggle students in an inclusion setting while I taught my resource students? How do I meet the needs of such a wide range of grade levels and abilities/disabilities while they all came to me at varying times or all at the same time? How do I motivate them so they are engaged, learning and happy to be in my class? And the list goes on and on and on… But ultimately, I knew in my heart, I did the best I could for these students with the knowledge I had at the time….BUT it felt like I was failing them. I was frustrated! Although the school and sped department was small, I was fortunate where I found “Marigolds”, colleagues who took me under their wing, inspired me, cheered me on through my small successes, were kind to me and nurtured my skills. Through it all, they taught me the skill of reflection and improving my practice. They challenged me to change my thinking and always strive to “do better as I learned better” and showed me what it meant to always be a lifelong learner.
Fast forward to today. I continue to learn and challenge my thinking. One way I do this is by turning to social media in the evening where I find great articles, quotes and videos. The following quote appeared on my feed from the Autism Classroom Resources. It made me reflect on my practice as a mentor teacher. So I am going out of my comfort zone to write this blog and share with you some of my personal thoughts.
When talking to teachers who have identified student behavior as an area of growth, a universal comment I hear is “I can’t make the student do anything.” I would agree, especially as students get older and bigger. However, I think the answer lies in the way we look at the situation and adjust our mindset. In reflection, this quote illustrates the idea beautifully…that many times we try to “fix” the student but maybe we need to look to what we can control. As classroom teachers, we can control the environment with what lessons are being taught, knowing our students and what motivates them, how the information is presented, how the classroom is set up, etc. By adjusting what we can control before the student has the behavior, we can possibly change the way in which the student responds.
A question I often pose is “Why?” “Why should the student do what you are asking?” For our students, does the demand outweigh the reward? Do they understand why they are doing what is asked of them? Do they have the skill to complete the task? And if they have the skill, how difficult is it for them? Is the classroom layout in such a way that it aids or hinders the lesson? Is the lesson engaging to the student? Teachers’ responses are, “They should want to do the work. “ “I don’t think I should have to reward them for everything I ask them to do.” Etc…etc.
This is where Antecedent Based Interventions (ABI) comes in. When I talk about Antecedent, it is whatever occurs before the behavior which can include setting, materials, information etc. As the classroom teacher, you can change one or more of the following things within the classroom to possibly change student behavior. Although these are strategies used for special needs students, ultimately they are just really good teaching practices.
“1) Modifying educational activities, materials, or schedule (e.g., incorporating student interest)
2) Incorporating student choice in educational activities/materials
3) Preparing students ahead of time for upcoming activities (e.g., priming)
4) Varying the format, level of difficulty, or order of instruction during educational activities
(e.g., varying high and low demand requests)
5) Enriching the environment to provide additional cues or access to additional materials (e.g.,
visual cues, access to sensory stimuli)
6) Modifying prompting and reinforcement schedules and delivery (e.g., varying access to
reinforcement prior to educational activities)” (1)
When utilizing ABI strategies to reduce interfering behavior in a specific student’s program, a Functional Behavior Assessment is done to identify targeted behaviors and “often are used in conjunction with other evidence-based practices such as functional communication training, extinction, and reinforcement.” (1) However, teachers can utilize these concepts naturally within their classroom as their everyday structure. It can encourage engagement while being a preemptive strategy to prevent misbehavior. If you have student(s) who exhibit extreme or serious behaviors, please seek assistance with your administration, counselor, Behavior Health Specialist or resource teacher(s) to address the students’ needs.
As the classroom teacher you can control the environment which includes the stimuli that you present. It is the art of teaching, the use of state standards, the knowledge of the students’ strengths/weaknesses and likes/dislikes that can be utilized to prevent problematic behaviors. By using these strategies you can teach and shape behaviors to more appropriate behaviors. Although we can only do what we can do, I’m hoping this will challenge your thinking as to what IS POSSIBLE. Because as a teacher, you HAVE the ability to make things happen and change the way you present information, you HAVE the ability to inspire and make a difference in your students’ lives. The key is finding the strategy or combination of strategies to get them there.
The KMR Induction and Mentoring Resource Teachers occasionally plan outings to collaborate while enjoying each other’s company. Check out the details of our social and RSVP HERE! You are welcome to join us and talk about this or any other topic on your mind. Thank you for all your hard work! I have been learning so much through this process and see your heart, commitment and effort you put into teaching students. Thank you for all that you do!
Resources:
Additional resources of other teaching strategies and classroom management strategies:
- http://www.supportrealteachers.org/effective-teaching-strategies.html
- https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf
- http://www.davidgeurin.com/2017/10/21-phrases-to-use-in-dealing-with.html
- Jackson Hardin, Charlette. Effective Classroom Management, Models and Strategies for Today’s Classrooms, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Merrill Education/Prentice Hall. 2012