Fair but not Equal

"I'll Treat Everyone Fairly but not the Same"

Ø Treating everyone fairly does not mean treating everyone the same:  Students need to realize that fairness does not mean treating everyone the same.  Fairness is providing students the individualized approaches they need to be successful.  This means giving some students with special needs the extra attention, support or modified assignments that other students might not need.

Ø Fair is not equal discussion:  The following discussion should be held with the students at the beginning of the year:  "Class, I want everyone to understand that we are all different.  We have different hair, different skin, different eyes, etc. We also have different ways of learning.  Some people may need different types of help in order to do their best in this class.  Please understand that this is why at times I will treat people differently".

Working Successfully With Difficult And Disruptive Students Strategies That Work (resource handbook by Mark Boynton)

Have you ever used a wheelchair ramp instead of the stairs when entering a building?  Although it was built to accommodate a handicapped person, we all benefit.  That idea carries over to the classroom.  When a student's behavior has improved because of an intervention, everyone gains.

Effective Teacher Commands

As classroom managers, teachers regularly use commands to direct students to start and stop activities. Instructors find commands to be crucial tools for classroom management, serving as instructional signals that help students to conform to the teacher's expectations for appropriate behaviors. Attached is a form to use to self monitor commands.

Teachers frequently dilute the power of their classroom commands, however, by:

·         Presenting commands as questions or polite requests. Commands have less impact when stated as questions or requests, because the student may believe that he or she has the option to decline. The teacher who attempts, for example, to quiet a talkative student by saying, "Tanya, would you mind keeping your voice down so that other students can study?" Should not be surprised if the student replies, "No, thank you. I would prefer to talk."

·         Stating commands in vague terms. A student may ignore a command such as "Get your work done!" because it does not state specifically what behaviors the teacher expects of the student.

·         Following up commands with excessive justifications or explanations. Because teachers want to be viewed as fair, they may offer long, drawn-out explanations for why they are requiring the class or an individual student to undertake or to stop a behavior. Unfortunately, students can quickly lose the thread of the explanation and even forget the command that preceded it.

Using Effective Commands-Teachers can reduce problems with student compliance and make their commands more forceful by following research-based guidelines (Walker &Walker, 1991) 

Effective commands:

·         Are brief. Students can process only so much information. Students tend to comply best with brief commands because they are easy to understand and hard to misinterpret.

·         Are delivered on one task or objective at a time. When a command contains multi-step directions, students can mishear, misinterpret, or forget key steps. A student who appears to be noncompliant may simply be confused about which step in a multi-step directive to do first.

·         Are given in a matter-of- fact, businesslike tone. Students may feel coerced when given a command in an authoritarian, sarcastic, or angry tone of voice. For that reason alone, they may resist the teacher's directive. Teachers will often see greater student compliance simply by giving commands in a neutral or positive manner.

·         Are stated as directives rather than questions. Perhaps to be polite, teachers may phrase commands as questions (e.g., "Could we all take out our math books now?". A danger in using 'question-commands' is that the student may believe that he or she has the option to decline. Teachers should state commands as directives, saving questions for those situations in which the student exercises true choice.

·         Avoid long explanations or justifications. When teachers deliver commands and then tack lengthy explanations onto them, they diminish the force of the directive. If the instructor believes that students should know why they are being told to do something, the teacher should deliver a brief explanation prior to the command.

·         Give the student a reasonable amount of time to comply. Once the teacher has given a command, he or she should give the student a reasonable time span (e.g. 5-15 seconds) to comply. During that waiting period, the instructor should resist the temptation to nag the student, elaborate on the request, or otherwise distract the student.

Reference Walker, H.M. & Walker, J.E. (1991). Coping with noncompliance in the classroom: A positive approach for teachers.  From the website http://interventioncentral.com

Jennifer Gnau

Behavior Coach

SEC 339-4054

M-F  8:00-12:00

gnaujen@usd437.net

School Tools (fidgets)

School Tools (Fidgets)
for the Classroom

*Attached you will find guidelines for implementation and a rule book that can be adapted for your age group. 

Where and When?
Use school tools during meeting or group times, in a quiet area, or for specific lessons.
If the tool distracts the student or their neighbor, it needs to be put away then and
reintroduced.

Why?
School tools help children regulate their nervous system. They give proprioceptive feedback allowing children to settle and are alerting to help children listen and focus.

Who?
Tools can be for everyone! Even you! Invite your whole class to use a school tool. If you set up rules and the students view them as part of your classroom, you will discover how helpful they can be. Over time, these learning tools will eventually be used by those who really need them.

How?
Have a basket of tools in your meeting area. Introduce them with a lesson explaining why you will be using the tools and have the children create rules for using them. Rules could include that the tool must stay in the lap or that it must be used as a tool vs. toy. Also, decide on what will happen if a rule is broken. This way you set up exactly what is expected and can welcome everyone to use them.

Some Considerations
· Do you want them all to be the same to avoid arguments or different to invite variety?
· How durable are they? Can they be picked, pulled, or otherwise destroyed?
· Make sure they are quiet to avoid distraction.
· How will you store them?


http://www.therapro.com/Tools-for-the-Hands-C5977.aspx?p=0

Behavior Management During Assemblies

Check this document out....:)


Click here

Taming the "Tattling Monster" in Your Classroom

1. Understand Why Children Tattle. Children tattle for a variety of reasons. Most young children use tattling as a means to help them learn the difference between right and wrong. Older elementary-age students often tattle to gain attention from adults, use adults to solve problems, get someone else in trouble, or to be perceived as “good” or “better than” others.


2. Teach the Difference Between Tattling and Reporting. Children should know where to “draw the line” when it comes to tattling. They need to be taught the difference between tattling and reporting at an early age. In simple terms, telling on another person for the sole purpose of getting him or her into trouble is tattling. Reporting, on the other hand, is telling on another person to keep him or her from doing something dangerous or destructive.
Examples of tattles:
· “Julie and Marcy won’t play with me.”
· “Heather said my shirt was too small.”
· “Nicholas looked at me funny.”
Examples of reports:
· “Michael copied my test answers.”
· “Grayson fell off the swing and she’s crying.”
· “Celia is talking to a stranger on the other side of the fence.”

3. What You Can Do
·         Set up a situation box. Let students know that if they have a concern about a classmate and need your help dealing with it.  They can write a note and leave it in the box. Tell them that you will read the notes before the end of the day and follow up with each student. Reassure them that they can still see you without leaving a note to report a student doing something harmful or dangerous.
·         Lead a class discussion asking students how it feels to be “tattled” on. This will help those who are prone to tattling understand that their actions have consequences. Ask for input from your students to help those frequent “tattlers” learn the difference between “tattling” and “reporting.”
·         Make your classroom a safe environment for reporting. Students need to know they’ll be protected if they report information to an adult in an effort to keep their peers safe.
·         Encourage students to ignore behavior that does not affect them. When a student complains about behavior that is not destructive or dangerous and does not affect her, let her know that it is not her concern. You might say, "I'm happy to see that you know how to behave, but I would prefer that you not tell me about behavior that does not concern you."
·         Encourage students to settle problems on their own. For example, if students are fighting over something, you can ask them, “Is this my problem?” then encourage them to figure out a solution.
·         Don't automatically dismiss a student's concern. Be especially attentive to reports that suggest that a student is being bullied, especially if you get similar reports from more than one student. Follow your school’s guidelines for bullying.
·         Stop a student before they get a chance to tattle. If you sense that a student is about to tattle, stop the student before they complete their thought.  Ask, "Are you about to tattle, or are you going to tell me about a student who is doing something harmful or dangerous?" If they tell you the latter, let them finish their thought.
·         Avoid putting students in charge of their classmates. Putting a student in a position of authority may encourage student conflict.