
PBIS
Student Support Services
It's Not About Winning
Effective behavior management, whether for an entire campus or a classroom, is nothing short of a well-coordinated dance. Every move is pre-planned and timed so everyone is in place when the music stops.
Individual student behavior management, especially for our more challenging kids, is much more like a poker game. You only know the cards you hold and, if you're lucky enough, how to read the other person's "tells" and how they typically play their cards.
So, when a student begins to escalate, how do you respond? In a typical situation, we have to "ante" or respond with an offer of assistance or a directive. If the student responds by "calling" or responding appropriately, the hand is done, and you can show your cards. Sometimes, the student will up the ante and push back. This is when you must rely on your knowledge of your hand and what you know about the student.
Is it always worth it to match them every time they raise the stakes until you're all in? Sometimes, it's about knowing when to walk away and follow up later when both sides have achieved emotional regulation. When we try too hard to "win" in a situation against our students, we end up escalating a situation unnecessarily. Spending too much time engaging in a battle of wills with a student sends a message to that student and the others in the class that the misbehavior occurring at that moment is more important than the lesson or activity that should be happening.
This doesn't mean that we don't correct misbehavior. We address it in the moment every time, but if you can see that the behavior is likely to escalate, let the student know that you will revisit it at a later time, such as after class or when students have started on independent practice. Doing this minimizes the attention in the moment and lets the student know that it was noticed and will be addressed.
In every hand, you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
Classroom Strategies
A note from Student Support Services
Share the message!
Foundations
Please consider reteaching any common area expectations that data indicates is a need. This is also a great time to include in your campus newsletters some ideas for increasing those positive interactions with students (and each other) to achieve that 3:1 ratio of positive to corrective interactions.
Here are some strategies to pull from and share with teachers!
Something to Think About
At this point, your students and staff should be able to pass the "flash test" on expectation for common areas. This means that every staff and student should have internalized the expectations for each common area. If this is not the case for an area on your campus, this is an indication to reteach, review, and reinforce expectations.
Also, October is a great month to schedule common area observations. Please reach out to your Student Support Services coach for assistance!
We're Getting Social!
Follow us on Facebook!
Subscribe to our YouTube!
Follow us on Instagram!
Ask Sam!
Do you have a question that you want to ask anonymously? Is there a situation you're just not sure how to handle? Are you afraid it's a dumb question (there are no dumb questions!).
No matter what it is, click here to ask Student Support Sam! They will answer in our next newsletter!
(This form does not collect your email address and your question will remain anonymous.)