Emma Phyland
Special Education and English Teacher (Secondary)
Evidence set 6
Evidence set 6
Behaviour Management
Context
Throughout my degree, teaching practicums, and my work in the special education sector, I have had extensive experience in managing challenging behaviours at classroom, small group, and individual levels. I have experience working with students who display extreme behaviours of concern and have had the opportunity to develop Positive behaviour Support (PBS) plans throughout my studies. I have also assisted in the implementation school-wide and individual PBS plans. Within this evidemce set, when referring to extreme behaviours of concern, I will be referring to problem behaviours that include at-risk behaviours that are persistent and intense behaviours that threaten the quality of life and/or safety of individuals or others and seriously limit or deny the use of ordinary community facilities and lifestyle opportunities.
Behaviours of concern that I have had experience managing include; verbal and physical aggression, self-injurious behaviour, aggression towards others, property destruction, sexually inappropriate behaviours, socially inappropriate behaviours, absconding, restricted and repetitive behaviours, and self-stimulatory behaviours. In the 'action' section, I have listed all of the evidence-based strategies I have used throughout my career and teaching practicums to address behaviour of concern. Additionally, my professional development opportunities have allowed me to effectively implement trauma-informed practices and have restorative conversations with students, which has allowed me to build strong, understanding, and respectful relationships with vulnerable students.
ACTION
With the assistance of staff members and my mentor teachers, I have implemented the following universal (Tier 1), targeted (Tier 2), and individualised (Tier 3) behavioural interventions and supports (listed below)
UNIVERSAL (TIER 1) – Classroom level (everyone) (3.5, 4.3, 4.4, 7.1, 7.2)
Teaching and learning (see 'Mentor Comments - Behaviour Management (whole class))
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Clear, simple rules and expectations which are consistently and fairly applied
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Frequent use of praise (verbal and non-verbal, specific and descriptive)
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Effectively differentiating for learning difficulties
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Noise level (clear expectations, praise compliance, reminders of expectations)
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Managing transitions (clear expectations for transitions between lessons and before/after breaks)
Student engagement
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Seating arrangements (line of sight, strategic placement)
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Instructions and commands (getting the pupils’ attention, praise for compliance, calm, clear, and direct)
Sequencing of activities
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Short tasks interspersed with longer and more demanding tasks
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Preceding challenging tasks with simple warm-up introductory tasks
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Scheduling learning after breaks before moving on to more passive activities
Pace of instruction
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Adjusting the pace of instruction, increasing the rate of instruction and decreasing pauses between student responses accordingly to promote engagement and reduce problem behaviours as a result of distraction and boredom.
Promoting choice and access to preferred activities
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Using special interests to guide learning
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Relate learning and content to students lives
Peer support (prioritise group and pair work to promote collaboration and build relationships between peers)
(Parsonson, 2012)
TARGETED (TIER 2) – Targeted or small group (known difficulties)
(see 'Small Group Activity - Intensive Support' and 'Mentor Comments - Behaviour Management (Special Class)')
Instruction and Practice with Self-Regulation and Social Skills
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Small group social skills intervention (e.g. ‘What’s the Buzz?’)
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1 to 5 scale (recognising emotions and responses) (see 'Mentor Comments - Behaviour Management (Special Class)')
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Interception (talk to student about what they are feeling to help recognise emotions)
Needs-focused interventions (see 'Needs-focused Interventions')
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Address student behaviours with functional and needs-based responses
Increased Adult Supervision (
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Increased classroom support (teacher and/or student support staff)
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Increased supervision during break times
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Call the 'urgent' support line (listed in the school's PBL policy)
Increased Positive Reinforcement and Activities
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Regular positive feedback sessions with the classroom teacher and support staff, as a reinforcement strategy to increase engagement in expected behaviours.
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Use incentives such as supervised relationship building sessions to promote engagement
Increased Pre-Corrections and focus on functions of problem behaviour
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Anticipate student behaviour and current relationship issues
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Specifically reminding students of classroom expectations
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Consider why students are engaging in certain behaviours and help students find alternatives to engaging in problem behaviour (e.g. the use of exit cards, break times, chill out spaces).
Increased access to academic supports
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Offer additional academic support
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Utilise assistive technology to support learning (text-to-speech, speech-to-text, predictive text)
(Parsonson, 2012)
INDIVIDUALISED (TIER 3) – Individualised (students who have not responded to primary and secondary prevention)
Antecedent-based Interventions and Supports (see 'Antecedent-based Strategies')
Individualised PBS plan
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Modify the environment/ change the conditions that lead to the problem behaviour
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Teach replacement (functionally equivalent) skills to behaviours of concern
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Reinforce maintenance and generalisation of desired replacement behaviours
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Collaborate with key stakeholders to collect data and monitor progress of intervention
Sensory supports
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Fiddle toys to reduce anxiety and increase on-task behaviour
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‘Ear Defenders’ to reduce sensory overload and anxiety
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Provide access to quiet and/or sensory spaces to manage anxiety
Individualised communication systems, schedules, visuals, expectations, and reward systems
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Use individualised communication systems to promote autonomy, choice, and independence
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Adjusted timetables (free lessons, Flexible Learning Options (FLO), incentive programs etc.)
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Individualised schedules to pre-warn changes and maintain the expectations of student
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Predictable routines to reduce anxiety and increase independence
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Use visual supports to reduce cognitive overload and increase information processing
Incident management and de-escalation strategies
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Distraction
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Humour
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Leaving
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No/zero action
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Surprise
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Removal of other people from situation
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Ask for help
Crisis Management
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Keep Calm; use non-confrontational body language
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Do not negotiate/reason with the person
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Remove myself/others if appropriate
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As a last resort, implement necessary restrictive practices if approved and outlined in student’s PBS plan
(Fisher, 2020)
Antecedent-based strategies that I use to address challenging behaviour include (pictured below)...
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Using highly preferred activities/items to increase interest level
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Changing the schedule/routine
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Implementing pre-activity interventions (providing warnings about next activity and schedule changes)
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Offering choices
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Altering the manner in which instruction is provided
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Enriching the environment so learners have access to sensory stimuli that serve the same function as the behaviour.
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Functional communication devices (Neitzel, 2009)
Antecedent-based Strategies (preventative strategies) (4.3)
(click images to enlarge)
First/then Strategy
Visual routine support / pre-warning of activities.
Individualised Daily Schedule
Visual routine support
and pre-warning of activities.
Sensory items
Reduce problem behavior involving fidgeting and boredom
'Ear Defenders'
Headphones to reduce noise and decrease sensory overload.
Needs-focused Interventions (4.3)
I use many strategies listed in this resource to manage challenging behaviour in the classroom. My experience in PBS has given me the knowledge that all behaviour has a purpose and these interventions provide practical strategies to manage behaviour and also address the student 's individual needs.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems (AAC)
(click to view)
Promotes functional communication and increases choice and control.
Mentor Lesson Feedback - Behaviour Management (individualised)(4.3, 4.4, 7.2)
In this comment, my mentor addressed how I handled a behaviour outburst from a student with extreme social/emotional difficulties who often displayed extreme violent behaviours of concern.
"'A' had a behaviour escalation – again, you were calm and clear, well done. This time you were really aware of the other students and their safety. You gave A. her options, spoke respectfully, and kept yourself as safe as possible. Limiting your reactions, and her attention was the best move you could have made. You did everything really well, I will keep my nose out of the situation next time, I feel confident in your ability to manage staff and students safely"
Mentor Teacher, Claire Tavender, 21 May 2020.
"YAY! You did a. great job with A! She became heightened, and you acted quickly to negotiate and calm with her. Clear instructions, positive feedback, and bargaining all worked. When you make an offer to her, always make sure that whichever outcome she chooses works in your favour, you did this well when you said, “do you want to answer 9 or 10 maths questions”. You got her down from a level three, right back down to one! Remember to refer back to whatever she has chosen as her reward, it’s your most powerful bargaining/re-engagement tool"
Mentor Teacher, Claire Tavender, 21 May 2020.
Small-group Activity (intensive support) (4.3)
(click to enlarge)
In this photo I am teaching three male students in the Special Education Unit who are diagnosed with co-morbid disabilities and have extremely high needs in the areas of communication, behaviour, literacy and numeracy. I strategically sat the students close to me and kept expectations clear in regard to listening, speaking, roles, and taking turns. This was the best method to manage student behaviour as the expectations were clear, it reduced distractions, and I was able to monitor and motivate all three students at one time.
RESULTS
As I attempted and successfully implemented the above strategies to reduce behaviours of concern on a Tier 1, 2, and 3 level, I was able to facilitate a strong classroom presence that allowed me to build successful working partnerships with students, staff members, and caregivers. I was able to respond to low-level and extreme behaviours of concern and use school-wide and individualised PBS plans to follow which informed my practice. I was able to successfully respond to and deescalate certain situations where a student often displayed violent behaviour and I liaised with outside services such as PBS facilitators, occupational therapists, psychologists, and other professionals in the behaviour support industry through professional development opportunities.
Each of my mentors, my university liaison, and the deputy principal shared the following comments on my final report regarding my ability to build relationships and respond to behaviours of concern, which demonstrates my ability to successfully implement strategies to reduce and respond to behaviour of concern while keeping the individual and other students safe.
"Emma has very good content knowledge from within the Australian Curriculum and modified SACE. Her communication skills are excellent, and she quickly built up a rapport with her students. She was fully engaged with her placement and was always seeking to improve her teaching craft" Deputy Principal, Kirri Minnican, 31 May 2020.
"Her behaviour support practices benefitted student learning across the inclusive education unit as she applied them calmly, consistently, and fairly" University liaison, Anna Noble, 30 June 2020.
"Overall, Emma was incredibly hard-working, resilient and approachable throughout her practicum. All students quickly developed warm and respectful relationships with Emma as she was able to create meaningful learning in a safe environment". "In a team-taught environment, Emma was able to communicate effectively when teaching up to 50 students at a given time. This required verbal and non-verbal communication with students and supporting staff members to support student engagement" Mentor teacher, Jason McKenzie, 15 June 2020.
"By the completion of her placement she was able to manage challenging behaviours by establishing and negotiating clear expectations with students and addressing issues promptly, fairly and respectfully. I found this to be a strong area of growth for Emma, as at times extremely challenging behaviours were exhibited in the classroom. Emma was willing and able to step in and deal with situations that arose", Mentor teacher, Claire Tavender, 31 May 2020.
EVALUATION
Overall, I believe I was successful in responding to individual and whole-class behaviours of concern throughout my practicum and I am confident in stepping-in at the right time to de-escalate certain situations and use effective crisis-management strategies when necessary. In order to better my practice and learn more effective ways of dealing with problem behaviours on a classroom level, I wish to participate in further professional development and research on effective evidence-based and interactive strategies to implement, monitor, and reward positive behaviour in the mainstream classroom. Professional development opportunities that I wish to peruse include training in ‘power’ strategies such as; coercive power (using modes of correction, classroom points systems and supportive interactions intended to change behaviour), social power (behaviour choices, options for task completion, self-monitoring, introducing interesting activities to motivate certain students), expertness social power (providing academic support that helps students overcome problems that they cannot solve on their own, supported by a teacher’s active listening and identifying potential resources or sources that will assist the student), and likability social power (use personal characteristics such as enthusiasm, interest, humour and warmth to encourage positive behaviour in pupils). The aforementioned strategies will assist in my positive behaviour support interactions on a classroom-wide level and inform my teaching practices to facilitate a positive, successful, and supporting learning environment for all students (Parsonson, 2012).
Standards
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
Through team teaching 47 students in a mainstream classroom and teaching in the special education unit, I was able to demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement such as eye contact, key word sign, and short and simple instructions.
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
I used my knowledge of restorative practices, needs-focused intervention, and Tier 1, 2 and 3 level strategies to address and manage challenging behaviour that ranged from low-level to extreme levels of severity.
4.4 Maintain student safety
I maintained student safety by addressing behaviours of concern before escalation. If escalation had occurred, to protect other students I assigned support staff to keep other students away from those displaying violent behaviours in the classroom. I also range the 'urgent' support line (at the school) to ask for assistance from leadership to support managing student behaviour and logged incident reports on Daymap to abide by the school's PBS policy.
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
I sought and applied constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve my behaviour management practices. As a result, I showed significant gains in managing challenging behaviours and both of my mentors felt confident that I could successfully manage all students by the end of my practicum.
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
I understood the ethics and responsibilities of myself as a pre-service teacher and successfully implemented the school's PBL policy and used strategies outlined in student's individualised PBS plans.
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
I maintained student safety by addressing behaviour of concern before escalation. If escalation had occurred, I moved other students away from those displaying violent behaviours of concern in the classroom to protect them. I also logged incident reports on Daymap to abide by the school's PBS policy.
References
Fisher, A. (2020). DSRS4109/DSRS903 Week 5: Behaviour Support [PowerPoint], Retrieved from DSRS4109/DSRS903, Flinders University, https://flo.flinders.edu.au/pluginfile.php/4290228/mod_resource/content/1/DSRS4109_9063_BOC%20lecture%202020_%5B2%5D.pdf.
Neitzel, J. (2009). Steps for implementation: Antecedent-based interventions . Chapel Hill, NC: The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum.
Parsonson, B.S. (2012). Evidence-Based Classroom Behaviour Management Strategies. KAIRARANGA, 13(1). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ976654.pdf.