Continuum of Strategies for Inappropriate Behavior

By Pfarley

  • Teach Expectations

    Before a teacher can expect specific behavior from students, the students must be taught specific classroom expectations.

  • Teach and post rules of conduct

    Once expectations have been taught, they should be broken down into short, simple, easy to follow rules of conduct and posted in a visible location in the classroom so that they can be referred to from time to time as needed, or when doing regular reminders.

  • Acknowledge desireable behavior

    Encouraging positive, expected behavior may assist in the student repeating the behavior.

  • Dealing with mistakes

    When a student makes a mistake, especially while still getting accustomed to classroom rules and expectations, show the posted rule and demonstrate the expected behavior, then ask the student to show the expected behavior and give positive feedback when performed.

  • Respond to Minor problems

    Ask self whether student has the ability to understand or the skill to meet expectations. If the student does, then follow five strategies to correct.

  • Prompts

    Prompt the student to correct behavior using a visual or a verbal cue.

  • Redirect

    Students may need the teacher to restate behavior expectations for the classroom.

  • Re-teaching

    Student may need a reminder through telling, showing, practicing, and aknowledging expectations of behavior.

  • Give Choices

    Students can be given a choice to comply with the rules/expectations or suffer consequences. A range of alternatives should be provided. For example, replacing curse words with more acceptable terms for a child who is allowed language at home deemed inappropriate for a classroom, or offering a different seating arrangement for a student struggling with distractions in current seat.

  • Student Conference

    When all else fails, a student conference may be required to try and get to the bottom of the students' struggles in the classroom.

  • Parent Conference

    Pending a student conference that still fails to produce results, a parent conference may be called for to attempt a collaboration with home in working towards a resolution.

  • Active Supervision of class

    Teachers need to stay on top of class behaviors and be ready to make use of correctional strategies that are contingent, specific, and brief.

  • Engage Students in Instruction

    Students actively engaged in the instructional process exhibit less behavioral issues. Most classroom behavior issues stem from boredom, lack of organization of the class or classroom activities, and lack of follow-through of class expectations.

  • Develop Relationships

    It is important to develop good relationships not only with the students but also with their parents. Relationships lead to trust which fosters mutual respect. It is hard to misbehave towards someone you respect.