So you want good behavior in your classroom??? Read This!

The “Good Behavior Game.”  The name just sounds inspiring, doesn’t it??  What teacher out there doesn’t aspire to have good behavior all day every day in their classrooms???  The answer: none.  Every teacher we have worked with always asks the question, “How do I get my students to behave all the time?”  Now, the term ‘behavior analyst’ probably conjures up images of magic wands and magical pixie dust that we can sprinkle on your students to get them to listen all of the time.  Sadly, if the field of behavior analysis possessed such magical remedies, we would all be very wealthy.  And we are not.  So instead of magic wands, let’s chat about the Good Behavior Game.  Not exactly magical pixie dust, but a pretty close second J

 

So what is the Good Behavior Game?  We are so glad you asked!  It is a classroom management system that is set up like a team competition to promote positive behaviors amongst students.  Teams of students earn points for engaging in certain positive behaviors (Determined by the ruler of the kingdom. Yes you, the teacher).  Teams of students then win rewards (more on this to come).  And how does it work exactly?  Let’s walk step-by-step through the process.

 

Steps to Implementing the Good Behavior Game:

1. Divide your class into teams.  Special note: some children may need to be on their own team(s).
2. Determine the criteria for awarding points.  How often can teams earn points?  What behavior(s) are points given for?  When can they cash out their points and get the reward?
3. Develop the classroom rules.
4. Develop a reinforcement menu with the potential rewards that students can earn.  Make sure to post the menu so students are always reminded of what they are working towards.  
5. Make sure you plan an activity for the students who do not earn the reward.  You don’t want those students to sit idly while the others are participating in the reward opportunity.
6. Explain to your students how the game is played, and let them know when they will be cashing in their points.
7. Play the game!

 

Helpful Tips (because we love to be helpful J):

1. Think about if you’d like to have only one winner of the game (ultimate winner style of play) or can there be multiple winners).  If you play the ultimate winner style, then whoever earns the most points wins.  If you play with multiple winners, you’ll set a point goal and whichever teams reach that point goal wins.
2. You can do daily rewards or a weekly reward.  Think about your students and how frequently they need to earn reinforcement to stay interested in the game.  You could also do daily rewards with multiple teams, but a bigger weekly reward for the ultimate winner (the team that earns the most cumulative points over the course of the week).
3. Play for shorter increments of time.  Don’t play the game throughout the whole day.  Pick an activity or a chunk of time to play.  Repeat daily.
4. Pick a time of day for the winner(s) to earn their reward.  Plan it into your daily and weekly schedule.
5. Pair awarding points with behavior-specific praise so students know exactly why they’re earning points.
6. On the first day of playing the game, try to make sure every student earns the reward so they can taste the goodness J  This will keep them wanting to play the game!
7. Have fun!!!

 

 

Behavior Contracts

Behavior Contracts are a versatile tool that is great to have in your toolbox. They are exactly what they sound like...a contract regarding behaviors. You can use them to increase certain behaviors (e.g., arriving to class on time, turning in work) or to decrease certain behaviors (e.g., calling out, being out of the designated area).

Behavior Contracts are based on the Premack Principle in which accessing highly-preferred activities/items is based on the completion of a not-so-highly-preferred activity. We often see this with If-Then boards...If you finish all your work, then you can go outside and play.

There are 3 components...

1. The Behavior - Who does it? What exactly has to happen? When does it need to happen? How well?
2. The Reward - Who will give it? What will it be? When will it be given? How much is given?
3. The Recording Sheet - Who records the behavior? How will it be tracked?

It is also important to keep in mind the type of student(s) this type of intervention could benefit. Behavior Contracts are better for students that already can do the skill just not that well or as often as we would like (performance deficit) NOT for students that cannot do the skill (skill deficit).

It is also important to use this with behaviors you can readily observe to ensure the contract was actually fulfilled. It isn't helpful to create a contract for a student that lies when you have no way of knowing the truth from a lie. You may not want to create a contract for a student's bus behavior if you aren't the one monitoring the bus behavior (in that case, you would want to involve the bus driver/monitor).

Keep in mind the student's willingness to participate. As they say, "You win more bees with honey" and "presentation is everything." Involve your student in creating the contract! They have a stake, so they should have a say. Forcing a pre-made contract on them is more of a punishment than a learning tool. Behavior Contracts are successful as a support given to students that need improvement in some area.

Get creative and have fun with it. This is a support for students to help them stay on track. It can be a great opportunity to show your struggling students that you are their biggest fan and want them to do well!

Check out our Pinterest page for more ideas!

You've heard of the dog named Bingo, but what about Behavior BINGO???

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Who doesn’t love a good game of BINGO???  The correct answer is: everyone loves to play BINGO!!!!  Thinking about how fun it is to play BINGO, some brilliant educational minds decided to use this strategy to motivate students in the classroom.  If you are looking for a fun, easy-to-implement, visual classroom management system that encourages teamwork and promotes positive behavior, then look no further J

To introduce Behavior BINGO (also known as “100 Squares”):

1. Make (or buy) a 100s chart.  This could be a large poster that is posted on the wall, or it could be a letter-sized sheet of paper that is projected with the overhead projector (how old-school are we??) or the ELMO (Yes! We’ve made it into the 21^st century). 
2. Specially designate several spaces on the 100s chart with a special color or symbol.  These special spaces will represent a prize.  More information on this to come…
3. Decide what options are available for rewards.  You will want several bigger options for when the class gets a BINGO on the board or fills in the entire board.  And you’ll want a smaller option for when a number is drawn corresponding to a special space.  Examples of bigger rewards: popcorn party, watch a movie, etc.  Examples of smaller rewards: 3-minute, dance break, movement/brain break, take a problem off of a worksheet, staring contest, etc.
4. Determine what behaviors warrant pulling a number.  Do you want to work on students staying in their designated areas?  Do you want to work on students speaking respectfully to each other?  Do you need more students to turn in homework on a daily basis?  The world (or classroom) is your oyster, and the behaviors are the pearls J
5. Teach the game to the students.  Explain what behaviors students will be able to pull numbers for.  When a number is pulled, it gets marked off on the 100s chart.  When students fill in a horizontal row, a vertical column, or a diagonal, they earn a class reward.  When the whole chart is filled in (a blackout!), they earn an even bigger class reward.  If a number is drawn for a “special space,” the class earns an immediate, smaller reward (such as a dance break). 
6. Practice playing the game and provide feedback to the students.
7. Now it’s time to play the game!  Play the game daily so that you are providing frequent and positive feedback to your students.  And remember, the goal is to have fun and reward positive behaviors!

You can change up 100 Squares/Behavior BINGO in a lot of fun ways!  It doesn’t just have to be a 100s chart.  Oh the possibilities…

1. Try a variation called “Literacy Bingo.”  Instead of a 100s chart, list out literacy terms in each box (e.g., exclamatory statement, question, period, etc.).  Instead of pulling numbers, students will pull questions when the class is engaging in positive behaviors.  The students would have to determine what answer on the board corresponded to the question that was pulled, and fill in that space.  For example, “what is the grammatical mark that indicates the end of a sentence?”  The answer: period.  The students would fill in the space on the board that said “period.”
2. Try making a Behavior BINGO board out of a coordinate grid.  Instead of pulling numbers. Students would pull coordinates.  You would then color in the corresponding coordinate.  Talk about a fun math lesson!
3. Try a smaller 100s chart for an individual student.  You know the child.  The one who needs a liiiiiiitle bit more than the other students.  That student could have his/her own 100s chart on the desk.  When the teacher sees the student exhibiting a positive/appropriate behavior, the student can pull a number and color in the corresponding square. 

Those are just a few ideas to get you started.  If you think of any creative variations, let us know!  And send us pictures.  We love to see these systems in action J

Check out our Pinterest boards for more ideas!

Steps for Completing a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

Conducting a reliable FBA and developing a meaningful BIP takes an entire team effort and requires a series of team meetings. It is important that all team members are present for the meetings so information can be efficiently shared and action steps be fully assigned.

Completing this process does not require the involvement of your BST member. Any staff member that has completed FBA/BIP training (Part 1 &2) is able to guide the team.

If you or your team has questions about what to do and where to start, don't hesitate to e-mail your BST member. We are happy to help!

Meeting	Homework
Meeting 1: Information-Gathering (Support Team or formal IEP Meeting) Materials: ·         Any data already taken ·         FBA forms ·         Any other relevant information Pre-meeting: ·         Send Invitation ·         If IEP, give 10 days notice & send PWN Agenda: ·         Obtain parent consent for FBA ·         Define behavior(s) on FBA ·         Decide on data collection method ·         Schedule follow-up meeting (2 wks)	1.    Take numerical baseline data throughout 1-2-wk time period (e.g., frequency, intensity, momentary time sampling, permanent product). 2.    Use Excel graphing templates (on Intranet) to graph data . 3.    Teachers/school personnel complete/conduct: ·         Teacher Interview ·         Student Interview ·         Parent Interview ·         ABC data
Meeting 2: Develop Interventions for BIP Phase I (Support Team or IEP team) Materials: ·         All forms completed (see homework from mtg 1) and data collected Agenda: ·         Review all “homework”, including graphed baseline data ·         Determine the function of the behavior ·         Draft interventions ·         Document on BIP Phase I ·         Schedule follow-up meeting (3-4 wks)	1.    Create intervention materials 2.    Implement interventions 3.    Continue taking numerical data (the same type taken in baseline). 4.    Graph data.
Meeting 3: Follow-Up (Support Team or IEP team) Materials: ·         All data collected and compiled ·         Any other relevant data Agenda: ·         Use graphed data to determine if interventions are effective (document on FBA) ·         Determine which interventions to omit and keep ·         Add new interventions if needed ·         Schedule follow-up meeting	1.    Implement all interventions that are currently in the FBA. 2.    Continue taking data. 3.    Graph data.
When to move to BIP Phase II: ·         Interventions have been implemented in all areas with consistency and fidelity. ·         Numerical data support the need for more restrictive procedures.