Behavior Intervention Strategies for Teachers

Different approaches for different behaviors

Depending on how your students are behaving, certain teaching strategies are more effective than others at maintaining those behaviors, motivating behaviors they are not exhibiting, and stopping undesirable or disruptive behaviors.

These strategies can be quite effective with kids of all ages. Please note that they are not interchangeable.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR:

These strategies are most effective when your students are behaving cooperatively and are on task.

Intervention Strategy: Positive Reinforcement/ Recognition

Goal: Maintaining existing behavior, improving the likelihood of behavior recurring on its own

Process: Two-step process: 1. Describe the positive behavior 2. Connect their cooperation to a meaningful positive outcome (positive consequence) 

Caution: Avoid praise that con- nects behavior to worth. “I really like you when…” “You’re good because…” 

Caution: Avoid praise that rein- forces dependence on approval: “I like the way…”

NEUTRAL BEHAVIOR:

These strategies are most effective for dealing with non-productive, non-disruptive student behaviors, as ways to encourage them to settle down, get moving, get on task, or do something else you want them to do.

Intervention Strategy: Motivation, Contingency Contracting, Offering Choices

Goal: Encouraging more cooperative, more productive behavioral choices. Building commitment and making responsible choices for their own work and behavior.

Process: Connecting what you want to what the student behavior wants. Making productive, cooperative behavior more desirable for the student.

Caution: Motivators must be need fulfilling to be effective. This will vary from student to student. Motivators must also appear accessible (immediate enough) to have incentive. 

Caution: Avoid using conditional approval as a motivator. 

Caution: Avoid depending on your students’ fear of your anger or power or fear of punishment to motivate their cooperation.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR

These strategies work best when students are exhibiting negative or disruptive behaviors.

Intervention Strategy: Follow through. Loss of privilege (access to positive consequence). A new boundary may be necessary. Letting student know how to regain privilege and when that will be possible.

Goal: Stopping negative behavior. Replacing negative behavior with cooperative, non-disruptive behavior.

Process: Might include: removing or delaying access to positive consequence or incentive; asking student to stop, change behavior (being specific about desirable behavior you’re seeking); presenting an acceptable alternative; using “promises” (rather than threats) to set a new contingency. Might also include suggesting that an upset student change environments for a few minutes (get a drink of water, for example, or move to a different part of the room). Might also include validating a student’s distress and making time to talk through the problem or crisis.

Caution: Once limits have been violated, follow through immediately.

Caution: Avoid warnings or reminders after the fact. Do not ask for excuses. Instead, ask what the student plans to do to correct the situation.

Caution: Avoid punishing, moralizing, giving advice or solutions, making excuses, or taking responsibility for the student’s problem. 

Caution: Avoid reacting, taking misbehavior personally. Also avoid negative, non-supportive comments and responses.

Caution: Avoid making the student wrong; accepting the student, not the behavior.

Notes: