The Power of Positive Relationships: Effective Behavior Management for Paras, by Paras

The Power of Positive Relationships: Effective Behavior Management for Paras, by Paras Office of Organizational Development Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools (301) 601-4800 Betsy Povtak Ruth Musicante

Session Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to…

Describe the characteristics of behavior

management;

Identify causes of disruptive behavior;

Identify strategies to decrease disruptive behavior; and

Identify strategies to respond to disruptive

behavior.

In “Tools for Teaching,” Fred Jones tells us: The most widespread management procedure in real classrooms is…

NAG

NAG

NAG

Behavior Management vs. Discipline

“ Effective teachers manage their classrooms. Ineffective teachers discipline their classrooms.” from Harry Wong and Rosemary T. Wong

Behavior management is…

Predictable and reasonable consequences to students’ behavior

(Consequences can be positive!)

Consistent use of routines and limits

Feedback that encourages independence and success for all students

Modeling for students appropriate behaviors and high expectations

The Importance of Managing Student Behavior “ Students in classes where effective management techniques are employed have achievement scores that are 20 percentile points higher than students in classes where effective management techniques are not employed.” Robert Marzano, Classroom Management that Works

Causes of Disruptive or Inattentive Behavior

Brainstorm the causes of inappropriate behavior by your students. When do they most likely occur?

Why behavior problems occur…

Students are bored or frustrated with academic materials.

Students see no relevance for work.

Students may not understand behavioral expectations.

Teachers send inconsistent expectations.

Students may experience external problems.

Teachers lack classroom awareness.

Decreasing Disruptive Behavior

Personal relationship building

Communicating expectations

Use of time and space

Think about an educator that made a difference in your life... What qualities did he/she possess? Activator Think, Pair, Share

Personal Relationship Building

Fairness

Appearance

Humor

Courtesy

Personal Relationship Building

Respect

Realness

Reestablishing contact

Active listening

“ You can be the reason some student gets up and comes to school when his/her life is tough. You can be the reason some student ‘keeps on keeping on.’ Remember that as long as you are a [paraeducator], even on your worst day on the job, you are still some student’s best hope.” Larry I. Bell

Three Steps to Teaching Routines

Explain- state, explain, model and demonstrate the procedure.

Rehearse- practice the procedure.

Reinforce- reteach, rehearse, practice, and reinforce so that it becomes a habit.

Harry Wong and Rosemary T. Wong, The First Days of School

BE CONSISTENT

“ NO” means “NO”

“ There are no degrees of consistency. You are either consistent or you are inconsistent.”

Fred Jones, “Tools for Teaching”

Mobility

“ Effective teachers make an art form of working the crowd.

They know that

either you work the crowd or the crowd works you .” Fred Jones, Tools for Teaching

X Proximity

In terms of teacher stress and lost learning time, what is the…

… biggest classroom management issue?

“ The bane of the teacher’s existence is the small disruption that occurs at a high rate. Of these…, 80% consist of students talking to their neighbors when they should be doing their work. Another 15% consists of students being out of their seats when they should be doing their work. These disruptions…squander huge amounts of learning time.” Fred Jones, Tools for Teaching

Time to Learn