This document discusses strategies for intervening in and addressing mistaken behaviors among children. It outlines four quick intervention strategies including negotiation reminders, humor, nonverbal techniques, and briefly explaining. When behaviors require follow-up, the document recommends strategies like reflective listening, guidance talks, teacher-child negotiations, including children's ideas, and facilitating reconciliation. It emphasizes taking time to problem-solve behaviors teaches democratic life skills and prevents future issues. When partnering with families, teachers should monitor biases, understand parent development, and problem-solve or refer families to other services as needed.

1. Chapter Ten
“Problem Solving Mistaken
Behavior”
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

2. Guiding Questions:
1. What goes into the decision to
intervene?
2. What are four quick intervention
strategies?
3. What about mistaken behaviors reported
by children?
4. What are four strategies when
interventions require follow-up?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

3. Guiding Questions:
5. Why take the time to problem solve
mistaken behavior?
6. Cultural Responsiveness/Family
Partnerships: How does the teacher
build cooperation with today’s diverse
families?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

4. Deciding Whether to
Intervene
• Children feel secure when clear limits are consistently
reinforced.
• The teacher should demonstrate “with-it-ness”, being
firm when necessary but also friendly—practicing
positive consistency.
• When deciding whether to intervene in a situation, ask
yourself the following questions:
– 1. Is this behavior bothering only me, only another staff
person, or the whole group?
– 2. Will my intervention reduce or add to the disruption in this
situation?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

5. Quick Intervention Strategies
• With quick and effective intervention, little problems tend to stay
little, and the spread of mistaken behavior to other children is
prevented.
• Four quick intervention strategies include:
– Negotiation reminders
• Acknowledges to children that they were heard
• Prompts changes in peer interactions based on knowledge that the
teacher is informed
• Can use sentence frames with older children
– Humor
• Can diffuse tension
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

6. Quick Intervention Strategies
(Continued)
• Four quick intervention strategies include:
– Nonverbal techniques
• Eye contact
• Physical proximity
• Gestures
• Facial expression
– Explain briefly
• Be concise, encouraging, and reinforcing of guidelines
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

7. Responding to Children’s
Reports of Mistaken Behavior
• In a class meeting, discuss what an emergency situation is
and the importance of notifying an adult in such situations.
• These emergency situations may include:
– A child has wandered away from the playground
– Children are fighting and one has been seriously hurt
– A child has been injured in an accident
– A child is having a seizure or is otherwise ill
– Others are acting inappropriately toward a child
• The teacher may also want to discuss with the children how
to handle reports that are “not emergencies”.
• Ways to handle these reports include creating a “report
box” or props such as a large audiologist ear.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

8. Responding to Children’s
Reports of Mistaken Behavior
• How a teacher responds to children’s reports of mistaken
behavior will depend on the type of behavior reported and
the teacher’s perception of the child’s motivation.
• Some suggestions for responding to reports that don’t
appear to be emergencies include:
– Encourage children to solve the problem on their own or mediate to the
extent necessary.
– Thank the child for being a “caring citizen.” Monitor situation and
intervene if necessary.
– Reassure child that things are under control. Monitor situation in low-
profile manner “just in case.”
– Thank the child for concern but explains that the teacher is watching and
other children can take care of themselves. Tell the child what the
serious problems are that the child can report.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

9. Following-Up on
Interventions
• While brevity works in mild conflict situations, in
more serious conflicts there should be “no hurried
help.”
• Time can be given either at the moment of the
conflict or later on during the same day.
• It may be desirable to follow up with more time later
in the day if:
– There are conflicting demands for the teacher at the
moment
– There is need for cooling-down time if emotions are high
– There is a need for privacy
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

10. Following-Up on
Interventions
• Five helpful follow-up strategies include:
– Reflective listening
• Articulate or rephrase the child’s feelings and perceptions
• Releases strong emotions which increases impulse control
– Guidance talks
• Discuss what happened and helps the child understand why the
behavior was mistaken
• Assist the child to understand how all parties in the situation may have
felt
• Brainstorm with the child alternative acceptable behaviors to use the
next time a similar situation arises
• Ask how the child can help the other child feel better or how the
situation can be made better
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

11. Following-Up on
Interventions
– Teacher-child negotiations
• Used with teacher-child conflicts
• Teacher uses their mantel of leadership with dignity and mutual respect
• Occur when a teacher sees a conflict as a teachable moment
– Including children’s ideas
• When children’s ideas are included they feel empowered and take ownership
of solutions
• Such questions as “Who has an idea about what we can do?” “What are
your choices in this situation?” and “What words could you use next time?”
invite children’s ideas
– Reconciliation
• Teachers don’t force apologies, rather they solicit ideas from the child on
what could be done to help the other child feel better
• When a teacher-child conflict occurs the teacher always initiates reconciliation
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

12. Problem-Solving Mistaken
Behaviors
• It’s important to take the time to problem-solve
mistaken behaviors as going through this process is
teaching children vital democratic life skills.
• Researchers have found that children whose behavior
has caused them to be stigmatized puts them at much
higher risks for failure in school and social life.
• Taking the time now to model and teach effective
problem-solving skills saves much pain and failure for
children later on in their academic and personal lives.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

13. Family Partnerships
• When building cooperative partnerships
with parents:
– Monitor your feelings toward the family
– Understand parent development
– Choose words that avoid value judgments
– Refer families to other services when needs fall
outside your domain of expertise
– Problem-solve with families as needed
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.