Established to prepare future educators to become fluent in comprehension and application of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). The McDowell Institute is focused on cultivating excellence in future educators by strategically infusing a MTSS framework reflecting the principles and associated practices of Positive Behavior Support within pre-service educators’ coursework and practicum experiences.

1. Kate Nichols, PhD, BCBA-D
Director, McDowell Institute
Bloomsburg University of PA
May 22, 2013

2. ▪ Preventing Behavior Problems
▪ Functions of Behavior
▪ Responding to Behavior Problems

3. ▪ Focus on teaching appropriate behavior
▪ Create safe, consistent environment that allows all students to be successful
academically, behaviorally, and socially
▪ Associated with higher academic achievement
▪ Attributed to greater sense of efficacy by teachers

4. Positive Classroom Climate

5. ▪ 3-5 Positively-Stated Expectations for Behavior
– Describe what students SHOULD be doing
– Rules need to be taught throughout the school year
– Students need to be acknowledged when they are exhibiting
expected behaviors

6. ▪ Behavior Management Environment
– Post reminders of rules, procedures, and reinforcement systems, and be
consistent in implementing and enforcing all of these
– Teach the consequences for rule violations and review as needed
– Respond to rule violations consistently, following predetermined consequences
– Refrain from arguing with students about rule violations

7. ▪ Behavior Management Environment
– Ensure that students earn reinforcement regularly and consistently
– Engage in systematic problem-solving process if students are not successfully earning reinforcers
– Listen carefully to students and acknowledge student concerns and complaints
– Ensure a safe, positive, learning climate
– Learn early warning signs for behavioral problems and intervene early and quickly when problems
arise to prevent escalation

8. ▪ Provide a choice of how or when a task will be completed
– Explain 3 activities. Allow the student(s) to pick the activity they wish to start with;
student has to complete all 3 tasks, but in what ever order he/she chooses
– Allow choice of the medium with which students work (e.g., paper/pencil vs. computer)
– Let the group vote on which activity to do first

9. ▪ Before a Task
– When they will do a task
– What to do after assignment is
completed
– How long to work before taking a
break
– Which materials to use (e.g., pencil or
pen, paper or computer)
▪ During the Task
– Order to complete multiple tasks
– Which peers to work with
– How to get teacher’s attention while
working
– Where to complete task (desk, floor,
table)
– Manner in which to complete task
(last question first, top to bottom)

10. ▪ Chunking Instruction
– Provide shorter periods rather than one long period of instruction or assignments.
– Students meet the expectations, just in a modified manner and experience more
frequent success

11. ▪ High Probability Requests
– Reduces the likelihood of noncompliance by generating behavioral momentum by
mixing easier, known, mastered, or shorter tasks amongst more difficult, unknown, or
longer tasks
– Start with 2-3 activities that students are 70% likely comply with and reinforce
each instance of compliance
– The difficult request should be delivered within 5 seconds of the last successful high
probability request
– Vary the high probability requests (i.e., develop a pool of requests)

12. Reinforcement

13. Reinforcement
▪ Increases the likelihood of a
behavior occurring again
▪ Teaches students that they are
performing as desired
▪ Can result in long-term learning
and change
Punishment
▪ Used to stop a highly disruptive
behavior
▪ Does not teach students how to
exhibit desired behaviors
▪ Will not result in change in behavior
unless an acceptable behavior is
taught and reinforced
▪ Prevent students from participating
in learning activities
▪ May be actually reinforcing the
misbehavior

14. ▪ Praise (Catch Students Being “Good”)
– We spend a lot of time responding to students’
inappropriate behaviors and not their appropriate behaviors.
▪ Even the “worst” students do something appropriate throughout the
day
– Constantly look for students’ appropriate behavior, then
acknowledge their efforts by applying positive attention (e.g.,
Provide a description of the appropriate behaviors)
▪ 4 to 1 ratio, four positive statements for each redirection provided to a
student

15. • Privileges
• Praise
needs
to
be
tied
with
some
sort
of
tangible
reinforcement
to
be
effective
for
most
students
• Rather
than
handing
out
prizes,
identify
privileges
students
can
earn

16. Functions of Behavior

17. ▪ All behavior is a form of communication
▪ All behavior serves a purpose (function of the behavior)
▪ In order to change a behavior, a person must learn a new
behavior that fulfills a similar purpose as the undesirable behavior
▪ Gain access to or escape from …
– Peer/Adult Attention (can be negative or positive)
– Activities/Tasks
▪ Student sits in hallway and does not have to read aloud
▪ Student goes to the office and principal lets her run errands
– Tangibles
▪ Student gets his pencil back from another student
▪ Student does not have to eat her peas
– Sensory
▪ Student sits in hallway & leaves the bright light in the classroom
▪ Student gets to sleep while in time-out

18. Gain Access
▪ Classmates laugh when student
makes noises
▪ Teacher talks to student when he
misbehaves
▪ Student says something negative to
another student to get a response
▪ Student constantly raising hand and
asking for help
▪ Student hits peer to get a reaction
Escape/Avoid
▪ Student plays by himself at recess
▪ Student screams when classmate sits
near her
▪ Student won’t make eye contact with
adult while being reprimanded

19. Gain Access
▪ Take markers off teacher’s desk
▪ Snatch a toy from classmate
▪ Cut in line
▪ Cry, beg, repeatedly ask for a
preferred item
▪ Student goes to the office and
principal lets her run errands
Escape/Avoid
▪ Student plays by himself at recess
▪ Student says she has a stomachache
▪ Student refuses to line up for Music
class
▪ Student sits in hallway and does not
have to read aloud

20. Gain Access
▪ Pencil Tapping
▪ Humming to self
▪ Biting nails/chewing pencil
▪ Repetitive movements (rocking,
flicking objects/fingers)
Escape/Avoid
▪ Covering ears
▪ Putting head down
▪ Squinting
Some behaviors do not depend on the action of others to provide an outcome
because they produce their own reinforcement (automatic R+). In other words, it
feels good.

21. ▪ When a student is engaging in a chronic misbehavior, identify an appropriate
replacement behavior that meets the same need (i.e., seeking attention, avoiding
work)
▪ Create a plan to be implemented by all staff to increase demonstration of appropriate
behavior rather than focusing on decreasing inappropriate behavior
Target Behavior: Tearing up assignment when frustrated
Replacement
Behavior:
Request assistance by raising hand using “I need help signal” and wait appropriately
until an adult can come over and help
Consequence
for Replacement
Behavior:
Respond promptly to student employing “I need help signal.” Praise student for
requesting help appropriately and waiting. Assist student with continuing with
assignment and check on student periodically to ensure on-task behaviors

23. ▪ Proximity
– Use your presence as a signal to students to keep on task
▪ Become a wandering social reinforcer
▪ Research demonstrates that teacher proximity is inversely related to student
misbehavior
▪ Systematic Supervision
– Actively supervise classroom and non-classroom settings
• Scanning, moving, interacting with students

24. ▪ Creating a Transition Routine
– Problematic transition behaviors can take away valuable
instruction time
– The use of instructional visual cues is effective in
increasing appropriate transition behavior
– Provide precorrection for common issues

25. ▪ Providing Rule Reminders
– Prior to students enter a setting or begin to engage in an activity that may
have an increase in problem behaviors
▪ Verbal prompts: rule reminders or descriptions of the desired behavior
▪ Nonverbal prompts: gestures or demonstrations of the appropriate behavior
▪ Verbal and visual reminders of rewards available

27. Be Non-emotional & Avoid Coercion
• QTIP: Quit Taking It Personally
• Coercion is when you try to restrain,
repress, compel, or enforce someone.
▪ Questioning, Arguing
▪ Sarcasm/teasing, Force (verbal & physical)
▪ Threats, Criticism
▪ Despair, Logic
▪ Telling on them to others, One-ups-manship
▪ Silent treatment
Power Struggle
Student
Gets
Attention
for
Inappropriate
Behavior
Student
Tries
to
Avoid
Coercion
Student
Tries
to
Get
Even
Student
Tries
to
Escape
the
Situation

28. ▪ Pivoting Attention
– Carefully ignore the inappropriate behavior/junk behavior of one student while reinforcing
the appropriate behavior of another student
▪ Don’t say anything about the junk behavior (“Stop that now!” or “Quit that!”) or do anything differently
when the junk behavior happens (react, roll eyes, stomp out of room, cross your arms, stare, etc.).
– Immediately reinforce or give a positive consequence for an appropriate behavior of student
near misbehaving student(praise, touch, item/thing, privilege)
– Teaches the first student what behaviors (appropriate) will get your attention
– As soon as misbehaving student corrects behavior, give immediate praise for appropriate
behavior

29. ▪ Even if a student shows some junk behavior while acting appropriately, ignore
the junk behavior and provide positive consequences for the appropriate
behavior.
▪ Always focus on the positive. (“I really like the way you sit quietly.” versus “I’m
glad you stopped making so much noise.”)
– If you state the junk behavior, they know you weren’t ignoring it.
▪ You do not have to continue giving positive consequences for the appropriate
behavior of the second student while waiting for the junk behavior of the first
student to stop.

30. ▪ Extinction Burst
– Some
behavior
gets
worse
for
a
short
while,
before
it
gets
better
– Student
is
testing
your
commitment
to
not
responding
to
misbehavior
– If
you
simply
ignore
junk
behavior,
it
will
not
necessarily
go
away.
You
MUST
ignore
junk
and
give
a
positive
consequence
to
the
more
appropriate
behavior.
▪ If
you
do
this,
then
the
extinction
burst
may
be
very
brief
or
not
happen
at
all.
The
key
to
this
is
providing
more
attention
for
appropriate
behaviors
than
you
did
before
you
started
ignoring.

31. ▪ De-escalation
– If you see a student’s behavior begin to escalate to a more serious and potentially dangerous
behavior
▪ Interrupt the behavior chain (warning signs that the student is going to “explode”) and intervene by redirecting
or helping the student complete the task
Example: Jaime gets frustrated when doing math work. He will begin to whine, mutter under his
breath, then tear up the paper and finally begin throwing things in the room
▪ Intervene during the whining. Prompt him to request help, sit near him, initiate “I do, we do, you do.” Praise
Jaime for beginning independent work, maintain proximity with him while supervising class and provide frequent
positive feedback.

33. ▪ Students are Off-task
– Precorrection: remind group about large group procedures
– Call on student sitting near inattentive student(s) to draw their attention
– Walk around classroom while instructing (systematic supervision)
– Proximity control: Stand near off task student without giving them attention
– Ensure student(s) have the necessary pre-requisite skills

34. ▪ Students are off task
– Reinforce on task students (pivot attention)
– Preteach procedures for obtaining teacher assistance, what to do when task is completed,
where to get additional materials, etc.
– Ensure tasks are those that the students have already demonstrated 80% accuracy during
initial instruction
▪ Students are loud working together
– Teach appropriate volume and movement while in small groups
– Reinforce quiet working and on-task behavior

35. ▪ Student refuses to work or interferes with other students’ learning
– Review independent work procedures
– Reinforce appropriate behaviors
– Schedule brief review session before beginning work
– Check student progress and accuracy
▪ Student rushes through work making mistakes
– Reinforce completing the task accurately
– Make sure the student has pre-requisite skills
▪ Student does not ask for help or asks for help too often
– Teach student when and how to ask for help
– Increase attention for on task behavior
– Reinforce students for appropriately asking for help

36.
Presentation and materials are available at
http://bloomu.edu/mcdowell-resources