Special Education Strategy: Self-monitoring

1. SELF MONITORING
By Ann Vitug

2. SELF MONITORING
 It is a cognitive behavioral strategy or cognitive
training technique that requires individuals to keep
track of their own behavior.
 It is a self-management technique in which
students monitor their own behavior such as
attention to task, then record it on a sheet.
 Self-monitoring of behavior, standards, values,
and other internal states is critical for appropriate
social behavior.

3. SELF MONITORING
Consists of 2 components:
1. Self-evaluation – Student evaluates his
behavior
 Self-analysis and goal setting for either
academic or behavioral tasks
2. Self-recording – Student records whether the
behavior occurred
 Written documentation of incremental
progress made in meeting goals

4. SELF MONITORING
 Many studies have indicated that during the
process of a student collecting his self-monitoring
data the desired behaviors increases.
 Generally, the student is instructed on how to
record his frequency of behaviors.
 It may be as simple as recording tally marks for the
individual behavior occurring over a specific period
of time. The accuracy of self-monitoring is not as
important as the process and awareness it builds
in the student.

5. SELF MONITORING
Steps to follow
1. Select a target behavior that is resulting in problems in
school. (Observable and measurable)
2. Define that behavior with the student.
3. Monitor the frequency of only that behavior in various
settings and times of school day.
4. Using these guidelines, self-monitoring can be coupled with
a contingency contract. This contract can have built-in
reinforces and act as part of an incentive program that
would help reward the desired behaviors. The use of a
contract also helps to clarify the goals and expectations of
the self-monitoring.

6. SELF MONITORING
Noticing Cues For Encouraging Appropriate Behavior
 Tape a small square of paper next to the child.
 Tape a similar piece next to the teacher.
 Neutrally describe the behavior which you want the child to stop e.g.
"When you speak out while someone else is talking no one can really listen
to you. I would like you to wait for your turns."
 Ask the child to put a mark on the paper whenever he has used that
behavior.
 Inform the child you will also make a mark when you notice the behavior.
 At the end of the lesson you will compare notes to see if you agree on the
number of times the behavior had occurred.

7. SELF MONITORING
 This is a non-judgmental, no consequence
exercise intended to make the child aware of
the behavior. The awareness often results in
lessening or extinguishing of the behavior.
 When a student is responsible for
monitoring his/her own behavior, chances
for positive change are usually greater.

8. ADVANTAGES OF
SELF-MONITORING
 Practical and takes little extra
time from teacher
 Can be used to improve a
variety of academic or social
skills
 Monitoring systems such as
graphs, charts & checklists
provide concrete evidence of
improved behavior.
 Provides more immediate
feedback than a teacher is
able to provide
independence and
responsibility
 Facilitates communication
with parents by providing data
that can easily be shared
during meetings
 Involves individual
improvement rather than
competition across students
so each student can work on
his or her own goal.

9. Current trends
TEACHERS CAN USE SELF-MONITORING FOR
VARIOUS ACADEMIC TASKS
Examples:
• After working on several math problems, the student can
check his/her answers and record on a graph how many
answers were correct. After several days, the students
and teacher have an observable record.
• Students can increase the number of words spelled
correctly and increase length of written stories.
• Students can monitor on-task behaviors by asking
themselves: “Was I paying attention?” every time they
hear a tone (provided by teacher).

10. ENCOURAGING SELF-MONITORING
Current trends

11. Current trends
Tracking strategy
 Visual reminder for students to track 3-4
goals to stick to on a daily basis.

12.  A daily self-monitoring report for students to bring
home each day to ensure schoolwork and behavior
goals are being met.
Current trends

13. Current trends

14. Self-monitoring and Graphing
effective for students with LD & attention problems
Current trends

15. In Writing and Reading:
USING QUESTIONS
As students make errors
without self-correcting
them, draw attention to
their mistake by asking
one of the
questions. Don’t just fix a
mistake by
students. Instead, let
them to think about the
question asked to them.
This causes them to be
more attentive as they
are reading and helps
them make fewer
mistakes in the long run.
Current trends

16. Current trends

17. Academic Self-monitoring Checklist
Current trends

18. Group Contingency Plans
 The behavior of one student in an inclusive
classroom is tied to outcome of the whole
group.
 Teachers can use the same behavioral
management approach for all students and
do not have to differentiate their treatment
of the few students who need help with
self-management.
Current trends

19. Teachers can implement similar management
strategies through:
 Targeting specific undesirable behaviors to be
eliminated or specific behaviors to reinforce
 Creating chart for students to use for self-management
 Communicating procedures for recording behaviors
on the chart e.g.: “If you do X, mark your chart.” or
“When the beeper beeps, check to see if you are
doing X then mark your chart accordingly.”
 Connecting the self-management procedures to
Group Contingency. “If all students get over X points
during the lesson, all students will get a homework
pass.”
Current trends

20. REFERENCES
 Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (1997).
Exceptional learners: Introduction to special education (7th ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
 Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Lloyd, J. W. (1976).
Introduction to learning disabilities: A psycho-behavioral approach
(pp. 150-178). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
 Rooney, K., Polloway, E. A., & Hallahan, D. P. (1985). The use of
self-monitoring procedures with low IQ learning disabled students.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, 18(7), 384-389.
 Hallahan, D. P., Marshall, K. J., & Lloyd, J. W. (1981). Self-recording
during group instruction: Effects on attention to task.
Learning Disability Quarterly, 4(4), 407-413.