A Reflection on Creating a Safe & Supportive Classroom

Behavior management can frequently determine the academic success and social impressions within a school. That said, how a school approaches behavior management remains a cornerstone for all future growth, development and achievement. The school’s administration approach to discipline as well as the instructional environment within the classroom remains a significant contributing factor in behavior management. As theories surrounding behavior management evolve, preventive approaches such as Positive Behavioral Support Systems (PBSS) gain more popularity among schools for their preventive and seemingly more proactive approach to behavior management.

When considering behavior management, the instructional setting, usually the classroom, must remain the central focus because where a large majority of the academic learning occurs. That said this instructional environment is somewhat vulnerable and remains very much affected by what happens at the grade level and building level, either positively or negatively. Consistency and accountability remain the cornerstone for all behavior management practices (Knoff, 2016). When grade levels and building guide approaches to behavior management that foster consistency within the building, it remains more likely that this building will reap more successful and student growth outcomes. On the contrary when buildings lack leadership and grade levels lack cohesiveness this promulgates inconsistency and lack of accountability, which in turn will likely result in lower academic achievement and more antagonistic social environments.

Though the instructional environment remains inextricably influenced by grade level and building actions and attitudes, the instructional environment itself influences behavior management and discipline within the classroom. When teachers have a connection and positive rapport with his/her students, it seems more likely that behaviors will be more in control to foster academic growth. Additionally, from an academic learning standpoint, the best behavior management program is a strong instructional program. When students are actively engaged in a topic, they tend to pay attention more, follow instructions more closely which in turn tends to leave less room for that student to exhibit unexpected or undesired behaviors such as shouting out, wandering, disturbing other students or interrupting instruction. Yet this seemingly simple notion requires a balanced combination of methodical planning, ingenuity and creativity, a wide array of instructional strategies across curricula, the ability to hold the interests of multiple personality and learning types, scaffolding instruction for diverse learners, and years of practice (Rutherford, 2009). Imbedded into this effective instruction are routines and expectations explicitly taught and practiced as though they were part of the instruction (Wong & Wong, 2004) and these routines help bolster quality instruction. These requirements seem daunting, yet when executed effectively, they help yield better engagement which promotes and fosters more effective classroom management.

Preventative measures, such as PBSS, optimize this philosophy of using accountability, consistency and routine to steer student behavior in a positive direction. One overarching premise of PBSS is taking more of a proactive approach to behavior management instead of a reactive, more punitive one and this is frequently accomplished by instituting the aforementioned routines. Another proactive facet of a PBSS is the idea of analyzing the function of an undesirable behavior. Instead of merely punishing a student for acting out, PBSS aims to discover why the behavior is occurring in efforts to change it for the better, more positively and more permanently (Crone & Horner, 2003). Additionally, PBSS aims to teach students prosocial skills and it does not assume that students learn these at home. By explicitly and implicitly teaching prosocial skills, teachers and school staff can then better hold students accountable for the prosocial skills that they have been taught instead of just assuming that all students already know prosocial behaviors upon arrival into kindergarten. Furthermore, PBSS uses incentives and motivation as a catalyst to promote positive schoolwide behavior. When students want something, they tend to do whatever it takes to get it. With this in mind, incentives and motivations are designed to make students want to behave, whether it is a token economy, praise or an extra recess, incentive and motivation remain an important part of the PBSS.

In conclusion, behavior management is part of a much bigger picture which is to create safe and supportive classrooms. PBSS is a tool to create the sometimes elusive safe and supportive classroom. Educational staff everywhere have to know that learning will not occur unless students feel safe and supported. That said, by creating safe and supportive classrooms we are ensuring that our students are learning, growing and developing into productive young adults, contributing citizens and confident human beings.

References

Crone, D. A., & Horner, R. H. (2003). Building positive behavior support systems in schools: function behavioral assessment. New York: Guilford Press.

Knoff, H. M. (2016). Presentations Part 1: The research base. Creating Safe and Supportive Classrooms: Module 4: Special Situations. Indianapolis: American College of Education.

Rutherford, P. (2009). Why didn't I learn this in college? Alexandria, VA: Just ASK Publications.

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2004). How to be an effective teacher the first days of school. Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications.