Applying positive behavioral supports and interventions to address student and classroom management needs (PBIS)
The following is my personal thoughts and reflections on the PBIS process after reading and viewing resources provided in class.
It is interesting to be both a parent and an educator at this point in my life. I have heard the term PBIS a dozen times from my children. Their description likens it to the point system at Hogwart’s – each class can earn points (PBIS) points for their actions and behavior. These points eventually translate into things like class movie days and Mighty Taco runs for the students. As I have now realized, this is just a small part of a school wide program that encourages and rewards good behavior instead of simply reacting to bad behavior and relying on punishment and consequences to exterminate bad behavior.
As a mom, I have said, “You know better!” to my children hundreds of time, but as an educator I have come to realize that not all students know the same things when in comes to behavior. That is a key concept of PBIS (Positive behavioral Intervention and Supports). Just as we teach students history, science, reading and writing through the use of explicit teaching and modeling, we need to teach behavior. PBIS is a proactive approach that starts with a buy-in by all faculty, staff and administration to teach, model and encourage good behavior. Students need to know what is expected of them and how to accomplish those expectations. In exchange they are awarded through recognition, tangible awards and privileges and other accolades for demonstrating positive behavior. For the majority of students this kind of encouragement is enough. Some students need more intervention and support similar to the RTI method of tiered intervention.
This is especially true for students whose disabilities may make it harder for them conform to the behavior expectations. Many times a students’ frustration with classwork or inability to access information can cause them to display an unwanted behavior. Through the use of PBIS these students are not only taught desired behaviors they are given strategies to implement those behaviors. Struggling students receive more intense and personalized interventions to help them succeed without resorting to punishments. A school-wide PBIS system also assists students with disabilities by encouraging consistency and repetition.
It is important for all adults involved in the implementation of this type of framework to be fully trained and invested in the program for it to be successful (Bohanon-Edmonson, Flannery, Eber, & Sugai, 2005). Not only does it create consistency for students it puts responsibility on the adults as well. As a teacher I can think of many times that I have not modeled the behavior I wanted in my classroom, getting stuck in an argument or a conflict cycle with a student. If I am unable to demonstrate the wanted behavior it is not reasonable to expect a student to perform the behavior. The PBIS framework also relies on teachers to look out for the beginnings of conflict and use evidence-based strategies to stop the escalation of behavior before it becomes a conflict. This is important to keep the focus on learning in a classroom and not on managing behavior.
Although I have been teaching for a number of years I still have many things to learn. Although at my school we have used the ideas in PBIS we do not have full implementation currently. I can use several of the strategies in my classroom as well as techniques that have worked for other teachers. One part of the module suggested you ask students to do three tasks you were sure they would show compliance on before asking the student to complete a task that they might be non-compliant (The IRIS Center, n.d., page 3). Although a simple tip, I think it will be very effective in my classroom.
Even at the high school level students want to receive praise and want to be recognized. Often students that demonstrate unwanted behaviors receive that recognition and praise from their peers. PBIS creates a framework where students are clearly shown what is expected and are given the tools and supports to achieve it. Students can then receive that recognition and praise from teachers and administrators.
It is interesting to be both a parent and an educator at this point in my life. I have heard the term PBIS a dozen times from my children. Their description likens it to the point system at Hogwart’s – each class can earn points (PBIS) points for their actions and behavior. These points eventually translate into things like class movie days and Mighty Taco runs for the students. As I have now realized, this is just a small part of a school wide program that encourages and rewards good behavior instead of simply reacting to bad behavior and relying on punishment and consequences to exterminate bad behavior.
As a mom, I have said, “You know better!” to my children hundreds of time, but as an educator I have come to realize that not all students know the same things when in comes to behavior. That is a key concept of PBIS (Positive behavioral Intervention and Supports). Just as we teach students history, science, reading and writing through the use of explicit teaching and modeling, we need to teach behavior. PBIS is a proactive approach that starts with a buy-in by all faculty, staff and administration to teach, model and encourage good behavior. Students need to know what is expected of them and how to accomplish those expectations. In exchange they are awarded through recognition, tangible awards and privileges and other accolades for demonstrating positive behavior. For the majority of students this kind of encouragement is enough. Some students need more intervention and support similar to the RTI method of tiered intervention.
This is especially true for students whose disabilities may make it harder for them conform to the behavior expectations. Many times a students’ frustration with classwork or inability to access information can cause them to display an unwanted behavior. Through the use of PBIS these students are not only taught desired behaviors they are given strategies to implement those behaviors. Struggling students receive more intense and personalized interventions to help them succeed without resorting to punishments. A school-wide PBIS system also assists students with disabilities by encouraging consistency and repetition.
It is important for all adults involved in the implementation of this type of framework to be fully trained and invested in the program for it to be successful (Bohanon-Edmonson, Flannery, Eber, & Sugai, 2005). Not only does it create consistency for students it puts responsibility on the adults as well. As a teacher I can think of many times that I have not modeled the behavior I wanted in my classroom, getting stuck in an argument or a conflict cycle with a student. If I am unable to demonstrate the wanted behavior it is not reasonable to expect a student to perform the behavior. The PBIS framework also relies on teachers to look out for the beginnings of conflict and use evidence-based strategies to stop the escalation of behavior before it becomes a conflict. This is important to keep the focus on learning in a classroom and not on managing behavior.
Although I have been teaching for a number of years I still have many things to learn. Although at my school we have used the ideas in PBIS we do not have full implementation currently. I can use several of the strategies in my classroom as well as techniques that have worked for other teachers. One part of the module suggested you ask students to do three tasks you were sure they would show compliance on before asking the student to complete a task that they might be non-compliant (The IRIS Center, n.d., page 3). Although a simple tip, I think it will be very effective in my classroom.
Even at the high school level students want to receive praise and want to be recognized. Often students that demonstrate unwanted behaviors receive that recognition and praise from their peers. PBIS creates a framework where students are clearly shown what is expected and are given the tools and supports to achieve it. Students can then receive that recognition and praise from teachers and administrators.