{"id":950,"date":"2016-07-28T15:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-07-28T20:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=950"},"modified":"2018-11-29T12:18:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T18:18:53","slug":"assisting-disruptive-students-in-our-classrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2016\/07\/28\/assisting-disruptive-students-in-our-classrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Assisting Disruptive Students in Our Classrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Written by Dr. Tracey Enser<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As I finish a school year, one of my favorite things to do as a teacher is reflect on my year. I enjoy thinking about the pros and cons and using these to improve for the next year. After talking with many teachers about their pros and cons, a common theme on the con side is the one or two students who demonstrated extreme difficulties with the classroom management plan. The time needed to focus on this student or students affected classroom instruction and caused the teacher to become frustrated and burnt out quickly. This challenge is becoming more prevalent in schools across the United States, including WELS schools.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The focus of this article is to introduce a method that is valuable in helping teachers identify why the student is not responding and what the teacher can do to help the child be successful. The method is conducting Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and creating Individualized Behavior Management Plans.<\/p>\n<p>Teachers communicate that more students are demonstrating disruptive behaviors, ranging from wandering around the room and defiance to physical or verbal aggression. In some cases, the disruption can impact four or more hours of instructional time per week. Teachers try different methods in their attempt to eliminate or decrease the behavior, but it only becomes worse. Why is this? In many cases, teachers focus on the behavior itself, rather than focusing on why the behavior is occurring. This is one reason Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) can be helpful in identifying methods to help a child who is demonstrating difficult behavior.<\/p>\n<p>What is FBA? Dr. Doug Guess from the University of Kansas provided the following definition for FBA: \u201cFBA is a process for gathering information to understand the function or purpose of a behavior in order to develop an effective intervention plan.\u201d (Riffel, 2013) There are three main steps for completing an FBA:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Define the target behavior<\/li>\n<li>Gather information<\/li>\n<li>Form a hypothesis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Teachers are encouraged to work with team members to gain a better understanding of why a behavior is occurring. Many times disruptive students demonstrate a number of concerning behaviors, and it is difficult to focus on one. FBA allows the teacher to select one target behavior and gain a better understanding of the impact this target behavior has on this particular student.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the small number of staff members in WELS schools, establishing a team for the process is often one of the greatest concerns. Teachers will find by working with other teachers, and including the parents and student, each team member will gain a better understanding of the student. The team aspect also communicates the care and concern each team member has for the student. My encouragement for WELS teachers is to do the best they can to establish a team during the process.<\/p>\n<p>Team members can use various forms of data collection to gather information about the student, indicating trends in the behavior and determining a \u2018why\u2019 for the behavior. The recommended data collection time is at least ten school days, as a student\u2019s behavior may vary on a daily basis. After conducting an FBA, teachers can use the information to create an Individualized Behavior Management Plan for the student (Riffel, 2010; Tincani, 2011).<\/p>\n<p>In talking with many WELS teachers, another concern is time and resources. This method may appear time-consuming and difficult. As a former WELS elementary teacher and current Emotional Behavioral Disorders teacher, I can assure you the process is valuable in helping your students. Please consider the amount of instructional time lost due to disruptive behaviors and the amount of time you spent changing classroom management, hoping something would improve. By focusing on this particular student and determining a function of the behavior, you ultimately save time and decrease the amount of frustration these disruptive behaviors may cause.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a five-week course available through Martin Luther College\u2019s Teaching That Works series, Individualized Behavioral Management Plans That Work. Current teachers have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of FBA, its importance, and the components of FBA and Individualized Behavioral Management Plans. In addition, teachers implement FBA and design an Individualized Behavioral Management Plan in their classroom for two weeks, as they are guided through any challenges. The fifth and final week includes a reflection week as teachers reflect on the process and determine how they can use FBA and Individualized Behavioral Management Plans in the future.<\/p>\n<p>A student who took the course had the following reflection: \u201cI found myself adjusting ways I managed my classroom to meet the individual needs of students with behavior problems. I feel more confident to teach knowing I have a behavior management plan to guide my steps through the struggles of classroom management.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mlc-wels.edu\/continuing-education\/teaching-that-works-series\/\">CLICK HERE for more information on the Teaching That Works series.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mlc-wels.edu\/continuing-education\/registration\/\"><em><strong>CLICK HERE to register for Dr. Enser&#8217;s Teaching that Works Course.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Dr. Enser has been an elementary behavioral disorders teacher at Prairie Learning Center in Olathe, Kansas, for four years. She is also an adjunct professor for MLC for Continuing Education and Graduate Studies and previously served as a first and second grade teacher for nine years at WELS elementary schools.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>References<\/p>\n<p>Riffel, L.A. (2010). Target the behavior, not the student. Behavior Doctor Seminars, pp.37-69. http:\/\/behaviordoctor.org\/?page_id=484<\/p>\n<p>Riffel, L.A. (2013). Writing a behavioral intervention plan based on a functional behavior assessment (5th ed.). Behavior Doctor Seminars. http:\/\/behaviordoctor.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/2014fba2BIP.pdf<\/p>\n<p>Tincani, M. (2011). Preventing challenging behavior in your classroom: positive behavior support and effective classroom management. Prufrock Press Inc. 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