Running head: SPED 505

Unit Two

Classroom Social Norms Tina Macabitas University of La Verne SPED 505 Fall 2012

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 Unit Two: Social Norms I. Create classroom behavior motto and write an analysis Motto: Act with T.A.C.T. As a young girl, my mom always reminded me to have tact when we would leave the house. That was difficult for me to understand as a child, but I agreed and later realized my mom wanted me to behave when I was out in the community. I knew this because when I didnt have tact, she would give me the mean mommy look and/or quickly wacked my behind with her hand. Basically, I learned respect. Showing discernment and knowing when and where to show respect is tact. The teacher is the most significant factor in teacher planning. Discovering the teacher and what he/she is all about is important. It is imperative to feel a sense of mission and believe all students can and will learn. I am driven by my passion to help diverse learners. My personal philosophy of special education assists me in becoming more active in my role as an education specialist. My philosophy of special education involves the three Rs by being respectful, realistic, and resourceful. This belief system has developed over time and has been adapted, modified and molded by my experiences and current learning. I hope to collaborate with educators, parents, and students to promote success for diverse learners by encompassing my philosophy of the three Rs. In addition to the three Rs, I developed a classroom behavior motto to maintain a desired climate and classroom management system that will diminish behaviors and keep students engaged. My motto is Act with T.A.C.T and is developed to foster acceptance and build a community within the classroom. Furthermore, the students will be able to use these skills and generalize them at home and in public.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 II. Identify 3-5 positive behavior support social norms

As my mom had taught me, I would like to teach my students to have tact. Instead of wacking them on their behinds, I would use positive behavior supports to reduce behaviors and maintain a pro-social climate/classroom setting. Social norms are an idea that we have as educators about a behavior or attitude that is expected in our culture and society (P. Taylor, personal communication, September 30, 2012). My goal is to take these expectations out of the classroom and have multiple ways of practicing them in the community. The social norms that I developed are easy for students to remember through the acronym T.A.C.T. as stated in my classroom motto, Act with T.A.C.T.

The social norms T.A.C.T. stands for: 1.

Treat yourself and others with respect. - Fostering acceptance and building a
community is based on respect. Students will learn to believe in themselves and to appreciate others. Respectful people treat others as they want to be treated. They value others. They build up others. They help other people value themselves.

2.

Always do your best! Whether it be tying their shoelaces or doing their

homework, students will learn to make an effort and give 100% in everything they do. This will help them set a good example for others and build self-efficacy.

3.

Cooperate with others by working together peacefully. Teamwork is necessary

in building a community. Students will be able to engage in cooperative learning and show good sportsmanship. This will lead the students to be able to count on one another.

4.

Tell the truth and be honest. Honesty is the best policy. Students will learn to
be trustworthy and reliable. This will help students become good people. Good people do the right thing, even when doing or saying the right thing gets them into trouble or causes them to lose friends, opportunities or money.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 III. Identify and discuss logical, authentic social reinforcements for your norms Positive behavior supports are imperative in maintaining an effective pro-social classroom management system. A reinforcer is any stimuli attached to a behavior that has the affect overtime of maintaining that behavior or increasing it (P. Taylor, personal communication, September 30, 2012). Praise, high fives, and positive attention are some techniques that I will use to enforce positive behaviors and maintain a logical, authentic social reinforcement system. In addition, Universal Design of Learning for positive behavior supports will also assist students through strategies and techniques to increase motivation and build self-esteem. For example, Circle of Courage, Way of Council, and collaborative learning opportunities provide multiple means of engagement for the students. These positive behavior reinforcers will assist in fostering acceptance and building a community within the classroom. After the students acquire and practice these skills in the classroom, they will be able to generalize them in the community. Furthermore, natural acts of gratitude and the internal feeling of satisfaction will encourage students to act appropriately when in public situations. Some of the logical, authentic social reinforcements included in my pro-social classroom management system are:

Social Norms 1.

Logical, Authentic Social Reinforcements Smile Specific Acknowledgement by Name Independent Activity Praise High Five Independent Job Nod of Approval Positive Attention Thumbs Up Independent Job Commendations Pat on the Back

Treat yourself and others with respect. Always do your best! Cooperate with others by working
together peacefully.

2.

3.

4.

Tell the truth and be honest.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 IV. Identify and discuss logical, authentic social punishers for your norms A punisher is any stimuli attached to a behavior that has the affect overtime of decreasing that behavior or eliminating it (P. Taylor, personal communication, September 30, 2012). Students that are unable to comply with the social norms will be immediately discouraged through natural, logical, and authentic social punishers. For example, planned ignoring, proximity control, and antiseptic bouncing will inculcate the students to act appropriately in the classroom and in the community. According to Kauchak and Eggen (2012), You can use indirect clues, which signal intentions without disrupting the flow of the classroom and are used when students are displaying behaviors that cant be ignored but can be stopped or diverted without addressing them directly. (p. 93). When a students behavior begins to be disruptive or distracting, the teacher or staff member moves close to the student while carrying on the activity with the whole group. Generally the adults presence at close range is enough to subdue mild inappropriate behaviors. This strategy is suggested for use in redirecting the student to more appropriate behaviors. Some of the logical, authentic social punishers included in my pro-social classroom management system are:

Social Norms 5.

Logical, Authentic Social Punishers Frown Physical Prompt Un-preferred Special Treatment Specific Comment Proximity Control Verbal Prompt Independent Activity Antiseptic Bouncing Supervised Job Thumbs Down Planned Ignoring Shaking of the Head

Treat yourself and others with respect. Always do your best! Cooperate with others by working
together peacefully.

6.

7.

8.

Tell the truth and be honest.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 V. Create a plan for how you will teach the norms In the beginning of the school year, establishing social norms will facilitate behavior in the classroom and out in the community as well. Social Norms are guidelines or agreements that are meant to inculcate the student with societal values (P. Taylor, personal communication, July 28, 2012). One strategy for teaching pro-social skills to diverse learners is skill streaming designed by Arnold Goldstein (P. Taylor, personal communication, July 28, 2012). The four components of skill streaming are modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and transfer training. In order to develop competence in dealing with interpersonal conflicts and to address metacognitive skills it is important to provide service learning and community engagement. These opportunities will avoid learned helplessness and teach students to respect others. In addition, students will be able to practice and generalize these skills by helping other in the community. For example, promoting bibliotherapy in the classroom fosters acceptance, builds self-esteem, and encourages taking risks. This may lead a student to take a risk by visiting a local convalescent home and reading to the elderly. The four components of skill streaming are:

Skill Streaming Components 1. Modeling 2. Role Playing 3. Performance Feedback 4. Transfer Training

Reasoning Showing the student the correct way to do a skill. Best when modeled by someone similar to the student. (ex. female/female, male/male). Practicing the skill with peers. Students give feedback and ways to improve. Then, teacher provides input to promote rich feedback. The students practice generalizing by going into the world and using that skill. It may also tie into academic understanding.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 The following is a lesson plan that will be used in the beginning of the year to introduce the class motto. It will initiate the scaffolding process of building a pro-social classroom behavior management system. Once the students are aware of acting with tact, they will learn the four social norms that make up the word T.A.C.T. and eventually be able to generalize them in the community. INTO Teacher leads a class discussion about how she expects students to act in and outside of the classroom. Teacher assesses students' prior knowledge by asking: What is respect? Who do you respect? What is the golden rule? What does it mean to be honest? She gives the students an opportunity to answer the questions. After activating prior knowledge, the teacher explains what they will be learning today. State objectives Teacher explains to the class that they will be learning how to Act with T.A.C.T. First, she shows the students a thumb tack and clarifies the difference between tack and tact. This is necessary for our literal and visual learners such as those with Autism and Aspergers. Realia will assist their understanding, also for ELL students. The teacher explains as a general rule, honesty is the best policy. However, the truth is not always pretty, and sometimes blunt honesty can be hurtful. She introduces tact as a new vocabulary word, meaning honesty that could be viewed as criticism but which is carefully worded in consideration of the other persons feelings. In other words, if you are saying something that could upset a person, use tact. Tact, though truthful, is not insulting or rude. The art of tact involves phrasing things to avoid hurt feelings and provide constructive criticism. The teacher will begin to model the process of using tact by using a think aloud approach. Teacher will tell the students different situations and tell them a rude response. But she would give them a more appropriate tactful response that she would use instead. Situation: My friend asks me, Do you like my new coat? Rude Response: No, its ugly! Tactful Response: Its not my style but it looks good on you.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 Situation: My friend asks me, Do you want to go to the mall with me? Rude Response: No, I hate you! Tactful Response: Not today, but how about another time. Teacher tells the students that in each situation, there is the potential for hurt feelings or anger. But by emphasizing the positive, and offering solutions for the negative, you can provide tactfully honest answers that do not offend anyone. THROUGH Teacher gives the students the students the opportunity to role play. She asks the students to partner with their cross desk partners. Then gives each couple a tact situation card. The couples have 5 minutes to coordinate how they want to act it out by using a tactful response. Each couple takes a turn to practice this skill in front of the class. Teacher moves around the class to check for understanding and to clarify any misconceptions. The students have the opportunity to give performance feedback after each couple is done role playing. The students give feedback and ways to improve. Then, the teacher provides input to promote rich feedback. BEYOND Independent practice Teacher passes out a worksheet to the students on tact with all of the situations that they just role played. The students are encouraged to use the same or create new tactful responses to complete the worksheet. Teacher will walk around the classroom to check for understanding of students as they fill out their worksheet. The teacher will display them around the room for the students to view. The students are given an opportunity to use transfer training. At the end of the day, when the students younger buddy class comes for a visit, the teacher encourages her students to look at their worksheets displayed on the walls and to try and use some of those tactful responses with their buddies. She verbally prompts the class to Act with T.A.C.T. The students practice generalizing by using the skill of tact while engaging with their buddies.

VI.

Describe the system you will use to collect data on student behavior The social norms system that I will use in my classroom is of self-management that will

assist learners with self-control. According to Shea and Bauer (2012), Managing ones behavior

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 without external support is a valued goal of education and critical for achieving success in adult life (p. 139). At the end of the day, students will fill out an Act with T.A.C.T. data collection sheet. For each norm, the students will circle either a happy face signifying that they were successful in complying with the social norm, a straight face signifying there was a little difficulty complying with the social norm, or a sad face signifying they were unable to comply with the social norm. When the student has completed the data sheet for that day, he/she will show it to the teacher for a stamp or the teachers initials. It will serve as the students ticket out the door and the student will be able to gather his/her belongings and line up outside the classroom to go home. This type of tool will provide the teacher with rich feedback and will increase awareness for the student of their cognitive processes and knowledge of how behavior influences academic and behavioral outcomes.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 VII. Identify and discuss logical, authentic tangible/social consequences for those learners for whom data indicates something more is needed.

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For the learners that show they need something more from the self-monitoring data sheets, I would use an informal functional analysis. It would indicate the antecedent, behavior and consequence of the students inability to comply with the positive behavior social norms established in the classroom. This analysis would provide the teacher with a narrative clarifying better tangibles that would benefit the student. After figuring out the consequences that are reinforcing the students behavior. Targeted intervention will be initiated beginning in the classroom. Tangible reinforcers such as tokens, chips, or stickers will be applied accompanied by social reinforcers like a smile, praise, or high five. The behavior change process will help the student perform the targeted behavior not for a tangible reward but for the satisfaction of personal achievement. The tangible reinforcers will fade leading to only authentic social reinforcers. The student will then be able to generalize this targeted behavior outside of the classroom. For instance, on the playground and later scaffolding into the community.

Tina Macabitas SPED 505 VIII. Write the key questions I want to cover in my discussion with a colleague. 1. What are your thoughts on transforming classroom rules into social norms in the classroom? 2. Is this something you would implement? 3. What other types of transfer training, service learning, and community engagement strategies would you offer? 4. How else would you provide tangible/social consequences for learners who need something extra? 5. Are there any concerns that you have about this type of pro-social classroom behavior model? IX. Summarize your discussion above and get colleague signature on summary I had the opportunity of discussing my social norms project with a colleague that I am currently working with and have worked with for 4 years. She is not only a colleague, but also my mentor. Sandra Belanger has earned her Special Education Credentials and Masters in Education from the University of La Verne. She is also certified in Autism and Non-Crisis Intervention. Mrs. Belanger works with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional and physical disabilities. With students who have mild or moderate disabilities, she ensures that lessons and teaching strategies are modified to meet the individual needs of her students. After discussing my social norms project with her, I was able to ask her the questions that I had prepared. Her initial response to my first question was a silent pause. She explained that teaching these norms is something she tries to teach on a daily basis during teachable moments in the day, but to plan it out like I have would be a challenge to her. Shes not sure how her administrators on site would react to such a system. It is definitely a new and up-in-coming thought to her. She described herself as old school which I completely agree. That comment

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Tina Macabitas SPED 505 answered my second question of her implementing this in her class. Its tough to get her to change her ways. I asked her if she had any other ideas of transfer training, service learning, or community engagement and to my surprise she mentioned Earth Day. This year she would like to teach the students more about respecting where we live and encouraging them to recycle in the classroom and at home.

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We also discussed logical, authentic tangible/social consequences that she uses in the classroom. She mentioned that many of her students benefit from sensory integration. She uses fidgets, jumping on the trampoline, sitting in the bean bag, weighted vests, and swinging on the swings for the students that need something extra. From my interview with Mrs. Belanger, I learned that not everything always goes according to plan and that I need to remain flexible. Social norms seem like a great idea, but she is concerned that it would change the flow of her classroom and adding another system would be difficult at this point in the school year. She agrees that it would be best if introduced in the beginning of the school year. She also thought my acronym was very clever.

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Tina Macabitas SPED 505 References Kauchak, D., & Eggen, P. (2012). Learning & teaching: research-based methods (6th Ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Shea, T., & Bauer, A. (2012). Behavior management a practical approach for educators (10th Ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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