Seven Techniques for Solving Classroom Discipline Problems Maureen OKeefe and Marlowe Smaby Cathedral High School

University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth Minnesota !or the last si" years these authors have wor#ed in high schools where administrators continually declare disci$line $roblems are to be handled almost e"clusively inside the classrooms% &t was im$lied that teachers who send students to the office were not 'good( teachers% However no effective behavior modifying methods for classroom use were announced% &t was assumed that teacher education classes had shed some light on this matter% )ut most of these courses did not e"$lore any ways of handling disci$line $roblems% *he $ur$ose of this article is to $resent techni+ues which can be em$loyed when dealing wit classroom management difficulties% )efore identifying these methods there are a few $reliminary considerations% !irst a teacher is only one $erson who influences a student% &f he attem$ts to change behavior while others do not chances of altering the $roblem are $oor ,)lac#man and Silberman -./-0% Some success may be achieved but $robably undesirable behavior will be $erformed elsewhere% *herefore enlisting aid of significant $arents counselors and other teaches is necessary% Sult1bacher and Sherman ,-./20 case studies with adolescents demonstrate the im$ortance of coordination% Secondly a teacher should be sure that malada$tive behavior is also a $roblem to other class members% 3hen determining whether to change a behavior these following +uestions should be answered in the affirmative% Does the $roblem $revent the student and class from learning and4or the teacher from teaching5 &s the behavior harmful to the student or to others5 Does it $revent a student from being acce$ted5 Has the student $erformed this behavior for a long $eriod of time5 Does he do it fre+uently5 &nformation of this ty$e aids the teacher to $lan strategies as well as reasonable e"$ectancies% !inally a s$ecific behavior is often accom$anied by other deviant acts ,6oldiamond -.780% !or e"am$le it is li#ely that student who continually disturbs class by mumbling remar#s may also crum$le $a$er and slam boo#s% &n some cases eliminating mumbling may control other disturbances% &t may also be necessary to eliminate the series of disturbing behavior one at a time% &n the above e"am$le the most disru$tive behavior should be changed first% Positive Reinforcement )%!% S#inner ,-.890 $ro$osed a theory of o$erant conditioning stating behavior is learned through reinforcement% *his means if a $erson does something and then is immediately rewarded he will $robably act the same way more often% !or instance if a student s$ea#s in class and is $raised he will $robably increase his tal#ing% *he $ractice of reinforcing s$ea#ing during discussions is not new but most teachers do not use it systematically% !or e"am$le many teachers become discouraged when they attem$t to conduct class discussions% However if

students are not reinforced for tal#ing even when their answers are not entirely correct discussion $eriods will not be a rewarding e"$erience% :eese ,-.770 identified si" basic ste$s to follow when a$$lying $ositive reinforcement% -% Determine s$ecifically a behavior to be changed% ;% Obtain a baseline of the behavior to be $romoted or decreased% &n other words how often does a student dis$lay an ada$tive or undesirable behavior5 *his is essential to note so any im$rovement or decline can be measured% 9% <rrange the situation so desirable behavior will occur% < teacher cannot reinforce behavior that is not in a students re$ertoire% *his is #nown as sha$ing% =% &dentify $otential reinforcers% *he teacher must determine what will reinforce a child% Most teachers tend to give $raise as reinforcement but not all students res$ond a$$ro$riately% Some will be uncomfortable when $raised ,Korn -.7.0% Others having no history of receiving a$$roval will $robably not res$ond $ositively ,Statts -./20% &n these instances it is necessary to em$loy more concrete reinforcers such as listening to music wor#ing on a $ro>ect o$erating audio-visual e+ui$ment or receiving a $rivilege% <lso to#en reinforcement $rograms can be used% *his is where students earn chi$s to e"change for rewards such as candy brea# $eriods and money% 8% Dis$ense and time reinforcers a$$ro$riately% :ewards must be given immediately after an a$$ro$riate behavior has been $erformed% :einforcement should occur after every desired behavior is $erformed until it is a well established habit% <fterward it is sufficient and necessary to reinforce only a varied number of times ,ratio0 or at varying times ,interval0% &f a behavior is reinforced consistently the reinforcer may lose a$$eal% !or e"am$le if a hungry $erson buys a hotdog and eats it he will find it $leasurable% However after eating nine hotdogs a tenth one would not be rewarding because of being full and sic# of hotdogs% Hotdogs lost their initial reinforcing $ower through over use% 7% Maintain cumulative records of reinforced behavior to determine whether a res$onse strength or fre+uency has increased% ?ositive reinforcement and to#en reinforcement have been advocated by ,Staats -./2@ Orme and ?urnell -./2@ )ec#er et al% -.7/@ Kuy$ers )ec#er and OAeary -./2@ McKen1ie Clar# 3olf Kothera and )enson -./2@ and Sanborn and Schuster -.7.0% Extinction B"tinction occurs when reinforcement of a behavior ceases ,:eese -.770% *his means that a behavior which does not receive a reward will eventually disa$$ear% &f a teacher refused to reinforce undesirable behavior it will $robably diminish% :efusing to reinforce a behavior means ignoring and not calling attention to the ina$$ro$riate action% '<ttention to malada$tive behavior often reinforces a behavior because a student wants attention( ,Cance -.7.0% !or e"am$le a teacher who interru$ts class to correct a student for tal#ing may inadvertently be $roviding reinforcing attention%

*he following characteristics of e"tinction should be notedD &nitially a behavior that was reinforced and suddenly is not may increase in fre+uency and intensity% Bventually however it will subside% !or e"am$le a student is more li#ely to tal# loud and fre+uent in ho$es that $ersistence will eventually gain attention% However if he is not reinforced he will eventually desist ,Sul1er Mayer and Cody -.7E0% Most behavioral changes accom$lished through e"tinction are noted within a $eriod of two wee#s ,)lac#man and Silberman -./-0% < behavior considered e"tinct may rea$$ear later $ossibly within a day wee# or several wee#s% *his is #nown as s$ontaneous recovery% *he behavior will disa$$ear if not reinforced and s$ontaneous recovery will rarely occur a second time% &f a teacher does not reinforce a students undesirable behavior but his classmates do e"tinction will $robably not ta#e $lace% ?eer attention or a$$roval is a $owerful reinforcement% *he teacher needs to devise ways to insure that a students behavior is not reinforced by his friends% B"tinguishing a behavior is most effective when cou$led with $ositive reinforcement for a desired behavior ,Cahoon and 3enrich -./2@ Harris 3olf and )aer -.7=0% Contingency Management Contingency management was founded by ?remac# ,-.8.0% &t $ro$oses that a highly desirable res$onse can reinforce a res$onse that is less desirable% !or e"am$le a student is allowed to $lay a game of his choice de$endent u$on remaining at his des# for a half-hour% *he desirable activity follows $erformance of an undesirable one% *hus the undesirable ac+uires characteristics of the desirable% <lthough most cases concerning contingency management illustrate effectiveness in im$roving academics it can also be used successfully in controlling malada$tive behavior ,Homme -./2@ )arrish Saunders and 3olf -.7.0% <ddison and Homme ,-.770 devised a reinforcing event menu which $rovides hints for identifying high $riority activities of students% *eachers can also observe students to discover activities that are highly rewarding as well as have students suggest activities they en>oy% Negative Practice Short of $unishment negative $ractice is $robably the +uic#est way to eliminate undesirable behavior% Fegative $ractice involves eliciting a students res$onse over and over until there is no desire to $roduce it again% <ccording to 6uthrie ,-.8;0 the organism >ust becomes fatigued% !or e"am$le $erha$s a student has been whistling during class discussions four to five times for three consecutive days% <t first it was thought the student might not be cogni1ant of whistling but in+uiries clearly indicate his awareness% <fter this the student was re+uired to remain after class and instructed to whistle for fifteen minutes% *oward the end of this time $eriod he could barely whistle and had no desire to continue% *he whistling did not occur again% &n many situations negative $ractice is not recommended es$ecially if re$etition would be harmful% !or instance if a student slammed his fist on a des# it would harm him to do this re$eatedly% Fegative $ractice must not be the main communication vehicle between a student

and teacher% <s with e"tinction it is most effective when cou$led with models e"hibiting desirable behavior followed by reinforcement% Pairing ?airing consists of $lacing two students together so that one who demonstrates desirable behavior will influence another who e"hibits undesirable behavior% *his is a form of modeling ,)andura -.780% &n other words a student learns to $roduce ada$tive res$onses through observing others being reinforced for a $articular behavior% 3hen imitation occurs it should be immediately reinforced% *eachers must be careful when selecting model students% *he model must e"hibit strong and consistent $atterns of desirable behavior@ otherwise effects of $aring may wor# in reverse es$ecially if reinforced by $eers% Punishment 3hen teachers $unish they either administer aversive condition ,a$$ly negative reinforcement $unishment0 or ta#e away a $rivilege or ob>ect ,withdrawal $ositive reinforcement0 ,S#inner -.890% Many teachers em$loy negative reinforcement $unishment $rocedures which can be effective if $ro$ortionate consistent and reasonable% However results are often tem$orary because no new desirable behavior is learned% &n addition a different undesirable behavior may arise% !or e"am$le if a student is re$rimanded for running in the hall he may +uit tem$orarily% &f not $ositively reinforced for wal#ing his running will $robably reoccur% <t the same time he may learn not to run only when the teacher who re$rimanded him is $resent% <nother $ossibility is avoiding the directing teacher% *hus outcomes of negative reinforcement $unishment can result in many accom$anying behaviors which are difficult to $redict and control% ?unishment should be used as the last resort after other methods have been tried with no results% Fegative reinforcement $unishment is an acce$table disci$lining $rocedure when a behavior would result in immediate in>ury% 3hen used it should be followed by an e"$lanation of desired behavior% &f this $ro$er behavior is $roduced immediate reinforcement should follow% Keirsey ,-.7.0 stated '$enalty methods often change feelings but restriction methods often change relevant behaviors%( *his statement differentiates between scolding and removal from class% 3ithdrawal is a more effective method but still is a form of $unishment% Time out and Systematic Exclusion *ime out and systematic e"clusion are based u$on withdrawal of reinforcement% *hey involve removing a student who misbehaves for a s$ecified time $eriod% *hen the student is $ermitted to re-enter the classroom% &f he misbehaves again he is removed and so on% *ime out and systematic e"clusion have the following $oints in commonD -% ;% 9% =% ?resum$tion a student would rather be in the classroom% S$ecified behaviors are indicated which result in removal% <n isolated area is available for restricted student% ?erformance of a malada$tive behavior results in immediate $lacement in an isolated area%

8% B"clusion for a s$ecific time $eriod is the only conse+uence% &t is not accom$anied by scolding and disa$$ointment% 7% <bsence of highly rewarding activities in the secluded area is essential% !or e"am$le the room should not have *C cards and games% However some maga1ines boo#s and other neutral activities might be a$$ro$riate% Students should not be de$rived of regular school brea# $eriods lunch or assemblies% *ime out $rocedures used by Sul1er Mayer and Cody ,-.7E0 are usually conducted within the building% *he student is $laced in a 'time out room( for ten to fifteen minutes% *he teacher directs him to the room% &n some cases the student may decide to go u$on his own volition if he thin#s he might be on the verge of misbehavior% &f a se$arate room is not available a screened off corner of a classroom or area in the hall may be used% *he success of time out with adolescents is $resented by *yler ,-.780% Systematic e"clusion is a method devised by Keirsey ,-.7.0 to modify the behavior of an habitual offender% &t involves sending a student home for the day immediately following a $re-s$ecified behavior% *he student returns to school the following day without receiving recrimination% <t home a coo$erative and instructed $arent must be $resent to insure $ro$er isolation and $resence of only 'neutral( activities% Since systematic e"clusion many times involves a student teachers $rinci$al and a counselor a written contract must be used to indicate e"act res$onsibilities and what will ha$$en if these do not materiali1e ,Keirsey -.7.0% Details regarding behavioral contracts are $resented below% Behavioral Contract < contract is a written agreement% < behavioral contract demands certain e"$ectations of each $erson and assumes signers desire a s$ecified behavior from each other% *herefore each individuals actions reinforce another% &f a contract member does not fulfill his res$onsibilities he does not receive a behavior he wants ,withdrawal of $ositive reinforcement0% )ehavioral contracts can be used between teacher and student teacher and student grou$s and student and student% Dinoff and :ic#ard ,-.7.0 $resent these re+uirements for behavioral contracts% B"$ectations must be clearly defined and understood% *he terms must be fair% Fo member should feel that he is not getting as much as another% &f a student agrees to remain in his seat during class and the teacher only agrees to $raise him the terms of the contract may not be fair% *he student might consider running errands more e+uitable reinforcement% *he contract must contain a mutually agreed u$on goal% !or e"am$le maybe getting through a class $eriod without a confrontation would be the chief aim. &t must seem reasonable and $ossible for each $arty% &t should not be determined until the $arties agree it has been fulfilled%

< si"th re+uirement should be added% &f a student e"$ects a teacher to sto$ ma#ing statements which ma#e fun of him resuming verbal degradation even if he brea#s the contract is not wise% Care must be ta#en to insure that brea#ing a contract does not result in an aversive condition% !or e"am$le translating tal#ing out of turn to being +uiet@ and receiving a scolding to getting a ten minute recreation $eriod would result in a $ositive climate% *he situation would be reversed from getting nothing or being $unished to withdrawal of reward or receiving one% Hence withdrawal of a $ositive reinforcer would occur instead of an un$leasant event from the teacher if the contract was bro#en% )esides clearly defining e"$ectations the student and teacher must negotiate contract terms together% *his binds both of them to the agreement% *hus a student is $artially res$onsible for the conse+uences of his own behavior% <ccurate recording of behavior is an im$ortant as$ect of behavior modification because it can be determined if any $rogress is being made% &f not methods must be changed% *he reader is referred to )lac#man and Silberman ,-./-0 for a variety of detailed recording instruments and methods% < careful review of the literature resulted in identifying $ositive reinforcement e"tinction contingency management negative $ractice $airing time out and systematic e"clusion and behavior contracts as fruitful disci$linary techni+ues for high school teachers% &n general rewarding ada$tive res$onses that re$laces deviant behaviors were favored% *he first three techni+ues e"clusively utili1e reinforcement% *he latter four included rewards but also have elements of withdrawal of reinforcement which is a lighter form of $unishment% Direct negative $unishment is recommended in severe emergency situations% 3ithin each of the seven disci$line techni+ues learning $rinci$les case illustrations and recent a$$lications by researchers were enumerated% &n general the literature indicates that these disci$line actions have been used successfully% However behavior modification can only be effective if other $ositive interactions between students and teachers are $revalent% &n our e"$eriences a brief e"$osure to the aforementioned techni+ues results in teachers being able to utili1e them to their advantage% :ecently at a local high school one in-service meeting was used to encourage teachers to a$$ly for these techni+ues instead of the usual negative $unishment $rocedures% Since then over one-half of the teachers have utili1ed at least one of these seven techni+ues% *he ma>ority indicated they want more bac#ground e"am$les and in-service training in behavior modification% &n addition a reduction of crisis intervention measures ta#en by the school administrators was noted%