Behaviorally Active Learners

Janessa Bechard
Saint Marys University of Minnesota
Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs
Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standards Three and Five
EDUW 694 Classroom Environment
Instructor: Catherine Anderson
November 13, 2016

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Wisconsin Teaching Standard #3: Teachers understand that children learn differently. The
teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede
learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with
disabilities and exceptionalities
Knowledge. The teacher understands and can provide adaptations for areas of exceptionality in
learning, including learning disabilities, visual and perceptual difficulties, and special physical or
mental challenges.
Dispositions. The teacher appreciates and values human diversity, shows respect for students
varied talents and perspectives, and is committed to the pursuit of individually configured
excellence.
Performances. The teacher can identify when and how to access appropriate resources to meet the
needs of students with particular talents.

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Wisconsin Teaching Standard #5: Teachers know how to manage a classroom. The teacher
uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning
environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and selfmotivation.
Knowledge. The teacher understands principles and techniques, along with advantages and
limitations, associated with various instructional strategies (e. g. cooperative learning, direct
instruction, discovery learning, whole group discussion, independent study, interdisciplinary
instruction).
Dispositions. The teacher values flexibility and reciprocity in the teaching process as necessary for
adapting instruction to student responses, ideas, and needs.
Performances. The teacher uses multiple teaching and learning strategies to engage students in
active learning opportunities that promote the development of critical thinking, problem solving,
and performance capabilities and that help students assume responsibility for identifying and using
learning resources.

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Danielson Framework for Teaching

Domain 2: The Classroom Environment:
Effective teachers organize their classrooms so that all students can learn. They maximize
instructional time and foster respectful interactions with and among students, ensuring that students
find the classroom a safe place to take intellectual risks. Students themselves make a substantive
contribution to the effective functioning of the class by assisting with classroom procedures,
ensuring effective use of physical space, and supporting the learning of classmates. Students and
teachers work in ways that demonstrate their belief that hard work will result in higher levels of
learning. Student behavior is consistently appropriate, and the teachers handling of infractions is
subtle, preventive, and respectful of students dignity.
Component 2d: Managing Student Behavior:
In order for students to be able to engage deeply with content, the classroom environment must be
orderly; the atmosphere must feel business-like and productive, with- out being authoritarian. In a
productive classroom, standards of conduct are clear to students; they know what they are
permitted to do and what they can expect of their classmates. Even when their behavior is being
corrected, students feel respected; their dignity is not undermined. Skilled teachers regard positive
student behavior not as an end in itself, but as a prerequisite to high levels of engagement in
content.
Element:
Response to Student Misbehavior: Even experienced teachers find that their students occasionally
violate one or another of the agreed upon standards of conduct; how the teacher responds to such
infractions is an important mark of the teachers skill. Accomplished teachers try to understand
why students are conducting themselves in such a manner (are they unsure of the content? are they
trying to impress their friends?) and respond in a way that respects the dignity of the student. The
best responses are those that address misbehavior early in an episode, although doing so is not
always possible.

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Pre-Assessment
Self-Reflection Assessment of Classroom Environment Related to WTS 3&5
I work at Sherman Elementary School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Eau Claire is an urban area
with a population of nearly 70,000. Sherman is a K-5 elementary school located in the north-west
portion of the city. This is my second year of teaching. During my first year of teaching, I team
taught kindergarten. This year, in my kindergarten class, I have fourteen boys and eight girls
between the ages of five and six. I teach all areas of content.
My class is full of many, many varying abilities. Each of my 22 students offers their own
personality and their own abilities. I have some students who receive lunch through the free and
reduced lunch program. I have four students who are English Language Learners (ELL); their first
spoken language is Hmong. I have three students who receive Speech and Language (SL) support
from our school speech pathologist.
I have two students who qualify as needing to receive additional support services within the
Eau Claire Area School District. One of my students is physically impaired. He developed a rare
muscle disorder when he was two years old and he quickly lost muscle ability and became
wheelchair bound. This student has a full time special education assistant with him. The other
student who is receiving special education services, is identified as having Emotional Behavior
Disorder (EBD). His aggressiveness has really impacted the way my classroom environment has
developed in the past month and a half of school. He has a full time special education assistant as
well. I have three students who are receiving Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

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Tier 2 services. Tier 2 services are used for students who need extra behavioral supports beyond
the universal instruction and support.
Even though I have a very tricky group of students, I am very fortunate to have supportive
families of my students. I have many parents who volunteer on a regular basis in our classroom.
Additionally, I have great relationships with many of my families. I established open
communication immediately at the beginning of the school year. I believe by establishing open
communication right away, it helps families to feel trusted and valued in their childs education.
Many of the students in my class have many, many attention seeking behaviors. These types of
behaviors can be very distracting for the other students to learn. Overall, my students work well
together with an exception of about five students whom have a challenging time working with
others.
The majority of my students attended Four-Year Old Kindergarten, while a few students did
not. It is very apparent which students attended 4K and honed their abilities compared to those who
did not attend 4K. Some of my students can only identify the letters in their first name and cannot
produce any sounds while some students can identify all upper and lower case letters in the
alphabet and produce most of the 30 sounds. Our school improvement goal is to have 80% of our
students reach the end of the year benchmark range for the DRA2 (Developmental Reading
Assessment, Volume 2).
Due to the high behavior needs in my classroom, I have three different break spots. In a
typical Kindergarten classroom, there is usually one break spot. In my classroom we are working

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on self-regulation, so the students are able to remove themselves from an activity if they feel their
bodies need a break. Many of my students require fidget devices at the carpet to maintain focus
during large group instruction. I have provided alternative seating throughout my classroom. I have
a bean bag, two folding chairs, many standard table and chairs, one writing center work spot, six
Wobble stools, and one standing table.
In addition to many places for alternative seating, I have provided four lamps in my
classroom. I believe children have an easier time learning when the environment is calm. Using
lamps and natural lighting is much more calming and inviting than ceiling lights. I am very
fortunate to have a large classroom with a one stall bathroom connected. The portion of the school
that I work in was built five years ago with large class sizes in mind. The kindergarten classrooms
are the largest classrooms in the school. I am very fortunate to have a storage closet for all of my
extra materials. This allows me to keep a tidy and organized space for learning for my students. I
believe that my classroom setting is student friendly to all of my students. I have made many
physical accommodations for my student who is in a wheelchair. His power wheelchair is quite
large and requires a lot of space to maneuver throughout the classroom. I have created an
additional area for him to have as his own space when we are at the carpet. With my large windows
in my classroom and lamps, I have created a warm environment that invites students to become
comfortable while learning.
My classroom is equipped with one computer, one projection screen, one microphone unit,
and one document camera. While I have found that all of those technology elements are useful on a

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daily basis, I want to implement more technology that students can use. Due to the fact that I value
technology as a teaching tool, I wrote a grant for four iPads. I was very lucky to receive the grant
money. I now have four iPads in my classroom that are slowly being implemented. The iPads will
be mostly used during the English Language Arts Block for reading enrichment.
My philosophy on classroom environment incorporates Shermans five core values, Be
Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Cooperative, and Be Honest. Our school thrives around
our core values. We are constantly talking about them and relating back to our values throughout
the entire school day. As an early childhood teacher, I provide a warm, nurturing, and enriching
environment. I have established respect and rapport with all students. My students know that they
can trust me and share any and all concerns with me (and they do!). My students are learning to
self-regulate. While they need many, many reminders to stay on task and to keep their hands and
bodies to themselves, some of my students are beginning to regulate their own actions. Students are
learning when it is appropriate for them to use one of the break spots and one of the fidgets
when they feel their body needs it.
As kindergarteners, we work toward all five core values, but really focus on being safe,
being respectful, and being responsible. I hold my students to high expectations- if my students are
not complying, they know that there will be follow through with re-teaching, loss of privilege, and
sometimes parent contact. As I have a very challenging group of students this year, I do my best
each and every day to come with a positive attitude and to be a mentor and example to all of my
young learners.

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In regard to Charlotte Danielsons Domain 2, I have noted some strengths and weaknesses
that I have within the classroom. I find myself working on creating respect and rapport within the
classroom. This happens not only between me and the students, but between the students as well. I
believe that I have created a lot of respectful relationships among many of my students. I think
something that I will always want to work on and become better at is classroom management.
While I truly believe I have some very tricky behaviors in my class this year, I will probably
always have challenging behaviors and I need to increase my toolbox to be better equipped to
handle these situations.
I want to learn more about students who are identified as having emotional behavior
disorders (EBD). I want to learn more about EBD because of the extreme behaviors in my
classroom. Additionally, a student who was not identified as having EBD was admitted to the
special education program this past week in my class. He was on the fast track of SPED referral
and I want to know more about how to focus instruction and classroom management around
students with EBD.
Essential Question to Guide Learning Process and Growth
After reflecting on my students, classroom, the Wisconsin Teaching Standards, and
Danielsons Domains, the essential question that will guide my professional learning and research
is: What strategies can assist in creating a positive learning environment for my students who are
identified as having Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) along with my other high-need
behavior students?

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Synthesis of Research
Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) and the strategies to support these
students are specifically interesting and relevant to me this year as I have a student in my
classroom that was recently identified with EBD. He qualified for the special education department
at the beginning of October 2016. Additionally, I have two other students who are being monitored
and observed routinely as they may eventually qualify for the special education department as
having EBD.
As an educator, I want to know how to best support my students with EBD in the classroom
setting. Something I have been successful with is making connections with my students who have
these concerns and require additional support. I believe by making these connections and
relationships with all of my students, it helps them understand that I am there to support them and
their classroom behavioral challenges.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who are identified as having an
Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) suffer from:
a condition that exhibits one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time
and to a marked degree, that adversely affects a childs educational performance: an inability to
learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors. (IDEA, 2004).
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), there are four key
concepts that have to be addressed in order for a student to be identified as EBD:
(1) the student exhibits social, emotional or behavioral functioning so that it

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departs from generally accepted, age appropriate ethnic or cultural norms that it
adversely affects a child's academic progress, social relationships, personal
adjustment, classroom adjustment, self-care or vocational skills; (2) the behaviors
are severe, chronic, and frequent, occur at school and at least 1 other setting,
and the student exhibits at least 1 of 8 characteristics or patterns of behavior
indicative of EBD; (3) the IEP team used a variety of sources of information
including observations and has reviewed prior, documented interventions; and,
(4) the IEP team did not identify or refuse to identify a student as EBD solely on the
basis of another disability, social maladjustment, adjudicated delinquency, dropout,
chemically dependency, cultural deprivation, familial instability, suspected child
abuse, socio-economic circumstances, or medical or psychiatric diagnostic
statements. (2010).
Many students suffer from the effects of EBD first-hand or second-hand through the actions of
others identified as having EBD. By having these outbursts of emotions, children can be put into
unsafe situations that lead to ejection from the classroom, re-movement from activity, or other
preventative actions.
According to a study conducted between 2005-2011, 3.5% of the surveyed population of
children between the ages of three and seventeen are identified as having behavioral or conduct
problems (CDC, 2016). Children who are identified as having EBD are challenged each and every
day. These children and their support systems need to learn to cope with these behaviors to best

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support the student in need. Some common behaviors that students with EBD exhibit can range
from aggressiveness, hyperactiveness, impulsiveness, and withdrawal from peers.
To support students in the classroom, implementing brain breaks to promote movement in
the classroom can be of benefit. A teacher should have a bag of tricks for brain breaks that
consist of many different varieties that can be used in the classrooms. Including some brain breaks
that have an academic focus, some that have a calming focus (such as visual imagery and
MeMoves) and some that will be energizing, can improve transitions, and keep students engaged
who might otherwise melt down. According to Jensen, Exercise does several things for the brain.
First, it enhances circulation so that individual neurons can get more oxygen and nutrients. Second,
it may spur the production of nerve growth factor, a hormone that enhances brain function. Third,
gross motor repetitive movements can stimulate the production dopamine, a mood-enhancing
neurotransmitter. Finally, when done in sufficient mounts, we know that exercise enhances the
production of new cells in the brain. (2008)
While students who are identified as EBD or who are at-risk can be very challenging to
work with, there are some very useful resources to help these students be successful in the
classroom setting. Implementing the identified strategies to help support challenging behavior in
the classroom is a great place to start.
Throughout extensive research, many important conclusions have been found. In the article,
Off-task behaviors in elementary school children, the study has found that on average 29.3% of
the time, students were engaging in off-task behaviors (Godwin et al., 2016). I find this to be very

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alarming data. That means that students are only on-task and retaining information approximately
two-thirds of the learning time.
As a kindergarten teacher this is very alarming to me. Kindergarten sets a foundation for
future grade levels. This is the time where students are immersed in many basic foundations of
learning. While eliminating all off-task behaviors in the classroom is probably not a feasible
option, there are many different ways to engage students to help decrease off-task behaviors in the
classroom.
There has been a decrease in unexpected and negative behaviors at schools by increasing
the ability of students to self-regulate through interventions and direct instruction. (Reid, Schartz,
& Trout, 2005). The school that I teach in has a very strong Positive Behavioral Supports and
Interventions (PBIS) in place. My school implements Positive Behavior Intervention Supports
(PBIS). PBIS calls for, students to be taught, supported, and surrounded with social-emotional
learning practice at the individual and environmental level. Social-emotional learning focuses on
developing within students the ability to recognize emotions, their own, as well as the emotions of
others, while providing them the skill necessary to communicate this emotional understanding.
(Malow & Austin, 2016). Fortunately, there are many ways to help students learn to incorporate
emotional self-regulation.
We take a very large amount of the first six weeks of a school year teaching expected
behaviors and routines. These expectations are revisited many times throughout a school day by
positively acknowledging these positive behaviors. Interventions have been very successful for
many students with different disabilities and disorders. (Reid, Schartz, & Trout, 2005). Many

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schools have been implementing Zones of Regulation developed by Kupyers into their regular
and special education classrooms (2016). The Zones of Regulation was developed by Leah
Kuypers after much exposure to students in public school settings who were not able to selfregulate their emotions. I had the idea to create the concept of The Zones of Regulation to teach
students to self-regulate their sensory needs as well as their emotions and impulses in order to meet
the demands of the environment and be successful academically, as well as socially. (Kuypers,
2016)
The Zones of Regulation are defined as:
a systematic, cognitive behavior approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the
different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete zones.
The Zones curriculum provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of, and
independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and
improving their ability to problem solve conflicts (Kupyers, 2016). By teaching with these tools, it
helps students self-regulate what zone they currently occupy. The Zones of Regulation helps
students utilize different strategies to help get their behavior into the desired zone, the green
zone. For example, if a student was beginning to feel nervous about an upcoming event, the idea
is that they would be able to identify that they are in the yellow zone. After identifying that their
emotions were in the yellow zone, this student would self-regulate and look for a way to move
into the green zone. The main idea of The Zones of Regulation is to focus on self-regulation.
Self-regulation is an extremely important skill for young learners to master, especially
students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Students who are identified as having an

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Emotional or Behavioral Disability need ways to focus on their own emotions and way to control
their external behavior and reactions. The Zones of Regulation strategies include a visual for
students to use self-regulate their emotions. When students have a clear understanding of the
zones, they are able to identify where their emotions currently are and how to self-regulate to
help move their emotions to a more desired location, the green zone.
Closely related to Zones of Regulation, is the implementation of the Size of the
Problem graphic. Students, specifically those with major behavioral concerns, have a challenging
time differentiating the size of the problem and their reaction (Kuypers, 2016). Many students,
especially young learners have a challenging time matching the problem to the size of reaction.
Many young learners tend to over-react during a problem. Students with EBD seem to have more
of an external reaction that does not match the size of the problem. This is implemented in a
classroom by having visual signs for the students who continue to have a challenging time selfregulating their emotions. These visuals can also be used to guide a student through self-realization
of their emotional, behavioral reaction to a concern.
Additionally, allowing for students to get up and move during lessons is very important,
especially for young learners who are newly exposed to the long, academic school day. By
incorporating movement in the classroom, it has consistently shown to increase physical activity
and contribute to factors that are associated with academic performance. (Grieco et al., 2016).
Students need to learn how to self-regulate their behavior along with be physically active in
the classroom. By incorporating these techniques, students with EBD and other significant
behavioral concerns, will ideally have more academic success in the classroom.

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Professional Implications of Research

Through my research and findings of my essential question that guided my learning of:
What strategies can assist in creating a positive learning environment for my students who are
identified as having Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) along with my other high-need
behavior students? I have developed quick cards for my students who struggle behaviorally in the
classroom.
I wanted to closely relate my language with the Zones of Regulation and Size of the
Problem. I think its important to have common language throughout the classroom, These quick
cards will be available to my students on their PBIS clipboards along with a large poster to refer to
on the classroom wall. To introduce these posters, I will be implementing in them large group. I
think it is incredibly important that my young learners understand the importance of self-regulation
of their own emotions and how to make changes as necessary.
I will be taking all of my findings of incorporating physical movement breaks, Zones of
Regulation, and Size of the Problem into consideration. I want to increase overall student
engagement and provide a positive learning environment for all of my students.

Research-based Action Plan

Action Plan Summary
I will be teaching my class using whole group instruction about Zones of Regulation
(Artifact A) and Size of Problem (Artifact C). By giving this large group instruction, my students

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will be able to begin to regulate their emotions. I will also develop two different visual cards to
help my students identify their emotions, specifically the students with high behavioral concerns
such as my student who is identified as having EBD.
Additionally, I plan on implementing extra movement breaks (Artifact C) in my classroom
especially during the challenging times where there is a plethora of large group instruction (i.e.
math instruction and writing instruction).

Anticipated Implementation
I will be implementing my plan to help my students self-regulate their behaviors by
continuing my conversations with the school counselor, school behavior interventionist, school
principal, and the EBD special education teachers. I will be implementing my two different visuals
that I have created, Size of the Problem and Zones of Regulation. I will be displaying these visuals
on our classroom wall for the entirety of my students in my class. The students who have
significant behavior concerns, including the student who is identified as having Emotional
Behavior Disorder will have easier access to these on their individualized PBIS Tier 2 clipboards
and special education binder.
I will also be implementing many more movement breaks throughout the school day. As
research shows, movement in the classroom can be especially beneficial for students who present
off-task behaviors throughout the day. By using movement breaks, students are able to exert their
energy in a positive and useful way.

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Anticipated Outcomes
My anticipated outcome is that my students with significant behavior concerns, such as my
student who is identified as having EBD and my three students who are receiving PBIS Tier 2
services, will be able to identify their emotions and will be able to self-regulate how to work
through those emotions. I believe that some students will have more success with these
interventions than others. By implementing these changes, Zones of Regulation, Size of Problem,
and more movement breaks, in my classroom, I am hopeful that significant behaviors will
decrease.
Post-assessment: Reflection
What Worked (or anticipate what will work) and Why
1. I anticipate that there will be less significant behavior concerns in my classroom because
my students with needy behaviors will be able to self-regulate their behaviors by identifying the
size of the problem on their visual chart. My young learners will be able to identify their emotions
by looking at the visuals that I have made which will help identify where they are currently feeling
and how they can react appropriately. From my research on Zones of Regulation and the addition
of the Size of Problem lessons, it is highly effective and will positively affect the students in my
class.
2. I anticipate that having additional movement breaks throughout the rigorous and
sedimentary times in the day will increase students on-task behavior. I believe this will work
because according to Jensen, Exercise does several things for the brain. First, it enhances
circulation so that individual neurons can get more oxygen and nutrients. Second, it may spur the

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production of nerve growth factor, a hormone that enhances brain function. Third, gross motor
repetitive movements can stimulate the production dopamine, a mood-enhancing neurotransmitter.
Finally, when done in sufficient mounts, we know that exercise enhances the production of new
cells in the brain. (2008)

What Did Not Work (or anticipate what will not work) and Why
1. I dont believe that all students will have a decrease in behaviors. Some of my students
are just not developmentally ready to be at school and cannot physically control their actions.
These students will require extra time and patience to see results. A couple of my students are
especially young to be in kindergarten and this seems to affect the amount of significant behavior
concerns.
2. While Zones of Regulation is a universal curriculum, this may not work for all of my
behaviorally challenged students. My student with EBD becomes very violent and physically
aggressive very quickly. I think the visuals will be more of a deescalating tool rather than a
preventative tool due to the nature of his behaviors.
My Next Steps
1. I would love to go and see the author of Zones of Regulation, Leah Kuypers, to gain
some additional professional development. At this point, my school does not fully implement the
Zones of Regulation and I believe this could be very beneficial for my colleagues and myself to
learn more about to help our challenging behavior students.

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2. I am very interested in learning more about calming movement breaks such as

MeMoves and different meditation and mindfulness practices. I believe that students need time
to reflect and regenerate in a calming matter as well.

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Artifact A
Zones of Regulation Card: This card was developed for
each child who is on Check-In, Check-Out in my
classroom through the PBIS Tier 2 system to reference as
needed. The students who are receiving the Tier 2 services
need this extra visual to help identify their emotions.

Artifact B
Size of Problem Card: This card was
developed for each child who is on Check-In,
Check-Out in my classroom through the PBIS
Tier 2 system to reference as needed. The
students who are receiving the Tier 2 services
need this extra visual to help identify their
emotions and reactions.

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Artifact C

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References
Children's Mental Health. (2016, June 9). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from
http://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
Godwin, K. E., Almeda, M. V., Seltman, H., Kai, S., Skerbetz, M. D., Baker, R. S., & Fisher, A. V.
(2016). Off-task behavior in elementary school children. Learning and Instruction, 44, 128
143. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.04.003
Grieco, L. A., Jowers, E. M., Errisuriz, V. L., & Bartholomew, J. B. (2016). Physically active vs.
sedentary academic lessons: A dose response study for elementary student time on task.
Preventive Medicine, 89, 98-103. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.05.021
IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2016, from
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%2E8
Jensen, E., & Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-based learning: The new paradigm of teaching.
Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press.
Kuypers, L. (2016). A Framework to foster self-regulation & emotional control. Retrieved
November 6, 2016, from http://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html
Malow, M. S., & Austin, V. L. (2016). Mindfulness for students classified with
emotional/behavioral disorder. Insights into Learning Disabilities, 13(1), 81-94.
Perou R, Bitsko RH, Blumberg SJ, Pastor P, Ghandour RM, Gfroerer JC, Hedden SL, CrosbyAE,
Visser SN, Schieve LA, Parks SE, Hall JE, Brody D, Simile CM, Thompson WW, Baio J,
Avenevoli S, Kogan MD, Huang LN; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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(CDC). Mental health surveillance among children United States, 20052011. MMWR
Suppl. 2013 May 17;62:1-35.
Reid, R., Schartz, M., & Trout, A.L. (2005). Self-regulation interventions for children with
attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Exceptional Children, 71(4), 361-377.
Services for Children with an Emotional Behavioral Disability. (2016). Retrieved
November 13, 2016, from http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/program
/emotional-behavioraldisability

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