Challenging Behavior And Its Effect On Children 's Behavior

Challenging inappropriate behaviour posed by children nowadays is one of the most daunting issued faced by teachers. Few matters affect teachers more directly and persistently than managing classroom behaviour (Jim Docking, 2000). Being able to manage a classroom I found is one of the most fundamental aspects in being able to teach today. Through this critique I will investigate the different studies relating to behaviour management within a classroom, looking pacifically at several behavioural issues within a classroom and where they stem from, as well as looking into studies based on the praise system and how it is used in schools. I want to look at fundamental theorists and give a brief insight into their studies through my own experience and research I have looked into.

Following the introduction of the whole school behaviour policy, it was also made compulsory for schools to include a system of rewards and sanctions (Elton, 1989, Steer, 2005; DFE, 2014; Payne, 2015). Within school X it was found that this system was based on the behaviourist principles of Skinners (1974) theory. The use of rewards and sanctions in school X consisted of positively reinforcing desirable behaviours and correcting negative behaviour through sanctions. The behavioural theory underlines that by reinforcing a particular behaviour, children will repeat it as they begin to associate rewards with a particular behaviour (Skinner, 1974; Morgan, 2009; Rogers, 2011a). For example it was observed that when a child was positively praised for helping others, the teacher would reward the child by awarding a dojo. A dojo is used as a form of praise which amounts to a score at the end of the week based on how many dojos a child receives. This will then feed on to the merit card and sticker system enabling children to be rewarded by prizes. Consequently children were able to make associations between the desired behaviour and its outcome. This is therefore identified as a form of extrinsic motivation (Roffey and O’ Reirdan, 2001; Payne, 2015).

When a child is demonstrating challenging behaviours is invited to sit near by a caregiver to express their feelings.

My teachers in lower grades used punishments more than rewards to influence my behaviors. Starting from kindergarten the punishment system was introduced to me. Whenever I misbehaved, I had to move the clothespin with my name on it, up the next paper plate which symbolized a higher tier of punishment. The three levels were green, yellow, and red. The first tier, green, symbolized freedom to play during recess, the second tier, yellow, symbolized a penalty of time that had to be sat on a bench, and the final tier, red, symbolized a trip to the principal’s office. The fear of having to go see the principal or having to sit on the bench for a period of time was my motivation to not misbehave.

Skinner believed that behaviour is shaped and maintained by a reinforcing stimulus and that schedules of reinforcement are important factors in the learning process. There are many situations in the classroom where a behaviourist approach is likely to work well. For example, when I teach, I have started to pick out students who are making the right choices throughout the lesson. I call attention to the student who is doing the right thing and use verbal praise, which is quite an effective way to let other students realise what the expected learning behaviour is. The Year 6 students in the class are aware of the school’s reward system; ten credits lead to one merit, which is recorded in their merit book. They are also aware that bad behaviour in the class or on the playground will be followed by negative consequences. To warn against unwanted behaviour, I have seen teachers use negative reinforcers such as verbal warnings, timeouts and losing privileges.

Disruptive behavior in schools has been a source of concern for school systems for several years. Indeed, the single most common request for assistance from teachers is related to behavior and classroom management. Classrooms with frequent disruptive behaviors have less academic engaged time, and the students in disruptive classrooms tend to have lower grades and do poorer on standardized tests. Furthermore, attempts to control disruptive behaviors cost considerable teacher time at the expense of academic instruction. School discipline issues such as disruptive behavior and violence also have an increased effect on teacher stress and burnout (Smith & Smith, 2006). There is a significant body of research attesting to the fact that classroom organization and behavior management competencies significantly influence the persistence of new teachers in their teaching careers (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003). New teachers typically express concerns about effective means to handle disruptive behavior (Browers & Tomic, 2000). Teachers who have significant problems with behavior management and classroom discipline often report high levels of stress and symptoms of burnout and are frequently ineffective (Berliner, 1986; Browers & Tomic, 2000; Espin & Yell, 1994). The ability of teachers to organize classrooms and manage the behavior of their students is critical to achieving both positive educational outcomes for students and teacher

The term challenging behaviour is not about the student doing something ‘wrong’ it is more to do with the fact that some behaviours are a challenge to professionals, teachers, and parents, behaviour is seen as challenging if it causes harm to the person or others, or if it stops them fulfilling some aspect of their lives (Scopeorguk, 2016). Chandler and Dahlquist (2015) define challenging behaviour as behaviour that interferes with the learning of the student or other individuals, hinders positive social interactions and relationships and can harm the student or others such as peers, adults or family members. Therefore challenging behaviour in an education setting can be defined as behaviour

Behavoural problems amongst students, appears to be an ongoing issue faced by many classroom teachers, which creates significant barriers to academic and social success. This essay will outline some of the factors that underpin the focus child’s challenging behavours and will discuss how a functional approach may be utlised to effectively address and manage these behaviours.

On casual days, I have found that being able to manage challenging behaviour is fundamental in the operating of the classroom. AITSL states that teacher need to “Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.” (AITSL) It is crucial to a smooth day to ensure that there are sound strategies in place to ensure the behavior of students is managed.

Consequential strategies should outline how other people respond to replacement skills and continued challenging behaviors (Buschbacher, 2003). Rewards for appropriate behavior should outnumber rewards for challenging behaviors in order for no maintenance of challenging behaviors to continue (Buschbacher, 2003). The support plan should continually be assessed to ensure its continued “fit” for the individual client. Cultural personal, and structural values should be considered. Outcome measures should include decreased challenging behaviors, increased targeted skills, and changes in the child’s social and behavioral competence (Buschbacher, 2003).

Creating a plan that supports positive classroom behaviours requires consideration of numerous factors. In each classroom, there are a range of students with different needs and learning abilities. This fact makes it difficult to develop a straightforward answer to an effective positive classroom behaviour plan. However, I will implement my knowledge of behaviour management models and how it will impact my professional practices. Policies have a significant effect on the direction of my theories, such as the AITSL (2011) standard 4.3, which requires teachers to ‘manage challenging behaviour’. My ideas on how I could create positive classroom behaviours includes creating a safe environment for students, developing relationships with your students

As an educator, we come across many behaviors in the classroom.We do not know necessarily where they stem from but we have the tools and/or resources to discover the causes of these challenging behaviors. During my fieldwork and through my assessments I was able to identify disruptive behavior from my target student. This essay will analyze the perspective of researchers on the;

According to Ormrod (2016), reinforcement is the act of following a response with a reinforcer, wherein, the reinforcer is a stimulus or event that increase the frequency of a response. Reinforcement is extremely important when raising or teaching children. Reinforcement can be positive or negative. Reinforcement can also interfere with learning and performances in some behaviors. However, according to Ormrod despite concerns reinforcement and punishments can be effective in bringing about desired changes in behaviors (2016). In the textbook, one suggestion of reinforcement to increase desirable behavior in the classroom is fostering the ability to delay gratification. “Delay gratification is, to forgo immediate pleasures to earn more satisfying

Behaviourism explains behaviour in terms of reinforcements. The antecedents of the behaviour and its consequences are relevant and need to be considered (Graham, 2007). This is normally achieved by undertaking ABC analyses of the situation over time (Beckett, 2002).

I believe most challenging behaviors serve a function, those that do not are typically present because the student is unable to control his or her actions due to their disability or diagnosis. Even students who act out because they lack the skills to communicate what they need are serving a function by ultimately having their needs met even if it is through less than desirable means. In my experience, there have been several instances where a child's behavior served a function. At the kindergarten level, gaining attention was a major motivator for my challenging students. The attention could be positive or negative as long as he or she was the focus of it. Additionally, not knowing exactly how to communicate frustration or confusion over