It has been great to see some improvement in behavior since the individualized behavior plan was put into place. I wrote an agreement of what we were working towards and why. When I sat down with the student, I first just talked to him about the targeted behavior. I asked him to think about the impact this has on his learning and others. He understood why improvement was needed and committed to working on it. At the bottom of our behavior contract, I explained how we would keep track of his progress (a checklist for targeted behavior throughout the day). Then, I left a blank for what he would earn for receiving three or more checks each day. We talked together about what would be a fair reward. I felt that this was an important conversation between the two of us, because I wanted to make sure that the student felt ownership in making decisions and was working towards something he valued.
Since it has been in place, he has been making improvements from before the plan was in place. At the end of each day, we look at the checklist and talk about his day. I like that this makes him more self-aware of his behavior and its impact on himself and the class as a whole. I hope that as we move forward with the behavior plan, his behavior continues to improve.
Hey Kristen. I’m glad to hear that things are going well. It’s great that you took the time to sit individually with your case study student to discuss the goals of his behavior improvement. This one-on-one time, I believe, shows students that you, their teacher, truly takes an interest in not only the outward behavior, but in their personal growth. I think personal behavior contracts are a great way to give students a constant reminder of the goals they have set for themselves and their progress toward those goals.
Great post! I hope you have a wonderful spring break!!
By: katiejordan on March 26, 2010
at 6:00 pm
Yay that’s awesome! I’m excited to hear that some of these things that we’ve been learning about in our classes actually do work. I love how clear you were about expectations with him, and how you’re giving him ownership of his behavior so that he can realize that it’s his own actions that determine the outcome and his awards. I also think it’s really good that you talk with him at the end of the day so that he gets some input into what happens, maybe he’ll remember something that you didn’t, and I think it’s important for that to be able to happen.
Good luck!
By: sydneypender on March 28, 2010
at 7:04 pm