Are You Getting the Behavior You Want in the Classroom?

I was recently in a grocery store and overheard a three-year-old kid ask his mother for a candy bar. The mom’s response was…no, it’s too close to dinner time. What did the kid do? You got it—he started screaming and crying. And what did the mother do? She gave in and let the boy have the candy. After all, everyone was looking and might think she was a bad mother. And what does the kid do the next time he wants something and mom says no?

BEHAVIOR THAT IS REWARDED TENDS TO BE REPEATED!

In my book on Taking Back the Classroom, I discuss steps to set your expectations so that the behavior you get is the behavior you want.

How To Do This?
Decide what classroom policies are necessary in order to establish the classroom culture that you want. Is attendance important to be successful in your class? Do you want your students to arrive on time? Expect them to turn in assignments when due?

Put these policies in writing in your syllabus and communicate these to your students on the first day of class.

Remind your students of your policies the first couple weeks. When a student asks to turn in a paper late, ask him/her...What does the syllabus say? (thus, you're not the "bad" guy, the syllabus is)

Enforce these policies fairly and consistently for the rest of the semester.

According to Jacob Kounin, “how a teacher handles one student’s misbehavior influences the other students who are not misbehaving,” something he termed the “Ripple Effect.” Thus, the rest of the class is looking to see whether you enforce your own policies. In order to Take Back Your Classroom and prevent the Ripple Effect, you need to be proactive in addressing inappropriate or undesired behaviors.