Behavior System

Behavior. You either love it or hate it. There is no in between. What's even harder is finding and managing a successful behavior system that is feasible for you to implement and meets the needs of your diverse student behaviors. STRESSFUL. I get it.

In order to help alleviate some stress, let's talk about what I do to create a positive, behavior system in my classroom that is concrete, incentivizing and feasible for all levels of behavioral needs.

I have a combination of 3 types of incentives in my classroom based on duration: short term rewards, medium rewards and long term rewards. This system has fit the diverse needs of length/duration of reinforcement and encourages students ability to not need as much reinforcement as they continue to show more positive behaviors and experience more success.

Here is a breakdown of the VARIOUS levels of reinforcement in my classroom that I use. Noted: not every students reinforcement system looks the same. Some students have more reinforcement and some have less. Students with IEPs have 'individualized' plans and i'm a firm believer that an individualized plan does not mean a 'one size fits all' approach to behavior. Students all have different needs that need met in different ways. I'll break down the various levels and duration of the reinforcement types.

Short term (reinforced every 2-15 minutes):

1. Bulldog Bucks: This reinforcement system is used by everyone in the classroom! I have everyone's name on the board. As students show positive behaviors I will verbally praise "(insert student's name) gets a bulldog buck for following directions." I have found as certain students are verbally praised, other students begin to take notice to what that student is doing and engage in more positive behaviors to get that desired praise. I LOVE this system because depending on the day or the intensity of behaviors I can increase or decrease the bucks given to meet the needs of all of my students. Students have two options with their bulldog bucks: redeem for 5 minutes of extra technology time at any time (5 bucks for 5 minutes) or save up for the school store at the end of the week. This is my favorite reinforcement system and the most effective for overall classroom management. Kids love the positive, verbal praise teachers give when they see desirable behaviors.

2. Token Board/Puzzle Board/Behavior Specific Rewards: This reinforcement system is not used by everyone in the classroom. This is specifically used for students who need more positive reinforcement or behavior specific contingencies for behavior. Many of my students use these types of boards to focus on work engagement, safe body, following directions or any other target behavior we are working on. I always let students design their own boards and I put visually supported directions or a 'mini-social story' so students know exactly how they can obtain the reinforcement. I do a reinforcement survey and the student and I develop a series of reinforcements they could put on their board. I often, also write on the back of the board directions for staff. Directions can include how often a student can earn a token/piece, what behaviors they need to show to get a token/piece, how often they need reinforced and the length of their reward time.

Here are different token boards and my Bulldogs buck visual that I can just pick up and use at any time!

Medium (Half day/Full day reinforcement):

1. Morning/Afternoon rewards: This reinforcement system is not used by everyone in the classroom. Often, if I have a student who really struggles with the concept of once they engage in negative behavior they continue to engage in that behavior for an extended period of time we implement half day rewards. A set of 2 different rewards can often mean maybe a student had a bad morning, but they still have a chance to turn around their afternoon and get their afternoon reward. I find this type of reinforcement so positive to stop prolonged, negative behavior and create a sense of a 'new start' for a student.

2. Choice Time: This reinforcement system is used by everyone in the classroom. This is based off students getting on the colors of purple or green on their behavior chart. The colors correlate with earning a specific number of smiles on their behavior chart (my behavior chart system is a whole other post in itself). Choice time consists of free play at the end of the day or reflective talks with the teacher and developing a 'plan' to have a better day tomorrow if the student did not earn choice time. This is THE biggest motivator and what we reference all day to encourage positive behaviors.

3. Daily Competitions: During times where we had really struggled as a whole group with target behaviors (kindness, transitions, etc), I have utilized a daily reward system for choice time. Often students will get tallies for positive behaviors that encompass the target behavior and teachers will get tallies for negative behaviors. If the students 'win', we do an extra special reward during choice time. This could include painting, going outside on the playground, going down to the gym, etc. I loved doing these daily competitions as my classroom became more challenging and students became 'bored' with the typical choice time routine.

Long Term (weekly reinforcement):

1. School Store: Every Friday we open up our school store! This is a time for students to 'shop' just like an economy system by utilizing their bulldog bucks they have saved for the week. We stock our school store with small prizes at varying price levels or number of bulldog bucks! It's so great to see as the year progresses, how many students engage in more behaviors of saving their bulldog bucks as opposed to spending them as short term reinforcers.

Is there any one right way to positively reinforce students? Absolutely not. This is a system that I have developed, redeveloped and redeveloped again over the years. I think the most critical things to consider when developing your own classroom reinforcement system for your special education setting is ensuring you are meeting the needs of IEPs and the appropriate amount of reinforcement to create a positive and motivating classroom culture.