Part II

In part one of this post, I discussed some of the unintended consequences of removing students from the classroom and provided some simple strategies to consider. In this post I will talk about some more function based strategies when removing students from the classroom.

You can run, but you can’t hide!

For students who are attempting to escape work, it is critical that they are required to complete the work at some point. In other words, it is not a good idea to allow the behavior functioning to escape work (e.g. yelling out in class) to be rewarded with actually escaping work. It sounds like common sense, but I see it happen over and over (and over!) again!!! Incidentally, a good strategy here (if they refuse to do work) is withholding access to preferred activities, items, etc. until the work is done. I like to call this a “work out”. Instead of removing the student from a reinforcing environment i.e. a time out, you are simply withholding access to reinforcement from them until the work is completed. Remember, we can’t make somebody do something; however, we often do have control of many environmental factors. Nobody can make you come to work. But, the boss might say in a business-like manner, (no yelling necessary folks!) “If you come to work you get paid, if you don’t, you won’t. I hope you make it in.” The boss is not being coercive here, he or she is just simply setting limits by providing a reminder of the positive naturally occurring consequences for coming to work (i.e. getting paid), and the negative consequences for not coming to work (i.e. not getting paid). Another example related to school might be a high school student who refused to complete work.   Since they typically love social interactions, you might simply state “Johnny, if you turn in your work, you will be able to eat lunch with your peers; however, if you don’t, you will be required eat lunch on the side until your work is completed.” It is best to remove your emotions from these interactions and let your consequences for good and bad behavior work for you.

Party in the front office!

Reducing the reinforcement available to students following classroom removal is a process I refer to as going from the “ditch to the desert”. This is in contrast to schools that I have seen place student(s) in the front office, or as I mentioned early, going from the “ditch to Disney”. Not that the classroom is a ditch, but something occurred in the environment that resulted in the student acting out as a means of getting something, or getting away from something. It is important that their behavior does not allow them access to the “things” they want, allow them escape from the “things” they do not want, or places them in an environment that is more satisfying in any way. This is one reason I recommend that students rarely (if ever) be brought to the lobby in the front office where they are able sit with 3-4 of their good friends and watch all of the interesting people and activities occur. This is highly stimulating! In these cases, boredom is your best friend and it’s a good idea that you acquaint the student with it.

Disney to the Desert

While these posts have been dedicated to reactive procedures for decreasing the future occurrence of misbehavior, I think a reminder is warranted here. Engaging Curriculum and Instruction presented at the students’ skill level is the first and most effective strategy for preventing behaviors. This, paired with consistent positive reinforcement will prevent most maladaptive behavior from occurring. If the student truly feels that the classroom is a “ditch”, it is important to make adjustments (e.g. increase positive attention, differentiate instruction) to increase the reinforcement available (e.g. enjoys interacting with the teacher more, enjoys learning and getting good grades) so that the student does not like being removed from the classroom environment. In an ideal situation, we want students to feel like they are being removed from “Disney to the desert” so that they truly want to be brought back to class. If we are repeatedly removing the students from the perceived “ditch” to a “desert” void of reinforcement, the student will quickly perceive that “school stinks”. When this happens, the biggest reward you can provide a student is out of school suspension. If students are being removed from the class multiple times and you have created an out of class environment using the strategies listed above, a deeper assessment must be made in the class to determine the true function of the behavior, and then adjustments made accordingly. In future posts, I’ll talk about some of the simplest but most critical elements that should be in place in classrooms to bring out the best in students.

While it is extremely important to reduce stimulation, it is equally important to return instructional control back to the teachers following events where students are returned to the classroom. In my next post I will provide some simple strategies to assist with this process.

Paul has successfully supported multiple struggling schools in the turnaround process. As a certificated behavior analyst who concentrates on organizational behavior management and behavioral leadership.