And now it’s time…to say goodbye…(See what I did there with the Disney Theme??)

 Image credit: Disney

To wrap up my 3 previous posts on the topic, here is the simple procedure for returning instructional control back to the teacher following removal for misbehavior

1. The teacher should welcome the student who is returning to class. I’m not saying roll out the red carpet here. Just a quiet “thank you for returning to class” will do. The teacher or classroom staff should not lecture the student in any way.
2. If a student is refusing to complete a task or activity prior to removal, the student should be directed by the teacher (in a “business-like” manner) to the original task or activity that preceded removal. It is critical that:

• The teacher, not the administrator or returning staff member provides the direction. The student’s compliance with the teacher’s directive is key to ensuring that the student is initially back under the teacher’s instructional control.
• If the student was refusing to complete a task prior to removal, directing the student to that task should be amongst the first directions provided. For example, “Johnny, please take out your math assignment from earlier and complete problems 5-15.” While the student may have delayed following directions or completing the task, ultimately compliance eventually occurs.
• Once the student has completed this task (or at least a portion), the teacher should provide low level praise to the student for following the direction and then orient the student to the class activity.

3. When it is appropriate, the teacher should inform the student of a time that he or she will sit down with the student and “talk about it”. At that time the teacher should review the Action Plan with the student. It is important that this conversation occur in a supportive manner. For example, the teacher might say “Johnny, you typically do so well, I was surprised when you…how are we going to manage this situation in the future?” A non-example might be “Johnny, I’m tired of your behavior and I’m not going to take it any more.” This positive example is by far a superior way to strengthen the relationship between the student and teacher while problem solving in a way that decreases the likelihood that the misbehavior will occur again the future. In addition, this type of interaction sets the occasion for creating simple goals that can be pre-corrected prior to occasions that the behavior might occur (e.g. “Johnny, we are about to begin math…remember what you will do if you become frustrated.”) and then reinforced as they are successful. Weekly follow ups for about a month to assess progress towards the goal(s) provides a nice was to assess and then fade the intervention.

A final (and important) thought

One last thought I must reiterate as I end this 4 part series regarding student removal. Removing a student from class should be seen as a last resort, and typically only for behaviors that are dangerous or considered continuous high magnitude disruption. Removing the student from class is fraught with all sorts of perils that I’ve mentioned in my previous posts. The biggest is that the student is missing out on instruction and learning opportunities within the classroom. In my opinion, low magnitude behaviors like a student calling out a few times or sleeping does typically not justify removal. I’m not saying that it should not receive a consequence…but the consequence should be pre-planned and based on the magnitude and function of the behavior.   I’ll post an article on our resource page on simple but effective function based strategies for correcting misbehavior within the classroom in a way that empowers the teacher but decreases the need for student removal.

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, Paul provides administrative teams, teachers, and staff with coaching and consultation in analyzing and developing behavior and performance management systems directly aligned with student achievement. Contact Paul at gavonip@hotmail.com