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As educators, we're sometimes expected to be part teacher, part counselor and part parent to our students. And, in those three roles, we often do an excellent job.
However, from time to time, a student’s acting-out behavior really stumps us and we are at a loss for what to do next.
Let me show you how the crime science show "CSI" and the old "Columbo" TV series can help us here.
Believe it or not, there's a brilliant teaching secret in those shows.
Just as the popular “CSI” TV series uses a “crime scene investigation” theme to carefully analyze clues in solving mysteries, I recommend a similar “forensic” approach to get to the heart of any problem occurring in your classroom.
Have you ever noticed how objective and non-judgmental the investigators in "CSI" are? Can you see how their unemotional involvement allows them to methodically solve mysteries?
They can do this because they take a step back and look at evidence dispassionately. They don't get all riled up and hysterical. Getting emotional would only cloud their vision.
Same thing with "Columbo." He would solve each mystery with cool detachment while his suspects eventually gave themselves away.
What does this mean for you?
Well, do you realize that if you found a way to "collect evidence" on your students, you could quickly come up with easy, workable solutions that had eluded you before?
I don't mean "collect evidence" in the criminal sense, of course. I'm not talking about spying. But I am talking about documenting certain behaviors and taking note of certain aspects of your difficult students that will give you amazing opportunities to improve things if only you remain open-minded enough to see them.
For example, if you're having problems with a student, ask yourself, "I wonder if there is a solution to be found by finding his or her level and understanding things in his or her world?"
Notice I didn't say, "What can I assign this child?" or, "How can I get this child to do X, Y or Z?"
Before I give you specific instructions on how to do this, let me first tell you a heart-warming story that illustrates my point. It centers on a kindergarten student, but the essential lesson can be applied to students at ALL grade levels.
"Eddie's Story"
Eddie was a big kindergartener. He wasn't heavy-set; he was just stronger and bigger than the other kids. He reminded me of the character "Shrek," and I even gave him that nickname when I found out he liked the sound of it.
Eddie was always in trouble at school. Basically, he had four problems:
1. He was in trouble during circle time on the rug where
he would jostle with other kids.
2. He would not stand up for the "Pledge of Allegiance."
3. He would push the other boys in line.
4. He would fight on the bus.
So I entered Eddie's school environment. Being an outside behavior specialist, I was a stranger to the school, so I immediately surrendered the one-up relationship with every single person on that campus.
I also made sure I was a humble observer who treated everyone with respect. From the bus stop to the cafeteria, I followed the rules and expectations wherever I went.
My reason for taking this approach was simple. I knew the teachers and staff at this school would easily feel threatened that an outsider was coming in to correct a child's behavior they seemingly couldn't handle.
I simply watched Eddie for a few days. I played soccer with him at recess, and pushed him on the swings.
So What Did I Find Out?
After a few days, I realized that his only real problem was that he was just a big, burly five-year-old.
He had problems at carpet time because he did not fit on the carpet, and it was hard for him to sit in that position. So we arranged it so that he could sit in a small chair during carpet time. (We placed the chair at the edge of the rug so that he wouldn’t block anyone’s view.)
For the morning pledge, the teacher aide stood behind his chair and touched his back to quietly encourage him to stand.
While standing in line, he was doing what all the other boys were doing — pushing and shoving — but because he was bigger, all the other boys were falling down like dominoes. So we gave him the job of the "Safety Caboose," and he lined up last while the teacher aide walked next to him.
Here's How I Went Outside the Box . . .
As for Eddie's problems on the bus, I did something truly "outside the box." I got on the bus and rode with the kids myself.
My supervisor thought I was wasting my time, but like the old detective Columbo, I had some good reasons up my sleeve. The bus ride took 47 long minutes.
Here's what I discovered: Eddie would do fine for the first part of the ride, but then he had trouble sitting still.
After riding the bus for about 40 minutes, I looked out the window and I saw that our route had taken us back to our starting point.
I asked the driver, "Excuse me, but is there any way you can pick up Eddie last so that he is only on the bus for last seven minutes?"
She said, "Sure."
Let's take a closer look at
what really happened here . . .
My point in all this is not just that the ideas worked. It's that the ideas were created because I was willing to get down to the student's level and simply WATCH what was going on.
When I was visiting in the classroom, I did what the kids did and listened to everything the teacher said.
I colored. I sang. I followed all the classroom rules. In the cafeteria, I raised my hand to be excused from the table. And I made sure that each staff member knew that I was not the boss.
I was there merely to look at the whole picture, and then provide ideas they could either use or not.
Even though my role as an outside specialist made it easier for me hang in the background and ponder creative solutions, you can perform the same sort of "big picture sleuthing" if you just give yourself a chance.
And I'm not just talking about kindergarten, either.
This sort of detective "lab work" is invaluable at all grade levels.
You will amaze yourself when you immerse yourself in the lives of your students this way.
It allows you to look at your classroom with a cool detachment. When you do this, solutions will appear almost magically.
By the way, this subtle (but powerful) approach works wonders outside the classroom, too . . .
In case you're wondering, things worked out fine for our little Shrek-meister. He began enjoying school more, and it showed on his face. The school staff rallied around his burgeoning efforts.
Sure, he still had his ups and downs, but by getting down to his level it became possible to stop "the blame game," and to work toward easy, common-sense solutions.
After all, a five-year-old is just a five-year-old, and we needed to accept him where he was at and work together for the common good.
So how could you put this approach
to work in YOUR own classroom?
Here is a step-by-step method you can use to implement this strategy.
Let’s say it is a new school year, and the most difficult, complicated child on campus happens to land in your classroom. When that happens, it can feel like everyone around you reacts in one of two ways:
- They look at their shoes and think, "I’m glad I don't have that kid in my class this year!"
- They dole out well-meaning but misguided advice: "You know, what I would do is…."
So, what do you do?
Step No. 1
Become “Colombo” and search for weird but telling clues. If you have read my book, then you will be able to do these three things right away: (1) “Walk and Talk” with the child, (2) look over his Interest Inventory results, and (3) read his in-class journal writings. Those three will tell you where this child is coming from. Be open-minded in looking at all clues, especially those that might seem strange or overlooked. “Be the child” and try to see the world through the child's eyes. That is where I always start.
Step No. 2
Be like Jimmy Olson from the Daily Planet. Explore these 4 W's and the one H, to try to figure out the “BIG W” (Why is he doing this?):
Who. Who is around, or missing, when the behavior occurs?
What. What happened before, during and after the event? Are any of those things affecting the child's behavior?
Where. Where did this happen? Does it happen anywhere else?
When. Is this during lunchtime when he is less supervised? Does this behavior occur after he has been sitting for, say, 22 minutes? Maybe 45 minutes? Look for patterns. Does the behavior change when he is hungry (before lunch) or during certain subjects?
How. Exactly how did it escalate? How did it play itself out? How did it subside?
Remember that these 4 W's and 1 H are all aimed at understanding what is going on inside the child’s environment so that you can adjust his environment.
Step No. 3
Use tally marks on a separate sheet to record behavior.
- Frequency. How often is Joey doing ___?
- Duration. How long is each episode of Joey doing ____?
- Force/intensity. How loud or disruptive is the behavior? How would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 5?
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Note: If you would like a ready-made worksheet that lets you keep track of your students' behavior, you should check out my book, How To Turn Any Disruptive Child Into Your Best Student. The book comes with a 46-page workbook that includes a chapter titled, "Recording Student Misbehavior."
You can read more details about the book by clicking here. |
Step No. 4
Listen to everyone in his world, including his grandparents, counselor, last year’s teacher, friends, family, and anyone else. Who comprises his personal circle of support?
Step No. 5
Be objective about the student’s behaviors of concern and remain open-minded about what to do next. Use the data you have collected to make sure everyone acknowledges that there is a behavior to target. For example, the team can look at the data and say, “It looks like the data collection form shows that Joey is blurting out 27 times an hour after lunch every day. That is unacceptable, and we have to find a way to redirect that behavior now.”
Once you have asked your reporter-type questions, assembled your data, and have listened to input from others, then it’s time to formulate a simple “to-do” plan. Introduce the plan to the team by saying, "After listening to everyone's ideas, lets try this out . . ."
Step No. 6
Try one idea/intervention, record the data, and wait about two weeks before trying a different plan of action. You want to test this first intervention the same way a scientist would. If the first intervention does not work after a couple weeks, try something else.
Why try out just one intervention for a couple weeks? Well, the child might get worse at the start of the intervention, or he may “test the waters” to see if the adults are all on the same page and if they are really serious about their plan. Two weeks of doing the same plan demonstrates you are serious.
That’s it – you now know the basic “secret” of every behavior specialist!
Does this approach take a little work? Yes, but
not as much work as dealing with a kid who’s
out of control for the entire year!
Of course, there are many excellent behavior specialist courses that lead to full certification. However, when a teacher knows and tries the six tips mentioned above, they are going well “above and beyond” the call of duty to reach each child.
Also, by following these six steps, an educator has taken all the negative emotion out of a situation, making it much easier for the team to focus on the actual process of changing the student’s behavior.
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Recommended Resource: 7 Days to
a Perfect Classroom - the DVD
This report series is derived from my 80-minute DVD video. If you found the information in these reports valuable, then you'll want to check out the DVD, which has lots of new information and strategies not contained in this report.
Right now, I'm giving away the DVD free as a bonus if you order my 202-page book, How To Turn Any Disruptive Child Into Your Best Student.
You can read all about the book and video by clicking below.
Click here DVD Special Offer
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Copyright © 2008 by Tom Daly / Smarty Pants Publications
All rights reserved
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