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EDUCATION 380-3 ?

cr3.00)

SPECIAL TOPIC:

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT 114 THE REGULAR CLASSROOM: SECONDARY

Summer Session, 1991

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Instructor: Jack Scott

(July 15-24)

Monday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Location: Jericho Hill School

4125 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver

PREREQUISITE:

Educ 401/402 or equivalent and certified practising teacher.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to provide the regular teacher at the secondary level with a

broad array of practical strategies for managing student behavior. The course will

begin with an overview of the characteristics of disordered students and major service

provision issues. A model for assessing the effectiveness of interventions or

accommodations will be provided. Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral strategies for

promoting academic success are featured. Additionally, the psychodynamic,

counselling, ecological, and biophysical behavior management strategies most likely

to be of benefit to regular classroom teachers will be examined.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of this course is to provide regular classroom teachers at the

secondary level with an expanded array of behavior management strategies and with

a set of monitoring-measurement tools and a philosophical justification for the use of

these tools so that each teacher may be able to assess the effectiveness of their teaching

methodology. The course will proceed from an essentially behavior analytic

prospective. Within this framework it is maintained that the probability of the

occurrence of a given behavior is largely determined by the consequence of that

behavior when considered within the context of the individual's genetic endowment

and past history of reinforcement (Skinner, 1953, 1966). The search for etiologies

becomes relatively unimportant when planning instructional and therapeutic

interventions from this prospective (Walker, 1979). Rather, careful direct, sensitive,

and repeated measurement of precisely defined behaviors coupled with on-going

analysis of intervention effectiveness assumes paramount importance (Baer, Wolf, &

Risely, 1968; Johnston & Pennypacker, 1980; Tawney & Gast, 1984). James M.

Kauffman, the foremost student of childhood behavior disorders has perhaps most

persuasively stated the importance of such measurement in relation to the provision

of effective services for disordered children and youth:

The teaching profession is dedicated to changing behavior demonstrably

for the better. What can one say, then, of educational practice that does not

include precise definitional and reliable measurement of the behavior

change induced by the teacher's methodology?

It is indefensible.

Measurement need not be sophisticated to be extremely valuable.

(p.

400)

The course rests additionally, on other foundations without, I feel, any essential

contradiction. Teachers, due to training, experience, religious or cultural practices

and beliefs, and current professional expectations, are likely to have inclinations

toward some types of interventions and disinclinations toward other techniques or

models of behavior management. Some behavior management strategies "fit" more

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easily within a teacher's teaching style than others. A clear focus on the

responsibilities of the teacher to put forth their best effort to accommodate each special

student must, however, be maintained. The wide array of techniques available to

teachers, variations in teacher style and technique preference, and the responsibility of

teachers to accommodate special needs students significantly increase rather than

decrease the need for a set of simple, teacher implementable procedures to guide

judgment about the effectiveness of supportive efforts. Accordingly, the widest range

of techniques will be considered and specific techniques for applying the basic

elements of the behavioral evaluation model will be presented and discussed. Among

the techniques to be considered will be: life space interviewing (Redi, 1949), level

systems (Bauer & Shea, 1988), reality therapy (Glasser, 1965), the self-control

curriculum (Morse, 21979), cognitive rehearsal strategies (Camp & Bash, 1981),

therapeutic environmental programming (Loughmiller, 1965), classroom structuring

(Paine, et al., 1983), dietary management (Feingold, 1975), and drug therapy (Kavale,

1982; Kohn, 1989).

REQUIRED TEXT

Walker, J.E., & Shea, T.M. (1991).

Behavior management: A practical approach for

educators

(5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Read Walker & Shea, 1991.

2.

Read, at minimum:

Bauer and Shea, 1988

Deno, 1985

Kauffman, 1989 (chapters 1 and 2 provide an overview of behavioral disorders.

To be put on reserve and/or duplicated if permission to copy is obtained.)

Kavale, 1982

Kohn, 1989

3.

Abstract three articles. Student selection of articles, based on interest, current

classroom responsibilities, and professional expectation, is anticipated. The three

articles may come from either the readings list or comparable articles from

refereed journals. (15%)

4.

Complete Pre-Institute reading assignment and classroom problem observation

form.

5.

Complete class assignments on targeting behavior, demonstration of competence

on teacher-usable observation systems, plotting of sample behavioral and academic

data, and demonstrate basic ability to analyze sample performance data presented

in a graphic format. Also complete a practice (no actual observation or application

of interventions) behavior monitoring program for the purpose of improving a

selected student behavior or academic task with participant choice as to the nature

of the intervention or strategy. The interventions may be selected from the broadest

range of techniques featured in the educational and psychological literature for the

management of student behavior (15%)

6.

Attend class and take an active part in class discussions and workshop activities.

(10%)

7.

Prepare for daily quizzes on assigned readings. (20%)

8.

Complete a comprehensive final examination. (40%)