Individual Plan

We have one third grade boy who has trouble regulating his behavior. After trying a behavior contract, and logical consequences were tried and eventually proved ineffective we are trying something new!
Our principle used this new method with her own child when he was in school.
The student has a behavior report everyday with numbers one through four, one being low and four high. When implementing this plan we met with the student and parents and agreed on consequences for every number. If the student fails to show his parents the form, or "loses" it, that counts as an automatic 'one.'

For this particular student, 'three' = not going out on the playground after school, but going straight home, 'two' = no hat to school/no video games, and 'one' = dad picks out clothes, or dinner and all after school time spent in bedroom.

This number is earned over the whole day, if he goes down to a low number he has the ability to bring it back up as the day progresses. Specials and social time count as well. At the end of the day he checks in with teachers and then gets signatures from his classroom teacher and the principal.

So far this system is having positive results. Time will tell if this motivation holds!

New Behavior Modification Ideas.... and Enticements!

In our 2/3rd grade class of ten we have recently implemented a new experiment to encourage appropriate behavior.
Each student has an index card at their seat on which we place a sticker when we notice the student exhibiting great behavior. What usually qualifies as sticker behavior is a student working especially hard at something that is difficult for them, for instance sitting still in circle, or pushing through a tough math assignment. When the student has earned twenty stickers we have a short ceremony at closing circle, and the student chooses a small prize from our box of stuff (slinkies, sunglasses, bracelets etc).

There is also a group incentive. If the entire class does well; a good report from a specials teacher, an especially focused work period, then our class' Mr Potatohead earns a body part. 

When Mr Potatohead is complete with arms, legs, features and accessories the class earns a reward that they can vote on. We recently earned our first reward and the students voted on a class pet. Welcome Sheldon, our blue Beta fish.

Logical Consequences

The Martha's Vineyard schools all use the Responsive Classroom model.(www.responsiveclassroom.org)
This week we plan on introducing Logical Consequences; an idea that is an acceptable behavior modification model in Responsive Classroom.

There are three types of logical consequences:
The "you break it, you fix it"rule or in other cases maybe: 'you get it dirty you clean it,' or 'you took it out, now put it back.'
Loss of Privilege: A student demonstrates that they can not handle the responsibility given them, or the activity presented by misbehaving and therefore is no longer allowed to have/do that responsibility/activity.
"Positive" time out: A student does not seems in control of his or her body. Instead of waiting for the problem to escalate, the teacher sends them to a designated place to calm down and return when ready.

I am interested to see if this works with out students. The first type makes the most sense on a human level, it is unarguably "fair" even to a second grader!
Loss of Privilege is logical, but is sometimes not the best case solution. When I taught art teachers often took the "privilege" of art away from a student for misbehaving. Unfortunately those students were often the ones that needed art the most!
Positive time out I am skeptical of. In Montessori we had "Peace Corners" that achieve the same goal, but avoiding the "time-out" stigma altogether. Peace Corners were beautiful little places specifically for getting peaceful. Not a chair unceremoniously set in a corner of the classroom.
BUT we shall see! I have been wrong before.

Resources:
www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/three-types-logical-consequences
www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/responding-misbehavior
www.nsms.org/content/peace-and-montessori-environment