This weeks reading was enlightening. I enjoy finding the how for all of the why's. We all have students with issues that need to be corrected but finding the appropriate how is often then issue. I see easy and immediate application to my special needs students and to my more troublesome gems, but only after some thinking and pondering was I able to see how it would apply to the other 90%. I have a group of wonderful students that want to be in class and want to learn but are often railroaded by the more vocal and less helpful 10%. In applying FBA I'm going to try to help the quieter, more helpful students emerge and contribute. My plan will take the whole semester, which is fine, and will pay great dividends in years to come. I plan on helping the quieter students see their usefulness and potential by talking to parents and other teachers to find out what they do well and how they enjoy being treated. Then I will cater individual lessons to the particular talents and capacities of each student so that he or she will have a chance to shine. By then praising them, a lot, they will be more willing, in the future, to stand up and lead out. This will all depend on my ability to apply FBA to my more troublesome students so they don't destroy the confidence of the quieter ones. It will take some time but a true teacher is focused on creating viable and useful humans, not just ones that can regurgitate what I drill into their heads.
M
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I really appreciated your thoughts about the silent majority who often get overlooked because of the overwhelming 10%. I thought your idea to focus on these students is wonderful. Often as a teacher or parent I spend so much time with crisis management, I do not praise and grow those who are doing what they should. I agree that they get lost in shuffle at times. Who knows maybe the effects will even have a positive impact on the other students? I hope for all students that you find great success in this "experiment". Thanks for sharing
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I think it's a very smart objective for you to help all of your students excel, both those who may be struggling or distracting, as well as those who are consistently doing what they're supposed to. The custom approach and positive reinforcement of Functional Behavior Analysis will work well in this regard.
ReplyDeleteI like how you are going to focus on the quiet majority. Many times these students so feel less important and think the teacher doesn't even know them. This is a really great plan! (spoken by a FORMERLY quiet, shy, good kid - teaching kind of takes care of getting that quiet, shy part out of a person). By the way, I love the picture on top of Denali!
ReplyDeletethat's the thing that a lot of teachers forget...that when class is struggling with behavior problems, it is often just two or three students who are not acting appropriately, and then that causes other students to misbehave as well. I think the key of FBA is that when students act out it is not that they are bad, but because of conditions that are adversely affecting their behavior. It may not always be true, but I think all students can be reached with the right methods.
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