Tiered Approach to Success: Using PBIS to Promote Positive Behavior and Social Culture in Schools

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) Management Plan

Positive Behavior interventions and support model is an approach employed by teachers to support students’ behaviours and social culture  in a school setting to achieve emotional, social and academic success. It is a simple model used in drafting rules and procedures to guide students‘ behavior and socialization in a school setting. The model is classified according to three tiers or levels (Mathur &Nelson, 2013).

 

Tier 1

This level normally involves the whole school setting involving all the students in a routine activity. It gives clear instructions on how a whole school routine activity setting is to take place. An example is that every morning at 8.00am there is a school parade and all students are expected to line up according to their classes. They are also supposed to be quiet and arranged in a single file with one teacher at the back of each line. This will ensure all students are quiet and will listen to the school administrator.

 

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Tier 2

This level involves a particular classroom in the whole school setting or a certain group of students within that school. They are focused interventions aimed at an identified group who did not respond to tier 1 level interventions. An example is when the teacher says all students who report to class every day on time will be rewarded with a treat at the school canteen.

Tier 3

This level of intervention normally involves a particular student within the whole school setting. It is individualized and normally practiced on the basis of an individual on a daily basis or ongoing basis. An example is for the student who did not attend the school parade. They are supposed to report to the school administrator’s office with valid reasons as to why they did not attend the parade. They will be punished if a valid reason is not obtained.

A school wide PBIS plan will be during the school prize giving day ceremony. Tier 1 procedure will involve that all students of the school should be seated in the assembly hall, according to their classes before 10.00am and remain quiet. The lower classes should sit at  the front with the seniors  seated at the back. This ensures the more mature individuals are at the back whose concentration levels are much higher. With the juniors at the front the teachers are also able to monitor them easily and issue instructions without worry that they might not be followed. Students showing discipline and concentration during the event will be given a prize for showing maturity at the event.

Another tier 1 procedure during the school prize giving day ceremony will be that all students are expected to break during the session at the time instructed by the school administrator. This ensures that the students have time to go to the bathroom and also relax. Also, this ensures that there is no interference during the sessions, especially with the students having to walk in and out.

A class wide PBIS plan would normally involve the group contingency. It is whereby the whole class would work dependently  to correct and nurture the behavior of all students. An example is whereby the class wants to ensure that a particular student in that class gets a pass grade in mathematics who is failing. All the students will work harmoniously to ensure that this happens within the time frame stipulated.

The group contingency would be to actively and continuously support that particular student until he achieves his objectives. This would be possible through ensuring every time he does not finish his assignments on time they all remain in class to assist him or wait for him to finish. Also, when he finishes his assignments on time the whole group is rewarded with positive reviews or negative reviews when he fails to accomplish his task (Power,2009).The rationale behind this is to ensure that the particular student works hard in his mathematics lessons since his performance will continuously be affecting the other students. With this in mind the student will work much harder since there will be people who are being affected by his continued lack of improvement.

Class Dojo is a system employed by teachers used in managing the target behaviours of particular students especially in group or class. It involves the creation of a Class Dojo website by the teacher where records of the student will be kept. It mainly focuses on the behavior of students. In case a student acts in a manner appealing to the teacher, he gets positive reinforcement which is denoted by positive points and vice versa. At the end of the particular period prescribed by the teacher the student with the highest positive points gets rewarded.

Class Dojo would be used in English, math and science class in a number of ways. Firstly, you should conduct routine checks on students who are learning new grammar, new science concepts and also who are able to solve new mathematical problem. Students satisfying these requirements will be given plus points and should be published on the website. This will encourage students to be pro-active and students accumulating the highest points should be rewarded (Jolivette, Swoszowski & Ennis, 2013)

A contingency contract is a document prepared by the teacher as a way of altering the behavior of a particular student ( Bebee,2015). It is a one on one plan of action created by a teacher with the main focus being a particular student. It may take the form of a behavior form, report card or chart. The task would be to ensure a student improves on his hygienic practices. The teacher will first record all areas of weakness that the student has and the action plan that they are going to put in place.

The task in hand will be to make sure that a particular student observes hygiene especially washing hands. That the student washes hands after going to the bathroom and before eating of any meal. The student will accumulate plus points at all the times he observes the hygienic practices and at the end of the period prescribed by the teacher will be rewarded with a gift. The task will be recorded in a behavioral manual which will be reviewed periodically by the teacher and the student.

One tactic to self manage a specified target behavior is through an own personal initiative. The person can create a self assessment, behavioral manual which he can be recorded instances in which one wants to change behavior. In case of a student who fails in maths all the time he can create a self assessment  program whereby he entails to learn and solve a problem in each and every day. He can create a self assessment manual whereby every time he successfully solves a new mathematical problem  he records and also every time he fails to solve a mathematical problem. At the end of a certain period he is able to track his progress thereby allowing for change.

 

References

Mathur, S. R., & Nelson, C. M. (2013). PBIS as prevention for high-risk youth in restrictive settings: where do we go from here?. Education and Treatment of Children, 36(3), 175-181.

Bebee, S. C. (2015). The Influence of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) on School Climate. Grand Canyon University.

Power, A. (2009). Introducing positive behavior for learning produces an environment with real advantages for music teaching and learning. In Proceedings of the Australian Society for Music Education XVII National Conference (p. 143). Australian Society for Music Education (Tasmanian Chapter).

Jolivette, K., Swoszowski, N. C., & Ennis, R. P. (2013). PBIS as prevention for high-risk youth in alternative education, residential, and juvenile justice settings. Education and Treatment of Children, 36(3), 1-2.