Case Study Encouraging Appropriate Behavior- Maggie Lamm

EDLC 623 C ASE S TUDY : E NCOURAGING A PPROPRIATE B EHAVIOR - M AGGIE L AMM Using the STAR sheets included with the IRIS Center case study unit, answer each case study question in the unit in the template below. Keep the questions in bold . Format your answers in italics . Level A: Case 1 1. Summarize each strategy and describe why each strategy might be used to help Kunj meet one or more of his goals. Behavior-specific praise is a positive statement directed toward a student or group of students that acknowledge a desired behavior in specific, observable, and measurable terms. It is used to promote appropriate behaviors or actions in the classroom and therefore prevent or decrease undesired behaviors. This strategy could be a great thing for the teacher to do with Kunj. Since he is having trouble staying on task and completing his homework and other classroom assignments, when he does complete them, his teacher should praise his hard work and acknowledge the fact that he has completed it. This strategy is a great way for him to meet his first goal of completing and turning in 100 percent of his assignments. Criterion- specific reward is a positive consequence that is often referred to as a reinforcement and delivered after the occurrence of an identified target behavior at a set level of performance. These rewards can be used as a part of a proactive intervention for building desirable social, behavioral, and academic skills in both individual students and the classroom. This strategy could be used for when Kunj stays on task and completes his assignments. Since the teacher states that he enjoys reading and drawing, these could be used as rewards for when he has completed his tasks and can be used as motivation to complete them. Choice making is the process through which a teacher offers a structured choice to a student in order to facilitate compliance with an instructional or behavioral request. This increases students’ ownership over their learning. This strategy can be used to prevent challenging behaviors and increase specific desirable behaviors. The teacher could use this strategy by allowing Kunj to work with a partner when he is completing assignments. This may help him if he is struggling with something or needs help, his peers are able to help him which may encourage him to complete his work. If that doesn’t work, the teacher could allow him to work on his assignments alone or whatever he feels most comfortable doing. Level A: Case 2 2. Summarize each strategy and describe why each strategy might be used to help Heather meet one or more of her goals. Rules are explicit statements that define the appropriate behaviors that educators want students to demonstrate. Having rules in the classroom are important because they provide common guidelines, remind and motivate students to behave as expected, offer predictability in the learning environment, and allow students to monitor their own behavior. This is a Page 1 of 4

EDLC 623 critical proactive foundation for preventing potential behavior problems. Heather’s teacher can use this strategy to help eliminate her interrupting whole group instruction by setting a clear rule of raising your hand and waiting to be called on when asked a question. By explaining to Heather exactly what the teacher expects of her, may help Heather with her blurting out the answers without being called on. This rule would apply to the whole class. Contingent instructions are specific directions used to identify undesired behaviors that a student should discontinue and that provide information on an alternate behavior which the student should engage. This strategy can be used by first explaining to Heather what behavior she is doing that the teacher would like to address and change and then demonstrating what she can do instead. For example, calling out during whole group instruction, Heathers teacher can explain to her that we don’t just call out answers but that we should raise our hand and wait for the teacher to call on her. Group contingency is a reinforcement strategy that capitalizes on peer influence by setting a group goal or implementing a positive group consequence for desired behavior. This can be used to target whole group or individual students to increase the appropriate behaviors. There are three types of group contingency: dependent, independent, and interdependent. I believe that the dependent group contingency would be most beneficial for Heather. It is stated that she enjoys playing with her friends and arrives early to school in order to do so. If she knows that her hard work would earn her whole class a reward, I think she would be more motivated to work towards that goal. Level B: Case 1 3. Select one strategy you feel would best address Garrison’s goals. State why you selected this strategy to address the goals. After reading about Garrison, the strategy I would use if I were his teacher would be criterion- specific rewards. It is stated that he enjoys dinosaurs, robots, and computer games. If Garrison completes his work, he can be rewarded with something that he enjoys. This may motivate him to complete his work, so he is able to play when he is finished. 4. Describe how you would implement this strategy in your classroom and any cautions for its use. I would talk with Garrison and explain to him a clear expectation and what I am expecting of his work. I would use a reward system using coins. Garrison would have to earn 5 coins before he can pick a reward that he would like. The rewards would be something that he is interested in and can be different day to day, so he doesn’t get bored of the reward. For him to earn the coins he would have to be on task and working on his assignments and turning them in. Since one of his goals is completing at least 85 percent of independent assignments, I would explain to him what he must do in order to receive a coin. Level B: Case 2 5. Select one strategy you feel would best address Ellie’s goals. State why you selected this strategy to address the goals. Page 2 of 4

EDLC 623 11. Describe how you would implement this strategy if you were the classroom teacher and any possible cautions or considerations of which you should be aware. I would create a whole group lesson about the rules in the classroom and examples of how they can be followed. I would have the students share with the class what they think some of the rules should be and how they should be implemented. I would then have them split up into small groups and create posters of the rules that can be displayed in the classroom that is visible for all students to look at whenever they need reminding of the rules. I would also make sure that important goals like talking out of turn and being kind and respectful to our peers would be on there. This would help address some of the goals that Patrick and Zach are working on, without singling them out. Page 4 of 4