Relationships are at the heart of our work in the classroom with our children, with their families, and with our colleagues. Promoting responsive and supportive environments for children starts with setting up the classroom and curriculum with an eye toward preventing undesirable behaviors. Positive behavior supports is an approach that has an evidence base and research to show that it works. If a child experiences challenging behaviors consider: when the behavior occurs, what could trigger the behavior, what sustains the behavior, what other factors lead to the behavior occurring, and who are the other people involved when the behavior occurs. Operationally define the behavior. Knowing what the behavior is can help with subsequent steps in behavior analysis and intervention considerations.
Salient features of effective classroom management include high-quality learning experiences that engage children and effectively implementing positive behavior supports. When challenging behaviors arise, respond with compassion for the child and try to understand the reason for the behaviors. Take a deep breath and check in with our own stress during the undesirable behavior. Support the child to address their special needs. If chronic behavior challenges exist, work with team that includes the child’s family to create a positive behavior support plan that will allow the collection of useful data (Zuluah & Zinsser, 2019). Monitor progress. Adjust when needed. Share progress with team.
Positive behavior support policies and practices promote effective classroom management (Price & Steed, 2016). Some practices that promote ways to address challenging behaviors are using prevention focused ways to create a supportive environment for children with the way the daily schedule is designed (e.g., not too many transitions during the day), and establishing predictable routines. Knowing each child, what they need, and supporting their positive behaviors will be useful strategies.
Each day presents a new blank slate to improve. Opportunities to invite positive behaviors occur through self-reflection, implementing positive behavior supports, and collecting data on the effectiveness. Data-based decisions will be implemented and then monitored to evaluate progress.
Sources: Price, C. L. & Steed, E. A. (2016). Culturally responsive strategies to support young children with challenging behavior. Young Children, 71(5). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2016/culturally-responsive-strategies
Zuluaf, C. A. & Zinsser, K. M. (2019). Forestalling preschool expulsion: A mixed-method exploration of the potential protective role of teachers’ perceptions of parents. American Educational Research Journal, 1-32. DOI: 10.3102/0002831219838236