AT for Behavior

Behavior in the Classroom

Behavior of our students can be very unpredictable. Although behavior might be one of your prepatory classes, you can never been completely prepared for behavior in the classroom, even day-to-day.

ESE students who seem to display noticeable behaviors the most are those with autism and those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD).

The most common way to manage their behaviors are through behavior charts. These charts often reward children for good behavior in increments of time. The AT tool this post will focus on is a timer. 

Timers can be implemented into the classroom in a variety of ways. You can establish a system of time increments in which the student is expected to maintain good behavior throughout the entire time period. If they misbehave once, the timer starts over again. Once the student makes it until the bell rings, then they can either receive a token in token reward system or are able to have 'Student Choice' where they can choose to either play a game on the computer, iPad, go for a walk, etc. I have seen both methods done in the classroom and they are quite effective. Students like having a choice and if they have something to look forward to, they are more conscious of their behavior. It helps develop self-control.

Timers can be bought at many retail stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc. The great thing about them is that they can be used for multiple purposes in the classroom!