The first week of school is always a fun one! We go over seats, play name games, review our rules, meet the kindergartners (who are doing quite well this year!), and find out who has "morphed" over the summer. I use that term jokingly :) But you know what I mean--that student who used to mostly follow the directions and now could care less! You already put them in a good seating spot, used fun activities to lighten the mood, and made your expectations clear. And they don't seem too impressed!
Well, if PBIS hasn't come to your school yet, it will likely be there soon. PBIS=Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports. Think RTI (Response to Intervention), but for behavior. It makes sense; you've tried everything you can think of, what now?!?!? At one of our meetings this year, my someone suggested the website www.pbisworld.com. I went to check it out and liked the concept.
The first page lists a bunch of behaviors (anxiety, defiance, etc.). When you click on the link, it will tell you a better description of the behavior to make sure you have correctly identified it. Then it will take you to a page with a bunch of interventions to try. As an experienced teacher, this may not seem earth shattering, but for a new teacher, this would be amazing to have at your fingertips!! And even as experienced teachers, it's always good to make sure we've really looked at every option possible to help our students succeed! Also, if the main interventions aren't working, you can go to the Tier 2 page that will give you some more ideas to try. (Just an FYI, it often takes you to other sites to explain the ideas--occasionally some of the links don't work.)
So, check out PBIS if you haven't! Encourage positive behavior in your classroom using every tool you can find! Believe it or not, it's made a big difference at our school when we've made little changes using this data. (Sorry if you've heard that word a million times already this school year . . . I'm pretty sure it's here to stay!)
It's awesome as an elementary music teacher to have the whole school on the same plan. I remember a few years ago that I had to use different discipline signs or phrases for each class. That was ridiculous. Thanks for encouraging the use of PBIS. It does work when implemented properly. From a newly retired elementary music teacher, Deb
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear someone with so much experience has found PBIS helpful too :) Jen
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