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PLAN B

Some students actually do not know how to interact with others in nonaggressive ways. If your student does not seem to possess the necessary skills to interact more cooperatively, the intervention must include a way to teach him those skills.

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1. Respond consistently to the inappropriate behavior.

a. Define "being aggressive" and "being cooperative" for the student (see PLAN A).

b. Identify and implement appropriate consequences for both mild and severe aggressive acts (see PLAN A).

2. Conduct lessons to teach the student how to be more cooperative.

a. Decide what the student needs to learn and who will teach the lessons. Because teaching new behaviors can be time-consuming and difficult, you might want to determine whether there are other students who would benefit from this type of instruction and have the school counselor or psychologist conduct the lessons.

Any of the following social skills curricula may be appropriate for your needs:

Walker, H.M., McConnel, S., Holmes, D., Todis, B., Walker, J., & Golden, N. (1983). The ACCEPTS program: A curriculum for children's effective peer and teacher skills (Videotape No. 0371 and Curriculum Guide No. 0370). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Walker, H.M., Todis, B., Holmes, D., & Horton G.(1988). The ACCESS program: Adolescent coping curriculum for communication and effective social skills (Curriculum Manual and Student Study Guide No. 0365). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Goldstein, A.P., Sprafkin, R.P., Gershaw, N.J. & Klein, P. (1980). Skill-streaming the adolescent: A structured learning approach to teaching prosocial skills. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

McGinnis, E., Goldstein, A.P., Sprafkin, R.P., & Gershaw, N.J. (1984). Skillstreaming the elementary school child: A guide for teaching prosocial skills. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

b. During the lessons, use your anecdotal notes to present either actual situations that have occurred or scenarios that are similar to actual events, and have the student role play more cooperative ways of interacting. If you are not teaching the student or group of students, give this information to whomever is. "Mrs. Lee, Dan seems to be having trouble stating requests in a nondemanding way. For example, .... Perhaps that situation could be used in some of the role plays you do during the lessons."

The lessons should also be a time for reviewing successes, as well as discussing and practicing problem situations. "Mrs. Lee, I noticed that Dan is getting much more consistent about stating his opinions in firm, but nonaggressive ways. One example is yesterday when we were having a class discussion about...."

c. Use "homework" in conjunction with the lessons. That is, give the student a specific assignment to practice a skill taught during a lesson, and then have him report during the next lesson what he tried, how it worked, and any difficulties or problems encountered.

d. Conduct the lessons daily if possible, but at least twice per week, and involve just you and the student or group of students learning the skills (perhaps while the rest of the class is at recess). The lessons needn't last more than five to ten minutes, and it is important that they be handled in a matter-of-fact manner so the student does not feel that he is being ridiculed. (You want to be very clear that you are not trying to embarrass him, but that you do want him to see the behavior the way others do.)

Continue the lessons until the student is consistently behaving more cooperatively and/or no longer exhibiting the aggressive behaviors.

3. Use reinforcement to encourage appropriate behavior.

a. Give the student increased praise and attention when he is being cooperative (see PLAN A).

b. Make a special point of letting the student know that you notice his efforts to use the skills he has been learning/practicing. Give the student specific information on the benefits of using a particular skill. "Dan, that was a great example of stating your opinion respectfully. I know you and Mrs. Lee have been practicing being assertive about opinions without being aggressive, and when you use that skill I really like to listen to your ideas. Tell me more about why you think ..."

c. Provide intermittent rewards when the student is cooperative for especially long periods of time. For example, if the student typically has three or four mild aggressive acts in a morning and he makes it to 11:00 A M without any, you can acknowledge his success by giving him a special job or privilege. "Dan, you have been so cooperative all morning. Would you please take these papers to Mrs. Lee for me? Oh, and let me write her a note to tell her about your success. "

Or, when you see the student use the skills in a situation that would have previously been difficult for him to handle, highlight his accomplishment in some way. "Dan and Lewis, I saw that you two were having a difference of opinion about who was going to use the computer first, but you were each stating your opinion in a respectful way. Did you get a plan worked out that both of you are satisfied with? Great, Luke gets to go for ten minutes and then Dan gets ten. Sounds good. In fact, working out a way to take turns is such a great plan that I am writing each of you a certificate that can be used for 15 minutes of additional computer time. You can use this any afternoon this week or next."

Also use intermittent rewards if the number of daily aggressive acts has decreased. Each day when you and the student review his daily total (see SUGGESTED STEPS FOR DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A PLAN), celebrate improvements. "Dan, look at this chart. Today you have had only seven aggressive acts. This is your best day yet. I would like to write a note that you could give to your mom to let her know how much progress you are making. Would that be all right with you?"

4. Ensure a 3-1 ratio of positive to negative attention.

a. If the student has learned that aggression leads to a great deal of adult and peer attention, he may have become very skilled at "sucking people into negative exchanges." If this is the case, you want to be sure that you are giving the student three times as much positive as negative attention.

One way to do this is to monitor your interactions with the student at least one day per week. Keep a card on a clipboard or in your pocket and record each interaction you have with the student as either positive or negative by marking a "+" or a "-", respectively, on the card. To determine whether an interaction is positive or negative, ask yourself whether the student was being aggressive (or otherwise misbehaving) at the time of the interaction.

Any interaction that stems from inappropriate behavior is negative, while all interactions that occur while the student is meeting classroom expectations are positive. Thus, providing a consequence is a negative interaction, while praising the student is positive. Greeting the student as he enters the room or asking him if he has any questions during independent work are also considered positive interactions.

b. If you find that you are not giving the student three times as much positive as negative attention, try to increase the number of positive interactions you have with the student. Sometimes prompts can help. For example, you might decide that each time the student enters the classroom you will say "hello" to him, or that whenever you look at the clock you will find a time to praise the student, or that whenever a student uses the drinking fountain you will check the target student and as soon as possible praise some aspect of his behavior.

Aggression-Verbal and/or Physical

If you have a student who is physically and/or verbally aggressive toward adults or peers, you will want to read this chapter (pg. 31 in book).

Chaos/Classroom Out of Control

If you have many students in your class who frequently engage in a variety of misbehaviors, you will want to read this chapter (pg. 175 in book)

Dr. Randall Sprick graciously has given his permission to post two problem behaviors and all plans listed within these two chapters. We sincerely thank him for providing this resource to the teachers of Kentucky so that they may effectively serve students with challenging behaviors. Please visit the The Teacher's Encyclopedia of Behavior Management Web page.