Positive behavior support in the classroom: Facilitating behaviorally inclusive learning environments.

Abstract

Abstract Teaching in a public school is a demanding job as the multiple dynamics of a classroom can be a challenge. In addition to addressing the challenging behaviors that many students without disabilities exhibit, more and more students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are being included in the general education classroom. Effective instruction and the development of effective instructional environments have been demonstrated to decrease problem behaviors in students with histories of failure in school. Positive behavior support (PBS) provides a framework for considering development of instructional environments that increase the teacher's ability to deliver effective instruction to all students, thereby increasing success rates and reducing negative behavior across the school. The same PBS features: prediction, prevention, consistency, and evaluation apply in the classroom to decrease the number of problem behaviors and increase academic and social success. This paper presents a description of the key features of effective classroom PBS and demonstrates each via the use of case examples. The premise of PBS is that the more effectively the environment is designed, more effective it can be in facilitating classrooms that run smoothly and efficiently, allowing teachers to recognize, assess, and plan for students with special needs. Keywords: Emotional and behavioral disorders, classroom management, PBS, and effective instruction ********** In our public schools, classroom teachers deal with a variety of challenging student behaviors. In the minds of most are instances of violence and crime. However, the most common disciplinary referrals are for behaviors whose purpose is to avoid class (i.e., truancy and tardy), followed by fighting and bothering others--also resulting in removal from and therefore avoidance of class (McFadden, March, Price, & Hwang, 1992; Morgan-D'Atrio, Northrup, LaFleur, & Spera, 1996). In addition, many schools continue to report instances of bulling, disrespect, verbal abuse, and general classroom disorder as occurring daily or weekly (DeVoe et al., 2004). But far and away, teachers report that the disruptive behaviors that they are forced to deal with on a daily basis are much less violent and intense, but are far more frequent and usurp great amounts of instructional time (Sprague & Walker, 2000). These behaviors include simple disrespect, failing to follow through with simple instructions, and generally being off-task. All-together, issues related to challenging student behavior are reported by teachers as the most difficult and stressful of their professional lives (Furlong, Morrison, & Dear, 1994; Kuzsman & Schnall, 1987; Safran & Safran, 1988). There is little doubt that teaching in a public school classroom is, to say the least, a demanding job. The multiple dynamics of a classroom can be a challenge for any teacher. Today, however, the role of the classroom teacher is becoming even more multidimensional as teachers are being asked to accommodate for students with more diverse academic and behavioral needs in the general education setting (McLeskey, Henry, & Hodges, 1998). Such situations may require teachers to organize several small group activities throughout the classroom while at the same time providing the instruction or guidance that students with special needs require. All this must occur while simultaneously maintaining some acceptable standard of classroom discipline. In addition to addressing the challenging behaviors that many students without disabilities exhibit (DeVoe et al, 2004), more and more students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are being included in the general education classroom (Cheney & Barringer, 1995; McLeskey et al., 1999; Sawka et al., 2002). Representing only one to five percent of the student population but typically accounting for more than half of the school's discipline referrals (Sugai, Sprague, Horner, & Walker, 2000; Taylor-Greene et al. …