Given what you know about increasing and decreasing behaviors, design an intervention for your target student in accordance with the steps outlined below.
What is the function of your student’s behavior (as determined in task #2)?
The function of Anderson’s behavior is to avoid participating in class.
What is the replacement behavior that you will be teaching (make sure it is a fair pair and that it is teachable)?
The replacement behavior I will be teaching Anderson is being actively involved in all class activities by just rising up to answer questions or make contributions. It is a fair pair since rising in his seat prevents him from feigning slips and tying his shoelaces.
Write a paragraph here to describe what you will say to the student – how will you introduce this new behavior to the student, what will you say and how will you say it?
Hello, Anderson, we both know that you have always had difficulties walking to the front of the class to make your contributions. You always slip or start tying your shoelaces to be exempted from participating in discussions. To prevent the occurrence of such things, I have decided that you will only be standing up to make contributions. This tactic will ensure that you do not walk to the front. Therefore, there will be no more slips and tying shoe laces in class. I believe you will cooperate since this decision is meant to help you achieve the objective of coming to school. I am sure your parents expect you to do well in class, and they cannot be happy with the behaviors you have been exhibiting lately.
Describe at least three positive teaching examples that sample the range of actual environmental events – and one non-example that is minimally different from the last positive example you taught. Remember, the positive examples all contain the same behavior but different contexts and the negative example is the same context but a behavior that is not appropriate.
For example, when I pose a question and ask you to answer, just rise in your seat and answer it. Another example is when I want you to work on a sum on the board; I will stand near the board and ask you to explain the procedure as I write it on the board for you. During the science class, I will put your apparatus on your desk and ask you to demonstrate your work to the class while standing. However, it will be wrong for you to engage in other activities such as tying your laces or shouting when I ask you to speak.
Describe what you will do to help ensure success – talk about all the things you can do to facilitate success (prompts, proximity, arrangements, routines, etc.).
- I will ask Anderson to sit in front of the class. This will ensure that everybody sees him whenever he stands up. Sitting in front will also ensure that he does not walk in class because walking makes him feign slips and other time-wasting tactics. He will have no excuse not to participate in class discussions.
- I will warn him not to tie his shoe laces in class. Tying his shoe laces is always one of the tactics he uses to avoid participating in class discussions. Therefore, warning him will ensure that he has nothing to make him avoid participating in class discussions.
- I will make sure I ask him questions regularly to help him get used to participating in class activities. I always believe he just fears participating in class activities. Therefore, making him participate in discussions frequent will eliminate the fear of participation.
What will you do when the student engages in the behavior appropriately – or what will you need to make sure happens under these circumstances (think increasing behavior procedures)?
I will praise him and ask the class to clap for him. This will help him understand that participating in class is a good thing. Therefore, he will start participating in discussion regularly. I will also exempt him from answering questions for the whole lesson once he answers three questions in class. Anderson’s reinforcement is not participating in class. He will be jubilant to be exempted. Thus, exempting him from some discussion will drive him willingly answer questions and make contributions in class.
What will you do when the student does not engage in the behavior appropriately – or what will you need to make sure happens under these circumstances (think decreasing behavior procedures)?
If he does not follow the behavior change procedure, I will ask him to stand in front of the class and answer all the questions in class. Since the function of his behavior is not to participate in class, I will have denied him that.
Write a paragraph here to describe how you’ll describe this to the student’s parents (what you are doing and why).
As I had previously informed you, your son, Anderson, has not been willing to participate in class for quite some time. He has always feigned slips and other excuses not to take part in anything we do in class. Therefore, I came up with an intervention method for his behavior. I have asked him to be rising whenever he is supposed to answer a question or say anything in class. This will ensure that he does not slip or start tying his shoelaces instead of answering questions. I hope it will work.