Description of Expected Behaviors

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Home : 2005 : March : 24

Description of Expected Behaviors
By Susan

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but here goes:

Have you had this child (and the class in general) describe what appropriate listening behaviors look like, sound like, feel like, etc.?

I use the Raise Responsibility
System in my classroom (first year after many years of consequence-based discipline policies), and it works wonders. A key part of the approach is to make sure that students know what appropriate and inappropriate behaviors look like. You might have a discussion with the entire class, to avoid singling him out, about such behaviors. You might benefit from demonstrating the good

and bad behaviors. Select a responsibile student to "be the teacher" while you take on the role of student. You could follow up with brainstorming 2 lists -- one with good choices and with with unacceptable choices. If you make it public, it's easier to remind students, by simply saying, "What choice are you making by talking while I'm talking?" or "Is that an acceptable listening choice?"

I have a student teacher in my room right now and I can tell, after only a few days, that classroom management is going to be a challenge. The bottom line is to ask yourself: What do you expect, and how can you communicate that to your students? A big part of those expectations are the listening behaviors.

I hope this helps. :-)