Behavior Intervention Strategies: Classroom Layout
Posted by PLB · 3 Comments
One of the behavior intervention strategies that helps students to work and learn effectively in the classroom is classroom management.
Seating the student near the teacher is one tried-and-true method to increase on-task behavior. It is recommended that you follow a system of preferential seating. Preferential seating simply means that you seat the student in a location where he or she is most likely to stay focused on what you are teaching.
Of course, the ideal seating location for any particular student will vary, depending on their unique needs. When selecting preferential seating, consider whether the student might be self-conscious about sitting right next to the teacher. Also, try to select a seat location that avoids other distractions. For example, you may want to avoid seating the student by a window or next to a talkative classmate.
Distractible students benefit from a quiet place in the classroom where they can go when they have more difficult assignments to complete. A desk or study carrel in the corner of the room can serve as an appropriate workspace. When introducing these workspaces to students, stress that the quiet locations are intended to help students concentrate. Never use areas designated for quiet work as punitive ‘time-out’ spaces.
If students find it challenging to stay focused on independent work for long periods, allow them brief ‘attention breaks.’ Contract with students to give them short breaks to engage in a preferred activity each time they complete certain tasks. Attention breaks can refresh the student and reinforce their learning.
What other behavior intervention strategies do you use to improve learning in the classroom?
From Professional Learning Board’s online continuing education course for teachers: Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies
These techniques do not work for hard core tough kids.Students at risk would laugh these ideas right out of the class and walk all over the teacher.
Rebecca,
What behavior intervention strategies and classroom management techniques do you recommend for “hard core tough kids?” Welcome your suggestions!
It is also important to give students the opportunity to talk about what they have learned, either with a partner or in a small groups. Students are meant to communicate, and by insisting that students are always quiet, teachers may stifle this need.