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Dr. Jill Blanchard is Senior Vice President of Operations in Ohio where she leads New Story Schools and Applied Behavioral Services.  

It is commonly accepted that having established routines and expectations makes all the difference in classroom management. But what about those students who continue to cause disruptions and have a difficult time adhering to the classroom plan? Many teachers find themselves focusing on the consequences of behaviors and the discipline needed to control these difficult students. 

But what happens if we flip that thought process? What if, instead of telling the students what they are doing wrong, we switch the focus to what they are doing right? Instead of losing privileges for misbehavior, we reward students for doing the right thing.   

Often, for our most difficult students, this switch in the way we think can make all the difference.  But it isn’t easy. Positive Behavior Intervention (PBIS) requires that you meet each individual student where they are and differentiate for their behavior needs. When we set up individualized or classroom behavior plans that incentivize students to do what is expected, we often are finally able to reach the most difficult students and all our students feel empowered to do the right thing.   

Six Ways to Implement PBIS in Your Classroom: 

1. Know your students and figure out what works for the types of behaviors they are displaying. Use this website to help you! http://www.pbisworld.com/ 

2. Document the behaviors of your students and the interventions you have tried. This will help you see patterns and enlist the help of others should the student need higher-level interventions. 

3. Often, our daily focus in class is on the misbehaving students. Take a day and only call out the positive behaviors. Only point out the kids doing what you asked. Over time, let this become the culture of your classroom.

“Encouragement is the oxygen to the soul.” -George M. Adams     

4. Seek creative ways to encourage positive behavior: punch cards, reward systems, behavior charts, etc.  

5. Partner with other teachers to come up with plans and ideas to help students with the most difficult behaviors.  

6. Don’t forget to be positive with yourself too! 

Helpful Resources:                                      

PBIS World: http://www.pbisworld.com  

PBIS IDEAS: https://www.teachjunkie.com/management/positive-behavior-classroom-procedure  

EDUTOPIA: https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-management-relationships-strategies-tips  

BEFORE AND AFTER: https://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-interventions/challenging-students/teacher-behavioral-strategies-menu  

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