Short answer
Teaching Students to Manage their own Behavior
Chapter 12
Our overall goal as a teacher is to have student manage their own behavior.
Self-Management
Think about how we manage our behaviors as adults
Examples?
Anyone who is to function independently to any extent must learn how to manage their own behaviors.
Overview
We will further examine techniques/stratagies that we can use to help students become less dependent on teachers environmental manipulations.
Why do we need to teach this skill?
We are NOT perfect. We will miss things.
Miscommunication between people in different settings (parents, BHRS, teachers, etc. )
We can serve as an environmental cue for performance.
When we have input from students, they are more likely to increase their performance.
Certain things that appear in one setting, aren’t always available in other settings.
Overview Continued
Useful skill for typical learners as well as those with disabilities
Increasingly critical as our focus is more of an inclusionary model in both education and community settings.
Students can be taught to set their own goals and objectives, record the data,evaulate their behavior and provide consequences to their behaviors.
Self- management comes in a package
Taught via DI and modeling.
Overview Continued
Self-Management procedure are part of the Natural Environment
Goal Setting
Self-Recording
Self-Reinforcement
Self-punishment
Self-instruction
B.F. Skinner use these techniques up until his death at 84
Increase and maintain productivity
A Common Experience
Preparing Students to Manage their own Behavior
Teachers may...
ask students to set goals.
ask students to evaluate their performance.
explain to the student what behavior resulted in reinforcement (following delivery of reinforcement).
ask the student to relate part of the contingency for reinforcement.
ask the student to state the entire contingency for reinforcement.
involve students in choosing reinforcers and in determining their cost in terms of behavior.
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Goal Setting
Students can be taught to set their own goals
Perform better than goals that are chosen for them
Less intrusive than cued self-recording
When assisting students to set goals
Specific
Challenging, but achievable
Attaining the goals at first can be quick rather than long-term
Provide feedback about goal achievement
Goal Setting
Self-Recording of Data
“Self-Monitoring” vs. Self-recording & Self-Evaluation
Provide student and teacher with concrete feedback regarding behavior
Reactive Effect- collecting the data may result in an immediate yet temporary change in behavior.
Least effective with students with emotional/behavioral disorders and those who do not want to change their behaviors
Self-Recording
Teaching students to use self-recording should include:
Selecting a target behavior
Operationally defining the behavior
Selecting an appropriate data collection tool
DI in the use of the data collection system
Modeling, and monitoring at least one practice data-recording session
Allow students to use self-recording and then monitoring the results.
Self-Recording
Why is this successful?
Forces the student to monitor their behavior
Student that indicates that he has completed his daily tasks/requirements creates positive feedback.
Provides environmental cues that increase their awareness of potential consequences.
Weightloss, smoking cessation programs
Concerns
Accuracy of students records
Won’t they cheat?
Self-Recording
Can take many forms
Compare responses on a worksheet to an answer key, teachers edition.
Think about when the teacher let you use the teachers edition in grade school…..SUPER COOL! (SR+)
Spot checking to ensure they aren’t just copying.
Before they self-evaluate…
In order for students to self-evaluate they must be able to discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.
Example: DI lesson to identify on-task/off-task behavior
Model Me-Kids
Self-Evaluation
As Educators, we already set up contingencies
“If…….then”
Continues students set themselves may be more effective than those set by teachers.
Allow them to choose their reinforcement
Allow them to choose the response cost
Allow them to choose behaviors to be modified
Transfer of skill
Start with teacher controlled contingencies
Must be gradual
Must be explicitly taught to use self-reinforcement/punishment procedures.
Self-Reinforcement
Successive Steps to transfer both recording and reinforcement responsibilities.
Teachers initally awarded and reocrded poitns and determined SR+.
Students recorded points awarded by the teacher
Students awarded themselves points and earned bonus points for matching teacher ratings.
Matching was gradually faded and students rated their own behavior and determined reinforcement independently.
Self-Reinforcement
Providing one’s own verbal prompts
Necessary when SD’s are not-sufficent enough to set the occasion for the required response.
Often provided by others
Many adults given themselves prompts when they engage in difficult or unfamiliar tasks.
Folding a fitted sheet.
“I before e except after c”
“3o days has September…..”
Enables student to guide themselves through the process
Self-Instruction
Training given before students are given problems to solve.
Have been effective in:
Increase attendance to task
Increase ability to demonstrate academic skills
Increase appropriate social behaviors
Teaching a variety of skills to persons with moderate, severe and profound disabilities.
Self-Instruction
Meichenbaum & Goodman (1971)
1) Cognitive modeling- performing the task while talking to self aloud
2) Overt, external guidance- performed the same task under the direction of the model’s instruction
3) Overt self-guidance- instructing himself aloud
4) Faded, overt self-guidance-whispered the instructions to himself as he went through the task
5) Covert, self-instruction-Performed the task while guiding the performance via private speech.
Self-Instruction
These skills must be taught to learn to imitate an effective and complete strategy.
Problem definition
Focusing attention and response guidance
Self-Reinforcement
Self- Evaluate coping skills and error correct options
Self-Instruction
Actual implementation of the procedure during task performance.
The ability of students to perform the response in question.
Reinforcement for adhering to self-instructions.
Making the focus of instructions specific.
Factors that influence Self-Instruction
Severe Disabilities
Mild Disabilities
Students At-Risk
Self-Management for Learners with Disabilities