You have two years of teaching under your belt and you may think, how do I get a handle on my classroom management skills? In the previous blog post, we discussed rules and procedures click here. Now, we are going to discuss how to implement disciplinary interventions. Disciplinary intervention strategies are a lot like parenting skills. You have to say no and be consistent with the consequence. If you have trouble saying no, start practicing in the mirror by saying no a thousand times. Without the word no, your classroom will be chaotic. You also must follow through with the consequences. If the consequence is a talk in the hall, you have to take a student out in the hall and discuss the issue. Being a great teacher includes stating the expectations and enforcing the consequences consistently.
In Classroom Management that Works, Robert J. Marzano states, “It is the individual classroom teacher who is the first line of defense for discipline problems” (27). The principal is the head of the school, but you are the leader of the classroom, and if your classroom management skills are weak, you will be known as “that one teacher” who cannot control her/his class. It’s unfair to be viewed as “that one teacher,” but until you become the leader of your classroom with rules and consequences that are expected and enforced, you will be known as that teacher. Work on your confidence and assertiveness to show your leadership skills. Once you work on those skills, you will feel confident to execute the rules and consequences.
The Five Types of Intervention Strategies
According to Marzano, there are five types of interventions: teacher reaction, tangible recognition, direct cost, group contingency, and home contingency. These intervention strategies are in the category of “Action Step I: Employ specific techniques that acknowledge and reinforce acceptable behavior and acknowledge and provide negative consequences for unacceptable behavior” (35). Marzano continued to state that you must have a balance of positive and negative consequences, and this applies to all the categories.
Action Step 1
A teacher’s reaction involves a verbal and physical acknowledgment that provides a consequence for unacceptable behavior. Making eye contact with a student, shaking your head, or having a private verbal reminder are some of the consequences. Stating the desired appropriate behavior and simply asking the student to stop also fall under this category. Stimulus cueing is a prevention action that cues the inappropriate behavior before it begins. After having a private talk with the student discussing the rules, the teacher places a notebook on the student’s desk. When the student begins to talk, place a checkmark on the pad to stop the talking. This provides a private cue that hinders the student from facing more negative consequences. Teachers’ reactions, verbally or physically, can be subtle cues to provide students privately with a consequence.
Many teachers, especially those in the younger grades, have used tangible recognition. A tangible item can be a token, ticket, marble, or a goal sheet. According to the book, tokens are most effective when they are given for positive behaviors and taken away during negative behaviors. Explain the expectation with the students before passing the tangible item to students. Do not use the item to bribe or coerce student behavior. I have used these invention strategies examples with my classes: using candy, biweekly special treats, pizza parties, and no homework passes. This strategy worked well with homework involvement. I placed a chart in my classroom, and when someone completed a homework assignment, they earned a sticker and a chance to join a biweekly special. My biweekly specials were a root beer float, pretzels, or donuts. My tangible recognition worked. I went from having three students completing their homework to nearly half the students attending the biweekly special. Your reward doesn’t have to be big; it can be a piece of candy. Your attitude and enthusiasm will promote the students to accept the challenge.
Sometimes students have a tough time accepting the expectations and need more of a direct cost. A direct cost focuses more on the negative consequence. Two intervention strategies examples that were discussed in the book were isolation time and overcorrection. Isolation time can involve time away from the classroom. Teachers should address the negative behavior and state the consequence, which is removal from the class. Students should understand that isolation time is to be used when all other attempts of punishments have been exhausted. Overcorrection is used when a student has destroyed an item or physically changed the classroom. The consequence is to correct the damage the student has done. If a student has moved a chair across the room, their consequence is to put up all the chairs for a week. It is a negative consequence of inappropriate behavior within the classroom.
Group and Home Contingencies
Group contingency involves everyone within the classroom. As a class, everyone must aim to conquer a classroom goal. There are two types of group contingencies, interdependent and dependent. Interdependent techniques “require every student in the group to meet the behavioral criterion for the group to earn credit” (38). One example that in the text was raising the hand in the class. If everyone raised their hand, the class would earn group recognition. Dependent techniques “require specific individuals…to meet the behavioral criterion of the group to earn credit” (38). Using the dependent techniques can involve one student or a small group of students and provides more peer pressure. Marzano supports and recommends the dependent techniques. In the text, Marzano used an example of a teacher using “Pressure Points.” If every student cleans up after class, the whole class earns “pressure points” that can be used for no homework passes, postponing a test, etc.
A home contingency is making the student’s parents aware of their positive and negative behaviors. This is a strategy that many teachers use because it can produce quick, powerful results. Teachers can send home premade notes or make a quick phone call. Marzano suggests, when discussing detailed level information, a face-to-face interaction will be more appropriate. The parents and teacher can create positive and negative consequences. Keep track of the student’s behavior and regularly interact with the parents. Marzano gives a vignette of a teacher with a set of twins in her class. She met with the twin’s parents, and they discussed task behaviors and positive consequences. Every week, the teacher called home and gave a report. If the report was good, the twins were allowed to rent a movie; if not, there were no movies for the weekend. A home contingency is a good strategy if used with positive and negative consequences.
Action Step 2
Action Step 2 states, “Establish clear limits for unacceptable behavior and effective system to record these behaviors.” How do you establish clear limits? You have a discussion with the students about a rule or procedure and state the consequence. A critical aspect of this is great record-keeping to track the behavior. Marzano suggests, “The limit established by a consensus approach would be the limit used by you, the teacher” (40). Having a simple record-keeping can provide a quick and private record. Have a chart where all the negative behaviors are color-coded. Use the chart to discuss the unacceptable behavior with the students or parents. Keeping documentation will make you appear organized and will help with managing your students.
Quick Review
When managing your students, you need a healthy balance of positive and negative consequences. Some suggestions are to be confident, be assertive, increase the rigor as the unacceptable behavior is presented, and keep a record. Remember the first line of defense is the classroom teacher, and you must create an environment where the students know the intervention strategies and expectations of the class. Before any of the suggestions are used, talk to your students about what is expected, what is unacceptable, and what is the consequence.
In the comment section below, tell me if you have used Marzano’s strategies for classroom management and how it worked for you.
Work Cited
Marzano, Robert. Classroom Management that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003.
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