Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS)
By Lara Ravitch
Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support
(PBIS) is a behavioral approach that research has shown to be very successful.
You can do PBIS in your classroom. However, it is even better if the whole
school does it. PBIS is a continuum. That means that there are behavioral
supports for all students, but some students need more support than others.
This article will discuss the behavioral supports for all students. The second
article will discuss additional behavioral supports for students who need them.
Schoolwide
Behavioral Expectations
PBIS is used to teach behavioral expectations
and social skills to students. We teach these just like we teach academics.
First, the schools should decide on two or three general behavioral
expectations. For example, many schools use “Safe, Respectful, Responsible.”
Another common set of expectations is, “Respect Yourself, Respect Others,
Respect the Environment.” You can see that these are very general. They can be
used in many contexts. The school must decide what these behaviors look like in
different contexts, for example the cafeteria and the hallways. The school
should make rules for these places using the school-wide behavioral
expectations.
Here are some examples of what respect might
look like in different locations.
·
Cafeteria: Practice good table manners
·
Hallway: Use a quiet voice
·
Playground: Share equipment
Schools that use PBIS also often have a
system of rewarding behavior that meets the expectations. This system is
usually a token economy. A token
economy is when children are given something symbolic that they can save to
exchange for a real prize. When teachers see someone meeting the expectations,
they give them a token or a ticket. Then, at some point, those tokens can be
used for other rewards. The rewards can be for individuals (when you get 10
tickets, you get to pick a toy from the treasure chest) or groups (when a class
gets over 1000 tickets, they can have a movie and popcorn).
Positive
Behavior in the Classroom
In your classroom, you should also have
classroom rules that match the school-wide expectations. If your school does
not have school-wide expectations, you can create some for your classroom using
the guidelines above. Then, you can make rules for more specific
classroom-based routines.
When you make specific, classroom-based
rules, they should be observable, positive,
and simple.
For example, below are some observable,
positive, and simple rules that would fit the schoolwide expectation for
respectful behavior.
·
Raise your hand to speak or leave your seat
·
Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself
Here is one that would match the expectation
for responsible behavior:
·
Work for all of work time
“Don’t speak when others are speaking” is not
a good rule because it is negative. “Most of the time we raise our hands to
speak, unless the teacher tells you otherwise, in which case you can call out
the answer but try not to interrupt others” is not a good rule because it is
too complicated. “Try to be nice” is not a good rule because it is not
observable. I can’t tell if my student is trying to be nice. I can tell if she
uses kind words or invites others to share their ideas, so those are better
ways to describe nice behavior.
Once we have clear classroom rules, we need
to teach the expected behaviors for classroom routines to our students. We
should teach a lesson, just like we teach any other lesson. At the elementary
level, all behavior should be taught through explicit instruction. At the
secondary level, some behavior may need explicit behavior, and some may just
need to be reviewed.
Explicit
Instruction Steps for Teaching Behavior
Step 1: Explain the Desired Behavior
Step 2: Model the Desired Behavior
(make sure to include examples)
Step 3: Guided Practice of the Desired
Behavior
Step 4: Independent Practice of the Desired
Behavior
Here is an example.
Step 1: When we leave the classroom for
recess, we push our chairs into our desks, keep our hands by our sides, and
walk directly to the door.
Step 2: I’m going to walk to the door. (Walks
in the appropriate way.) That is the appropriate way to line up for recess.
(Walks without pushing chair in.) Oh no! I forgot to push my chair in, that’s
not right! (Walks around the classroom and talks to a student instead of going
directly to the door.)
Step 3: Class, can you remind me what I need to do
first? (Push in the chair!) Yes, very good! What do I do with my hands?
(Keep them by your side.) Oh, right! Now which way do I go to the door?
(Go directly to the door!) Thanks for helping me.
Step 4: Ok, class, now it’s your turn! When I
count to three, I want you to show me how you can safely and respectfully get
ready to leave the classroom by pushing in your chair, keeping your hands by
your sides, and walking directly to the door. 1-2-3! (everyone walks to the
door). That was great work class!
A
Continuum of Planned Response
Once the students know the rules, they need
to get rewards for following them. They also need to know when they do
something wrong. Teachers need to plan for how they will respond to all
behaviors. Below are some examples of effective techniques for recognizing good
behavior and responding to minor problems.
Behavior-Specific Praise
It’s nice to tell students “nice work” and
“good job.” That kind of general praise makes people feel good and helps to
build positive relationships. However, it does not help to teach good behavior.
Behavior-Specific Praise can help teach good behavior. When a child does
something well, say, specifically what they did well and connect it to the
expectations. You could say, “Nice job raising your hand before you spoke,
Carlos. That was very respectful.” You could also say, “I like how Luz has her
book open on her desk and is waiting quietly to start the lesson. That is very
responsible.” Research has shown that a
praise:reprimand ratio between 3:1 and 4:1 is the most effective.
Planned Ignoring
Sometimes, students misbehave because they
are looking for attention from the teacher. Planned ignoring can send the
message that they will not get the attention they are looking for. They may
increase the behavior at first, but they will stop when they do not get
attention.
Antiseptic Bouncing
Sometimes, a student needs a break from a
difficult situation. Antiseptic bouncing means removing a child from the
situation for a break, not as a punishment. Giving a student a “time out” can
be a strong punishment. Instead, you can send a student on a short trip to do
something like take a note to the office.
Classroom Token Economies
Token economies can be used for the whole
class or for an individual child. For example, the class can earn stars on the
blackboard for different opportunities to meet behavior expectations. When they
earn enough stars, the class can get a reward, such as extra free time on the
playground. They can also have opportunities to earn tokens individually. For
example, each student can earn a token for behavior. At the end of the week,
students who received a minimum number of tokens can pick a prize from the treasure
box. If there are particular students with behavioral challenges, they can have
their own token economy. That student may need more frequent rewards for
appropriate behavior. For example, a student who has trouble staying in his
seat during individual activities may get a reward each day if he can stay in
his seat during three individual activities. He would then get a sticker each
time he stayed in his seat and he could show his three stickers in order to get
his reward at the end of the day.
When you plan your continuum of response, it
is important to remember that not all responses to behavior are the same. It is
most effective to use “Free and Frequent” responses. These include, praise,
stickers, stars, and stamps. Less frequent responses, such as phone calls home,
opportunities for computer time, being “teacher’s assistant,” or recognition in
an honor ceremony at the end of the year, should be used as well. However,
delivering highly engaging lessons with frequent opportunity for response,
teaching appropriate behaviors, and rewarding them with “free and frequent”
responses should create an environment in which most students can succeed.
References
The
IRIS Center. (2012). Classroom Management (Part 2): Developing your own
comprehensive behavior management plan. Retrieved from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/beh2/
OSEP
Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
(2017). Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports [Website]. Retrieved
from www.pbis.org. 
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