Behavior Management in Early Childhood Education

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Early Childhood Education Original post Behavior management has been a password as far as teaching is concerned for a very long time. The major stakeholders who are involved in this case have been the students and the teachers. For a long time, the model utilized in managing behavior has been the “manage and discipline” model, which has fallen short of expectations on many fronts, as the author suggests.

The method has been very rigid, and it is based on assumptions that do not hold much water as far as the discipline of students is considered. For instance, those who are not transformed by this way of doing things tend to be treated as a threat to orderly classrooms (Armstrong, 2018). Even learners with behavioral difficulties or mild mental disabilities may be earmarked as a threat.

As such, there has been the emergence of other approaches deemed better, such as the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). However, such methods have also fallen short as they have not reduced the exclusion rates in various contexts such as the U.S. In addition, some of the methods, such as the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), are too labor-intensive, and there is always the risk of such approaches being abandoned before the realization of the positive results.

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Considering some of the recommendations made, the author calls upon the stakeholders to wholeheartedly reject the “manage and discipline” model. This should indeed be rejected as it is based on dangerous assumptions which can be detrimental to some children. Furthermore, the approach is not well defined and does not take the individual characteristics of the children into perspective. It also recommends targeted support for the teachers who experience occupational support. This can be a good idea if the behavior of learners has been contained so that as teachers are supported, they do not relapse to the tiring routines that lead to burnout. Therefore, more focus should first be on behavior management. With this in place, others can easily follow (Armstrong, 2018). Insights about human behavior will indeed help teachers approach discipline better, e.g., having behavior support plans based on the data gathered by teachers.

Reference Armstrong, D. (2018). Addressing the wicked problem of behaviour in schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(9), 997-1013.

Response to post 1 It is true that engaging learners effectively can help in managing behavior. However, some behavioral problems come as a result of failure to engage the learners, hence making the learners get bored by the instructional activities. Teaching and learning technologies are likely to help tap the learners' interest and engage them for the most part of the lesson. Other activities can also be integrated to suit the students' learning styles. This will make them benefit most from instructional activities. Students with learning disabilities such as ADHD (Attention deficit and hyperactive disorders) are likely to be very disruptive (Shook, 2012). However, some assistive technologies can help improve their attention span and reduce undesirable behaviors during lessons, e.g., the use of fighters.

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Teachers also tend to be disoriented by the unbecoming behaviors that the students exhibit. Teachers become stressed due to the overwhelming nature of handling discipline and behavioral issues in the schools. This affects the performance and the mental well-being of the teachers. As such, support should also be directed on the part of the teachers as opposed to putting all the efforts into supporting students with behavioral issues. Teachers are always supposed to have the stamina to handle behavioral issues. Training sessions are also encouraged to help teachers understand some of the evidence-based practices that have proved effective in handling the students' discipline. Some of the evidence-based practices in behavior support should also be embraced (Shook, 2012). For instance, teachers should develop behavior support plans and use methods that are well aligned with their respective contexts.

It is also true that putting all the measures that ensure quality education can go a long way to help in managing behavior. I would suggest that teachers adopt a more collaborative approach in behavior management. Teachers, parents, students, and other multidisciplinary teams should come on board to help in addressing the issue from a common front. Collaborative efforts are likely to yield positive results than having isolated units pulling in different directions.

Reference Shook, A.C. (2012). A study of preservice educators' dispositions to change behavior management strategies. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 56(2), 129-136.

Response to post 2 The “manage and discipline” model has been earmarked as a very harmful approach that is not aligned with the spirit of inclusion. The students who are supposed to be well included in learning end up being excluded, hence giving an opportunity to those who are perceived as

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disciplined to remain in school for learning. Teachers give up on their effort to contain the difficult behaviors among students; therefore, their fate is left in the hands of the authorities or parents. This only implies that such learners are discriminated against on the grounds that they may be having a mental illness or behavioral challenges that are beneath their control (Pas et al., 2015). A very high level of professionalism is highly called for in addressing the student discipline, e.g. being firm, setting expectations, addressing issues promptly as they happen, addressing issues respectfully and fairly, among the other approaches. However, these methods can be too soft in handling some extreme cases. In such cases, it is recommendable that the schools have a stringent code of discipline that should be adhered to at all times regarding the students' behavioral issues and discipline. In this case, the discipline cases will be handled at different levels, e.g. implementation of the behavior support plan, facing the disciplinary committee, involvement of paraprofessionals and other stakeholders and referring the students to rehabilitation centers if the cases become extremely difficult.

Even though bolstering teachers can be an effective way of addressing behavioral issues in schools, there is a sense in which a lot of effort is focused on handling behavioral issues among the children themselves. If this is well achieved, then the issue of burnout with the teachers will no longer be there. If more effort is put on teachers at the expense of the students, this will be more of addressing a secondary problem and leaving the primary issue out (Pas et al., 2015). All the stakeholders are supposed to be well informed so that the teachers do not always find themselves at the receiving end. Above all, the dignity of every student and their right to education should be upheld.

Reference

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Pas, E.T., Cash, A.H., O'Brennan, L., Debnam, K.J., & Bradshaw, C.P. (2015). Profiles of classroom behavior in high schools: Associations with teacher behavior management strategies and classroom composition. Journal of School Psychology, 53(2), 137-148.