INTRODUCTION
Picture this: A month into a new school year, you begin to observe concerning behaviors among your students. Behaviors that, if not addressed now, could have negative outcomes down the road—for you, your students, and the whole class. After school on a day when nothing seemed to go right, you sit back and reflect on your class. Here are some discomforting observations.
• Two students were unable to notice their disruptive behaviors during a class discussion.
• One student couldn’t control her anxiety while taking a quiz and began crying and punching her desk.
• Four students exhibited poor decision making by taking out their phones and watching TikTok videos instead of working on an assignment.
• Three students became frustrated and gave up on a quiz. Instead of persisting through the quiz, they handed it in early, leaving the open-ended questions blank.
• Two students failed to complete a section of the quiz correctly because they did not listen to directions.
• During a group activity, three out of five groups did not finish the assignment due to uncooperative use of time.
• Five students at the start of class were unorganized—physically and mentally—and did not set themselves up for success.
You have most likely experienced a day like this one—or at least observed students in your classroom who exhibited challenging behaviors. Or maybe you have reflected on a day in your classroom when many of your students modeled successful behaviors. The classroom on that day was perfect in your eyes. In either scenario, you may have asked yourself a question such as, “What is it that students need to manage themselves and their behaviors and be productive within the classroom?”
I was that teacher in the preceding scenario, and those were my students. I asked myself that exact question; doing so marked a turning point in my teaching career. Here are my realizations.
• Many students lacked self-awareness.
• Students’ inability to control their thoughts and emotions was affecting their decision making.
• When students felt defeated or struggled with class material, giving up was easier than persevering.
• Listening was an underrated skill.
• The ability to maintain group productivity was a struggle.
• Assuming all my students knew the behaviors to be productive within the classroom was depriving them of success.
This same group of students made remarkable gains in their behaviors throughout the rest of the school year. Reflecting at the end of that year, I realized their success was a result of changes I had made. I implemented strategies, modeled behaviors, and reinforced habits that supported their ability to succeed. Although I helped them improve their behaviors, I was unsure what exact design or structure I had used. Whatever I was doing, I needed to figure it out. I knew one thing: I had to create a plan that increased conscious, purpose-driven behaviors within the classroom.
I was on a journey to dig deeper into the reality of how best to support each student in building successful behaviors within my classroom. Clearly, some students were able to identify healthy ways to control their emotional, academic, and cognitive behaviors. These students were able to stay organized, keep themselves calm in frustrating situations, and make responsible decisions. Conversely, many students struggled with some or all these behaviors. These students showed signs of impulsiveness, lack of control over their behaviors, and an inability to maintain a collaborative working relationship with peers. I noticed disorganization, rising levels of anxiety and stress, and a lack of readiness to learn. It was obvious that, when confronted with obstacles that negatively affected their ability to succeed in the classroom, certain students
could not demonstrate productive behaviors, or actions they took to be successful in the face of obstacles or temptations that would prevent them from being successful.
The neuroscience behind why students struggle to control their emotions and behaviors offers valuable insight into the need for regulation strategies. Knowing that emotional and behavioral struggles are part of the developmental process in students, it is well established that the most significant developmental change occurs in the human brain during adolescence (Arain et al., 2013). During this time in a student’s life, changes in the brain mean students think, behave, and perceive emotions—their own and others’—differently. One reason why students struggle so much has to do with the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is responsible for impulse control and regulation and continues to develop throughout adolescence and early adulthood (Arain et al., 2013).
Explicit teaching strategies can help increase regulation. Regulation, maintaining or changing emotions in response to experiences, is an important skill and a major factor that measures how students feel about themselves while increasing their belief that they can succeed in their learning (Martin & Ochsner, 2016). Often, for students to gain an understanding of and connection to regulation, they must be informed and enlightened about the topic of regulation. Researchers Rebecca E. Martin and Kevin N. Ochsner (2016) shed light on the importance of regulation: “The ability to regulate one’s emotions can serve many purposes: it can both increase emotional arousal or positive valence to enhance learning, and it can help to dampen emotional responses that might be blocking successful encoding of new information” (p. 142). Knowing the positive implications of regulation when it comes to influencing students’ brains can help teachers support their success in learning. Implementing regulation strategies and skills can increase students’ ability to learn and succeed in the future. Moreover, these strategies can elicit productive ways of thinking and behaving to mitigate situations that disrupt students’ lives.
The biggest example of such a disruption is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many students in ways we could have never imagined, threatening both their academic success and their mental health as they manifest deeper levels of anxiety and stress (Camacho-Zuñiga, Pego, Escamilla, & Hosseini, 2021).
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), “Eighty-seven percent of public schools reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development during the 2021–22 school year.” One challenge has been the transition from remote learning to the classroom, where students have struggled with their emotions and school routines.
Teachers and districts do their best to help students with mental health, emotional stability, and regaining a sense of normalcy in the classroom. Whether the difficulty is with anxiety, focus, maintaining attention, staying organized, or navigating emotions, increasing students’ productive behaviors needs to be a priority within the classroom. The need for explicit strategies for building productive, purpose-driven behaviors within students is great. This need is even greater for marginalized communities; since many studies primarily document findings from White subjects of higher socioeconomic status, the effects of the pandemic could be even more serious among students of different racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds (MacKenzie, 2023).
Early in the pandemic, many teachers, staff, and school leaders went above and beyond their call of duty for their students to learn. Developing remote teaching plans to create concrete strategies for students to learn was a challenge. For many districts and schools, the economic means and ability to operate remotely were functional—to say the least. However, many rural and high-poverty school districts faced challenges early in the pandemic in terms of connecting with students, checking in, and running virtual learning sessions (Office for Civil Rights, 2021). The lack of resources for students who speak another language, students with learning disabilities, and other underprivileged demographics has put them years behind their developing peers. As teachers, our goal for all students should be to focus on increasing productivity and emotional and behavioral regulation through designing appropriate strategies.
As an educator, I have the amazing opportunity to build relationships with students and make an impact on them. Moreover, I get to empathize with all students who develop cognitively, emotionally, and academically in their own unique ways. It was not until I became comfortable in my teaching career that I realized the connection between students’ behaviors and emotions and their success in learning and that helping them acquire behaviors can truly make a difference. This is when I vowed to always give all students what they need— emotionally and behaviorally—and never leave a student behind.
An important role of educators is to make sure students receive all they need to reach their full potential. However, these needs differ from one student to the next. Some may need more time to themselves to mentally prepare and organize for an upcoming class. Others may thrive when they receive opportunities to settle their anxiety in certain classroom situations. And still others may glow with confidence when they get praise and recognition after pushing themselves to accomplish an overwhelming task.
Whether you teach high school, middle school, or elementary school, you know that each of your students has unique behavioral needs that are essential in their ability to overcome challenges and excel. Regardless of their abilities, it is important to treat each student’s needs in relation to their circumstances. While your classroom may consist of students with and without learning differences, providing a fair and individual-focused environment can lead students toward their full potential. Most important, students are best served in an environment where they feel supported and included, no matter what their circumstances may be. Therefore, creating a classroom where all students have opportunities to build their productive behaviors provides them with the necessary tools to achieve the success they deserve. In the following sections, I first explain what exactly productive behaviors are and detail seven productive behaviors that I have identified as essential to student success in the classroom and beyond. Then, I provide a preview of how this book is designed to give you strategies you can use right now to nurture these behaviors in your students.
The Seven Productive Behaviors
To best understand productive behaviors, it’s helpful to first define unproductive behaviors. Unproductive behaviors are actions people take that don’t move them forward. Examples of unproductive behaviors students commonly exhibit include losing their temper, being uncooperative, and giving up on a task that they could accomplish.
Productive behaviors, as discussed, are what people do consciously to overcome obstacles or temptations that would prevent them from succeeding at their goals. Note the word consciously: Productive behaviors don’t just happen; people must engage in them with purpose. Some examples of productive behaviors students might display are persisting in an assignment when they feel like quitting, managing impulsivity in situations where they would normally lose their temper, and thinking interdependently in groups to complete an assignment.
Some productive behaviors, such as persisting, can be clearly visible to others, while others, such as observation, are largely invisible. In this book, the seven productive behaviors I discuss are these.
1. Observation
Attentive listening 3. Self-control
Cooperation 5. Responsible decision making
7. Persistence
Organization
Since 2010, I have explicitly taught students these seven productive behaviors in the classroom. These behaviors offered students more than just success within my classroom; they carried over into their lives beyond high school. One former student expressed that all the productive behaviors have helped him in his job and ability to get things done in life. Another student shares, “If there was one thing I learned from your class, it was how to be successful in life. Each productive behavior has made a significant impact in all I do” (B. Leeds, personal communication, May 7, 2020). Essentially, it has become clear that building productivity is a key component that extends far beyond the four walls of the classroom. Incorporating the behaviors into the learning environment takes commitment and intentionality; yet, no matter the subject or grade level, these seven behaviors make a powerful impact.
Educators can teach the seven productive behaviors in a variety of ways across all content areas and grade levels. They can present them via strategies related to emotional, cognitive, and academic purposes. Furthermore, some behaviors are more interpersonal, while we might regard some as more intrapersonal. The following sections briefly describe each behavior. Each chapter of the book delves more deeply into one of these behaviors.
OBSERVATION
Observation is one of the most important skills to possess in the classroom. Closely related to metacognition, observing allows students to consciously recognize their thoughts and feelings in the classroom. Conversely, metacognition involves the act of students assessing and being in control of their personal thought processes. When in the process of metacognition, students become more aware of what they do and don’t understand while building more self-awareness about how they learn best. Metacognition supports students in becoming more independent learners and bolstering self-advocacy skills (Jacobson, 2024). One of the significant differences between metacognition and observation has to do with judgment. Amy Brann (2017), a leader in the teaching of neuroscience, describes observation as “the act of attending to present moment experiences and allowing any emotions and thoughts to pass without judgment” (p. 158). In the mathematics classroom, for example, observing may look and sound like students describing their thinking while solving a problem, keeping a record of their thought processes, and reexamining the process of their final answer. It is the ability to steer feelings, thinking, and behaviors in positive and productive directions (Wilson & Conyers, 2016). In your classroom, you most likely have modeled observing through your comments to students, such as, “I appreciate everyone getting into their seats and sitting quietly,” “That was a
very thoughtful and motivating speech,” and “You made a great choice to sit by yourself today where you could focus and get your work done.”
SELF-CONTROL
Self-control is the ability to control thoughts, actions, and impulses. One way of explaining self-control to students is by using the cookie example. Selfcontrol is like wanting the last cookie in the cookie jar, but you use your willpower to avoid eating it because you know it isn’t good for you (or you will get in trouble). Often when students exhibit self-control in the classroom, they display enhanced focus, nondisruptive behavior, and deep engagement in completing assignments. Furthermore, the act of self-control develops the habit of keeping track of one’s actions and performance. While this ability provides numerous benefits in learning, it extends far beyond the classroom; it has real implications for students’ lives after they finish school.
RESPONSIBLE DECISION MAKING
On average, a person makes about 35,000 decisions per day (Krockow, 2018). While that number may seem alarming, imagine the number of decisions your students must make in a day. From the time students enter school in the morning until they leave in the afternoon, their brains are continuously processing information and responding to their environment. Each day in the classroom, students distinguish between right and wrong, choose correct or incorrect answers, make impactful decisions, and problem solve to the best of their abilities. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, n.d.), responsible decision making is the ability to “make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.” Student decision making does not end in the classroom. At other times during the school day as well as outside of school hours, students make a significant number of decisions in their personal lives: what group of peers to hang out with, when and how to respond to phone notifications, and with whom to sit at lunch, all of which can be taxing and overwhelming.
The choices our students make are not always the best ones. Most likely in your classroom, you have witnessed students making poor decisions. This may be due to various lacks: choices, skills in making effective choices, critical thinking, and the tools required to make logical decisions.
PERSISTENCE
Persistence is working through challenges and overcoming frustration. Persisting is one of the biggest struggles for students when it comes to completing work. It is a battle between themselves and the task at hand. Yet, this indispensable behavior can have an amazing impact on student success. In your classroom, you may have recognized students who felt as though they were defeated. This may have sounded like students commenting to themselves, “I’ll never be able to do this,” “Forget it, I’m done,” or “I’m not smart enough.” As teachers, these statements should be a call to action. The action needs to focus on finding ways for your students to persist.
ATTENTIVE LISTENING
Listening is one of the most underrepresented skills in education. Educators take this skill for granted—considering it an expected skill—and often ignore it. This thinking leads students to be less mindful of the process it takes to be an effective listener. Additionally, the act of attentive listening is not about just hearing the words coming out of someone’s mouth; it is listening with the main purpose to understand. It is the understanding of what someone says, teaches, and communicates that is key.
COOPERATION
No matter how much the world changes, people will always need to collaborate with one another. It is a behavior that leads to new thinking, perspectives, insight, and success in completing projects and assignments. When students are cooperative, they listen to each other’s ideas, resolve problems, give advice, and support one another to collectively achieve a goal. Simply telling students to get into groups and complete an assignment will not guarantee their success. We must model and teach them how to cooperate. Cooperation has many benefits, including building rapport with peers, assertiveness, responsibility, and holding themselves and each other accountable.
ORGANIZATION
Organizing yourself, and your life, can be game-changing. In your classroom, most likely, you have a successful organizational system. You might have been taught how to organize at a young age, picked up this skill as you got older, or figured it out the hard way over time. When you explicitly teach students organization, you can help ensure they learn this behavior early in their lives. Organization is a skill that helps students use their time and energy most
effectively to achieve their goals and be successful in their learning (Revolution Prep, 2022). When organizing is done successfully, one can break down tasks into smaller steps to reach a goal. It is like organizing a filing cabinet; take the data, open a drawer, and file them away in a method that fits their organizational schema. This is demonstrated both physically and mentally within the learning environment.
About This Book
This book is for all general education teachers in grades K–12 and provides information and strategies to address students’ varied needs, struggles, and emotional concerns at an interpersonal and intrapersonal level. These strategies can also help support general education teachers’ work with students with learning disabilities, students from marginalized communities, and those with traumatic backgrounds.
You will learn about seven productive behaviors that, as a general education teacher, you can incorporate into your classroom practice for all students. These include strategies you can teach your students so they can use and practice them independently. You may be able to empathize with the quiet student in your classroom who struggles when first jumping into group work with peers. Or, you might have a struggling writer who hits a roadblock when writing and immediately throws in the towel. These are instances where incorporating productive behavior strategies can increase students’ academic achievement, prevent emotional breakdowns, and help develop their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.
I hope that, over time, incorporating these productive behaviors into your practice will become part of your daily routine. This routine should offer all students the opportunity to practice with the strategies. Modeling, teaching, and practicing productive behaviors is not just another responsibility but an integral part of understanding your students and helping them become fulfilled adults.
Each chapter in this book provides strategies designed around a productive behavior. You can read them in any order depending on the needs of your students and the behaviors they exhibit. Keep in mind that some strategies are more related to emotional, academic, or cognitive behaviors. In addition, you will find a mix of interpersonal and intrapersonal connections throughout the chapters.
Chapter 1 covers the productive behavior of observation. The student strategies offer opportunities for students to learn how to attend to present-moment
experiences without judgment. The teacher strategies will provide you with techniques for increasing your students’ attention and connecting more intently to their present environment.
Chapter 2 explores self-control. Student strategies offer the opportunity to put actions into play. This can be done via countdowns, choices, and increasing self-control before moving forward in learning. Teacher modeling and using specific techniques offer everyone in the classroom an opportunity to take a minute and check in with themselves.
Chapter 3 looks at responsible decision making. Student strategies focus on thinking before acting and making beneficial choices. Teacher strategies include creating guided plans and incorporating situational storytelling to support students in making better decisions.
Chapter 4 explores persistence. Student strategies will offer insight into developing persistence in reading and comprehension in all content areas. In addition, students will realize that procrastination can actually be a strength— when used properly. Teacher strategies provide praising techniques and productivity slots for incorporating persistence into the classroom.
Chapter 5 discusses attentive listening. Student strategies include building ways to process thinking, increasing awareness in listening, and clearly communicating thoughts and ideas. Teacher strategies offer ways to support students in taking time to process and interpret information.
Chapter 6 examines cooperation. Student strategies involve finding ways to build trust and supporting one another through group work. Teacher strategies incorporate designing and collaborating ways for your students to succeed together.
Chapter 7 talks about organization. Student strategies focus on finding manageable ways to stay organized—mentally and physically—through selective styles and strengths. Teacher strategies review techniques for supporting students in timing, pacing, and incorporating supportive features for staying organized. Each chapter includes the following features.
• Classroom strategies: Each chapter includes four classroom strategies for both students and teachers. Some strategies in this book might not work for everyone; that is fine. The idea is to choose the ones that best fit you and your students. They should eventually become authentic and flow with purpose. When you recognize a situation or event in the classroom that could benefit from one of the strategies, go ahead and implement it. As students
