Lesson 3: Group Management Strategies

Students spend a majority of the school day working in groups. It is important for paraeducators to have some useful strategies for successfully managing behavior of students during these times. Developing a set of strategies helps you respond quickly if and when problems do arise. This lesson discusses several useful methods which can be used to manage behavior while students are in groups. These involve short, routine measures that redirect off-task behavior, don't disrupt instruction and refocus attention on the classroom teacher or paraeducator.

The strategies are most effective at the beginning stages of misbehavior and with minor problems. The strategies should be used in conjunction with established classroom rules and procedures.

Planned Ignoring

Sometimes the most effective way to deal with student misbehavior is to ignore it.

Pointers for When to Ignore Behavior:

1. When the inappropriate behavior is unintentional or not likely to reoccur.
   
2. When the goal of a misbehavior is to gain teacher or paraeducator attention.
   
3. When you want a behavior to decrease.
   
4. Do not intervene when there is nothing you can do.

Pointers for When to Intervene:

1. When there is physical danger or harm to yourself, others or the child.
   
2. When a student disrupts the classroom.
   
3. When there are violations of classroom rules or school policy.
   
4. When there is interference with learning.
   
5. When the inappropriate behavior will spread to other students.

Providing Cues to Students

An important aspect of behavior management is developing ways to communicate with students that provide reminders that support your expectations. Remember that look your mother would give you when you were young? She didn't have to say even a word but it would immediately stop you in your tracks? It's simply a way to let the student know that you want their attention, or you're aware of the behavior, and that you want it changed. These cues can also be used to reinforce positive behavior patterns as well (i.e., reminders to continue the quality of interaction during an activity). These techniques may be non-verbal, including eye contact, physical gestures (i.e., raising your hand in silence), tapping or snapping of your fingers, coughing or clearing your throat, facial expressions (i.e., smile), or body postures (i.e., tilting your head). One caution, avoid doing things that may embarrass students.

There are also more formal procedures, that we teach students during the first week of school, for example the dimming or shutting the lights off within the classroom as the signal to be silent. They can be verbal as well, for example reminding the entire class or group of students what procedures to follow.

Proximity Control

A fancy term, but you've probably used the technique quite frequently. You're aware how effective it is to stand near a student who's experiencing difficulty. Simply moving around the classroom can assist students in staying on task because of your "proximity" to them. This works well because the students know you're aware of what's going on, and allows the classroom teacher to continue without interrupting the lesson or the flow of the activity. As a caution, it's important not to reinforce the inappropriate behavior or call attention to the student.

Ways to Increase Student Motivation

Motivation is a key to academic success for most students. There are a number of ways to increase the motivational level of students with which you work.

1. Relate the material to their life experience/s, in other words, make it relevant to them personally, thereby stimulating their interest.
2. Demonstrate an active interest in that child.
3. Demonstrate an active interest in the child's work or the activity.
4. Use lots of praise both verbally and nonverbally.

The Use of Humor

We're all aware of how a light, funny or amusing comment or statement can often times decrease tension, or frustration and afterward allows everyone to feel a bit more comfortable.

Of all the techniques discussed here, humor can be the most prone to misuse and is not easy to master, especially if it's directed toward a particular child or group of children. We've all heard the expression "laugh with, not at children". Even the practice of laughing at one's own actions can sometimes be troublesome, particularly if it's negatively directed. Don't use sarcasm and don't belittle students. Be careful, because what you think is funny may not be funny to the student involved.

Humor can also be used constructivley to decrease levels of anxiety and thereby increase students' academic perform.

Helping Students Through Tough Spots

All students eventually will come across a certain task, assignment or situation that causes them difficulty. Many will request assistance from teachers, staff or peers when appropriate. Others will simply stop working all together and not know what to do next. At these times, trouble can occur. We need to get them back on track. As a paraeducator, you can be most helpful in getting the student back on task by:

1. Doing (or solving) the problem with the student.
2. Reviewing the directions.
3. Providing another example or demonstrating.
4. Supplying them the correct answer as a model.

Appeal to Student Values

Often times you can appeal to students' values when intervening in problem situations. Their desire is to be liked by others, to do the right thing, to be treated with respect, etc. You might:

1. Appeal to the relationship between yourself and the student. (i.e., "When you swear at me when you're upset, it makes me feel bad.")
2. Appeal to the natural consequences of a specific behavior. (i.e., "I know you're frustrated, but if you break your pencil, then you'll have to replace it with your own money." )
3. Appeal to a student's need to be liked. (i.e., "Your friends may be disappointed with you if you continue to boss them around and interrupt them when they're speaking.")
4. Appeal to the student's self-respect. (i.e., "I know you'll be very upset with yourself at the end of school if you rip up your daily behavior rating card.")

Removal of Nuisance Items

It is difficult for both teachers and paraeducators to compete with certain objects, either found at school or brought from home (i.e., rubber bands, combs, etc.). Often times in order to gain students' undivided attention, you may be required to deal with these types of competing items. Often times, however, the removal of such belongings will only lead to further conflict. One way to avoid such conflict is to simply state the choices:

1. You can either put it away immediately; or
2. I will put it away until the end of the day.

However, by taking a strong interest in the object and then politely asking to see and handle it. Once it is in your possession, you have the option of returning it, with a firm request that it disappear for the rest of the school day, week or year, or to keep it, with a promise to return it at the end of the day and/or week. This technique is most effective if you have established a relationship with the student.