Case 1 Mdm. Rose is both relieved and proud to have survived her first year of teaching.

She attributes her staying power, in part, to the fact that she implemented a comprehensive behavior management plan for her classroom. However, though the management plan prevented many problem behaviors, there were still two students for whom it was not enough. Although things were rocky for a while, Ms. Teo, a special education teacher, taught Mdm. Rose some specific behavioral interventions as well as the acting-out cycle of behavior. Applying this knowledge allowed Mdm. Rose to address the problem behaviors of these two students. Because of her acquired behavior management skills, Mdm. Roses second year of teaching started off well. She encountered few behavioral problems, and she easily handled those that did occur. That is, she encountered few problems until June, when a new student named Joey joined her class. Joey makes smart-aleck remarks, is rude, and teases his classmates. Sometimes he makes disruptive comments when Mdm. Rose calls on him in class. At other times, he makes fun of his fellow students' responses. Though many of her students laugh at Joey's antics, Mdm. Rose suspects that some of them feel embarrassed when he ridicules their answers. She believes strongly that she cannot allow this behavior to continue, but when she asks Joey to behave appropriately, he simply rolls his eyes or heaves a theatrical sighsetting off peals of laughter from the other students. Mdm. Rose isn't happy about the atmosphere that Joey is creating in her classroom. She's tried some of the behavioral interventions she learned last year, but they are not working. She wonders what else she can do to stop Joey's behavior.

Here's Your Challenge: What should Mdm. Rose know about behavior in order to help Joey? How can Mdm. Rose determine why Joey behaves the way he does?

What can Mdm. Rose do to modify Joey 's behavior? How will Mdm. Rose know if the intervention is successful?

Case 2 Ms. Teh, a middle school math teacher, loves her job. Both she and her students are thrilled when they demonstrate their seventh-grade-level abilities, like solving algebraic equations and applying strategies for solving word problems. Ms. Teh has always enjoyed working to help all her students achieve their ultimate potential, but for two of them, Alexandra and Zack, she just can't seem to find the right approach. She's been stumped by Alexandra's inability to pay attention and by Zach's inability to complete his assignments. It's not that the work is too hard for either of them; she checked that out first thing. And, although they each have individualized educational plans for reading, their math computation skills are at grade level. For example, Alexandra's attention problem seems to manifest itself in chatting with friends or being out of her seat instead of doing her work. She just can't seem to stay on task. When Ms. Teh talks with her about this problem, she seems to understand at the moment, but it's soon forgotten. Zach, on the other hand, can't stay focused. Ms. Teh always needs to be right next to him in order to get his class assignments done. Ms. Teh really believes that Alexandra and Zach don't want to be off taskthey just can't help themselves. She has talked with Zach and Alexandra. She's explained how when she has to stop what she's doing and get them back to work it's unfair to the other students. Needless to say, Ms. Teh is frustrated, first because Alexandra and Zach are not learning life skills for managing their time and attention, and because of the time their behavior is taking away from the other students. As they get older, Ms. Teh is worried that Zach and Alexandra will be unable to focus and complete tasks independently, and she knows she better do something about it! One thing she's tried has been the use of positive reinforcement along with the daily enforcement of classroom rules. This has helped a little; however, she still feels they need something more. Ms. Teh feels in her gut that Alexandra and Zach don't need a heavy-duty behavior intervention plan. She believes in them and thinks that with the right tools, they can be successful. Here's your Challenge: 1. Why do you suppose Alexandra and Zach can't stay on task and are so easily distracted? 2. What might Ms. Teh consider to help her students stay on task and also help her regain some lost instructional time? 3. What techniques will help Alexandra and Zach become independent learners, and how can they gain those skills?

Case 3 Narrator: Principal: Imagine that you have just been hired to teach standard five pupils. The principal is welcoming you and sharing some of the realities of your new situation. Congratulations! We're so glad you've accepted the position as a standard five teacher at Middle Town Primary School. As you well know, we've had some unfortunate budget cuts this year, and that's created a bit of an increase in class size. Some of your students will be inclusion kidsthey might have learning disabilities, some visual disabilities, and a few behavior issues. We're working to increase parental involvement, but our PTO-sponsored classroom funds are rather sparse at the moment. Please feel free to call on me any time, and I'll be more than willing to help out. As you mentioned in your interview, you've completed a module on behavior management, and you're prepared to develop a comprehensive behavior management plan. That's one of the reasons we are so glad to have you here. I'm sure you'll be able to meet these challenges successfully. Good luck! For a new teacher, the Middle Town classroom just described could be somewhat overwhelming.

Narrator:

Here's your Challenge: What do you think you should keep in mind as you anticipate a crowded classroom with kids of all types - including some who might have so-called "behavior issues"? Which elements of a behavior plan do you think would be important to have in place on the first day of school?

Case 4 Before this school year began, Mr. Roy, a beginning teacher, was feeling overwhelmed at the thought of dealing with behavior problems in his classroom. Now that school is well underway, he's figuring out ways to maintain control. Much of this is thanks to the opportunity he had to learn and apply his new knowledge about classroom management. First, he designed a clear, positive statement about key aspects of his management plan. Then, before the kids even arrived for their first day, he began to develop classroom rules, expectations, procedures, and carefully constructed consequences. These components have all been consistently implemented and reinforced, week after week. Most of his students have responded really well to his new classroom management plan. Nevertheless, there are two students about whom he still has concerns. Rahul is like two different kids. Some days he's a model studenthelpful, polite, focused on his work. But on others, watch out! He becomes rude, refuses to work, and wanders around the classroom trying to provoke other students. At times, he's so disruptive that Mr. Roys teaching is interrupted and everyone's learning suffers. Then there's Tameera. She flat out refuses to do any written work. In fact, she protests that she "hates writing" because it's just "too hard" and her words always look "messy." Instead, Tameera retreats to drawing, reading, or trying to visit with her friends. Needless to say, Mr. Roy is concerned and frustrated. While he's gained a measure of confidence in his ability to manage her classroom, he's really not sure how to help Rahul and Tameera or how to maintain a good learning environment in the classroom in spite of their disruptive behavior. Of course, he has received lots of advice: things like, "Just reward those students who are doing the right things," or, "Call their parents and let them handle it," or, "Ignore them and eventually they'll come around," or even, "Forget about them. After all, you can't save everyone." And all of these well-meaning words have only made Mr. Roy more confused.

Here is your Challenge: Mr. Roy has a comprehensive behavior management plan in place. Why isn't it working for all of his students? How can Mr. Roy determine what behaviors he should address and when he should address them?

Case 5 Ms. Rita has just been hired to teach standard four pupils and is excited about starting her teaching career. Her anticipation grows as she steps into her empty classroom for the very first time. For a few satisfied moments, she contemplates how wonderful it will be to have a class full of eager students and how much she's looking forward to leading their learning. But then, one by one, her doubts begin to steal away her confidence. "I know how to teach reading and math. I'll finally get to do that great science lesson. But what am I going to do if they don't listen to me or refuse to work? What if the kids swear or get into fights? How do I get them to come to class on time? How do I get the kids to behave?" For many educators, the first years are the most stressful of their career. Classroom behavior management is the most seriously perceived concern of beginning teachers. In fact, when new teachers fail to thrive, it's often related to issues of behavior management. Conventional wisdom offers a variety of often-conflicting suggestions for managing behavior, such as:

Don't smile until pay day. The best approach is to be their friend. Kids behave better if the teacher is really nice. Let them develop their own classroom system. Just buy a lot of candy.

Do you think Ms Ritas concerns about student behavior are justified? Please explain why or why not. If she came to you with these concerns, what advice might you give her?

Case 6 Narrator : Mr. Bao, a primary-school mathematics teacher, is concerned about the inconsistent progress of a few of his students. Assignments are late, incomplete, incorrect, or not done at all. Sometimes these students do well, and they complete the tasks that I require. Sometimes when I check in with them, they seem to understand the lesson. But other times, you'd think that we'd never gone over the material. It can get a little confusing. What am I doing wrong? Because his students are experiencing so many problems, Mr. Bao decides to make an appointment to speak with Ms. Lin, the head panel teacher. He hopes she can help him come up with some answers.

Mr. Bao:

Narrator :

Here's Your Challenge: Why do you think Mr. Bao's students are having difficulty in remembering what he has taught them? What advice would you give Mr. Bao?

What procedures might Ms. Lin suggest?

Case 7 Ms. Kumar is having trouble with two of her students, Hui and Teja. Her knowledge of the acting-out cycle has helped her to understand that Teja's noncompliant behaviors are triggered by writing activities. While she understands Teja's frustration with writing, she knows that Teja must still master the grade level writing standards, and wonders how to increase her compliance on writing tasks. Hui's behaviors are a little more difficult to manage. After talking with Hui and engaging in other debriefing activities after his outbursts, she has figured out that his misbehavior is often triggered by events in his home. He tends to act out if he's gotten in trouble at home and lost some privileges or if his older brother has been picking on him. Ms. Kumar understands that she has little influence over this aspect of Hui's life. However, she really needs to reduce the number of emotional outbursts that Hui engages in during school, as well as increase his time on task.

Here is your challenge:

What aspects of these students' behaviors do you think Ms. Kumar should focus on? Who can Ms. Kumar go to for help? What can Ms. Kumar do to encourage initial compliance to her requests? What techniques can Ms. Kumar use to manage the disruptive and non-compliant behaviors of students like Hui and Teja?

Case 8

North Street Primary School is an urban school with a large percentage of students from diverse backgrounds. Eleven percent of its students have disabilities, a typical number for the district, 85 percent receive free or reduced lunches. Although some of the school's students perform well academically, a number of them do not score in the proficient range on the required subject areas on the end-of-year standardized test. North Street 's teachers are aware that their students have a great range of interests and abilities, and they are finding it difficult to meet all of their learning needs. Some students are not challenged, others struggle with the academic expectations, and others are simply not engaged. The staff questions whether their traditional methods of instruction are adequate and whether their current instructional practices are meaningful, motivating, and engaging for such a wide range of students. They wonder, too, whether there is a better way to provide instruction to help their students to be more successful.

Here's Your Challenge: How can teachers at North Street Primary School meet the educational needs of all of their students? To meet the needs of the widest range of students, what should teachers consider when planning their instruction?

Case 9 Narrator: Ms. Bee is a first year primary four teacher. She met with her mentor teacher, Mrs. Annie, because she was concerned with the progress of three of her students. Ms. Bee: Hi, Mrs. Annie. Thanks for meeting with me. Mrs. Annie: No problem. Here, have a seat. What's going on? Ms. Bee: I'm just not sure I'm reaching some of my students, especially Luke, Louisa, and Joe. They're my lowest for every subject. Math, reading, and spelling are their worst subjects. Mrs. Annie: Do they have IEPs? Ms. Bee: We think Joe has one. He just came in last month, and we haven't gotten his records yet. Luke doesn't have an IEP, and Louisa has just been referred for special education. I brought their cumulative files, but I'm not sure what I should look for. Mrs. Annie: Let's look at their scores from the end-of-grade testing last year. It shows here that Luke scored near the 40th percentile in math and reading. That's close to average. I wouldn't expect him to be having trouble. Ms. Bee: He's higher than the other two, but he's still frustrated with the work I give him. Mrs. Annie: Louisa scored in the 15th percentile in reading and the 10th percentile in math. That's low. She will probably require quite a bit of support this year. And who knows about Joe we don't have his records yet. What have you tried with them so far? Ms. Bee: Well, I had to pull them out of the lowest reading group. They couldn't keep up with the other kids. Math and spelling are just as bad. And I've been working with them individually during independent practice. I just don't know if it's helping. Mrs. Annie: Do you think they need different materials? I have a couple of programs in reading and one in math for at-risk students. Ms. Bee: I'm not sure if I should try something else or just wait to see if they improve from what I'm doing now. I think they can handle the regular curriculum if I modify it. That's another problem; I'm not sure what I should expect from these students. You know what worries me the most? After all this hard work, we'll get to the end-of-the-grade tests, and they won't show any improvement. Mrs. Annie: Setting goals can be really challenging. Initial Thoughts 1. What kind of information would best help Ms. Bee evaluate her students' learning? 2. Why is it important for Ms. Bee to be aware of her students' progress?

3. What steps can Ms. Bee take to monitor her students' progress throughout the year? Case 10 Last month, Ms. Novel Price's class competed in the local science fair. Each student had to perform an experiment and then orally describe his or her results to the judges. Everyone did a great job, including Sasha and Jamal, who have learning disabilities. Since the students were so enthusiastic about the science fair, Ms. Price wants to capture this enthusiasm in their science journals. She gives them an assignment to write a five-paragraph essay describing their science-fair experience. Ms. Price expects Sasha and Jamal to need some extra support for this assignment, but she is surprised to find that many of her students are struggling with the assignment and feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Specifically, they don't know how to get started, and so they are having difficulty completing the assignment. When she asks her students what they need to be doing, they reply, "I don't know," and shrug their shoulders, or they complain that writing is too hard. Ms. Price is at a loss because all of the students expressed themselves quite well during the science fair, and she wonders why they are having such difficulty putting their thoughts down on paper. In the Challenge you just heard, you learned about a common problem. If you were Ms. Price, what could you do to help your students when they struggle with a task? How might Ms. Price provide help to meet the individual needs of all her students, including those with disabilities?