Student Interventions: Time-Out Intervention

This week in class we discussed the Time-Out Intervention and its many forms. One that I found most interesting and useful was the inclusion time-out intervention. In this one the student is removed from the general learning and teaching area and can be seated in the back of the room. The student is still able to see and hear what is going on in the classroom but is not allowed to participate in any way for a period of time. The hope is the student will learn the correct way to interact in class by watching their classmates. Research mentioned by Ryan, Sanders, Katsiyannis, and Yell (2007) stated that the inclusion intervention was just as effective if not more than the other interventions. My current school does something similar, but I hope to help implement a more homogeneous policy throughout the grades.

Ryan, J. B., Sanders, S., Katsiyannis, A., & Yell, M. L. (2007). Using time-out effectively in the classroom. Teaching Exceptional Children, 39(4), 60-67

Students Situations and Interventions

When creating an intervention plan for a student with disruptive behavior, the teacher needs to look at different aspects of that student. They need to look at what triggers the behavior, during what activity the behavior emerges and the present abilities of the students. It is very important to look at triggers, this will help the teacher instruct the student in how they can control their responses when the triggers present themselves (Hamlett, 2018). After this, teachers  can better assess which intervention will work best for each individual student’s situation. Teachers can implement a group contingency plan if the student shows signs of inappropriate behavior in groups or skills instruction when it is known that the student is lacking the social skills to get along with others in the classroom. Interventions are present to be a tool to assist teachers in creating the positive classroom environment.

Hamlett, T (Course Lecturer). (2018) Module 3:Interventions for Increasing Appropriate Student Behavior. Part 1 Transcript: Emotional Control [transcript], 1-2. American College of Education.

Challenging Student Behaviors and Their Causes

This week I have been learning about challenging behaviors my students may have and how to best address them. Sometimes the cause is going on in your classroom and sometimes it is you. You, as the teacher, are the one who models what it means to act. You are the one who models what respect is, the appropriate volume for speaking, or what it means to be prepared for class. Hamlett (2018) wrote out a list of actions we as teachers sometimes do that could cause challenging behaviors in our students. The list includes:

• ·         Not talking to the student but rather talking over him or her
• ·         Poor listening skills (teacher not listening to student explanation)
• ·         Rushing ahead with a given concept without giving the student enough time to process the information
• ·         Negative body language and comments
• ·         An unorganized classroom (p. 2-3)

When we as teachers feel our classroom management is out of control, we can first look at what we are doing to keep the order and correct our mistakes. After this we can look at the student and find what the causes for their struggles are.

A Week Under My Belt

Finished a few days off in the wilderness of a ski lodge for orientation with the rest of the LIFT staff. Ok, yes we were in a building and not sleeping out under the stars, but I would be very surprised to learn if they heated the lodge at all during the time we were there and we did sleep on the floor in sleeping bags. We went tubing, learned to cross-country ski, hiked/ran a mountain (twice!), snowshoe the same mountain, and had an amazing first class about the Beatitudes. I was so glad we separated ourselves from the rest of camp to have a few days to ourselves. I really got to know many of the other LIFTers personalities and where they are in their spiritual walk. I get chills every time I hear how God has been involved in someone's life before they ever realized how much He loves them and has a plan for them. As I reflect on my personnel journey, I found times where I thought life was going down hill and there was no benefit from the experience, but in reality, God was preparing and molding me into the woman He wants me to be. Without the struggles and joys in my life, I would not be the woman of God I am to day. I pray that God will continue to reveal how He has been working on me in the past and continue to guide me as I pursue Him in this program. These people I am with are a little crazy, but I guess you would have to be a little in order to take the classes, do the adventures, work on the weekends, and still find time to have meaningful conversations with others. Call me crazy :)

A New Journey Begins

Tomorrow I will be heading East to start the LIFT (Leaders In Further Training) program in the Adirondack Mountains. This program will stretch me physically, mentally, and spiritually but I will not be alone on this journey. I will be with many other adventurers facing below zero temperatures and life changing experiences. You are more than welcomed to follow me on my just over three month journey. May God be glorified through all we do.

As you can see I added some fish to the side of my blog. They are a gadget I found in the layout. Gadgets were a little difficult at first for me to find and to choose from. You can move your mouse around and they will follow you. Click to leave behind some food, but don't feed them too much.

It was a little hard to search for blogs to comment on, but I found this cite by a teacher who post fun facts like what pi is for pi day and videos to help students understand concepts. He has also posted links to GeoGebra to help students have a program to learn geometry better.