Summary of "107 - Classroom Management and Behavior Interventions - Session 1 - Lesson 2"

Main goal

Establish clear, consistent, high expectations for Tier 1 (universal) classroom instruction by teaching specific, observable behaviors and routines so students know exactly what to do and why.

Core concepts and lessons

Teach behaviors explicitly and concretely — model desired behaviors, model undesired behaviors, then role-play and discuss choices with students.
Connect school-wide expectations to classroom-specific “promises.” Involve students in creating these so they understand and own them.
Use visual charts, frequent modeling, reteaching, and reinforcement to make expectations durable.
Structure, routine, and predictable systems reduce problem behaviors and preserve instructional time.
Positive reinforcement should outweigh corrections; aim for a ratio around 4 praises to 1 correction.
Use group and individual point/reward systems to promote consistent behavior across settings (hallways, cafeteria, playground, etc.).
Teach social-emotional skills (self-control, putting others first, pride in personal best, joy) explicitly — these reduce most common disruptive behaviors.
Teach and practice voice levels and when each level is appropriate.
Change seating periodically to teach cooperation and meet instructional goals; offer limited choice as an incentive.
Clarify roles: teacher as instructor and guide (not primarily a friend); students’ job is to learn.

Detailed actionable methodology / checklist

Day 1–2 (and after long breaks)
- Introduce and explicitly teach specific classroom behaviors.
- Model the exact behavior you want; also model the behavior you don’t want and discuss why.
- Role-play scenarios and have students identify the best choices.
- Post visual charts describing what each expected behavior looks like.
Create classroom “promises” (class rules) with students
- Make them few, clear, and positively stated.
- Example promises:
  1. Have self-control — teach what self-control looks like in different situations (sitting, lining up, waiting, not shouting).
  2. Put others first — define examples (sharing, letting others go first, considering feelings).
  3. Always do your best — ask students to evaluate: “Is that your best?” Emphasize personal best (not comparison to peers).
  4. Be joyful — teach greetings, smiling, saying kind words; model joy even on hard days.
- Write student-generated examples on charts so expectations are concrete.
Teach voice levels (use a visual chart; teach and practice)
- Level 0: Silent (no sound)
- Level 1: Whisper (very quiet one-on-one)
- Level 2: Inside voice (conversation with peers)
- Level 3: Speaking voice (presenting, answering the teacher)
- Level 4: Outside voice (recess/outside only)
- Practice each level and discuss appropriate contexts.
Seating and grouping routines
- Vary seating by month to teach students to work with different peers (rows for assessment, U-shape for certain activities, large groups for social activities).
- Offer limited choice as a reward (e.g., at year’s end allow each student to name preferred peers and give at least one).
Reinforcement systems
- Praise often; aim for roughly 4 praises for every correction.
- Catch students doing something positive (even small) and make it explicit.
- Use group rewards/points: teams earn points for positive behaviors to foster healthy competition.
- Award points for “building compliments” (other staff complimenting class behavior).
- Offer class incentives students choose (extra recess, movie clip, dance party, stuffed animal day).
Routines and structure
- Teach daily routines and transitions explicitly and practice them.
- Post schedules and follow consistent procedures so students know what to expect.
- Reteach and reinforce routines regularly to prevent breakdowns.
Ongoing practice and monitoring
- Frequently model, reteach, and visually reference expectations and voice levels.
- Use prompts, consistent consequences, and positive reinforcement so behaviors generalize across settings.
- Teach students to self-monitor (recognize when they are losing control and how to regain it).

Other practical tips

Use greetings (handshake, high five, hug) when students enter to set a positive tone.
Teach eye contact and presentation skills for speaking/level 3 contexts.
Emphasize that doing one’s personal best matters more than matching other students’ output.
Recognize that many major behaviors can be prevented by consistent Tier 1 teaching.