Week 8: Understanding & Managing Challenging Behaviour

Aggression & Defiance

Targeted behaviour support is directed at 10-15% of students. Classroom teachers are primarily responsible for management using the strategies covered in previous weeks. However a guidance officer or someone else can be called in for help. Intensive Behaviour support is directed at 1-5% of students. There are 3 types of aggressive behaviour to look at:

·         Hostile Aggressive Behaviour
·         Passive Aggressive Behaviour
·         Oppositional Aggressive Behaviour.

Hostile Aggressive Behaviour typical behaviour:

·         Conduct disorder
·         Verbal & physical aggression directed at peers, teachers & parents.
·         Intimidating
·         Hitting, pushing, damage to property and easily angered
·         Highly disruptive

This becomes an established pattern of behaviour that carries into adulthood.

Origins:

Psychoanalytic Theory suggests that this behaviour is a response to aggression, frustration or disappointment.

Social Learning Theory suggests that this behaviour is a learned response through modelling from parents, teachers, peers, and media.

These students often have limited Social Cognition- the ability to read social situations and react appropriately.

How do we help these students??

·         good role models
·         acknowledgment of pro social behaviour
·         an environment where aggression is not tolerated, where behaviour guidelines are set so no punishments are needed.
·         Encourage co-operative behaviour
·         Teach social skills
·         Listen to them and don’t give up on them.

 

Passive- Aggressive Behaviour typical behaviour similar to Hostile Aggressive:

·         Less overt forms of opposition and resistance

·         Sneaky behaviour
·         Difficult to pin down- deliberately forget books, deliberately not follow directions, draw graffiti on school property.
·         Subtly oppositional and stubborn.
·         Try to control others (usually the teacher)
·         Show minimal compliance with rules and directions or are slow to do what has been asked of them.

These students are motivated by anger and are directed at the teacher. Basic needs for control land freedom are being thwarted by the teacher, so they seek to achieve their freedom and satisfaction from seeing teachers getting angry and losing control.

How do you deal with these students?

·         Maximise choice
·         Schedule independent work
·         Monitor work but don’t stand too close
·         Provide material rewards rather than praise
·         Don’t overreact to resistance
·         Use time out or response cost (loss of privilages) consequences.
·         Do not become vindictive
·         Quietly and calmly make it clear to the student that you are aware of their behaviour.

Oppositional Defiant typical behaviour:

A conduct disorder related to aggression and hostility. The student rarely displays physical aggression, but will blatantly resist authority and get into a power struggle with the teacher- swearing, saying “you can’t make me”.
·         Spiteful
·         Loss of temper
·         Smart or cheeky
·         Lying
·         Breaking rules
·         Breaking property
·         Easily annoyed.
·         Easily upset teachers
·         Challenge the authority and control of teacher.
·         Provoke teachers verbally to a counter attack- counterproductive.

How do we help?

·         Stay calm.
·         Pause before acting to collect your thoughts and get emotions under control
·         Talk to the student privately where possible
·         Listen to the student no matter how distorted or irrational they may be.
·         Focus on the appropriate behaviour you want to see.
·         Give extra attention to lesson planning and classroom management
·         Continue to build a relationship with the student
·         Conflict management

Anger is a naturally occurring emotion and can be healthy. It becomes a problem when our expression of it involves antisocial or destructive behaviour.

Management:

FIVE STEP PLAN

1.    Teach students about anger to get a better understanding of it. It is a normal emotion that all people experience. Talk about good and bad examples of how anger is expressed. Have students talk about their own experiences.
2.    Talk about signs and symptoms of anger- flushed face, change in breathing, increased heart rate.
3.    Teach students self talk techniques to better manage anger.
4.    Teach interpersonal problem solving skills- define the problem, find solutions, choose the pro social solution, implement the solution, evaluate the effectiveness, choose a different solution if this one did not work.
5.    Teach techniques for relaxation- slow deep breathing (diaphragmatic breathing), progressive muscle relaxation (begin with the toes and work your way up the body, tensing then releasing the tension several times in each muscle group- best done laying down), individual practice and coaching (for older students- exercise and movement).

Provide a debrief after an incident to reflect upon better courses of action.

The Acting Out Cycle

Students requiring Targeting & Intensive behaviour support- that is the top 2 tiers in The Behaviour Pyramid. It is important to continue the skilful use of the basic corrective management strategies outlined. It is important to look at the cycle as stages- events leading up to and triggering the misbehaviour, the most challenging expression of that behaviour and the events that follow the occurrence of the behaviour. The teacher needs to look at what they need to do in each stage of the sequence.

Phase 1, CALM: recognise that even chronically misbehaving students do not misbehave all the time. Acknowledge the students when they are in the CALM phase. Remember the balance model- equal amounts of praise for good behaviour & corrective behaviour. Keep the students in CALM through good pedagogy and engagement.

Phase 2, TRIGGERS:

·         Interpersonal conflicts
·         Changes in routine
·         Difficulty in completing tasks
·         Frequent correction

Strategies: Seating arrangements, group work, explain & model tasks, offer assistance, communicate that correction is not criticism, assist with time management.

Phase 3, AGITATION: the tell tale signs are off-task behaviour, out of seat, talking to or interrupting students, disengagement. It is important that teachers pick up on this- acknowledge the behaviour, give the student some space to work on their own (run an errand), give more time to finish the task, give them a preferred activity (complete the original task at another time), proximity, give choices, relaxation strategies.

Phase 4, ACCELERATION: Aggitation turns to more direct and antisocial behaviour such as questioning and arguing, partial compliance, not following directions etc.

Teacher must diffuse the behaviour so it does not escalate. Avoid escalating prompts (shouting at the student, verbal battles, raised voice), maintain calmness, respect and detachment (don’t take it personally), move slowly towards the students, speak quietly or privately to student, get on their level (sit next to them or crouch down), be brief, acknowledge any signs of cooperation, monitor student.

Phase 5, PEAK: behaviour that is out of control- physical aggression, destruction of property, severe tantrums etc.

Do not deal with this behaviour alone- activate school crisis plans.

Phase 6, DE-ESCALATION: Peak behaviour normally lasts a short time. Isolate the student and give them ‘cool off’ time. Record the incident.

Phase 7, RECOVERY: Help the student regain focus on the task, begin at stage 1-calm.

Bullying: Guidelines for effective action

Bulling is the intentional repeated behaviour by an individual or group of individuals that causes distress, hurt or undue pressure. They abuse power in relationships.
It can be verbal, physical, social and psychological. Harassment targeting difference. Not everyone can have a clear idea of what bullying can involve, so it is imperitave that schools have a clear outline of what bullying is so that all involved (teachers, students & parents) are clear. Each school will have their own policy or strategies for bullying.

Some facts:

·         Bullying happens in all schools.
·         Bullying decreases with age.
·         Boys are more likely to be involved in physical bullying than girls.
·         Approximately half of all children report having been bullied at some stage.

Some signs or symptoms of bullying: teachers are not always aware of these, parents are in a better position to notice any

·         Unexplained bruises
·         Damaged or loss of clothing or belongings
·         Anxiety, anger or aggression
·         Unhappiness
·         Loss of interest in school
·         Few friends

Restorative Justice:

all effected by the problem (parents, friends, peers, teachers) are brought together for a conference directed by a trained facilitator. The bully hears of the harm that his/her behaviour has caused. The bully is encouraged to feel shame, remorse and contrition for what they have done. An apology is made and the bully is accepted back into the school community.