Defusing Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom

by Geoffrey T. Colvin

Overview

The ultimate guide to handling problem behavior "in the heat of the moment"!

When disruptive behavior occurs, your first response can determine how quickly the situation is resolved. Colvin offers teachers seven key behavioral principles and a range of research-based approaches for immediately defusing disruptive situations, avoiding escalation, and correcting behaviors. This resource features:

• Strategies that target specific behaviors, including off-task behavior, rule violations, disrespect, agitation, noncompliance, and threats and intimidation
• Common classroom scenarios and solutions for K–12 general and special education teachers
• Checklists and action plans for applying the strategies while maintaining the flow of instruction

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412980562
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	06/14/2010
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	180,552
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Geoff Colvin draws on his experience as a classroom teacher, administrator, researcher and instructor at the University of Oregon, and national public school consultant. Widely recognized as an expert on the subjects of school safety and violence prevention, Colvin has provided inservice training for teachers and administrators in more than 100 school districts and agencies nationally and internationally. He recently served as research associate at the University of Oregon and independent consultant in the areas of schoolwide discipline, school climate, school safety, and violence prevention, classroom management, and individual cases involving students with severe behavior disorders. Geoff also directed a juvenile detention school and a school program for youth with serious emotionally disturbances. Colvin has authored more than sixty publications, books, book chapters, journal articles, and video programs on the subject of teaching and managing students who exhibit the full range of problem behavior.

Table of Contents

Foreword Robert H. Horner vii

Acknowledgments xi

About the Author xiii

Introduction 1

1 Seven Key Behavioral Principles 5

2 Defusing Off-Task Behavior 25

3 Defusing Rule Infractions 47

4 Defusing Disrespectful Behavior 63

5 Defusing Agitation 79

6 Defusing Noncompliance and Limit Testing 97

Closing Remarks 113

Appendices 115

References 141

Index 145

Editorial Reviews

"Geoff Colvin provides teachers a set of very useful, clear, and sensible tools to manage the behavior of a very important, often-overlooked contributor to their classroom environment: themselves. His strategies are a welcome booster shot for veteran teachers and a great foundation for new teachers just learning the intricacies of balancing instruction and environment in their classrooms. Colvin's research-based ideas are already finding their way into my daily routine."

Mike Mc Cornack

"Geoff Colvin provides teachers a set of very useful, clear, and sensible tools to manage the behavior of a very important, often-overlooked contributor to their classroom environment: themselves. His strategies are a welcome booster shot for veteran teachers and a great foundation for new teachers just learning the intricacies of balancing instruction and environment in their classrooms. Colvin's research-based ideas are already finding their way into my daily routine."

Mike McCornack

"The goal of Colvin's work is teacher fluency in their first response to behavior, and I have already witnessed this in action as I observe our early career teachers. It is difficult, if not impossible, to provide quality instruction without effective classroom management. Every early career teacher needs to be well equipped with the concepts Colvin provides in this book."

Krista D. Parent

"Colvin establishes the importance of empowering teachers with a range of specific, practical, research-based strategies to prevent problem behaviors from occurring and to respond effectively when problems do occur. Each strategy is grounded not only in applied behavior analytic techniques, but also respectful approaches to fostering more positive student-teacher interactions. Each chapter provides step-by-step instruction and clearly articulated illustrations. The strategies increase in intensity to support increasingly challenging behaviors. Colvin does an excellent job of teaching the reader the importance of the first response when undesirable behaviors occur."

Kathleen Lane

"This is exactly what every teacher needs when dealing with problem behavior! I tried Colvin's strategies in my classroom and they worked! The students who had problems have done a total turnaround with the tactics that Colvin said would work! I was shocked to see how easy they were to use and implement. It has totally changed my classroom!"

Jennifer Stargel