Abstract

Until this year I had never been totally comfortable using rewards in the classroom. I felt that as a teacher I should be able to motivate students to "behave for the sake of behaving".

As a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom I had used rewards with difficult students in the past. However, until this year I did not take a serious look at this practice and use rewards with all of my students. By participating in this research project and focusing on the aspects of my teaching practices dealing with classroom management, I have learned the value of using reward systems to increase the positive behaviours of students.

My findings are presented in this paper.

Context

Greenbrier School is a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 school with a population of 264 students. It exists in a middle to upper class residential area in Brantford, Ontario. This school has always had strong support both in the community and amongst the students for our special needs classes. I have fifteen students in my class. Some of my students fit the MID profile. Other students in my class have multiple exceptionalities such as pervasive developmental disorder, asperger's syndrome, and occular binism (a low vision disability). All of my students have communication and social interaction difficulties. Eight of my students have serious behaviour problems. I have one full time and one part-time Educational Assistant (EA) in my classroom.

Getting Started

On September 6, 2002, Chris Ryder asked me if I had heard about the special education action research project. I said that I didn't know anything about action research, but that I would be willing to try it.

As I was thinking about the purpose of action research, I came to the realization that I have been thinking about and evaluating my teaching practices for the past three years. Since I have been teaching special education students, I have been changing and modifying my program to meet the needs of all my pupils. This has not been easy to do, but I continue to try new teaching strategies and classroom management techniques to facilitate and promote student learning. I have successfully used the following approaches in my classroom:

• use of word walls, charts and visual aids
• class day planner
• use of behaviour modification techniques eg. "three strikes" followed by a consequence
• consistent, firm and fair treatment of students
• use of guided reading and writing approaches
• implementing First Steps Writing strategies
• modifying curriculum content and the pace of delivery

Identifying the Problem

During the first week of September 2002 as I was setting up the school rules, class routines and expectations, everything was going along fine because as a class we were experiencing the "honeymoon period". I was sizing up my students and they were doing the same thing to me.

When the "honeymoon" was over I saw the following behaviours emerge:

non compliance, opposition to authority, passive/aggressive behaviour, argumentative verbal abuse directed toward staff and students, aggressive behaviour in class and in the schoolyard, safety issues and students out of bounds in the schoolyard. I realized that I had eight students with potentially serious behaviour problems that disrupted my classroom and affected student learning. These students had helped me to frame my action research question. (S. Steele, journal entry, October 28, 2002)

My question evolved to become: How can I support my special education students and help them to increase their positive behaviours by using reward systems in my classroom?

• I have learned the following things while teaching in an MID class for the past three years.
• My students come to me with a wide variety of abilities, frailties and problems. Some of them fit the MID profile and some of my students have multiple exceptionalities.
• Most of my students come from single parent families. They are economically disadvantaged and "needy".
• Eight of my 15 students have serious behaviour problems. Their behaviours change from minute to minute. I require at least one educational assistant for safety reasons.
• For many of my children the Children's Aid Society (CAS ) is the legal guardian or the children are in and out of care.
• The parents of my students are also in need of my help. Some of them just try to get through the day and do not really understand the Individual Education Plan (IEP) or the other special education forms I send home.
• The stable classroom environment that my educational assistants (EA's) and I provide for the students helps the children function and learn. I have one full time and one half-time EA in the class.

What I Did to Solve the Problem

I put the behavioural modification techniques I had used in the past into effect. These included:

• three warnings/chances to correct behaviour: if no compliance then
• name on blackboard: if no compliance then
• checkmark beside name for each infraction
• 3 checkmarks beside name results in 5 minute time out/loss of activity time
• Consequences for not following rules at recess times:
• spend 5, or 10 minutes standing on the wall at the next recess time; spent all recess on the wall; not go out for recess at all
• Reward for good behaviour earning a sticker each day on the monthly behaviour charts displayed on the closet doors.

Data Collection

I used the following methods to track the behaviours of all the students in my class, but I focused on the behaviours of the eight students I had identified for this project.

• daily good behaviour sticker on monthly chart
• jelly bean reward at the end on the day
• entries in communication books/behaviour logs
• number of in class outbursts/time outs
• number of names on the blackboard after each recess
• number of students staying in at recess
• number of times suspended

Coping With the Issues

I dealt with negative behaviour issues daily during October.

I felt that I needed to focus on the children who were behaving in class and reward good behaviour. I talked to the E.A.'s in the class about my plan. I decided to use a reward system built around classroom activities that I had seen in a primary behaviour class. I modified and changed the stop light plan and started to use it daily around October 15.

We put the children's names on a chart on the blackboard. Green, yellow and red circles were made for each child. Coloured circles were placed beside the children's names throughout the day. A green circle meant that the child's behaviour was good, yellow circle meant there were a few problems and a red circle meant that the child's behaviour was unacceptable. At activity times the children could choose any activity in the room if they had a green circle beside their name. A yellow circle meant that the child's choice was restricted to shelf toys at his or her desk. A red circle meant that the child had no choice of activity and the teacher would choose an activity for the child.

The stop light program was effective because it was a visible cue which reminded the student about his or her behaviour. The children began to associate good behaviour with the green circle and the free choice of activities.

Finally on November 1, a breakthrough happened. One of my new students knew that he owed me 5 minutes because he had his name on the blackboard with three checkmarks beside his name. He came to me on his own and asked me to set the timer. Then he sat at his desk and did his time without a fight or an argument. (S. Steele, journal entry, November 1, 2002)

As November turned into December the behaviours issues were still evident. The issues were more easily dealt with in the classroom. The real problems were now in the schoolyard because recess is an unstructured time period.

Another part of the problem is that my students will not listen to the teachers and EA's on duty at recess time. Chris Ryder was on duty in the primary yard at morning recess on November 28. She spoke to me after recess and said, "I worship the ground you walk upon. Your kids are so bad." (S. Steele, journal entry, November 28, 2002)

A new student transferred into my class today. I wonder how a new person will affect the dynamics of my classroom. Everyone is getting to know the new student and the other children are making him feel welcome. The dynamics in the classroom have not changed because the classroom routines and practices are very structured. However there are problems in the yard because the friendships among the boys have changed. (S. Steele, journal entry, December 1, 2002)

As December ended my students were still having problems in the school yard. I decided to think about this problem over the Christmas holiday and try to come up with a solution.

The New Year Begins

My children are glad to be back at school with their friends. I warn four of my students that they will lose their recess privileges if their behaviour does not improve. (S. Steele, journal entry, January 6, 2003)

I have decided to switch yard duties with other teachers so I can be out in the primary yard with my students especially at afternoon recess. This is the most difficult time for my children because it is the end of the day and they are tired. No problems to report after recess. Just luck? Maybe not. I have learned that special education students like to know that someone they know and trust is watching them. Today I introduced a new reward system in my classroom. At the end of the day at 3:00 p.m. when the children are lined up and ready to go home, I bring out the container of jelly beans. If a student has had a good day I give them a jelly bean as they walk past me and I make a positive comment about something they have done. Conversely if the student has not had a good day I tell them why they are not getting a reward and I tell them how they can improve their behaviour. (S. Steele, journal entry, January 13, 2003)

Seeing Some Improvement

The jelly bean reward is working. Negative behaviours are slowly starting to change both in class and outside at recess. (S. Steele, journal entry, January 14, 2003)

Success! The jelly bean reward is working. One of my most problematic students has made a breakthrough. Since I started giving out jelly beans, this student has had six good days in a row. (S. Steele, journal entry, January 20, 2003)

The Struggle Continues

Problems in the yard at recess times have started again. The children are not getting along and some of them are "ganging up" on others. (S. Steele, journal entry February 12, 2003)

Major problems in the yard again. The children I worry about most at recess have regressed and their behaviour is like it was in December. This is the struggle with behaviour issues. It is difficult to totally eliminate negative behaviours but I admit that I am discouraged. (S. Steele, journal entry, February 25, 2003)

I talked to Chris about the problems that happened yesterday when we were at action research. I was feeling guilty about being away again. Chris said, "Don't feel guilty about being away for action research. Your children need to learn to behave around other people. That's the real world." (S. Steele, journal entry, February 26, 2003)

Trying Something New

The Jelly Bean reward was still working, but I felt that if I tried another reward then I could maybe get my students back on track. On February 28, 2003, Peggy Blair told me about a book called Stop and Think: Empowering Students to Manage Behaviour Rob Kerr. She also shared with me some rewards she had successfully used in the past. After reading the book and thinking about reward systems I created "Steele's Stars".

I wanted a reward system that would incorporate the daily good behaviour charts that I was already using in my room. This is how the "Steele's Stars" program worked. Each child could earn a Steele's star each day of the week. One stamp on the good behaviour chart equaled one Steele's star. A Steele's star was made out of a juice can lid which was covered in gold foil and labeled. Every student was able to earn up to five Steele's stars each week. On Fridays, the Steele's stars the children had earned were placed in a cookie tin and a name was drawn. The winner was the "Steele's Star" for the week. The student then chose a prize from a special container. I used a wicker basket with a lid. The winner's name was printed on a gold star and put up on a special bulletin board in the classroom.

What I Learned About Using Reward Systems

I learned that the monthly good behaviour charts became more important to the children when the stamps they earned each day were tied to a tangible reward like a jelly bean or a Steele's star prize.

The jelly bean reward at the end of each day was a tangible reward that the student could associate with having a good day. It was also a way for me to speak to each child about their behaviour and focus on them for a moment each day.

After using the Steele's star reward for about a month the students who did not win started to congratulate the person who did win the prize. I was pleasantly surprised by this.

I have learned that positive behaviours can be increased with the use of rewards.

One of the students I focused on for this project had a good day every day in the month of April. Her accomplishment was recognized at a school Super Star Assembly. She was very proud of herself. To prove this point I am including a journal entry written by one of the E.A.'s in the classroom and a comment from the student.

Today I spoke to Beth about how she felt when she was recognized for her good behaviour at the Super Star assembly. Beth said, "I felt good. I felt happy. I felt shy about standing in front of all the people at the assembly" ( S. Steele, journal entry, May 30, 2003).

Beth had shown a great improvement in her behaviour and Steele's Stars had been a big factor.

Our first goal was to have Beth earn a sticker for each day for a full week. Each sticker got her one Steele's Star. We were all very proud, Beth included, after we reached our first goal. She kept on getting her stars and by three weeks with a perfect behaviour record we were all very excited. The rest of the staff started to congratulate Beth too.

Then one Friday at the Super Star Assembly, Beth was rewarded for her good behaviour. She received the Student of the Week certificate. She also won the Steele's Stars draw and won a prize.

In total we had over six weeks of good behaviour!

Since then Beth has had a few "bumps" but she has told us that she's going to try again to get a perfect week. Steele's Stars really works! (W. Schaffels, journal entry, June 2, 2003).

Another student responded positively to the jelly bean reward and had six good days in a row in January.

I noticed improvement in student behaviour at recess times when the rewards systems were put into place. There was a decrease in the number of problems at recess times and a decrease in the number of students staying in for recesses. I reminded at-risk students to have a good recess as they left the classroom. As time passed they would tell me on their own if they had a good recess. Unfortunately negative behaviours cannot be totally eliminated.

Next Steps

Three Year Continuum

Special education students in a self-contained class stay with the same teacher for approximately three years. For example this year I welcomed ten new students into my class in September. In this situation the first year can be a difficult transition year. Students have an attachment to their home school and they sometimes have a hard time establishing new relationships with teachers and peers. From my experience teaching in a self-contained classroom, the three year continuum looks like this:

• Year One: Teacher addresses student behavioural issues and concerns
• Year Two: Teacher monitors student behaviour and may begin to see a decrease of negative behaviours and an increase in student communication and academic skills
• Year Three: Teacher continues to monitor student behaviour, communication and academic skills. Hopefully, student behaviour, communication and academic skills are balanced.

My goal is to work towards implementation of the Year Two focus to support my returning special education students and begin the Year One focus with new students to improve student learning in my classroom.

Bibliography:

McNiff, Jean (1998) Action Research For Professional Development Mississauga, ON: Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation

Kerr, Rob (1995) Stop and Think: Empowering Students to Manage Behaviour Portland, Maine:J. Weston Walch