Preventing Escalated Behavior: Strategies for Defusing Problem Behavior

Off-Task Behavior

When students display off-task behavior (e.g., talking out, moving out of seat or assigned areas, starting work too slowly, pencil tapping, and wandering around the room) to gain access to teacher attention, teachers often provide a consequence intend to eliminate the behavior, but inadvertently, they provide more attention. In turn, the student responds with more intensive attention-maintaining behavior, such as arguing or becoming disrespectful and defiant. If this pattern continues, student and teacher behavior may escalate to more serious and potentially dangerous behavior.

The basic approach for managing this class of behavior is to use a continuum of steps designed to systematically control the level of attention provided by the teacher. In general, teachers should focus student attention to the task and avoid attention to problem behavior. The following tactics should be considered:

• 1.
  First, attend to students who are on task and delay responding to students who display offtask behaviors.
• 2.
  Redirect the student to the task at hand by focusing on the expected behavior and decreasing attention for off-task behavior.
• 3.
  Present a choice between the expected behavior and a small negative consequence (such as loss of a privilege) if the student refuses to cooperate.

Rule Violations

Students sometimes break a rule to attain teacher attention; for example, wearing a hat to class when hats are not permitted; taking a soda to the library, where a sign posted at the door says, “No food or drink in the library”; or wearing a T-shirt that breaks the school dress code. A common staff response is to enforce the rule by presenting a direction; for example, “You need to remove your hat, “or “Put the can of soda on my desk. You can't bring drinks to the library.” Given the display of noncompliance with the initial rule, the likelihood of compliance with the staff response is low. The occurrence of intensive noncompliance is more likely; for example, “No way,” or “Make me.” In effect, the stage is set for a showdown or a potentially serious power struggle.

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