Behavior Management Cue Card Approach!

Here’s a way to quietly cue students to choose positive behavior. Use a cue card! 

Behavior management cue card instructions:

     1.     Print out this card or your own version of the card.

2.     Choose your method:

a.     Tape a card on the upper right corner of each student desk.

  i.      Laminate the card

  ii.      Use clear shipping tape to secure it to the desk

b.     Hang it from a lanyard around your neck or keep it in your pocket

  i.      Laminate the card

  ii.      Punch a hole in the top of the card to hang from a lanyard

3.     Explain the card to the students:

a.     You might explain, “I want to use a system to help students stay on track without embarrassing students by saying something out loud. I also want a way to praise students and let them know that I’m pleased with good behavior and choices without causing embarrassment. So, I’m going to use this card to let you know my expectations or give kudos – quietly. Here is an example of the card and what the pictures mean.”

b.     Explain what each picture means.

c.      Explain that you do not expect students to say anything in response.

d.     Explain how you will use the card.

e.     When a student needs to be redirected, simply walk quietly up to the student.

 i.       Make eye contact – and preferably smile. The point is to minimize the possibility that a power struggle will ensue.

 ii.      After eye contact is made with the student, point to the picture that sends the message that you need to deliver.

iii.      Do not wait for a response.

iv.      Turn around and walk away.

v.      If a student chooses to say something in response to a redirection, they are inviting a power struggle.

vi.      Avoid taking the bait if at all possible. Turn and walk away and wait to see if the student complies.

f.       When a student earns praise, simply walk up to the student, make eye-contact, smile and point to the ‘praise’ picture.

i.      Do not wait for a response.

ii.      Turn around and walk away.

Be generous with your praise. Students should receive 5-7 positive statements from the teacher in ratio to each negative comment.

Co-teaching, Personality Styles and Flexible Grouping were topics for seminars at Woodington Middle School

The teachers at Woodington Middle School in Kinston, NC. For the past two days, I’ve had the pleasure of working with dedicated teachers at Woodington Middle School. Their Principal, Diane Heath, is doing her best to support the teachers through their Inclusion and Co-teaching initiative.Yesterday, we covered co-teaching strategies and personality styles. Everyone dug right in and worked with the material finding ways to use the information in their classrooms. I love it when I have the opportunity to work with motivated teachers!

Teachers, do you have a website? Start a blog or better yet, use Edublogs.orgto BE your blog Using Edublogs also allows you to involve your students in the blogging process. Having students blog is an excellent way to improve their writing skills, and showcase their work and ideas. It’s also a wonderful forum for teachers to share best practice strategies on a “website” with other teachers. Do you have strategies for Inclusion, Co-teaching, Differentiated Instruction that can help other teachers? Be a blog author and share. Who knows what doors that may open up for you and your students. It’s a wonderful way to pay it forward.
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 If your school provides you with planning time, stay focused on the task. Try to avoid social conversation because it will only leave you feeling as if you accomplished nothing afterwards. If possible, share agenda and task information beforehand through school mail so that the time you have can be used to the maximum benefit.

Speak up if you are being asked to give up planning time for other duties. You need that time and it is legitimate to require it.

If your school does not provide planning time, it will probably make your life easier in the long run, if you can employ some of the following options:

1. Use time before school, after school, or during common preps/specials to meet and plan. Remember: The goal is to make YOUR job easier and more successful in the long run. It is a waste of your energy to begrudge the time if you choose this option.
2. Arrange for coverage with a substitute one day a week or month to free time to collaborate.
3. Contact your local PTA and see if there are parent volunteers who may be willing to help cover classes so you can plan. High Schools seriously under utilize volunteers.
4. Oftentimes substitutes have free blocks of time when the teacher they are substituting for has prep periods. See if a substitute can cover your class during a free block of time.
5. For information that must be communicated before the next school day, you might arrange to call each other after hours.
6. At the least, communicate through the mailbox by sharing what is working, what isn’t working and what is needed.
7. Communicating through e-mail is another viable option.
8. If the regular classroom teacher can provide the special education staff person with copies of lesson plans, tests, projects ahead of time by simply photocopying and placing these items in the support teacher’s mail box or e-mailing the plans to the collaborative teacher, it allows enough time for the specialist to assist with accommodations and make helpful recommendations. It also enables that person to go into the class prepared to help.
9. Grade reports placed in the special education teacher’s mailbox enables both the regular classroom teacher and the special education teacher to catch failures before they become quarter grades.
10. Use the time you do have face to face effectively. Avoid going off on tangents. If you are stuck, put the difficulty aside and come back to it later.

Copyright 2002 Susan Fitzell, M. Ed.
www.aimhieducational.com