Discipline means to instruct, to train in accordance with the rules, an activity or exercise to improve a skill. Equipping students for behavioral and social success is a school-wide responsibility which requires the commitment and efforts of all adults — not just a select few that are perceived as “disciplinarians.”

A consequence is the relation of a result to its cause. Every day thousands of consequences occur at school — a class is acknowledged for being ready to work when the bell rings, a teacher banters with a student who disrupts instruction, a staff member corrects (or fails to correct) a student who is out of dress code. In order to effectively respond to human behavior — both staff and student — it is critical to possess a clear understanding of how consequences work, how to apply them with intention, and how to evaluate their effectiveness. It is also important to understand that “consequences” and “interventions” are not synonyms.

There are four types of consequences:

• Penalty (to LOSE something DESIRED)
• Punishment (to RECEIVE something UNDESIRED)
• Negative Reinforcement (to AVOID something DESIRED)
• Positive Reinforcement (to GAIN something DESIRED)

The true nature and effectiveness of a consequence can only be determined by evaluating the outcome. That is why it is impossible to make statements such as a “suspension is a punishment.” Depending upon the student, a suspension may function as a penalty (losing the privilege of coming to school), a punishment (receiving the stigma of being sent home from school), a negative reinforcement (successfully avoiding having to go to school), or a positive reinforcement (gaining free time at home). It is critical that educators be adept at thoughtfully implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of the consequences they deliver.

Behavior interventions are specific actions taken for the purpose of changing the behavior of either an individual or a group of people. Schools may intervene in three ways:

Increase the Explicitness and/or Frequency of Instruction

The more behaviorally at-risk a person, group, or school is, the more explicit the instruction, acknowledgement, and correction of clearly defined expectations and skills must become.

Modify the Environment

Environmental factors and dynamics which inadvertently support and/or promote misbehaviors may be addressed in a number of ways. Examples of environmental modifications include: changing school-wide policies/practices such as dress code, or the use of electronic devices, implementing new procedures, changing schedules, etc.

Address the Function

Misbehaviors may be addressed by identifying and addressing the purpose (function) of the behavior. This requires understanding what students are able to gain or avoid by using the misbehavior.

Terms like “non-compliance”, “willful defiance”, “disruption” are vague and subjective. By referring to Minor Misbehavior in terms of expectations or social-emotional skills, staff will be able to communicate more specifically; thus allowing for more targeted interventions.

• Non-Compliance = Failure to Stay in Designated Areas, Failure to Comply to Dress Code, Failure to Follow Instructions, etc.
• Disruptive = Failure to Enter the Classroom Quietly, Failure to Stay on Task, Failure to Use Appropriate Voice Tone, etc.
• Defiance = Failure to Stop/Look/Listen to Staff, Failure to Accept Feedback/Consequence, Failure to Report to Designated Area

(Document on Aeries Student Discipline Behavior, Intervention, and Parent Contact.)

The person who witnesses a Minor Misbehavior is expected to intervene “on the spot” (i.e., as soon as possible) within the environment in which the misbehavior occurred. Sending a student to talk with an adult who was not involved in the specifics of the incident is seldom effective in changing behavior — especially for individuals who demonstrate a pattern of misbehavior.

On-going behavior instruction of the expectations, social skills, and procedures should occur in every classroom and location at a neutral (scheduled) time. Behavior instruction includes:

• Introducing the expectation, social skill, or procedure by name: Computer Expectations, Working Independently, Entering the Classroom, etc.
• Providing a reason or rationale for learning and demonstrating the skill
• Explicitly outlining the behavior steps
• Practicing the behavior, followed by specific feedback
• Monitoring and supporting students to skill mastery — a behavior has not been learned until it can be demonstrated in all settings, even under stressful conditions

Once an expectation, social skill, or procedure is taught, enforcement continues throughout the remainder of the day/week/year. Enforcement includes: providing pre-correction, cueing and prompting students to demonstrate pro-social behaviors, re-teaching skills when necessary, and consistently acknowledging/correcting student behavior in explicit terms.

Environmental Factors — also referred to as behavioral antecedents, triggers, or predictors— are conditions present or missing in the environment which may contribute to student misbehavior. The following Environmental Factors should be considered when evaluating the dynamics of student misbehavior:

• Instructional practices (academic/behavioral) — curriculum, strategies, activities
• Physical setting — location on campus, size, noise level, temperature, number of students, arrangement of desks/tables, ease of movement, traffic patterns, organization of materials/equipment
• Social setting — staff/students present or absent, interaction patterns surrounding the student
• Social interactions — communication styles, power structure/hierarchy, allotment of peer/staff attention
• Scheduling factors — procedures, routines, timelines, events
• Degree of independence/participation (academic/social) — active listening, engagement, seat work, paired tasks, group work

Because each location on campus has a unique set of variables and dynamics, it will require intentional observation and reflection in order to understand and identify the Environmental Factors which may be contributing to student misbehavior.  Each investigation should start with staff conducting a self-reflection of the environment for which they are responsible (office, common area, classroom, etc.). If assistance is needed to perform this task, invite additional staff to observe and provide feedback (grade level or academic team cohorts, academic coaches, counselors, administrative staff, etc.).

Interactions — increasing positive to negative ratio (staff to staff, staff to student, student to student), increasing opportunities for communication, modifying voice tone/volume/cadence, modifying the level/amount of expected participation (independent, paired, or group activities)