Children with certain differences in learning and thinking may have difficulty controlling their behavior at school. If your child often gets into trouble because they perform or don`t follow instructions in class, a behavioral contract might help. Your child`s teacher can suggest one. Or you can share the idea with the teacher if you think it would be useful. The teacher meets with the student to create a behavioral contract. (Other school staff, and perhaps the student`s parents, may also be invited to participate.) Then, the teacher meets with the student to create a behavioral contract. The contract must include the following elements: To succeed with a behavioral contract, the student must be able to perform the skill required by them. For example, even though you offered me a ton of stickers {or dollars} to join a professional wrestling team. I couldn`t. I just don`t have the ability. I may be VERY motivated to get the reward, but if I don`t have the ability, it doesn`t matter how motivated I am. I will not be able to do that.
When you transfer responsibility for the behavior in your classroom to someone else, whether it`s a parent, principal, or counselor, you weaken your ability to do it yourself. I wonder if you`ve ever worked in classrooms with really difficult students (or any other group of students). To treat each student “on an equal footing” is to deprive him of his individuality. Do you differentiate your teaching to target the specific needs of learners in your classroom? Why, then, is it unreasonable to differentiate your behavioral expectations to target the specific needs of students? Each student comes to school with different experiences that shape who they are. Students know who is behaving and who is not behaving, without someone putting “labels” on them. Each contract must be adapted so that it is no longer necessary. But to say that contracts should never be used is inaccurate. They should only be used responsibly, and not just to support employees who lack proper management skills. It is not uncommon – especially when a behavioral contract is introduced for the first time – for the teacher and student to have honest disagreements about the interpretation of its terms. In this case, the teacher will probably want to hold a conference with the student to clarify the language and meaning of the contract. On occasion, however, students may continue to discuss with the teacher about an alleged injustice in the teacher`s performance of the contract – even after the teacher has tried to clarify the terms of the contract.
If the student becomes too antagonistic, the teacher may simply decide to suspend the contract because it does not improve the student`s behavior. Or the teacher may instead include a behavioral goal or penalty clause in the contract that the student does not discuss with the teacher about the terms or performance of the contract. All educators have difficult cases. You know them – those kids who insist on teaching materials that are certainly NOT meant for art exhibitions. Or middle school students who simply can`t internalize the phrase “keep your hands to yourself.” These students are difficult for teachers and the need to convey anger to parents often leads to a difficult conversation. However, using a behavioral contract can help redirect the student`s conversation and behavior to a more positive path. Behavioral contracts can be used for all different behavioral topographies (as they look and sound) and intensity levels. However, keep in mind that the student who already has the skills to perform a behavior and simply does not have the structure and motivation to get involved in it is the best candidate for a contract. Hey Michael, can you elaborate on some of the empirical studies that support the use of behavioral contraction? How: Thank you for your reply.
I see how a behavioral contract could be considered a contract if there were a reward for good behavior. Don`t some behavioral contracts have other types of consequences – which could include suspending a student if the student breaks these types of behavioral contracts? In cases like these, where the behavioural contract warns a student, it seems to me that it would be useful to identify the behavioural contract as something other than a contract to communicate what the “contract” does. In short, my question is: what is the name of the “contract” if the conduct contract serves not only to reward the student for good behavior – but also to warn the student – and is therefore something different from a contract in the true sense of the word contract? Miller, D.L., & Kelley, M.L. (1994). The use of emergency goals and contracts to improve children`s performance in doing their homework. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 73-84. I think the only way to expose how bad behavioral contracts are is to call them what they are. However, it`s hard to find the language to call it what it is – although I love your method of finding alternatives. Another reason I don`t like behavioral contracts – one reason I`d like to get your opinion is that – because of the way behavioral contracts are titled, behavioral contracts place normal and abnormal behavior – that doesn`t violate the rules, in the realm of institutional control. In my opinion, behavior is a very sensitive word – and should not be used in the title of this type of contract. I think it`s important to find out how bad contracts are. Another thing that behavioral agreements can do is the requirement that the student must report regularly to the school administrators for a certain period of time.
I think it`s unfair – because the coverage causes the student to work more than other students to stay in school. I also think it`s a form of coercion, because if the student doesn`t show up, they can be suspended from school. What do you think? The alternative is to treat all students equally. Any undesirable behavior on the part of students should be subject to the rules and consequences of your classroom management plan. When I think of a contract, I think of goods or services that are exchanged. Can changing behaviour really be considered a service in schools? For a contract to be binding, both parties must enter into the contract intentionally. On the other hand, when an institution warns, punishes or tests a student; There seems to be something wrong with the way both parties enter into the contract. Given this, is a conduct contract really a contract? What would be a better name for a behavioral contract? Make behavioral contracts visual and easy to understand. Especially with young students, it is very important that they clearly understand the system and expectations. If you make it visual with stars or add graphic elements, understanding will help you. Charts, tables, and other structured elements are also useful elements that can be integrated. I wrote this zero-tolerance behavioral contract for students who are “black and white” thinkers but are able to achieve the desired skill most of the time.
A zero-tolerance behavior contract is one that clearly defines targeted behaviors that are not allowed under any circumstances. A behavioral contract can help make your child more accountable for their actions. This can motivate your child to self-regulate. Your child is involved in the process of creating the goals of the behavioral plan and selecting its rewards. This may lead them to invest more in achieving these goals. This “buy-in” can help them improve their self-monitoring and self-control skills. Make it a group effort. Everyone should sign the conduct contract. In this way, it allows the contribution of students and parents and gives all participants an active role in promoting results.
Q: What should I do if I find that the behavior contract is not working? Remember that the driving force behind the behavioral contract is to provide students with the tools they need to control their own behavior. Maintain a positive attitude and stay an inspiring educator! But if the student has the necessary skills, a short, explicit behavioral contract that sets expectations may be the best approach. Informally, you should observe a lot, collect data {or anecdotal notes} with which students talk about their behavior. We want to inspire our students to believe in themselves and their ability to listen, learn and follow the rules of the classroom. Driving contracts have the opposite effect. They demoralize students and make them feel powerless, to change the course of their academic life. The main purpose of a behavioral contract is to improve the student`s behavior. It provides a positive way to address distracting, negative or harmful behaviours in the classroom. The contract encourages the participation of students and parents, offers students the opportunity to monitor their own progress, and allows students to acquire the skills needed to manage their own behavior. Behavioral contracts are agreements between teachers, parents, and students that achieve the following: So, before entering into a behavioral contract with a student, I recommend that you gather as much information as possible about why the student does not do what you expect of them to determine whether or not you are dealing with a lack of motivation or a lack of skills.
as the main reason for the lack of desired behavior. If the child does not have the capacity, you must teach this skill before a behavioral contract can work. For example, the contract may set a goal for a student to “participate in classroom activities, raise their hand, and be recognized by the class or special education teacher before making a response or comment.” Art, fitness, or library teachers would then assess the student`s behavior in these extracurricular environments and share these assessments with the classroom teacher. .