PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Support)

PBIS is an acronym for Positive Behavior Interventions & Support. "Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture and needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional and academic success." (http://www.sjusd.org/student-services/pbis/what-is-pbis/ ) This year my school as adopted this behavior management approach and it is safe to say that within just the first three months of using it, our school saw tremendous differences in student behavior. There is one thing that is crucial when implementing this type of approach and it is that everyone is on board. What I mean by this is, teachers, administration, cafeteria workers, janitors, etc. all need to be trained on how to enforce this and need to follow the system. 

PBIS in the classroom is a crucial tool to help decrease disruptions, model school appropriate behavior, increase instructional time, and improve students' social behavior and academic outcomes. Teachers may implement PBIS in the classroom differently but after going to a training on PBIS I found that the best way to enforce PBIS was to offer rewards and incentives for good behavior, rather than harping on those students with poor behavior. The theory behind this is if you call attention to the good behavior, students are more apt to follow along in order to receive that same praise and possibly a tangible reward.                  

There are so many different "types" of students that one single behavior management tool will not work for every child or in every situation. Students are classified into three different Tiers when understanding the PBIS approach. Starting on the bottom of this pyramid you have your Tier 1 students- all students, school-wide. This means that students here are expected to follow the "expectations" of how you should walk in the hallway, how you should behave in the cafeteria, etc. For example, it is a school-wide expectation that when an adult says "Give me 5" all students will raise their hand, stop whatever it is they are doing, voices are off, and you are giving that adult all of your attention. Then there are Tier 2 students that are a much more selected group of students. These students may require a daily check in with a teacher or administrator to assess behavior through the use of a behavior chart. They may need time during the day to "take a break" or time to go speak with a counselor to help regulate emotions. This tier encompasses only about 10-20% of a school population. And finally we have our Tier 3 friends. These students are on individualized behavior plans for their high-risk behaviors. They are known to administration and possibly other teachers in the school as a child that may need a little extra guidance or frequent reminders when passing in the halls or eating lunch etc. 

This year I am fortunate enough to have one of those Tier 3 students in my class. Aside from his frequent outbursts, aggression, defiance, and negative attitude, deep down he is a very smart child who has the ability to succeed but for one reason or another chooses not to (whether this is in his control or out of his control we're not too sure yet). As a first year teacher, this PBIS model was very new to me, but after attending several workshops and PD days on PBIS, I have gained a solid knowledge of this approach. In the beginning of the school year I struggled with different strategies for helping my Tier 2 and 3 students. My principal introduced us to a website called PBIS World, and I have to say it has saved me from a few mental breakdowns in the classroom. This website allows you to select a specific behavior that you are trying to provide interventions for. Once you select the behavior this site will lead you to a wide range of interventions that can help with this behavior. This website has worked wonders for me. Even if you are not following the PBIS model in your school, this website is still very beneficial to all teachers. 

Check it out!! (It is like your own little behavior management toolbox on one website) http://www.pbisworld.com

I think that at this point in the year it is safe to say that it works in our school. Now that's not to say it would work in every school, but it is certainly worth a shot if everyone in the school would be on board with it.