Lecture 9: Behavioural Science in Education

Question 1

School wide-PBS

Answer 1

• Positive, preventative approach
• Horner (2016): PBS involves the assessment and reengineering of environments that brings about reductions in problem behaviours and subsequent increase in prosocial behaviours
• improves the students academic and positive outcomes through creating supportive learning environments - NOT a curriculum, intervention or practice. IS a decision making framework

Question 2

Outcomes associated with PBS

Answer 2

Produces teaching and learning environments that are:
- LESS reactive, aversive, dangerous, exclusionary
- MORE engaging, responsive, preventative and productive

Improves:
- classroom management and disciplinary issues
- supports children with additional learning needs
- academic engagement and achievements
- staff satisfaction, self-efficacy and retention

Question 3

What are the 6 guiding principles of SW-PBS

Answer 3

1. uses scientifically based behaviour and academic interventions and supports
2. data based decision making
3. environmental manipulations
4. teach and encourage prosocial skills and behaviours
5. implement evidence based practiced with a high degree of fidelity
6. monitor student performance and progress continually

Question 4

What is the PBS model?

Answer 4

Multi-tiered intervention:
1. primary prevention (~80% of students) - school and classroom wide systems for all student and staff settings
2. secondary prevention (~15% of students) - specialised group systems for students with at-risk behaviour
3. Tertiary prevention (~5% of students) - Specialised, individualised systems for students with high-risk behaviour).

Question 5

Primary prevention (bottom of the pyramid)

Answer 5

1. teaching matrix - consistent rules applied by all staff in all settings
2. acknowledge behaviour - tokens/coins awarded for pupils frequently around the school, to recognise and reward any positive behaviours, increase positive statements
3. consistent consequence - a clear warning system and reflection activities after any negative behaviour

Question 6

Evidence for SW-PBS

Answer 6

• Mostly mainstream primary school settings in the USA
• At least 9 RCTs in primary school setting (Brenner et al., 2012
• Emerging evidence in middle school settings (Sprague et al., 2017) - RCT

Question 7

Token economy

Answer 7

• using token economy to motivate students
• students earn tokens which can later be exchanges for a main (back up) reinforcer.
• ubiquitous in classrooms everywhere!!

Question 8

Matson & Boisjoli (2009)

Answer 8

“One of the most important technologies of… applied behaviour analysts over the last 40 years has been the token economy”

Question 9

What to do when implementing a token economy

Answer 9

1. Specify target behaviour
2. Tokens, such as stickers, are awarded on completion (tokens are conditioned reinforcers)
3. Stickers are ‘traded’ for a back up reinforcer

Question 10

Good behaviour game

Answer 10

a classroom management approach designed to improve student behaviour and build confidence and resilience. The game is played in groups and rewards students for good behaviour

Uses similar principles to a token economy, but in a group format

• played in short bursts (~10-30 mins)
• class in divided into teams

Question 11

What is interdependent group contingency?

Answer 11

the whole group is rewarded for positive behaviour by its individual members

Question 12

Precision Teaching

Answer 12

a method of planning a teaching programme to meet the needs of an individual child or young person who is experiencing difficulty with acquiring some skills
- This can be used to monitor progress (reading/maths)
- First, you need to identify problematic areas of learning
- Daily practice (teaching, fluency, testing, monitoring)

Fluency can be monitored through data collection and graphed

Question 13

Systematic instruction (give the example)

Answer 13

= approaches to teaching academic skills
the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction at school
Ten-DD (teaching early numeracy to children with developmental disabilities) - this is an example of an approach that uses systematic instruction
- this is evidence-based numeracy curriculum for children with developmental disabilities
- Ten-DD is based on maths recovery
- Developed initially for low attaining typically developing children (6-7 year olds)
- The curriculum is divided into five developmental stages with progressive levels of sophistication
- Ten-DD is based on systematic instruction

Question 14

Key features of systematic instruction

Answer 14

• DEFINING the skills and setting a MASTERY CRITERIA
• accurate and regular assessment - DATA BASED DECISION MAKING
• TASK ANALYSIS
• repetitive teaching - often DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING
• consistent teaching
• specific PROMPTING and ERROR CORRECTION procedures recommended
• POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT - operant conditioning
• teaching procedures explicitly and accurately documented

Question 15

Headsprout Early Reading

Answer 15

• 80 episodes
• from non-readers/beginners to year 3 (age 7-8) level
• online programme
  -individualised and adapts according to errors or fluency
  -these episodes teach the 4 main components of reading comprehension
  1. literal comprehension
  2. inferential comprehension
  3. main idea (summative comprehension)
  4. derived meaning (vocabulary comprehension)

Question 16

Origins of the use of behavioural science in mainstream classrooms

Answer 16

Madsen et al., (1968): looked at the effects on classroom behaviours of:
- Rules
- Ignoring inappropriate behaviours
- Showing approval of appropriate behaviours

ABCD, reversal design in one class.

Findings:
- rules had no effect on improving classroom behaviour
- ignoring inappropriate behaviour and showing approval for appropriate behaviour was very effective and improving classroom behaviour

Showing approval is key to effective management

Question 17

Latham (1997) - 8 skills every teacher should have. What is this?

Answer 17

• A guide to classroom management
• Based on observations and interviews in schools over 16 years (1980-1996), throughout the US and 14 countries

Question 18

According to Latham, creating an effective learning environment is about

Answer 18

• Effective methods of Instruction
• Management of Student Behaviour

Question 19

Latham - every teacher should have the ability to…

Answer 19

1. teach expectations
2. get and keep students on task
3. maintain a high rate of positive teacher-to-student interactions
4. respond non coercively to inappropriate behaviour that is consequential
5. maintain a high rate of risk-free student response opportunities
6. serve problem behaviour students in the primary learning environment (i.e., classroom)
7. avoid being trapped
8. manage behaviour scientifically

Question 20

1. Teach expectations (brief, obvious points)

Answer 20

expectations need to be
- Reasonable
- Clearly understood
- Consequences when students fail to meet the expectations
- Minimum of 4-5
- Taught formally and situationally
- Framed instructively rather than prohibitively
(“Speak quietly” is better than “Don’t shout”)

Question 21

1. Teaching expectations (from Latham)

Answer 21

01 - communicating your expectations
02 - ignoring inconsequential behaviour
03 - selectively reinforcing appropriate behaviour
04 - stopping and redirecting inappropriate behaviour
05 - applying consequences

Question 22

2. Get and keep students on task

Answer 22

1. Be quick!! - Delay = Distraction
2. Be active !! - move around
3. Interact

Question 23

3. Maintain a high rate of positive teaching-to-student interactions

Answer 23

Human behaviour responds better to positive than negative consequences

• According the Lathams data, 90% of appropriate student behaviour when unrecognised
• Teachers were 2-5x more likely to pay attention to inappropriate behaviour

Latham suggests that creating a +ve environment, where negative statements are made at 1:8 ratio to positive statements, behaviour and performance will improve and students will remain in school

Question 24

3. Maintain a high rate of positive teaching-to-student interactions (data from Latham’s observations)

Answer 24

In one school district, Latham observed a ratio of 34 negative interactions and only 9 positive

After training, he observed 4 negative comments and 167 positive interactions

The following school year, the number of students classified as developmentally delayed and in special education reduced form 80%-11%.

Question 25

4. Respond non coercively to inappropriate behaviour that is consequential

Answer 25

• Dangerous or disruptive behaviour cannot be ignored. Teachers should react calmly and with empathy/ understanding
• If a teachers response is reactive or angry (a negative consequence) this can escalate the inappropriate behaviour

Question 26

5. maintain a high rate of risk-free student response opportunities

Answer 26

This includes approaches based on behavioural science, such as Precision Teaching, Systematic instruction and Discrete Trial Teaching to maximise success

Question 27

6. Serve problem- behaviour students in the primary learning environment (i.e., classroom)

Answer 27

Removal from the classroom is often a ‘quick fix’

Underlying issues - lack of effective behaviour management system

No evidence for improvement in behaviour following classroom removals

Question 28

7. Avoid being trapped

Answer 28

Coercive classroom management traps:
1. criticism
2. sarcasm (mocking a student)
3. threats (if you don’t…)
4. questioning (why did you…)
5. logic (reasoning with kids)
6. arguing
7. forcing (physical or verbal)
8. despair (showing hopelessness)

Question 29

8. Manage behaviour ‘scientifically’

Answer 29

we should…
- use evidence-based educational methods - DO WHAT WORKS
- give teachers the skills they need