Classroom Management

Classroom management is one of the most challenging set of skills teachers need to master. Disruptive behavior on the part of one or two students impedes learning of other students and affects your instructional time. Fortunately, evidence-based tools are available. This module and the entire series are designed to provide you with a framework and supporting strategies that, when planned and practiced, lead to increased student engagement and reduced disruption.

MTSS is a comprehensive approach to classroom management that employs a 3-tiered model of prevention. The three tiers of MTSS address prevention strategies for all students, occasional disruptions, and finally the most challenging student behaviors. The more we can prevent misbehavior, the more we can maximize student engagement. The goal of MTSS is to use the least punitive and exclusionary approaches to focus on teaching appropriate behavior, reintegrate disruptive students, and return to the instructional objectives you had planned.

In order to respond effectively to consistent problem behavior on the part of a particular student, we need to understand the context of the disruptive behavior. Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) allows us to assess causes before applying an intervention. FBA includes four phases: (1) describing the behavior, (2) developing hypotheses about causes of the behavior, (3) identifying acceptable replacement behaviors, and (4) creating a plan for teaching those replacement behaviors.

The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) deals with a range of problems in the classroom, including those at the intensive level meant to serve a few students with more difficult behaviors. This module has three goals: (1) to understand challenging behavior through the lens of trauma informed practice, (2) to provide specific strategies for addressing emotional and behavioral challenges, and (3) to discuss provisions for students with disabilities at Tier 3 of MTSS.

The pandemic has led to several major changes, most particularly (1) learning loss and (2) isolation. Not all children have suffered each of these to the same degree, but many students will have increased academic and social-emotional needs. This module will address the implications of the pandemic for classroom management across virtual learning and for classrooms returning to in-person instruction.