Timeout has been used extensively within schools to address inappropriate behavior in children. In practice, timeout is not a single strategy; rather, it is a compilation of related practices. Some forms of timeout are research-based practices for modifying student behavior. However, others lack research support and frequently are misused,…

Disruptive behaviors requiring intervention occur across multiple school systems, including individual students and classrooms. Such behaviors, including talking aloud in class, getting out of one's seat, or more serious behaviors, can be frustrating for other students as well as teachers, who are trying to help students meet ever-increasing…

The effectiveness of various management strategies has been of central concern in academic and educational debates on the role and nature of classroom discipline. Educational theorists and researchers have put forth a range of different models, each of which incorporates the use of a number of strategies. This article reports on a study that seeks…

Group reinforcement procedures were effective in increasing on-task and rule-following behavior of a third-grade class of 52 students that included four behavior problem students referred to special education. Intervention included the teachers setting a class goal and the class selecting a group activity for meeting the goal. (CL)

The manual provides information on practical ways for managing the behavior of emotionally disturbed and autistic children. The importance of routine and structure as well as of caring is emphasized in a chapter on building an atmosphere for learning. Assessment is seen to begin with teachers evaluating their own attitudes about behavior and then…

Discussed is the application of behavior management techniques to problem behaviors of normal children in the home or school. Examples are given of such techniques as behavioral contracting between child and adult, reduction of undesirable behaviors through withdrawal of reinforcers ("bother sticks" and "temper tickets"), the use of a timer to…

The subject of this bulletin is achieving better discipline through the use of contingency management. Part 1 discusses the basic beliefs of behaviorists and the basic principles of behaviorism. It states that all human beings do what they do in pursuit of some variety or combination of tangible reinforcers, social reinforcers, and intangible…

The use of contingent ignoring to help reduce problems in the classroom has been advocated by behavioral psychologists, but in practice, teachers have found this procedure often is not successful. The potential mistakes are described. For each potential problem, a remedy is prescribed. (Author)

Frequency of rule violations was tabulated for two mildly mentally retarded and two learning disabled males (ages 9-11). All four received social skills training, and two additionally received contingency management intervention. Post-intervention data on rule violations and teacher approval ratings for observed social skills yielded mixed…

Observation of classroom coping behaviors of 1,066 K-12 students and of several hundred effective public school teachers provides discipline strategies for classroom management. Teachers apply one of seven treatment schedules after identifying a student's coping behavior. Tables show eight coping styles and abbreviated treatment schedules. (PB)

This 1-year study investigated use of isolation timeout as a behavioral control intervention with 156 students with emotional disturbance in a special educational facility. Results indicated that 13,000 separate timeouts occurred over the year. Average time in isolation was 23 hours per student. Older students in more restrictive settings spent…

School discipline need not entail corporal punishment. It is not necessary to subject school children to a role model of aggressive behavior by their teachers and principals. Instead, education in Canada should reflect the most advanced state of research, knowledge, and moral development by using alternative forms of discipline. (JHZ)

This selective bibliography contains references to 76 ERIC documents and journal articles on the subject of behavior modification in the preschool and elementary school classroom. A total of 36 entries were taken from "Research in Education" (RIE), 1969 through 1974, and 36 entries were taken from "Current Index to Journals in Education" (CIJE),…

This paper reviews studies that have used instructional variables as nonaversive interventions for problem behaviors of individuals with severe disabilities. These include student choice of task, task variation, pace of instruction, interspersal of high probability tasks, partial versus whole task training, decreasing task difficulty, and a…

Based on the belief that all children need some kind of discipline when they misbehave, this book presents Time-In, a 4-part discipline process that helps parents and teachers connect with children, teach them to solve their own problems, and become responsible for the outcomes of their actions and attitudes. The four disciplinary tools are: (1)…