Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

The purpose of this article is to show that health and physical education (HPE) teachers who implement humor in the classroom intentionally create a more relaxed classroom environment, build stronger relationships with students, and engage students in the learning process. Humor used as an instructional strategy eases teacher stress and engages…

Student engagement is one of the most important factors of an effective classroom throughout the P-16 spectrum. Of late, many have attempted to define engagement and establish best practices for maximising it in the classroom. In the process, a number of sources have implied or encouraged a false dichotomy between engagement and compliance. This…

This article focuses on the link between social norms and behavioral development as presented in research on norms regarding bullying and aggression. The aim is to present a conceptual framework for how classroom norms may explain children's decisions to defend others or refrain from defending. Norms emerge from group consensus about what is…

Challenging behavior can impact the learning environment and prevent educators and students from demonstrating behavioral and academic success. Schools and districts may implore a framework of tiered systems of support to respond to students struggling behaviorally or academically. These systems provide a decision-making process to aid educators'…

The relation of the private life to the public is perplexing when thinking about the role of the public and private in public schooling, particularly as students learn to distinguish and navigate the private and public space of school. Learning to attend to the nuances between private and public and encountering documents that indicate such…

"Creating Calm Classrooms" presents easy-to-follow and guaranteed to succeed strategies, teacher behaviors and class management practices that the author successfully deployed to create oases of peace and tranquility in his classrooms in more than twenty years of teaching in urban schools. The methods contained in this book can enable…

When faced with pervasive--and increasingly creative--forms of plagiarism and cheating, what should faculty members do? Give in? Give up? Or should they consider the classic break-up line "It's not you--it's me" and make changes in the ways they assess student learning? If faculty truly wish to increase student success and decrease acts…

Simmons shares tips and lessons learned, from his first year of teaching, for creating a classroom environment that minimizes off-task or "problem" behaviors and for addressing disruptive behavior in ways that keep it from escalating. Among his suggestions: alternate between being a "lion" and a "lamb," carefully…

Over one-third of preschoolers with disabilities are fully included in the classroom with their typically developing peers and another large percentage receive some instruction in the inclusive classroom. In order to support young children and increase the likelihood of the desired learning and behavior outcomes, teachers must use individual data…

We all want our students to feel safe, collaborate well with others, feel ownership for their learning, and be joyfully engaged in their work. Nevertheless, many teachers end up using language patterns that undermine these goals. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? We want students to take responsibility for their learning, yet we use…

Commonly used in research settings, noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is a function-based intervention for decreasing challenging behaviors (Carr, Severtson, & Lepper, 2009). Function-based interventions effectively change behavior through detailed analysis of why the behavior occurs (Lane, Kalberg, & Shepcaro, 2009). Practitioners…

This article describes the critical need for behavioral supports to be implemented across all students. The current inflammatory social and political climate appears to be having a negative effect on student social behavior, something we call the "Trump Effect." The authors advocate for specific ways educators can improve school climate…

The first post-pandemic year may well have been harder than the radically disrupted 18 months of rolling lockdowns and remote learning that preceded it. The jarring disruptions related to COVID-19 aren't the whole story, however. What has happened to students isn't just the impact of a protracted, once-in-a-generation adverse event, but the…

Secondary students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) can often demonstrate skill deficits and problem behaviors in general education classes. Teachers generally understand how to implement intensive interventions, yet may not know how to address skill deficits and off-task behaviors using a function-based approach or may encounter barriers…