Social interactions provide the context in which many adolescents make decisions (Crone, 2012). But what benefits students socially sometimes casts a shadow on their school performance. Instead of creating competing agendas, teachers can use strategies that draw on students' social and personal needs to empower them to make better choices in the future. Strategies that give students a second chance to make positive choices include setting expectations, providing opportunities to achieve goals, using collaboration to promote reflection, and creating peer-to-peer support groups.
Set Expectations
The key here is to focus on appropriate behavior. According to Geoffrey Colvin (2005), precorrection is one of the most simple and effective strategies for managing behavior problems. This requires a proactive approach. Instead of waiting for the student to misbehave, the teacher gives the student positive directions before the problem behaviors are most likely to occur. Precorrection can take the form of verbal cues, reminders, or modeling.
For example, say Billy∗ always runs when it is time to line up for recess. In doing so, he often accidently bumps into some of his classmates, disrupting the class. Because Billy's behavior is predictable, the teacher can conduct a behavior rehearsal to allow a student to hear and see what he is expected to do. This strategy also gives the teacher an opportunity to monitor the expected behavior for accuracy. Depending on the grade level, the teacher can conduct the same behavior rehearsals multiple times. Furthermore, prior to lining up again, the teacher can remind the students to transition calmly from their seat to a single-file line, as rehearsed. In Billy's case, the teacher can privately provide an additional reminder. This model can be modified to address most behavioral issues and applied to all grade levels.
∗Pseudonym
Provide Opportunities to Achieve Goals
Two effective ways to help students meet their goals are to (1) give them tools to set and track those goals and (2) find ways to align their personal interests with academic goals. For example, if a student has a recurring behavioral challenge that interferes with their school performance, set up a time to meet privately with the student to develop a written contract to monitor her behavior. This contract should include the teacher's perception of the issue, the student's perception of the issue, and a plan of action for an effective resolution. This plan should be revisited every week to document progress or to make revisions. (See a sample behavior contract.)
Research shows that students who engage in nonacademic activities such as service clubs, arts, and sports demonstrate higher academic achievement (Everson, 2005). Teachers can build off the momentum of students' talents and interests by integrating them into lessons and assignments. The article "Art and Mathematics—Mutual Enrichment" (Pumfrey and Beardon, 2002) discusses how to integrate art into math instruction, for example, creating opportunities for math achievement for students with an interest in art.
Use Collaboration to Promote Reflection
Some say students care less about what you know and more about how much you care. Motivated students feel that teachers genuinely care for them and want them to succeed. Teachers can engage students by allowing them to help create classroom rules, which will encourage them to reflect on their own behaviors. Begin by asking students questions like the following:
- What classroom rules do you think are needed to promote a good learning atmosphere?
- What is the best way to remind me if I forget a rule?
- What is the best way to remind you if you forget a rule?
- What are the consequences of constantly forgetting the rules?
Teachers can also use these kinds of questions as a guide for setting individual expectations for students with academic or behavioral issues. For instance, for those students with academic issues, the teacher can ask something like, "What are your perceived strengths, perceived weaknesses, and how do you learn best?"
Allowing students to help in the creation of rules and consequences encourages a sense of responsibility and self-discipline. The teacher should remind the students that the rules can be revisited and updated when necessary.
Creating Peer-to-Peer Support Groups
There's no denying that students are influenced by their peers (Ervin, 2005). Teachers can put a positive spin on peer pressure by developing a positive peer reporting strategy. In this approach, a core group of students is trained to not only model positive behavior but also acknowledge and reinforce when their peers act appropriately. Through peer ownership and leadership, it's possible to shift the social environment from one that fosters gossiping and bullying to one filled with support and encouragement.
Teachers should nominate students for participation in the positive peer reporting group, and it should be diverse in ethnicity, gender, academic capability, physical capability, and home neighborhood. Selection in this case should not be based solely on academic or behavioral factors so that many students have the opportunity to become a part of the group. Membership in the group should also have minimum eligibility requirements—such as positive behavior for at least a month. Richard Cohen created this useful step-by-step guide for implementing a peer-to-peer support group.
Each of these strategies seeks to empower students to take the lead in making the choices that will get them back on track. Likewise, the social environment can be a safety net for second chance students when peer influence is engineered for positive outcomes.