Instructional Playbook

Responding to Behavioral Errors

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When behavioral errors occur, it is important for teachers to re-teach, as well as consistently implement pre-planned consequences with students. If behavioral errors continue to occur with a class, or with a particular student, teachers must employ further strategies along a continuum to support students in demonstrating positive behavior. Responding to behavioral errors prevents escalation of problem behavior, creates opportunities to learn and practice new skills, maintains instructional time, and minimizes the potential of rewarding inappropriate behavior. Students and teachers benefit from an appropriate response to behavioral errors because it: helps reduce and replace learned responses that may not be appropriate or effective coping skills, provides structure for learning and demonstrating the expectations rather than focusing on negative consequences, helps students regulate emotions by focusing on what students are supposed to do (expectations) instead of what they are not to do, empowers students to be resilient, supports students using problem-solving and reasoning skills, focuses on the student’s strengths, fosters positive and supportive relationships through instructional responses to behavioral errors that are communicated calmly and respectfully, maintains student dignity when mistakes or missteps are made, and minimizes likelihood of subjecting students to power struggles with supportive adults.

Critical Actions for Educators CONSISTENT RESPONSE Remain calm, clear, and brief to maintain student dignity Use physical proximity to communicate awareness CONTINUUM OF RESPONSE STRATEGIES (see next page) Reteach Error Correction Redirection Withholding Attention Reward Around Student Reward Alternative Behavior DE-ESCALATION STRATEGIES Help Prompt Wait Consistently respond to inappropriate behavior