1-2-3 Magic in the Classroom

by Thomas W Phelan and Sarah Jane Schonour

Stop Behavior and Start Behavior. Stop behavior is behavior you want children to stop doing -- e.g., arguing, talking out of turn, yelling. Start behavior is behavior you want them to start doing -- e.g., cleaning up, dong work, raising hand.

Two Biggest Discipline Mistakes: Too much talking, too much emotion. For the most part, giving kids explanations will not change their behavior. When you react emotionally to their misbehavior, that give them power (they want you to react), and they'll be more likely to act that way in the future.

Authoritative = Be Demanding and Warm. Demanding = expecting something from your kids. Warm = showing care and emotional support for students.

Three Steps. Step #1: Managing Undesirable Behavior (DEMANDING), Step #2: Encouraging Good Behavior (DEMANDING AND WARM), Step #3: Strengthening Your Relationship with Students (WARM).

Step #1: Managing Undesirable Behavior. Use counting to deal with stop behavior, not start behavior. Example: Boy having temper tantrum; you hold up one finger and say, "That's one." Boy keeps screaming, so after five seconds you hold up two fingers, "That's two." Boy keeps creaming, so after five seconds you hold up three fingers and say, "That's 3, take five." Time-out = one minute for each year he's been alive. After time-out is over, you don't say anything, no lecture, no time to process, nothing. Also no talking/lecturing during "That's 1," "That's 2."

The window of opportunity rule: have a predetermined period of time in which children can get counted to three. If you give a four-year-old a "That's 1," and then 30 minutes later they do the same stop behavior, they should get another, "That's 1." For older children, each class period is the period. For some, the students start over after lunch ("lunchtime amnesty"). // You can count different behaviors to get to 3 -- e.g., 1 for chewing gum, 2 for shouting out. // If student refuses to go to timeout: either (a) turn back, walk away, and give student a few seconds to comply, (b) fine student (if using token economy), (c) start fun activity for rest of class, tell student they can join when timeout is over. // If child counts back to you -- e.g., child says, "That's one to you, too!" -- then silently hold up second finger. If child holds up second finger, then they have arrived at 3.

What if preschool child screams when parent drops them off? Encourage Quick Exit: Parent hugs and leaves right away.

Explaining classroom expectations. Every day for first week, teacher explains 1-2-3 system and 4-5 positively stated expectations. Next week teacher asks students to explain things, to see if they understand.

Step #2: Encouraging Good Behavior. 

1. Positive Reinforcement. Most people are more likely to give kids negative rather than positive feedback. Praise should be given early and often, should outnumber negative comments by a ratio of 3 to 1. Can motivate off-task students by praising students for being on-task. 
2. Simple Requests. Requests should be made with a a neutral (non-nagging) voice. Requests should be simple (one-step, less than four words, "Tricia, back table"). Routines should be predictable, so requests do not come as surprise.
3. Kitchen Timers. Can frame requests in the form of challenges -- e.g., "We've got to straighten up. I'm setting the timer for 10 minutes. I bet you can't beat it." Kids generally want to be a ticking machine; it becomes student vs. machine instead of student vs. teacher. Example: Set timer for 5 minutes, "I want your backpack hung up before the timer goes off."
4. The Docking System. Take token money from them -- e.g., "Since you forgot your homework in your locker, I'm going to dock you for tokens."
5. Natural Consequences. Examples: student is talking during quiet time, next time the class can have time to talk this student must sit quietly for 2-3 minutes; student doesn't return her library book, next time she cannot check out book (until first book returned).
6. Charting. This is a behavior chart; students aged 4-9 get stickers, others get points. With a chart, we hope that positive reinforcement for a child comes from (a) the chart itself, (b) praise from the teacher, (c) the inherent satisfaction of doing a good job. We want the child to develop intrinsic motivation. If these natural reinforcers don't work, you can use artificial reinforcers. 
7. Counting for Brief Start Behavior. Don't use it on most start behavior b/c most start behavior takes several minutes to complete. But you can use it when the start behavior takes two minutes or less. Example: Can use when asking student to put away her coat and joint class.
8. Cross Dialogue. Talking to another adult: "Wow, Miss Smith, it looks like my class doesn't want to go to recess today, because they keep talking instead of lining up."