TEAM 3

Teaching "Tough to Teach" Kids
Jean A. Baker, Ph.D.

Rational

Teaching students with persistent behavior problems constitutes a significant problem for general education teachers. In our research, we find that up to 16% of children in regular education settings exhibit severe, pervasive, disruptive behaviors in the classroom (Baker, Horne, & Kamphaus, 2001). Typical classroom management strategies are ineffective for this group of students. One of the second grade teachers in our project put it this way, "(behavior management is) very effective for those who aren't getting in trouble, but with those who seem to have trouble with their behaviors, it does not really seem to make a whole lot of difference" (Winsor, Baker, & Davis, 2001). Furthermore, teachers feel the least efficacious when working with students these students and report having few strategies that "work" to facilitate academic engagement and school success for these children (Baker, Horne, & Kamphaus, 2001). This affects teacher morale and longevity in teaching careers. Ingersoll (2000) reports a 14.3% turnover rate for teachers during the 1994-1995 school year. Student discipline problems and poor student motivation were key factors in the job dissatisfaction noted by teachers leaving the profession.

Moreover, teachers require professional development in the area of classroom management for professional reasons. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards proposes five areas of teaching competence, two of which are directly related to classroom management. Accomplished teachers "ensure a disciplined learning environment" through engaging students in instruction and effectively managing the group and social processes in the classroom (Proposition 3). Additionally, the standards call for teaches to be aware of the influences of context and culture on behavior, to provide equitable access to instruction for all students and to promote motivation and other pro-social competencies in students (Proposition 1). Thus, equipping teachers to work effectively with students with behavior problems is a critical activity for teacher preparation and for professional development with K-12 teachers.

This PT3 project proposes a partnership between school psychology faculty, school psychology graduate students, teacher candidates, and K-12 teachers. We plan to use technology to (1) deliver research-based "best practices" in behavior management strategies for "tough to teach kids" to teacher candidates and practicing teachers and (2) link them with school psychology graduate students (and their supervising faculty) for web-based consultation. In addition to providing knowledge and skills regarding behavior management, this partnership will provide teacher candidates and school psychologists with early, authentic experiences with case-based consultation, thus socializing them into the collaborative stance necessary for effective work with "tough to teach" kids.

Project Description

This project proposes a web-based course that will provide a set of interwoven components to enhance the capacity of teachers to work with "tough to teach" kids in the general education classroom. This course would extend the typical classroom management skills taught to teacher education candidates and will focus specifically on strategies for working with children with challenging behavior (those with attention problems, oppositional defiant disorders, conduct disorders, and other behavioral or emotional impairments being taught in the general education setting). The course would provide (1) knowledge of research-based behavior management strategies for children with challenging behavior, (2) "hands on" application for practical use in the classroom, and (3) directed practice with these new skills through web-based consultation. I propose a semester-long, web-based course that could be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit. The graduate credit would be directed toward MSU interns or K-12 teachers and would involve web-based consultation with school psychology graduate students to apply class concepts and techniques to their classroom setting. The school psychology graduate students are knowledgeable about the behavior management content. They would be simultaneously enrolled in their second consultation course and would be supervised by the school psychology faculty. The web-based consultation would occur between the field-based teachers and the MSU-based school psychology students using video conferencing. The consultation component would provide early linkages between teacher candidates and school psychology students, thus socializing these professionals into interdisciplinary collaboration as an essential skill for professional practice.

Timeline. Fall, 2001: The graduate student and I would conduct several focus groups with TE faculty, current interns, and local K-12 teachers to assess their perceptions of needs in this area. Using that data, data from our research program with teachers of at-risk students, and research in this area, we will develop a 15-week course focusing on research-based "best practices" in effective behavior management for children with challenging behavior. We will work with the VU to develop the course. Spring, 2002: The course will be taught through the VU. It will be advertised to interns and K-12 teachers for graduate credit; undergraduates could take the course without the consultation component. The school psychology graduate students enrolled in CEP 889 (Consultation) would be teamed with enrolled graduate students for web-based consultation under the supervision of the school psychology faculty. I would seek IRB approval to collect and evaluate student's perceptions of the course, the technology components, and its impact on their practice for dissemination purposes. Summer, 2002: Refine the course for future offerings, write up the experiences of the course for dissemination.

Benefits of this Project for Teacher Preparation

This project has the potential to impact teacher preparation because it utilizes technology that permits teachers and consultants to work together over potentially large distances on authentic problems in the classroom. It exposes teacher candidates to a web-based model of instruction, which will be increasingly prominent in continuing education for teachers. It provides knowledge and skill development in an area of demonstrated need for teachers and promotes collaborative partnerships between professionals early in their careers. It exposes teacher candidates to use of web-based technology to solve authentic problems of professional practice and permits school psychology students to develop web-based consultation skills. Given the national and state shortage of school psychologists, utilization of the web to provide services to remote locations will be increasingly important in school psychology practice.

This course could become part of the COE on-line Master's program or COE offerings through the VU. The VU course I developed for this summer's offerings (CEP 883: Psychology of Classroom Discipline) has enrolled 22 students with no advertisement other than that done by VU, indicating the interest in this topic. I envision this course as a step up from a first course in behavior management, such as CEP 883 or courses taken as part of a typical teacher education program, that would provide intensive, sustained attention to difficult to manage students in the classroom. With increasing numbers of students with challenging behaviors being taught in general education classrooms, this is an area of significant need for continuing education for teachers.