The Why and How of Acknowledgement

1. The Why and How of Acknowledgement 2013 Wisconsin PBIS Leadership Conference Session C6 Marla Dewhirst marla.r.dewhirst@gmail.com Rick Koepke, Evergreen Elementary, Rothschild, WI.

2. Definition of Positive Acknowledgement: Positive acknowledgement is the presentation of something pleasant or rewarding immediately following a behavior. It makes that behavior more likely to occur in the future, and is one of the most powerful tools for shaping or changing behavior.

3. Objectives of Session • Preview the need for acknowledgements of the classroom and how they tie into the school-wide acknowledgement plan. • Understand why we acknowledge appropriate behavior. • Generate classroom examples of incentives to utilize.

4. Acknowledgement System The purpose of an acknowledgement system is to: • Foster a welcoming and positive climate • Focuses staff and student attention on desired behaviors • Increases the likelihood that desired behaviors will be increased. • Reduces the time spent correcting student misbehavior

5. Why Use Acknowledgements? • Reinforce the teaching of new behaviors • Harness the influence of kids who are showing expected behaviors to encourage the kids who are not • Strengthen positive behaviors that can compete with problem behavior • Prompt for adults to recognize behavior

6. Why Use Acknowledgements? • Encourage school-wide behaviors to be displayed in the future • Improve our school climate • Create positive interactions and rapport with students • Overall, we earn time back to teach and keep kids in the classroom where they can learn from us! Every time any adult interacts with any student, it is an instructional moment!

7. Rationale-What Does 5 Positives to 1 Negative Mean? • Students should experience predominately positive interactions (ratio of 5 positives for every negative) on all locations of school. • Positive Interactions= • Behaviorally specific feedback as to what the student did right (contingent) • Smile, nod, wink, greeting, attention, hand shake, high five (non-contingent) • Negative Interactions= • Non-specific behavioral corrections • Ignoring student behavior (appropriate or inappropriate)

8. How Does 5 to 1 Happen? All Staff are expected to: • Interact in a friendly, supportive manner at all times---students, parents, guests and colleagues • Initiate positive interactions by: • Making eye contact • Smiling nodding, winking • Welcoming • Offering a greeting • Asking if assistance is required • Provide positive feedback regarding appropriate student behavior • Maintain an attitude of respect and support, even when correcting student behavior

9. 5 : 1 Ratio, It’s not Just for Kids Business Teams: • High Performance = 5.6 positives to 1negative • Medium Performance = 1.9 positives to 1 negative • Low Performance = 1 positive to 2.7 negatives Losada, 1999; Losada & Heaphy, 2004 Successful Marriages: • 5.1 positives to 1 negative (speech acts) and • 4.7 positives to 1 negative (observed emotions) Gottoman, 1994

10. Gottman Information • Predicted whether 700 newlywed couples would stay together or divorce by scoring their positive and negative interactions in one 15-minute conversation between husband and wife. Ten years later, the follow-up revealed that they had predicted divorces with 94% accuracy. • Marriages that last: • 5.1 to 1 for speech acts and 4.7 to 1 for observed emotions • Marriages likely to end in divorce: • 1 positive to 1.3 negative ratio likely to end up in divorce

11. Social Competence & Academic Achievement STUDENT OUTCOMES Supporting Decision Making Supporting Staff Behavior DATA SYSTEMS PRACTICES Supporting Student Behavior 11

12. Practices-How Staff Interact with Students Define: *3-5 school-wide expectations *Classroom managed vs. office referred behavior Teach/Pre-correct *Behaviors like we teach academics with Cool Tools *In the moment reminders/redirection *Pre-correct to “get” expected behavior Model: *Adults practice what we preach *Students practice what we teach Acknowledge: Immediate, intermittent, long-term reinforcements for expected behaviors to ensure future compliance Re-teach: *Consequences for non-compliance *Review of expected behavior *Addition of needed behavioral/academic supports

13. Components of Acknowledgement Plans Immediate/High frequency/Predictable/Tangible Delivered at a high rate for a short period while teaching new behaviors or responding to problem behavior Name behavior and tie back to school-wide expectation upon delivery Examples: “Caught Being Good”, “Lincoln Loot”, “Titan Bucks”, positive referrals, points for privilege levels – turned in for tangible/non- tangible prize Intermittent/Unexpected Bring “surprise” attention to certain behaviors or at scheduled intervals Used to maintain a taught behavior Examples: Raffles, special privileges, principal random call Long-term Celebrations Used to celebrate/acknowledge accomplishment ALL kids, all adults Examples: Quarterly activities: popcorn party, class movie, class field day

14. Guidelines for Use of Acknowledgements Reinforcements are for every student in the classroom, regardless of where they fall in the PBIS triangle. • Over time, move from: • other-delivered to self-delivered (extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation) • Highly frequent to less frequent • Predictable to unpredictable • Tangible to social • Adapt to data analysis feedback: “boosters” • Individualize for students needing greater support systems

15. Effective Environments---Critical Factors Research conducted in the work environment (Buckingham and Coffman 2002) , identified the following critical factors as positively contributing to an effective classroom. • Educators, Students and Parents: • Know what is expected • Know curriculum and instruction in place to get good learning outcomes • Receive recognition for demonstrating expectations • Have a co-worker who cares and pays attention. • Receive encouragement to contribute and improve • Can identify someone they “relate to” • Feel the mission of the class makes their efforts worthwhile • See staff and students committed to doing a good job • Feel they are learning new things and getting better • Have an opportunity to learn and teach

16. Example Strategies to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior • Examples: • Verbal praise • Thumbs up, high five • Token Economy • Notes/phone calls home or to principal • Student of the hour/day/week • Special privileges earned through group contingency

17. Acknowledging Appropriate Behavior Effective strategies are… • Clear and specific • Contingent on desired behavior • Applied immediately • Teacher initiated • Focus on improvement and effort • Provided frequently during acquisition • Fade as skill develops • Avoid comparison/competition across children • Sincere and appropriate for student’s age • Includes hierarchy of alternatives

18. Specific and Contingent Praise • Praise should be… • …contingent: occur immediately following desired behavior • …specific: tell learner exactly what they are doing correctly and continue to do in the future • “Good job” (not very specific) • “I like how you are showing me active listening by having quiet hands and feet and eyes on me” (specific)

19. Establish a Continuum of Strategies to Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior • Specific and Contingent Praise • Group Contingencies • Behavior Contracts • Token Economies

20. Acknowledgement of Appropriate Behaviors Specific and Contingent Praise-Make eye contact and use behaviorally specific language. Provide immediate feedback and acknowledge appropriate behavior often. Group Contingencies All for one-If entire class completes work on time they all get 10 minutes free time. One for all-Students divided into groups. Groups earns points, and group with most points wins reward. To each his/her own-Independent Group Contingency-everyone who earns points receives a reward. Utilize Behavior Contracts (group or individual) Token Economythat can be based on how school reward system operates.

21. Group Contingency Considerations • Promotes team work • Uses peer influences to correct inappropriate behavior • May result in conflict within the classroom • Good opportunity for modeling/role playing and teaching class wide appropriate behavior (embedding skills)

22. Small Group Contingency • Small Group • The reward is given to all members of a group. • Individual performance can effect the entire group. (Members must perform at or better than a specified level to receive a reward and are competing with other groups in the class.) • Team competition promotes higher interest and participation • Can promote unhealthy competition • Group may not have equal chance for success (may need to change the groups periodically)

23. Example: Small Group Contigency Mrs. Robinson’s class is divided into 4 groups. Example A:Members of the group help earn tokens for their group. Groups that earn at least 20 tokens by the end of the day are admitted to compete in the “Spelling Bee” or “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” game. Example B:Mrs. Robinson’s class is divided into 4 groups. Each member must earn 5 tokens each day in order for the entire group to participate in the game (receive a reward). Example CThe 2 groups receiving the highest number of tokens for the day participate in the game (receive a reward).

24. Behavioral Contracts • A written document that specifies a contingency for an individual student or in this case…whole class • Contains the following elements: • Operational definition of BEHAVIOR • Clear descriptions of REINFORCERS • OUTCOMES if student fails to meet expectations • Special BONUSES that may be used to increase motivation or participation.

25. Establishing a Token Economy • Determine and teach the target skills • Select tokens • Identify what will be back-up reinforcers • Identify the number of tokens required to receive back-up reinforcers • Define and teach the exchange and token delivery system • Define decision rules to change/fade the plan • Determine how the plan will be monitored • **Consider randomly delivering rewards**

26. Tips for Using Tangible Tokens TIPS: • Ensure an adequate supply • Take steps to prohibit counterfeiting • Develop a system for “spending” tokens • Establish an efficient system of record keeping ADVANTAGES: • Works like money (use as an immediate reward, but actual “prize” is purchased later) • Takes less time • Less expensive

27. Meeting Token System Challenges • Use tokens that students can “cash in” for back up reinforcers • Change the color and/or design of tokens frequently to discourage counterfeiting. • Ensure an ample supply of tokens • Ensure all students have fair chance of earning rewards. • Provide visual prompts in all settings • Include information and encouraging messages on daily basis • Select criteria for earning rewards based on data already being collected (e.g., attendance, grades) • Continue school-wide efforts and align your classroom rewards system with the school-wide system.

28. Classroom Continuum of Strategies

29. Acknowledgement System Self-Check As you develop your acknowledgement system make sure you check for the following: • The system is simple to use • Clearly defined criteria for earning rewards • Ongoing opportunity to earn rewards • Flexible enough to meet the needs of diverse students • Aligned with the school-wide reward system • Supportive of and aligned with the data collection system • Supportive of behavioral and academic success • Meaningful back-up reinforcers • Varied to maintain student interest • Age-appropriate • Hierarchical: Small increments of success are recognized with small rewards

30. Reinforcing Behaviors • It is important to only reinforce behaviors which are observable and measureable. • Clearly state the expectation – • Example: Students who are quietly standing in line, facing forward, keeping their hands and feet to them self • Non-Example: Students ready for lunch

31. Guidelines • Reward demonstration of school-wide expectations (contingent) • Avoid trying to motivate by withholding incentives • Avoid taking away incentives already earned • Should target all students

32. When Selecting Reinforcers. . . • Remember: Not everyone is reinforced by the same reward • Try to personalize the reinforcers by offering variety • Rotate through different reinforcers so options vary throughout the year

33. Tangible Reinforcements • Pair tangible reinforcers with praise statements. • Pairing tangibles with verbal praise gradually teaches students to become motivated by praise alone.

34. Types of Reinforcers Sensory Natural Material Generalized Social

35. Sensory Reinforcers Sensory reinforcers are things you can hear, see, smell, or touch: • Listen to music • Sit in special chair • Hold a stuffed animal/toy • Choose a poster • Watch a movie

36. Natural Reinforcers Natural reinforcers are things students like to do/ask to do during free time: • Play a game • Read a book • Free time with a friend • Play a sport • Be in charge of materials • Put up a bulletin board

37. Material Reinforcers Material reinforcers work for students who require immediate reinforcement in smaller amounts: • Stickers • Materials: pencils, pens, paper, bookmarks • Trading cards • Movie Tickets • Food coupons • Juice drinks

38. Generalized Reinforcers Generalized reinforcers work for students who can delay gratification, as the reinforcer is exchanged for an item of value at a later time: • Raffle tickets • Tokens • Poker chips • Points/credits

39. Social Reinforcers Social reinforcers should be paired with other types of reinforcers when students are first learning new skills: • Smile • Wink • Compliment • Effective praise • Proximity

40. Sample Interaction Activity Thank you, Mary, for picking up the trash on the floor. Because you demonstrated responsibility, which is one of our expectations, I want to acknowledge you with a Beary Good Slip. Good job! • Describe what the student did right • Explain how the behavior relates to the expectation • Verbally link the behavior with the reinforcer

41. Low Cost Reinforcers • Positive parent telephone contacts with students present • Coupons (purchased with established numbers of tokens) for the following: • Extra P.E. (Music, Art, Computer) • Sit by a friend for a class period • Use teacher’s chair at student’s desk • Sit at teacher’s desk • Lunch with teacher-once a month • Earned activity period for a preferred activity • Early release pass

42. Summary • Rewards are effective when • Tied to specific behaviors • Delivered soon after the behavior • Age appropriate (actually valued by student) • Delivered frequently • Gradually faded away

43. Evergreen Elementary Acknowledgement Systems

44. Foundation • Teaching Matrix • Keeping it positive • Staying fun

45. Immediate/High Frequency Acknowledgements • Predictable and Tangible • S.O.A.R. Slips • Eagle Pride: Ask Me Why bracelets • School Staff • Teaching Points • Playground: Line up when bell rings • Fun teaching/reminder video • Reinforcement Saturation • Bus Drivers

46. Immediate (cont’d.) • Classroom Specific Acknowledgement Systems—(Becky Insert Pix?) • Coin Program • Punch Cards • Class Compliments • Points

47. Intermittent/Unexpected • Hallway Smackdowns • Blue Wing vs Orange Wing • Principal Pop-ins • Bus Recognition • Pencil Hand-Outs • Sports Cards Hand-Outs • Announcements

48. Intermittent/Unexpected(cont’d.) • Golden Broom • Hallways • Introduction Assembly

49. Golden Broom Before and After