GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) --- With the pandemic keeping kids at home most of this year, experts expect challenging behaviors to intensify when kids return to school.
Chronic behaviors such as crying, hitting or even biting can create a cycle where teachers may react negatively to disruptive behavior, leading to fewer learning opportunities. However, there are tips on how to promote positive behaviors that will keep kids learning.
From horsing around, to rough and tumble play, kids will be kids. But some behaviors may be more extreme than others.
Maureen Conroy studies social-emotional learning in young children and says challenging behaviors that happen often and are intense, such as hitting or kicking others, can interfere with a child’s learning.
In fact, nearly 75% of teachers report challenging behavior had a moderate to severe impact on their ability to attend to the needs of other children. If those challenging behaviors are not addressed early, they can lead to negative outcomes years later.
“They can be even more likely to end up dropping out of school,” said Maureen Conroy, PhD, Anita Zucker Endowed Professor at University of Florida.
Conroy co-developed the Best in Class intervention. It teaches children behavioral expectations and rules and routines that apply to any setting: a friend’s house, the grocery store, or a library.
“We use our inside voices. We use our walking feet. We listen with our ears,” Conroy said.
Provide corrective feedback when a challenging behavior occurs by showing kids an alternative behavior. Offer praise to show approval of appropriate behavior or responses. Conroy found when teachers were properly coached on techniques to handle challenging behaviors, children’s challenging behaviors decreased and they had more positive social-emotional engagement with teachers and their peers.
“Teachers can use it throughout the day, during everyday teaching opportunities rather than taking children and pulling them out. And that way, children learn what to do in those activities,” Conroy said.
Social scientists say parents play a big role in promoting positive interactions and relationships. One program established a home-school partnership that focuses on sharing information about the child’s behavior. The study found that coaching teachers and parents could help address challenging behaviors.