Below are suggestions for classroom teachers that will not only improve this method, but decrease greatly the referrals that are sent to the out-of-class TIME-OUT, or to in-house suspensions, and greatly cut the “referrals to the office.”

Also, the less you refer students outside your class for TIME-OUT, the less discipline problems you will have in your class. Often, getting rid of the student only side-steps the problem short-term, but actually increases many behavior problems long-term.

Why?

* To refer students outside your class less gives you more “control” in class;
* To refer students outside your class sends the message to your students: “She is out of power”.
* Some students may “like” going out of the class as negative attention. So, inadvertently, for some, you are actually not discouraging their disruptive behavior.
* By handling the problem with better TIME-OUT in-class you will motivate them to behave more in class.
* Such also does not send the message to your administration: “She cannot handle these behaviors in her class very well.”
* Finally, if you can do more TIME-OUT in class, when you finally have to resort to referring a student out of your class, this last-resort step will be more effective.

My suggestions:


1.Do not use any suggestion unless you feel congruent with it. However, it may not be your style at first until you try it and practice it for a while. Do not persist in your old style just because it is comfortable. It is worth re-training yourself for an addition to your style – which can then make you more effective.

2. Since TIME-OUT is a punishment, and since rewards always work better than punishments, before you resort to TIME-OUT make sure your classroom has enough adequate reward systems that can often better stem misbehavior.* [For suggestions for many reward-systems, see my book: Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems starting on p. 306 at: http://www.panix.com/~pro-ed/]

3.Also, before you resort to TIME-OUT, you should be using as many lesson plan engagement methods in your lessons as possible.* The more you can give them ways to act into the lesson, the less they will “act-out”. [See my book, Chapter Fourteen: 89 Engagement Methods at:]

13.You can use: pp. 285 – 293 in my book at:http://www.panix.com/~pro-ed/ for Twenty One Guidelines to help you best create your own warning steps.

14. Create a space in your classroom where you can put a student into TIME-OUT. This space needs to be a place where the student gets no attention from you or the other students. The student can be in a corner, behind a room divider [worth the money!], her back to you and the class, certainly not in front of the room, etc. This space also needs to be a safe place for the student, e.g. seeable by you, not near scissors, or an open window, etc.

15. This TIME-OUT space in your classroom is even more effective if your seating arrangement in your class is usually in some kind of circle, or horseshoe, so that students generally can see each other – instead rows that just face you. Why? Because then they go from getting attention and being part of the class, e.g. in the circle, to the isolated TIME-OUT space. They then feel the deprivation of attention even more.

16. Again, this student in TIME-OUT gets no attention from you or others for as long as s/he is in TIME-OUT.

17. She needs to be in TIME-OUT with the ability to see a timer or clock. You should be able to say: “When it is 2:10pm, you can come out of TIME-OUT; or when the big hand is on the 10; or when the cooking timer bell rings….

18. Generally, you can estimate that a student should be in TIME-OUT for minutes = to ½ his age. If he is 8, giving him 4 minutes in TIME-OUT is generally “appropriately uncomfortable” for that age. Whereas, a 6 year old should only get 3 minutes. However, if you feel the child is “fragile”, you can reduce the time. Or if you feel the child is a repeat-offender that day, you can increase the time.

19. Notice: I say: “repeat-offender that day”. Always wipe the slate clean at each new day.

20.When you put the student in TIME-OUT, tell him: “John, for doing… you get 4 minutes in TIME-OUT.” Tell him the exact time he must stay in TIME-OUT.

21.You may also tell him that if he refuses to go in TIME-OUT, there will be a next more severe consequence [plan one!]. Or if he comes out of TIME-OUT before the 4 minutes, you will, e.g., double the amount of time in TIME-OUT.

22.When the child goes into TIME-OUT remind him of the behavior that gave him TIME-OUT. “John, this is for throwing….”

23.And when he comes out of TIME-OUT, ask him to repeat: “Why did you get TIME-OUT?” Again, this is not the time to discuss feelings. Keep the focus on what behavior is not allowed in your class.

24. You can then have a system where, e.g., if the student gets two? TIME-OUTS in one day they must do, e.g., an extra worksheet, or one for homework, or have it signed by a parent, or you will call the parent. Whatever system you decide. Notice: you need to plan your system of warnings. [See my book: http://www.panix.com/~pro-ed/ pp. 285 – 293 for to help you with guidelines for warning steps.]

25. However, notice on p. 291: Call in a third party as late in your warning steps as possible; for example: a parent, or referring the student to the out-of-class TIME-OUT. You should thus have given at least 3 warnings for each TIME-OUT, the student should have had at least 2 TIME-OUTS with longer and longer times, given a worksheet he must do…before you call in a third party or refer the student to out-of-class TIME-OUT. [Remember: for some students going to out-of-class TIME-OUT becomes attractive negative attention and thus defeats your ability to curtail disruptive behavior in your class in general.]

26. I suggest that the out-of-class TIME-OUT teacher request from the referring teacher:

* A clear statement of the behavior that warranted this out-of-class TIME-OUT.
* The list of the warning steps and in-class TIME-OUTS that previewed this referral.
* [The out-of-class TIME-OUT teacher may want to create a standard form that all teachers have to fill in and require this filled-in form of referring teachers; and keep a record of which teachers tend to resort to out-of-class TIME-OUT often, too often?]

27. In the out-of-class TIME-OUT, the same guidelines I suggested above should apply: separate feelings/behavior, specify the time to be served, and no attention. For example: talking to the student about what he did or nurturing his/her feelings is giving attention to that student. Do not fall into this. You can talk to the student after s/he serves TIME-OUT. Going to out-of-class TIME-OUT should not be pleasant or a place to get negative attention.

* “Using Time-Out Effectively in the Classroom”, Teaching Exceptional Children, March 1, 2007,

Ryan, Joseph B; Sanders, Sharon; Katsiyannis, Antonis; Yell, Mitchell L

Implementing these will take time, and practice, and following through. Tell the students your “new” policy, even print it out, or send it home for parents to know as a “contract”. Using these suggestions will not only improve your class, but your whole school.

For more help with Classroom Management in general go to: http://classroommanagementonline.com/index.html

The next session of this online course/seminar starts on Nov. 30, 09.

Or, you can contact Prof. Seeman at: Hokaja@aol.com

New Teacher Tip: Build Positive Relationships with Students Before Discipline Problems Begin

An effective classroom management plan should take into account the personal connection with students. Many potentially good new teachers become absorbed in managing the class and reporting bad behavior. They tend to focus on the negative consequences of their students' misbehavior.
As a result, they lose focus of what their students can do, instead of what they can't.