22 hours agoKathryn Wibert Forum #2 Katy WibertCOLLAPSE
My hope is to be an elementary teacher in the lower grades.  Three educational strategies Kirk, Gallagher, and Coleman (2015) discuss that have stood out as effective options in an integrated lower elementary classroom are functional behavior assessment, the wraparound approach, and the Pyramid Model.
Functional behavior assessment is a great option because it supports positive behavior for all students (Kirk, et al, 2015), but is especially helpful for those with emotional or behavioral disorders, as well as diagnosed disorders such as autism.  When there is a negative event in the classroom, the instructor discusses the situation with those involved and tries to find the antecedent behavior “ the motive of why a student behaved inappropriately “ in order to reduce the unacceptable action.  This is helpful in any situation with children, since finding the root cause and addressing that specifically is a way to curb future clashes.  If the underlying cause of acting out is not addressed, a general consequence may work once, but will not stop additional incidences.  This approach seems like it should be standard for all education, as it does not discriminate and can be used with any student, although for those with exceptionalities, perhaps some modifications in communication may be necessary.
The wraparound approach is a strategy is important for any student with emotional or behavior disorders and relies heavily on outside agencies (Kirk, et al, 2015).  Because emotions and behaviors are tied to both genetics and environment and affect many different dimensions of self, family, culture, and community (Kirk, et al, 2015, p.266), there need to be experts from fields such as social work, medical, psychology, and others to work as a team with the education team.  This isnt a strategy that could be implemented without a great deal of effort, but it is important as an educator to recognize when a childs needs are great enough to warrant such intervention.  This strategy emphasizes the biblical principal of loving others as stated in 1 John 4:7-8, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God (English Standard Version).  Loving others requires us to know them; to be able to see when there are struggles and to be able to offer effective assistance to cope or overcome.
Finally, the Pyramid Model is an approach for early intervention that helps teachers create an environment that is positive and nurturing for all students and also gives extra support for children who exhibit challenging behaviors (Kirk, et al, 2015).  The idea of this model is that a warm and trusting environment gives children a feeling of safety and allows them to concentrate less on getting basic needs met and more on learning.  This model incorporates functional behavior assessment, as well, and helps identify triggers, minimize their effects, and teach replacement behaviors. 
I believe that some of the best strategies in lower elementary are those that do not discriminate and can be applied to all children, if not equally effectively, at least equally in effort and love for their individuality and exceptionality.  Some of the strategies I have seen as a substitute teacher seem to effectively punish those who do not have exceptionalities, especially the reward strategies.  Those approaches that can be universal allow each child to feel special and safe and without a foundation of this, learning is not their primary concern at school.
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References
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. (2015). Educating exceptional children (14th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage.