Blog 2

Blog Assignment #2

Use the posted article, “Understanding and Addressing Oppositional and Defiant Classroom Behaviour” (Salend & Sylvestre, Teaching Exceptional Children, Vol. 37, No. 6, pg 32 - 39) and classroom discussions to complete this blog.

1. Describe the first three strategies from the reading that you would employ to reduce oppositional / defiant behaviours displayed by Carma as described below. Be specific. For example, if you are going to ‘establish and teach rules’, what rules would you put in place and why.
2. Which of the strategies provided in the reading would you be least likely to use and why?


In the article, “Understanding and Addressing Oppositional and Defiant Classroom Behavior,” Salend & Sylvestre use a case study of an oppositional and defiant student named Justin to explore ways that oppositional and defiant behavior can be decreased. The article describes various strategies that encompass efforts from the family, a team including the teacher, and the student. For Carma White, the first three strategies from the reading that I would employ to reduce oppositional/ defiant behavior are: encouraging family collaboration and communication, address student learning and motivational needs, and provide social skills instruction. While I support the article and believe all of the guidelines can be effective, the strategies I would be least likely to use might include accessing prereferral services, offering attribution training, and learning more about oppositional and defiant behaviors.

I believe that all students can benefit from having consistency between home and school. For Carma especially, encouraging family collaboration and communication might also help strengthen the relationships between family members. Because both of Carma’s parents have full time jobs, and may not provide the structure and support that she needs consistently, a behavior contract can establish rules with appropriate consequences. Carma’s brothers, who are older and more independent, could also be involved, as they likely model some behaviors such as swearing. It would be important to include Carma, as well as both parents (if possible) in the process of creating a contract, to give her a sense of ownership and make the family aware of the strategies in place. Carma continually misses the bus in the morning because she knows it will result in spending more time with her mom. As well, she engages in arguments in the morning because it is a method (albeit ineffective) of communicating with her mom. A behavior contract might help Carma’s mother model alternative ways to communicate and resolve conflicts.

Carma’s high scores in math and English suggest that her main struggles are not academic, despite struggling in some classes. She also has difficulty getting out of bed in the morning; her apathy could be the result of uninteresting or unchallenging lessons. Addressing Carma’s learning and motivational needs might help her be more successful and enthusiastic about school. Carma’s above average intelligence indicates that class work may not provide her with enough challenges. Carma might benefit from differentiated teaching practices such as working with an older mentor, doing more complex versions of curricular tasks, or doing independent research on topics of interest. Providing Carma with meaningful learning experiences could minimize resistance when doing schoolwork is requested. As well, more relevant projects may increase Carma’s willingness to become involved in the instructional process ( i.e. giving presentations to the class) and take ownership of her own learning.

Increasing Carma’s motivation could be complemented by helping to increase her social skills. Giving Carma social skills instruction will help her work collaboratively, make constructive responses to peer opinions, and help resolve conflicts amicably. Non-competitive group work will also assist Carma in discovering her strengths, and develop coping mechanisms for frustration. A teacher could enhance the benefits of group work by modeling positive behavior with other teachers and students, and encouraging student reflections. Carma’s teacher might ask questions such as “what did you do to get along with others? And how did the others feel?” (Salend & Sylvestre, 2005) that could be answered verbally or through writing.

As Salend & Sylvestre suggest, using a combination of these techniques would be most effective in dealing with oppositional / defiant students. The techniques that I would use more as supports to the main strategies of an intervention plan are: accessing prereferral services, offering attribution training, and learning more about oppositional defiant behaviours. The reason I would not access prereferral services immediately is that if Carma’s behavior is able to be controlled without this step, it may not be necessary. As Carma’s cognitive abilities have already been tested, and under the assumption that her behaviors are not linked to a medical condition, prereferral services may not be needed if the teacher is able deal with the behavior alone. Attribution training might have a minimum effect on Carma, as she is in grade seven and likely has some understanding of how behaviors influence success. As well, effort may not necessarily reflect performance for Carma; because of her above-average intelligence, minimal effort may yield high scores.

Works Consulted:

Salend and Sylvestre (2005). Understanding and Addressing Oppositional and Defiant Classroom Behaviour. Teaching Exceptional Children, Vol. 37, No. 6, pg 32-39