Case Study - Whole Class out of their seats

Introduction

The case study approach of this module has been designed to create an awareness of the general classroom behavioral problems that may be encountered on a day to day basis. The examples here are generalised and may be applied to situations other than the ones given here.

Description of the problem

The students in Ms Sprecher's third-grade class spend a lot of time out of their seats. During large-group activities, there are always several students wandering around the room. During independent work time, the problem is especially sever. At any given time, there may be as many as five students out of their seats. Some of the students are talking to each other, others are turning in papers, and some of the students just seem to be wandering around, Ms Sprecher has to tell the students to get back in their seats about once every six minutes. The problem seems to be getting worse. Less and less work is getting accomplished.

Causes

A common cause of this problem is having unclear guidelines for behavior. In many classrooms, students get out of their seats because they don't realize that they should be in their seats working. The teacher may allow students to get out of their seats for sharpening pencils and turning in assignments, but not make it clear that this does not include stopping to chat along the way.

Another cause for this behavior. may be a poorly designed schedule. If students are expected sit for long periods of time, they may get out of their seats because they need a break. Primary-aged students should have a scheduled break at least once every thirty minutes. Intermediate-aged students should have a scheduled break at least once every forty-five minutes.

Along with these factors, a major cause for 'out-of-seat' behavior. is the attention students receive from the teacher. Out-of-seat behavior. often is a classic example of the criticism trap. Students get out of their seats, and the teacher tells them to go sit down. The students have just gotten the teacher's attention. When they sit down, the teacher thinks that telling them to sit down was a good strategy because the students did, indeed, get back in their seats again in order to get the teacher's attention. The teacher tells them to go sit down and the cycle continues. The teacher reinforces the students by giving them attention and the students reinforce the teacher by responding to his or her request.

Note:
If students are not completing their work, in addition to being out of their seats, do not implement the plan below. Implement the plan in teaching tip, 'Not Completing Assignment: A Minor Problem.' in many cases, teaching students to complete their work will automatically reduce the amount of time they spend out of their seats. If students generally complete their work, but are still spending large amount of time out of their seats, increase the amount of work you assign them or reduce the amount of their independent work time. Also implement the following plan.

Goal

Students will remain in their seats except for times when they are taking a scheduled break or have permission to be out of their seats.

The Plan:

Step 1:
Examine the daily schedule to determine how long students are expected to stay in their seats at a time. Schedule a break every thirty to forty-five minutes , depending on the age of your students. A break might consist of two minutes of calisthenics, a quick game of Simon Says, an action song or just a minute of stretching. It's easy for the teacher to forget how difficult it is to sit for long periods of time. When students are sitting, the teacher is usually walking around the room engaging in many activities. Be sure to schedule consistent breaks for your students so they can move around and clear their minds.

Step 2:
Decide what your expectations for student behavior. are during instruction and during independent work times. During instruction, your expectation might be that students will stay in their seats unless they raise their hand and get permission to get out of their seats.

During independent work time, your expectation might be that students will remain seated unless they have valid reasons for getting out of their seats. Decide what would be some valid reasons for students to be out of their seats. Below are some possibilities:

• Sharpening a pencil
• Turning in an assignment
• Asking another student a question about an assignment
• Asking the teacher a question about an assignment
• Going to the restroom
• Traveling to the free-time area after seatwork is completed

Determine which of these reasons may be valid in your classroom. Determine whether there are other valid reasons for a student to be out of his or her seat. Try to keep the list as short as possible. You will use this list later to tell the students about your expectations.

Step 3:
Establish a reinforcement system for getting students to spend more time in their seats. For each half hour that students are supposed to be in their seats, set a timer so that it goes off three times during the thirty-minute period. On one occasion, set the timer for one minute. On another occasion set it for fifteen minutes. Students should not be able to figure out when the timer is going to go off. Each time the timer goes off, look to see if all of the students are in their seats. The chart below should be drawn on the board. Anytime all of the students are in their seats, fill in a square on the chart. If students are out of their seats for any reason, even a valid one, don't fill in a square. When the entire chart has been filled in, the students will have earned five minute of free time.

Initially, the chart should have only five squares. When students have earned ten free periods, expand the chart to include eight squares. When they are successful with this chart for a week, expand the cart so that it contains twelve squares. When the students are successful at this level, maintain the chart's size but only set the timer once or twice each half hour.

Step 4:
Discuss the problem and plan with the students. Discuss why it's important for students to learn to stay in their seats. Explain that there are also times that students may need to be out of their seats. Use the list of valid reasons to inform students about the times they may be out of their seats. Discuss ways of reducing the number of times they 'must' get out of their seats. For example, work could be turned in at the end of the period. An extra pencil could prevent pencil sharpening during the middle of a period.
Explain the timer, the chart, and the free-time reinforcer. Tell the students that a square will be filled in on the chart whenever everyone is in their seat when the timer goes off. If anyone is out of his or her seat for any reason when the timer goes off, a square will not be filled in. Reiterate the ways students can avoid getting out of their seats.

When the timer goes off and all of the students are in their seats, fill in a square on the cart and praise them. If the timer goes off and a student is out of his or her seat, praise students who are in their seats. Say you're sorry that you cannot fill in a square on the chart. Maybe next time. Say nothing to the student who is out of his of her seat.

Step 5:
Ignore all out-of-seat behavior. If a student is out of his or her seat when the timer goes off, don't try to determine whether the reason is a valid one. Ignore the student. If students receive any attention for being out of their seats, the other parts of this plan will not be effective. Students must see that they will not get any attention from the teacher when they are out of their seats.