Caleb Ricks

Week 1B Assignment: Encouraging Appropriate Behavior

ITL 530

National University 

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I chose Sam from Case 1 Level A as the subject of this assignment. According to the case

study, Sam’s grades are suffering due to his behavior problems. Sam is often off task during

times of independent study, obstructing himself from completing his assignments. Sam’s teacher

believes that Sam could excel in the class if he were able to manage his behavior. Sam’s goals

include completing more independent assignments and earning over 80% on these assignments.

The study states that Sam is often daydreaming, doodling, or reading magazines instead of

completing assignments. To rectify this behavior, I would implement choice making to increase

Sam’s engagement during independent work. I believe that if Sam has the opportunity to

complete a task through a form of representation or expression that actually interests him, then

he will gladly finish his work. According to Curran (2003), choice making provides an “increase

in students’ assignment completion and accuracy,” increases student engagement, and reduces

disruptive behavior.” Because Sam enjoys reading magazines and doodling, he appears to be a

visual learner. If Sam is provided a choice of more visual representations and modes of

expression for his assignments, then I believe Sam will increase the number of assignments he

completes. I would do this by implementing UDL in the classroom. Along with others learning

styles, I will provide visual means of presentation, representation, and expression for every

assignment. For an independent assignment, I will provide all students (especially Sam) the

opportunity to illustrate their learning and accompany this illustration with some writing. By

doing this, I believe Sam will be excited and eager to complete his assignments, and this will in

turn increase his grades.

For Case 2 , I chose Ellie, a quiet, withdrawn student that is having difficulty

participating in class. The study states that Ellie does not volunteer to answer questions and does
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not engage in collaborative activities. Though Ellie appears to be an avid student who reads at

grade level, her refusal to participate has sparked resentment among her classmates and has

caused Ellie’s grade to drop. To increase Ellie’s participation in class and her engagement in

collaborative discussions, I would implement group contingency during collaborative work.

According to Curran (2013), group contingency increases appropriate behaviors and decreases

undesirable ones by setting a group goal. Specifically, I would implement an interdependent goal

through the use of talking chips. Talking chips are used to signify when and how many times a

student speaks. For a group assignment, I would say that in order for a group to receive full

points, every student in the group must “spend” one talking way. This, I believe, will get Ellie to

participate because she will be extrinsically motivated by both her peers and the opportunity of a

higher grade. Ellie’s peers will encourage her to speak, participate, and engage by spending her

talking chip because they too want a higher grade. This will encourage Ellie to speak with her

peers and participate in discussions, meeting both of her learning goals. 


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References

Curran, C., & the IRIS Center (2003). Encouraging appropriate behavior. Retrieved from http://

iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_encappbeh. pdf