Are you looking for strategies to help students remain in their assigned areas? If so, keep reading.
1. Praise the student for remaining in the designated area for a specific period: (a) give the student a concrete reward (e.g., classroom privileges, such as leading or passing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the student an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).
2. Converse with the student to explain (a) what they are doing wrong (e.g., leaving the designated area) and (b) what they should be doing (e.g., staying in the designated area for a specific period).
3. Create classroom rules: • Complete every assignment. • Complete assignments quietly. • Remain in your seat. • Finish tasks. • Meet task expectations. Examine rules often. Praise students for following the rules.
4. Assess the appropriateness of the task to ascertain (a) if the task is too easy, (b) if the task is too complicated, and (c) if the duration of time scheduled to finish the task is sufficient.
5. Praise the student for staying in the designated area for a specific period based on the duration of time the student can be successful. As the student shows success, slowly increase the duration of time required for reinforcement.
6. Draft an agreement with the student stipulating what behavior is required (e.g., staying in designated area for a specific period) and which reinforcement will be implemented when the agreement has been met.
7. Connect with parents (e.g., notes home, phone calls, etc.) to disseminate information about the student’s progress. The parents may reinforce the student at home for staying in a designated area at school for a specific period.
8. Praise those students in the classroom who remain in the designated area for a specific period.
9. Select a peer to model staying in a designated area for a specific period for the student.
10. Get the student to question any directions, explanations, instructions they do not understand.
11. Assess the appropriateness of requiring the student to remain in a designated area for a specific period.
12. Create rules for the school grounds (e.g., remain in designated areas , share school equipment, use appropriate language, use school property with care, etc.).
13. Require the student to question any rules that they do not understand.
14. Separate the student from peers who stimulates their unacceptable behavior in designated areas .
15. Get the student to carry a point card with them at all times so that they can be reinforced for staying in designated areas in the school building and on the school grounds.
16. Notify other school staff members of any behavior problems the student may have so that supervision and assistance may be given in the designated areas before, during, and after· school.
17. Be firm, fair, and consistent applying consequences for behavior (i.e., appropriate behavior receives positive consequences; negative behavior receives negative consequences).
18. Give organized learning activities for student in designated areas before, during, and after school (e.g., board games, softball, computer games, puzzles, checkers, flash cards, etc.).
19. Find an area of the school grounds to be used as a “time-out” area when the student shows unacceptable behavior on the school grounds.
20. Get the student to assume responsibility for a younger student in designated areas.
21. Consider using a classroom management app to help the student learn to stay in their assigned areas. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
22. Consider using Alexa to help you with classroom management. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.
23. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.
