Effective Supervision of Common Areas

Effective Supervision Positive Your behavior sets a tone –High expectations, cooperation, and respect -vs- –Hostility, negative expectations, and antagonism Keep your focus on the positive-smile and be friendly. PROFESSIONAL POSITIVE PERSISTENTPATIENT PLANFUL

Effective Supervision Persistent Everyday is a new day when it comes to student behavior! –Stay active –Cover the area –Watch for situations that need intervention –Remain vigilant at all times PROFESSIONAL POSITIVE PERSISTENTPATIENT PLANFUL

Effective Supervision Patient Students will make errors and will occasionally break the rules. –You will be a much better supervisor if you are patient when correcting. –Treat misbehavior as an error in learning. –Behavior change is difficult. Look for and acknowledge small steps toward mastery. PROFESSIONAL POSITIVE PERSISTENTPATIENT PLANFUL

How To Do It! BE ON TIME Supervisors –If late, more likely to be corrective toward students. Principals: Make sure your common area supervisor’s schedule permits them to be in area “on-time.” Teachers/Classes –If teachers/classes are late, this causes other classes to back-up, more students to be in an area, and frustration by common area supervisors! Principals: Synchronize watches! Set the expectation that everyone must arrive on-time and pick-up classes on-time.

How To Do It! ESTABLISH POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS First contact should be positive. This reduces the potential for misbehavior. Make a special effort to seek out and greet students who have had previous problems in that setting. EXAMPLES: Smile and provide a friendly greeting to as many students as possible as they arrive. Use student names--“Hi John. Great to see you today.” Spend a moment and talk to the student about one or more of the student’s interests.

How To Do It! Actively Monitor Keep your attention focused on students the entire time. Be “in touch” with what is going on in all locations and with all students. Constantly visually scan the area. Circulate throughout the area. Anticipate potential trouble spots. “Work the line” or circulate up and down the line and between multiple lines. Do NOT let other adults distract. EXAMPLES: No single event or person should have your full and undivided attention. “Excuse me a second,” and visually scan the area. Spend more time in areas that you know tend to be more problematic. Notice noise levels, giggling, or other signs that trouble is brewing. Avoid being predictable as you circulate. While “working the line,” use this time to interact with students-- building relationships Say, “Hello,” Quickly, say, “Good bye!”

How To Do It! Model the Behaviors Don’t just tell the students what to do, all staff should model it! If you expect students to treat you with respect, they should see you treating them with respect. EXAMPLES: If you want students to use a quiet voice in the cafeteria, use a quiet voice yourself when you greet students, when you give positive feedback, when you correct misbehavior, and even when you speak to other adults. If you are using a booming voice, student will be more likely to use a booming voice!

How To Do It! Positive Interactions Set a positive tone with greetings and positive feedback as students enter a common area. –Attention for behaving vs. attention for misbehaving. –Contributes to a positive climate. –Builds relationships. –Lets students know that adults are present to enforce guidelines and provide help if needed. Do not embarrass students with praise Acknowledge individuals in private. EXAMPLES: “Jamal, how are you today? Gina, Elkie, Beth, thanks for walking as you come into the cafeteria. Theresa, it’s good to see you.” GROUP Praise: “Everyone here is playing with cooperation and respect. Great job, folks! “It’s good to see all of you. Thanks for keeping the noise level down at this table.” Smiles, nods, thumbs up Individuals: Quietly and privately tell student, “You are being respectful of others by keeping your hands, feet, objects to yourself. Thank you.”

Improve School Climate: Style of Supervision Increase staff awareness of their role in setting the tone Ratio of interactions Non-contingent attention Correcting behaviors –Errors viewed as teachable moments Nonverbal (tone, volume, body language) Alpha vs. Beta Commands –Implement and celebrate a clear mission and “guidelines for success”

Ratios of Interaction Plan to interact at least three (3) times more often with each student when he or she is behaving appropriately than when he or she is misbehaving (3:1 ratio). Students are starved for attention Form of attention doesn’t matter Behavior that receives your attention happens more often.

Ratios of Interaction - Example Negative Interaction- Doing what you don’t want. “I’ve told you a thousand times to get in your seat!” Positive Interaction- Doing what you want. “Thank you for sitting in your seat. You are doing a great job following the cafeteria guidelines.”

Ratios of Interaction- Suggestions For each negative interaction with student, tell yourself you owe that student three (3) positive interactions. Identify specific times during each day that you will give students positive feedback on some aspect of their individual behavior (e.g., releasing kids to enrichment, walking to cafeteria, dismissal). Schedule individual conference times to compliment students on their behavioral or academic performance. Constantly scan, specifically “searching” for students who are doing what you want.

Ratios of Interaction- Suggestions Identify particular events that occur during the day (e.g., a student getting a drink of water) that will prompt you to observe the class and identify a re-enforceable behavior. Make it a point to reduce the amount of attention (time and intensity) a student receives for misbehavior and to increase the amount of attention (time and intensity) the student receives when behaving. Engage in frequent non-contingent positive interactions with students.

Cafeteria “One-Liners” “work the line” Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself Pick up your tray and walk with me Voice levels are too loud. Bring them down, please. Stand (or sit) here. I’ll talk to you as soon as I can. Say ‘please’ when you ask someone to pass something to you. Your food choice for today is…. Please decide now. Use an attention signal (hand up with number of fingers for voice level). Say, ‘Clean your tray’ or ‘dispose of the waste’

Recess “One-Liners” Tell me (or show me) the right way to…. This game is off limits for the remainder of recess. Take a time out and when I get back, be ready to tell me what you need to do. At this time, either play responsibly or move to another game. It looks like you’re having fun, but you need to find something else to do. Tattlying: “I am glad you know the rules. I will monitor the situation.” Bullying: “Stay away from him/her or stay closer to me so that I can monitor the situation.”

Hallway Tips and “One-Liners” Adult presence in hallway will deter many problems. Stand in the middle of the hallway. Interact with students--greetings, nods, and eye contact help establish a positive tone and communicate that you are aware. Intervene early--pushing, loud voices, disrespect--or with low level misbehaviors. “It’s time to go to class.” “Keep moving, please.” “Hands, feet, and objects to yourself.” “Class begins in about 30 seconds” “Walk and Talk”

Take Action Review your Pre- and Post- Common Area Observations. What needs further work (I.e., ratio of interactions, “one liners,” staff follow through with expectation in lesson plans, etc ?) What “one-liners” could you generate and include in your staff curricula or student lesson plans? What training issues are appearing? What content will be included? Who (e.g., coach or staff) will do the training and who should attend (e.g., instructional assistants, all school staff)?