Email this pageEmail This Page

Want to change difficult behavior? Be consistent and predictable.

Date: October 10th, 2012
By: Polly Bath

Watch this video [1:30] to learn why behavior management has to be consistent in the entire school if we want to change the toughest behaviors.

How long does it take to change a difficult behavior? It can take a long time. And if a behavior has been working for a student for a long time, it can take even longer.

To change difficult behavior we have to be consistent and predictable. I say it every day in my behavior consulting work – if kids know what’s going to come next, they can settle themselves down, especially the most chaotic kids. Which is why behavior management in an entire building has to be consistent.

If the school rules say students can’t wear hats, then we’ve all got to enforce it, whether we like the rule or not. If one or two people in the building don’t enforce the rule, we end up with other behaviors on top of it. This is especially prevalent in the middle high school.

Consistency and predictability – you can’t manage difficult behaviors in a building without them.
 
Click on my video above for more.