When a teacher seeks help in handling a difficult student, typically one of the first things recommended is a behavior contract.
Behavior contracts are popular because they give teachers a definite plan for improving behavior.
And where there is a plan, there is hope.
If you’re unfamiliar with how they work, behavior contracts are created collaboratively—usually the teacher, the student, and his or her parents. A principal or counselor may also sit in.
They consist of one or two agreed-upon goals and are supported by incentives and consequences that are tailored to the individual student.
At first glance, a behavior contract seems like a good idea: clear-cut goals, a student willing to try, parental support. And initially, behavior contracts do improve behavior—sometimes dramatically.
So what’s not to like?
Well… a lot.
Here’s why:
Behavior contracts label students
Anytime you treat difficult students differently than everyone else—by applying a different set of rules, incentives, and consequences—you’re communicating to them that they’re different, that they can’t control themselves like normal students and thus need special attention.
This doesn’t necessarily make them sad. In fact, they may appear quite thrilled with the stamp or sticker they earn for having a good day. This is why behavior initially improves.
But it undeniably lets them know, deep down inside, that they don’t measure up, that they’re not as “good” as everyone else. It becomes who they are, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And children will always behave congruent with whatever label they’re given.
We want to inspire our students to believe in themselves and in their ability to listen, learn, and follow the rules of the classroom. Behavior contracts do the opposite. They demoralize students and make them feel helpless to change the course of their academic life.
Breaking rules and causing trouble then becomes not merely something they choose to do—which can be fixed—but rather it becomes who they are—which can’t.
External rewards are short term
At first a student on a behavior contract will be excited about earning stickers or prizes from the teacher or extra video game privileges at home.
But soon his or her interest will wane.
It’s human nature. The novelty will where off and motivation will weaken. External rewards alone only work short term and do little to improve behavior over time.
There is nothing wrong with using a prize box, and passing out smiley pencils or cool stickers is fun. But if used as the primary means to motivate students to behave, these external rewards will fail every time.
Being a member of a classroom they love is the greatest incentive. This offers a teacher powerful leverage, even with the most challenging of students.
Follow through is a bear
It’s great to have support from parents, and I think it’s important to get them involved. But anytime you have to count on that support for classroom management success, you’ll be disappointed. Parents get busy, lose interest, and become complacent. They just do.
Emails and notes home to parents should merely inform; to let parents know what is happening at school. Communication with home should not be used in the hope that it will change behavior.
Transferring any responsibility for the behavior in your classroom to someone else—whether it be a parent, principal, or counselor—weakens your ability to do it yourself.
The power to control your classroom should remain solely with you.
So What Is The Alternative?
The alternative is to treat every student the same. Any and all unwanted behavior by students should fall under the rules and consequences of your classroom management plan.
A behavior contract is nothing more than a replacement for a classroom management plan that isn’t being followed. The difference is that a classroom management plan doesn’t label students or chip away at their self-confidence.
For more information on this topic, please check out the article One Classroom Management Strategy For Every Student.
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Related posts:
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- Why Recess Time-Out Doesn’t Work
- How To Motivate Your Students To Behave Better, Work Harder, Care For Each Other… Or Anything Else You Want From Them
- How To Improve Classroom Behavior In One Lesson
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Michael,
I’m a fifth grade teacher, and I have a “difficult” student for whom we are talking about creating a positive behavior support plan. The idea (as I understand it), is a little different from a contract because it seeks to have replacement behaviors for the negative ones. He’s also receiving counseling services, and this would be used in conjunction with counseling. What would you say about this?
Thanks in advance,
Dana
Hi Dana,
Not knowing the student, or the details of your plan, it’s hard for me to comment specifically. I’m dubious of the benefits of having outside staff–counselors, administrators, and the like–get too involved. For more on this read this article. However, if it helps the child improve his or her behavior permanently, I’m all for it.
Michael
When I think of a contract, I think of goods or services being exchanged. Can altering one’s behavior really be considered a service in the schools? In order for a contract to be binding, both parties have to enter willfully into the contract. On the other hand, when an institution warns, punishes, or places a student on probationary status; there seems to be something wrong with how both parties are entering into the contract. Considering the above, is a behavioral contract really a contract? What would be a better name for a behavioral contract?
Hi Jason,
Behavior contracts typically include rewards in exchange for good behavior.
Michael
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your reply. I see how a behavioral contract could be considered a contract if there was a reward for good behavior. Still, don’t some behavioral contracts have other types of consequences – that might include suspending a student, if the student breaks these kinds of behavioral contracts? In cases such as these – in which the behavioral contract warns a student, it seems to me as though it would be helpful to identify the behavioral contract as something else besides a contract in order to communicate what the “contract” is doing. So, in short, my question is: what should the “contract” be called if the behavioral contract serves not only to reward the student for good behavior – but also to warn the student – and is therefore something else besides a contract in the proper sense of the word contract?
Hi Jason,
I’m the wrong person to ask. I don’t advocate using behavior contracts in any form. Therefore, I don’t spend much time thinking about them or how they can or should be configured.
Michael
Michael,
I think that the only way to expose how bad behavior contracts are is to call them what they are. However, it is difficult to come up with the language to call them what they are – though, I like your method of coming up with alternatives. One other reason why I don’t like behavior contracts – a reason that I’d like to get your opinion about, is that – because of the way that behavior contracts are titled, behavior contracts place normal and abnormal behavior – that is not in violation of rules, in the domain of institutional control. In my opinion, behavior is a very sensitive word – and should not be used in the title of this type of contract. I think that it is important to expose how bad behavior contracts are. An additional thing that behavior agreements can do is stipulate that the student has to report to school administers on a regular basis for a period of time. I think that this is unfair – because by reporting the student is made to do more work than other students in order to stay in school. I also think that it is a form of coercion because if the student does not report then they may be suspended from school. What do you think?
Hi Jason,
Good points. I’ll definitely have to think about it. The article was written from the point of view of a classroom teacher–It’s just how I think. But I need to think about your points through the lens of an administrator (of which I’ve never been) who often must handle problems that should have been, and best been, handled in the classroom.
Michael