The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students
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The Behavior Code unlocks a wealth of proven practices to help teachers, counselors, and parents identify the messages underlying challenging student behaviors and respond in supportive ways.
The authors—a behavioral analyst with expertise in special education and a child psychiatrist—guide readers through their FAIR Behavior Intervention Plan, a systematic approach to decoding the causes and patterns of difficult behaviors and developing effective measures to address them in schools. They demonstrate how the FAIR Plan can bring about positive change, even with students who exhibit anxious, withdrawn, oppositional, or inappropriately sexualized behaviors.
Drawing on developments in cognitive science and educational psychology, the authors begin with a simple premise: all behavior is communication. Crucially, the first step of their FAIR plan is to discover the function (F) of a student’s behavior. They encourage the use of nonjudgmental curiosity aided by standard data collection methods such as antecedent, behavior, and consequence (ABC) studies. The authors then give readers the tools to look beyond behaviors to implement targeted accommodations (A), interaction strategies (I), and appropriate response strategies (R). As they guide readers through their framework, they offer ample case studies, accessible worksheets, and focused thought exercises that allow readers to fully understand and implement suggested strategies.
This thoughtful and empathetic approach can shift the balance from reactive to proactive classroom management, fostering meaningful teacher-student relationships and reducing the need for school discipline. Taken together, FAIR practices equip educators to support students in building the skills they need to access their higher-order brain functions more consistently and maintain a ready-to-learn mindset.
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Customer Reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars 496
4.9 out of 5 stars 274
4.6 out of 5 stars 77
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5.0 out of 5 stars 12
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Behavior and Classroom Management
The best-selling book from Harvard Education Press on strategic, empathetic behavior interventions for teachers and parents. The companion guide to The Behavior Code, featuring practical resources for educators and parents to better support students with challenging behaviors. Learn how to address oppositional behavior in developmentally productive and culturally responsive ways. A guide to restorative justice in the classroom, representing a paradigm shift in the way Americans conceptualize and administer punishment. A holistic approach to classroom behavior management in which building relationships takes center stage.
Publisher : Harvard Education Press
Publication date : April 1, 2012
Edition : 1st
Language : English
Print length : 280 pages
ISBN-10 : 1612501362
ISBN-13 : 978-1612501369
Item Weight : 1.09 pounds
Dimensions : 7.4 x 0.6 x 9.3 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #24,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #12 in Educational Psychology (Books) #20 in Business Education & Reference (Books) #314 in Instruction Methods
Customer Reviews: 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 496 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this book to be a valuable resource for teachers, providing practical tips and good strategies for managing challenging students, including those with trauma and anxiety. The book is easy to read, and one customer notes it provides a specific framework for understanding behaviors.
11 reviews for The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students
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Original price was: $34.00.$24.00Current price is: $24.00.
Amie Pincumbe –
Easy READ!
This book offers many insights into children and why they behave the way they do. I would highly recommend buying the Behavior Code Companion Guide too as you ready this book. My school district is looking at bringing in the author for our professional development days.
LChick –
Excellent resource
This book is and exceeds everything I was hoping to learn about how difficult behaviors interfere with learning, and how to modify my teaching approach. As I embark on my new career as a teacher, I will be well-equipped to help students, with challenging behaviors, learn in a way that makes sense to them. During my student teaching assignment, I had a second grade student with a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). My cooperating teacher (CT) told me that most of the typical positive behavioral reward strategies did not work and the child spent a lot of time in the in school suspension (ISS) room as a result of her outbursts. I had shared The Behavior Code with my CT but I think she was a little skeptical because I was “new.” At any rate, once I began teaching full time, I put the FAIR plan into use as much as I could and I saw incredible results. We did have to work extra hard on social skills, too, because she had actually skipped first grade (IQ 140) so her maturity played a role in many of her negative behaviors at school. Once I began using the FAIR plan, this child became happy and free! She did not have to go to ISS for the rest of my student teaching assignment, nor did she lose any conduct points. The knowledge and expertise included in this book is immeasurable. I don’t know what I would have done without it. Moreover, I am going to be one step ahead for when I get hired as a full-time teacher and have my fair share of challenging students.
ESB –
Changed How I Parent.
I am a parent, and I figured I’d purchase to see what strategies teachers use to use with my own child. I found my child’s inconsistent behavior frustrating and aggravating. This book is very enlightening as it discusses behavior as a series of skills that we learn, and how children may not have the neural connections to act or respond logically. We impose so many adult concepts and understandings to our children, and we fail to remember that they don’t have the same sequential or logic skills that we do. It teaches how to take a step back and get to the core cause of a behavior–which may not be consistent from event to event, and to work collaboratively with your child to modify troublesome behavior so that they learn new skills.
Trisha Niermeyer Potter –
Good practical tips for building relationships
I spent a day of professional development listening to Jennifer Minahan give an amazing presentation which inspired me to want to read the book she co-authored afterwards. She’s a great speaker and the book was a wonderful wrap-up of her key concepts.
Dianna Koch –
Great book
Bought this book to help with my Autistic son. This book is great for even typical kids with behavior issues. Many great ideas to implement for any child with any issues
Tabby looney –
Just started and already helpful!
Iâve just started reading and have already found this book useful! I canât wait to finish and put it to practice!
BoLo –
Excellent, practical guide.
This has been like the Bible to me since becoming a teacher’s aide to a student with behavioral problems. It is the best outline of “real, credible” advice I could use and understand. Although college educated, I am not a trained educator so was very frustrated searching for information to help me cope with and better guide this child. This book has been the answer. I highly recommend it. Of course, I work with some wonderful teachers who have given similar suggestions. I like reading and trying to figure out things for myself, offer ideas and then discuss those ideas with them. Dealing with a child with behavioral problems is still not easy, but it has its rewards.
Kerri –
Excellent resource
This book has many clearly laid out ideas and resources for behavior management.
Leanne Manttan –
Prompt delivery great book
Foxy –
Excellent book has really helped me with my Senco amd mental health lead role. Really helps to understand causes of behaviour and howvto support.
MRS B. –
Great book. Loads of ideas to implement in school