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“Ms Gladstone”, he asked. “Do you think athletes should be arrested for taking steroids?” Jane was taken off guard by this. She had been determined to finish the lesson smoothly. All she could think to say was, “Well I don’t know. That’s a hard question.”
“My dad says they should be arrested, and that no one should have any doubts about that.”
In seconds the language arts lesson was forgotten and students were arguing about whether athletes should take drugs. For the moment Jane was on the sidelines.
“My uncle took steroids at university”, said Frank, “and it never hurt him.”
“Gross!” called out Jill from across the room. “I suppose you take them too, then?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Frank, obviously annoyed.
“She’s saying your too fat, Frank”, said Joe. “That’s what steroids do, you know.”
Jane was getting worried. How could she get the discussion back on track? Students were just getting more worked up.
“I’ve never taken any drugs!”
“Not real drugs—steroids—you weren’t listening.”
“I bet you have, though…”
On it went, with some students getting annoyed and others clearly tuning out. What if Ms Wilson came back now?
“BE QUIET!” Jane shouted, surprised at hearing herself be so loud. Everyone got still instantly, stunned and surprised. But not for long.
“Be quiet!” someone mimicked softly from the back of the room. A few snickers. Then someone else said it, with sarcasm dripping from the words. “Be quiet!” Jane glowered at the class, wondering what to do next.
What did Jane do wrong?
(a) How could the students’ inappropriate behaviors be considered examples of operant behaviors being reinforced?
(b) In what way did Jane’s “clamping down” on the students reinforce Jane?
Describe briefly a way for Jane and Ms Wilson to prevent behavior problems from occurring when and if Jane has to take over the class unexpectedly.
See also [link] , Students with special educational needs; [link] , Planning instruction.
The following are excerpts from two parts of the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) for a fourth-grade student named Joey who has an intellectual disability. The excerpts list various performance objectives and actions, but only some of these are complete. For others—marked with question marks (??)—relevant information or plans have been deliberately left blank. Read the excerpts and then respond to the questions that follow:
Performance Objectives | Methods, Materials, or Strategies | Roles and Responsibilities | Assessment |
1. Joey will increase his vocabulary in all areas—people, things, and actions. |
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Teacher :
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2. Joey will begin using 2- or 3-word sentences more often. |
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Teacher:
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