Syllabi: SE 3501 and SE 3551 Behavior Management

Title

Syllabi: SE 3501 and SE 3551 Behavior Management

Catalog Entry

If there is one thing to learn about being a teacher, it is that every student is different. Whether they have a disability or not, behavior, or the way someone conducts themselves, is something that can easily get out of control in a classroom.​ ​For students with disabilities, behavior can at times be difficult, especially in a classroom setting. For this reason, it is crucial that teachers implement rules for behavior management into their classroom. It is important that educators know what accommodations need to be made for certain students. Teachers must take into consideration that all students are different, especially students with disabilities. There are courses available, including ones at Fitchburg State University, that help future teachers learn what management skills will work best for certain disabilities. Though we still implement some of the same procedures from the past, we learn more about behavior and disability as a whole. The way we manage these behaviors has become more diverse in order to work for a variety of situations.

For those studying to become future teachers, it is necessary that they understand the importance of behavior management in classroom settings. A class cannot run smoothly if the students do not have structured rules to follow. Fitchburg State University, along with many other universities, offers courses in behavior management. Ones specific to this university include SPED 3720 Classroom Management and Behavior Support and SPED 3510 Severe Behavior Supports, both Special Education courses. The purpose of SPED 3720 is to teach future educators the effect of certain classroom variables on student behavior, while SPED 3510 focuses on teaching strategies for students with severe disabilities. Both of these have originated from course syllabi written decades ago, including SE 3501 and SE 3551.

One course that has been offered in the past at Fitchburg State University is SE 3501 Behavior Management, which was taught in the Spring semester of 1988 and 1989 by Dr. L. Gomes. There was also SE 3551 which was taught during the same semesters by Dr. Sandy Miller-Jacobs. These courses are designed for those who wish to pursue a career in Special Education. Special Education “​provides students with identified disabilities specialized instruction designed to meet their unique learning needs, giving them the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential” (Masters). A student may be placed into a Special Education classroom if they have a disability that may restrict them from learning in a general education setting. In this case, the teacher must adapt to the student to allow his or her full potential to be reached. It is important that these future pedagogues are learning which strategies work best with specific disabilities since every student is unique.

Dr. Miller’s Behavior Management course would be exceptionally beneficial for a college student majoring in Special Education. This class helps students who wish to receive their certification for “Teacher of Young Children With Special Needs (3- 7 years).” A student falling under this category requires particular educational assistance due to a physical, learning, or emotional and behavioral difficulty. Cognitive and psychosocial development play a significant role between the ages three and seven because they are learning such critical skills, such as managing their own behavior. Any child at this stage needs the support of people around them, especially teachers, to ensure they are developing these skills properly. A child with a disability may require extra attention and assistance achieving these tasks. Teachers working with these students must implement regulations and discipline for undesirable behavior in the classroom, as well as positive reinforcements for good behavior. It is vital that the teacher understands what works for certain students because what works for one student may not work for another. Dr. Miller’s course provides college students with knowledge on how to manage behavior that is inappropriate in a classroom setting. Dr. Miller allows students to gain this awareness by identifying particular behaviors found in a student with a disability and recognize ways to manage these behaviors using discipline and rewards.

Much like Dr. Miller, Dr. Gomes teaches future teachers how to manage student behavior in the classroom. While Dr. Miller seems to focus her course on how to manage behavior based on a specific student, Dr. Gomes pinpoints how to adjust the environment to fit a student’s needs and manage their behavior. This course allows college students to collect data from their students’ behavior to either adjust or promote it by implementing punishments and reinforcements. Both courses offered at Fitchburg State University are vastly beneficial to Special Education majors.

As our knowledge of disability increases, the way we manage behavior among students with disabilities changes. We can see in the syllabi from decades ago that classes were offered on behavior management in general, but now many courses are offered on understanding, managing, and supporting behavior based on their severity. SPED 3720 Classroom Management and Behavior Support is a course that emphasizes constructive learning and social behavior. It teaches students how to support behaviors and manage a classroom setting to help students develop.

In Dr. Gomes’s syllabus it states, “Students will express attitudes that they indicate they believe in the worth and potential for growth and learning in each individual regardless of the complexity and/or severity of the handicapping condition.” This course objective displays how crucial it is for teachers to support their students no matter their disability. It is important that teachers are aware of a student's disability and how it may affect their behavior and abilities in the classroom. For this reason, Fitchburg State along with many universities offer courses for education majors to learn about disabilities and how to make their classroom a place for ease for learning and appropriate behavior.

Bibliography

"Classroom Management Module." American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/education/k12/modules-classroom-management.

“What Is Special Education?” Masters in Special Education Degree Program Guide, www.masters-in-special-education.com/what-is-special-education-2/.

Artifact Owner

Fitchburg State University Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library Archives & Special Collections

Artifact Condition

The syllabi are in good condition and seemed to be preserved very well.

Artifact Material

This artifact is printed on paper. It was typed out. The syllabi were held in a manila folder titled “Behavior Management.”

Catalog Entry Author(s)

Madison Sideleau, Student, Fitchburg State University

Editor(s)

Erin Maida, Student, Fitchburg State University

Collection

Citation

“Syllabi: SE 3501 and SE 3551 Behavior Management,” Cultural Heritage through Image, accessed March 28, 2024, https://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/items/show/97.

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