Behavior Contracts - Classroom Freebies

Over the 25 + years that I have been a special educator, I have seen many behavior contracts. I frequently ask myself, should I or shouldn’t I, use a behavior contract.

When students misbehave in the general education classroom, I frequently hear, “Can you write them a behavior contract?”

The way I feel about behavior contracts is the same way I feel about Social Stories.

Stories can be very helpful when used properly, but are often over relied upon. However, stories can end up being ineffective without important “pre-work” and follow through.

Should I Use A Behavior Contract?

In order to be successful with a behavior contract, the student must have the ability to perform the skill asked of him/her.

For example, even if you offered me a gazillion stickers {or dollars}, to become a pro wrestler, I couldn’t do it. I just don’t have the skill.

I might be VERY motivated to get the reward, but if I don’t have the skill, It doesn’t matter how motivated I am.

Often, we believe students lack motivation, when they actually lack skills. Of course, lacking skills, may then lead to a lack of motivation. After all, it’s hard to be motivated to do something that you are not skilled at or can’t do at all.

But when the student has the necessary skill(s), a behavior contract that is brief, explicit, and lays out the expectation, may be the best approach.

So how do we know? I am a big believer in the phrase, All Behavior Is Communication.

Deciding If You Should Use A Behavior Contract

If you are trying to decide what will be the best approach to change undesired behaviors {brief and explicit, or skill building}, you need to do two things;

1. Understand what message the child is trying to communicate and be sure to address that message.

2. Find out if the child has the necessary skills to do whatever it is we are asking them to do, and if not, teach them the skills before expecting them to do what we are asking.

When you are working with a student who you feel does have the skills, but does not always have the internal motivation to comply to the task at hand, a behavior contract can be useful.