Using Marvin Marshall\'s Raise Responsibility System to Developing School Student Behavior Management Plan

Responsibility in Student Behavior

Previous research on behavior modification has varied in effectiveness with specific type of behavior, or class of behaviors, and the specific type of behavioral intervention (Packer, 2010). The research shows programs that attempt to teach skills, such as self-control and responsibility, as well as incorporate parents and home tend to be more effective than programs that just promote discipline or obedience. The management of contingencies, such as rewards based on good behavior, may reduce inappropriate behaviors if they are implemented classroom wide.

Educational experts feel that effective strategies should focus on prevention at the system and individual levels (Smallwood). Understanding the underlying drivers of the behavior will help to address the whole problem instead of just the end result. Underlying behaviors are complex, but include the lack of social skills, peer pressure, and frustration. It also helps to identify triggers that cause the behavior. The goal should be to address underlying issues and help the child learn to focus on the objective and build communication and self-control skills.

Identifying and building on necessary skills helps to teach children necessary skills for responsibility and making appropriate choices. It also helps the child to identify triggers within themselves and appropriate strategies to prevent the behavior, or acceptable choices. Discipline should be employed as a teaching mechanism that emphasizes problem solving skills. Children should learn the difference between inappropriate behaviors and acceptable differences to the behavior.

According to (Marshall, 2005), the teacher's responsibility is classroom management, which consists of structure, procedures, and routines, and the student's responsibility is discipline. The principles of practice that enhance classroom management and promote responsible include positivity, choices, and reflection. Communication should be directed to promote desired results. This is proactive by presenting expectations that are positive. Students should be given a choice of options. Asking reflective questions is significantly more effective and longer lasting.

The "Raising Responsibility System" by (Marshall, 2005) is based on hierarchal teaching. The highest hierarchy is democracy and develops self-discipline, demonstrates initiative, displays responsibilities, with the democracy and responsibilities being inseparable. It conforms to internal motivation. The second hierarchy is cooperation/conformity that develops cooperation, compliance, and conformity to peer pressure. It conforms to external motivation. The third hierarchy is bossing/bulling and based on behaviors of bothering others, bullying others, breaking laws and standards, which requires being bossed by adults to behave. The fourth hierarchy is anarchy, which is the absence of order, aimless and chaotic. The third and fourth hierarchies are unacceptable behaviors.

Disruptions are handled by checking for understanding. The disrupting student needs to acknowledge the behavior level to accept responsibility. This is the basic learning theory of teaching. A self-evaluating questioning strategy encourages the student to reflect on their self-chosen level of behavior. There are also guided choices, or eliciting. This is authority without punishment. The purpose is to stop the behavior and give responsibility by producing activity and/or developing a procedure to redirect the impulses that caused the behavior. The eliciting is employed when inappropriate behavior continues to direct the impulses (Marshall M. & ., 2004, Mar).

The Raise Responsibility System is a proactive system that aims at promoting responsibility by using a stress reducing mode (Marshall M., The Raise Responibility System). The system operates on the principles of positivity, choice, self-evaluation, self-correction, acting responsibly, and growth is greater when authority does not use punishment. It is designed to develop a motivation toward the desire to learn and put forth effort to learn, character development, understanding differences between internal and external motivation, reflection of choices, impulse control, and choice-response thinking.

For a school Student Behavior Management Plan in Hong Kong, the hierarchy sets the standards for behavior expectations. It can be posted in each classroom throughout the school and referred to at the beginning of each day for teaching on problem solving and character. Each teacher can check for understanding to ensure the students understand what is expected and what the terms mean, such as what compliance means. Throughout the day, teachers and staff practice positivity, acknowledging when students follow the rules or when a student accepts responsibility for mistakes or inappropriate behavior.