Functional Analysis / Applied Behaviour Analysis

November 16th in Educational Psychology we were discussing behaviour that can steam outside the classroom and then brought into the classroom with negative effects.
 Unlike operant conditioning where you would just get a punishment for unacceptable behaviour the functional approach would look at an underlying meaning and not just the base issue as to why this child has acting in the unacceptable way he/she has.
-- I like the functional approach better because you cant fix a problem if you don't understand what it is. --

In class we were given this scenario:

" Brandon stomps in the classroom, disrupts the entire class, curses a few negative words."
What do you do?

Well for operant conditing you would probably say as a teacher, "Brandon this is the last time, just go to the office!"
- Now in doing this I see it making the problem becoming worst. And Brandon probably wouldn't even take himself to the office and just get himself into more trouble.

For the Functional Approach as a teacher you would probably say "students take out your work books and continue from where we left off. Brandon lets go talk in the hall."
- Now this approach you could figure out what is bother Brandon and ultimately figure out how to fix the problem. This would also build on a teacher student positive relationship.

I can relate to this approach because it is easier when you can talk to someone about your problems. And if you have a teacher that you feel doesn't care it effects you school work and perhaps your future. We never know what happens to our students before the walk into our classrooms. A relative or best friend could have died or got seriously injured. Students parents could be fighting and taking it out on them. As teachers we have to be understanding and make this environment a safe and welcoming one because for some kids it is the only safe place they have.....

Functional Analysis: Examine the students inappropriate behaviour as well as its antecedents (what happened before the students blow out). In addition, we are look at the consequences (what happened after the antecedents) to determine the function that serves the student.