Pygmalion effect

The Pygmalion effect is a form of self-fulfilling prophecy, and, in this respect, people with poor expectations internalize their negative label, and those with positive labels succeed accordingly.  This is very important to keep in mind when working with students in the classroom with mental health/behavioral issues.  If a student is expected to act out or be disruptive in the classroom chances are greater that he or she will do so.  Studies with students have found that reality can be changed by the expectations of others.  This is important to keep in mind on a daily basis in the classroom. 

Response to Intervention (RTI)

RTI is designed to monitor all students to identify those at risk for behavioral and/or academic difficulties. There are three tiers of instruction or intervention used. Tier one (80-90% of students) is instruction given to all students in the general curriculum. Tier two (5-10% of students) provides additional instruction and intervention in addition to the general curriculum. Student evaluation will determine which students require Tier two interventions. This will include small group work along with weekly or monthly progress monitoring. Specific interventions will depend upon the needs of the students in this group. Tier three (1-5% of students) is for students who have been placed in Tier two but continue to be unable to meet appropriate benchmarks. Tier three involves more intensive instruction and interventions in addition to the general curriculum with focus on increasing the student’s rate of progress. Students in Tiers two and three require ongoing monitoring, setting goals, data gathering, and making changes in instruction according to data.

This blog is designed to assist you with students that fall into Tier two. If you have students who need additional assistance in the classroom due to mental illness or behavioral issues and are looking for help with interventions that might be helpful please post your questions here.