A time-out is often a technique used by parents when a child is displaying a behavior. This is often a consequence of behavior that a parent has deemed unacceptable. An educative time-out can be beneficial in the school setting when used appropriately.
The goal of an educative time-out is to remove the student from the stimuli causing the behavior. The ultimate goal would be to eliminate the behavior. An educative time-out needs to be used consistently in order for this to happen.
How to Implement a Time-Out Procedure in Your Classroom?
*Designate a space in your classroom. Teach students what happens when you are in this space.
*Work with a fellow teacher to designate a space in their classroom. You may need to remove a student from your classroom depending on the function of their behavior.
*Time-outs should be short in length 1-5 minutes depending on the age of the child.
*Have a conversation when the student returns to your classroom about their behavior and how they can work on improvement.
Check out this short video from Responsive Classroom about the time-out process.
