Positive behaviour for learning (PBL) was introduced to the state education sector in Queensland in the early 2000s in an effort to move schools away from use of punitive disciplinary practices towards a positive and supportive approach to student behaviour. Although around half of state schools in Queensland have received training to implement…

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a widely studied and often used approach to working with human behavior. However, there are numerous myths surrounding what ABA is, who is it for, and how it is implemented. The purpose of this article is to identify, explain origins of, and dispel seven common myths about ABA.

Clinical hypnosis, defined as a "therapeutic technique in which clinicians make suggestions to individuals who have undergone a procedure designed to relax them and focus their minds" (American Psychological Association, n.d.), is a relaxation-based tool that has uses in the treatment of anxiety, pain, and a range of stress-related…

In March of 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan delivered a speech that highlighted racial disparities in school suspension and expulsion and that called for more rigorous civil rights enforcement in education. He suggested that students with disabilities and Black students, especially males, were suspended far more often than their White…

Educators often presume that all children prenatally exposed to crack or cocaine will be out of control in classrooms and doomed to failure. This article debunks five popular myths concerning such children. Educators should forgo the notion that these children exhibit similar behaviors. They should consider the variables affecting behavior and…

Behavior modification and assertive discipline approaches use rewards and negative consequences (extinction procedures) to deal with students' maladaptive behavior. Behavior modification has significant limitations, as it treats symptoms, not causes; yields only short-term benefits; has limited transfer value for other environments; and values…

It is commonly stated that almost half of all adolescents are at risk of school failure, substance abuse, delinquency, and teenage pregnancy. Recent research shows that today's American teenagers are healthier, happier, better educated, and more responsible than past teens. Ignoring these facts scatters valuable resources and dilutes efforts to…