Academic Time-outs

Do you use time-outs in your classroom?  Survey's have found that up to 86% of teachers do.  And with good reason!  According to Turner and Watson, time-outs can be a powerful behavior management tool when used correctly.
But... Have you ever actually studied or been taught the best way to use time-outs?  I would guess that most of us haven't even considered the best way to do it.  I mean, we have all seen them used in homes and classrooms, right?  You tell a kid to go sit in a time-out spot, and when their time is up, they can come out.  How hard can it be?
Here are a few things to think about next time you are ready to use a time-out with a student:

• Where are they sitting?  Are they away from the class, but still able to follow the lesson?  You don't want students to be able to use a time-out as a way to get out of learning.  They should also be able to watch other students modeling appropriate behavior, and witness the reinforcements that those students are receiving.
• How long are they in the time out?  Anything past five minutes is overkill.  That is pushing it beyond the teachable moment, and creating a punishment instead of a consequence.  In fact, Knoff recommends two to three minutes, regardless of the student's age.
• What do the student have to do to get out of time out?  If the answer is "nothing, their time is just up," it isn't the most effective intervention.  Students need to be held accountable for their behavior.  They should have to demonstrate the appropriate behavior that they were not showing before, while they are in the time out, and again immediately after they return to their original spot.
• Have you explicitly taught students how to use the time out?  Do they know the words you will use to send them there and release them from it?  Do they know the expectations for how they move themselves there, and how they sit in the time-out?  This is an important step, don't skip it when you are going over classroom routines at the beginning of the year!

Knoff, H. M. (2005). A review and description of Project ACHIEVE’s educative time-out process. Little Rock, AR: Project ACHIEVE Incorporated.

Turner, H. S., & Watson, T. S. (1999). Consultant's guide for the use of time-out in the preschool and elementary classroom. Psychology In The Schools, 36(2), 135-148.