Using Reminders and Precorrections to Support Expected Behavior
Recommendation 2 focuses on preventing problem behavior by reminding students of the expected behavior before they enter a situation where difficulty is likely. This lesson shows how you can identify predictable problem contexts in your classroom, deliver brief and specific precorrections, and use classroom data to decide whether the strategy is working.
Teacher-Delivered Behavioral Interventions in Grades K–5
Read Recommendation 2: Pages 17–27.
As you read, notice how the guide describes the timing of reminders, the situations in which they are most useful, and how they connect to the expectations taught under Recommendation 1.
Open Reading PDF →Prompt the Behavior Before the Problem Occurs
Many classroom behavior problems are predictable. They tend to happen at the same times and in the same places: during transitions, at the start of independent work, when materials are handed out, when students line up, or when they return from recess or lunch. When a problem is predictable, you do not have to wait for it to happen and then correct it. You can remind students of the expected behavior just before the situation begins.
This kind of reminder is called a precorrection. A precorrection is brief, specific, and delivered before the behavior is needed. It tells students exactly what to do in the upcoming situation, and it gives them a chance to succeed and be acknowledged rather than a chance to make an error and be corrected.
Building an Effective Precorrection
Use your own observations, notes, or discipline data to find when and where the problem behavior usually occurs. Look for a pattern, such as the first five minutes after lunch or the move from the carpet to tables.
State what students should do, in observable terms, for that specific routine. “Walk to your table, take out your math notebook, and start the warm-up” is more useful than “be ready.”
Timing matters. A reminder given at the start of the day is unlikely to guide behavior at 1:15. The most useful precorrections come shortly before students enter the situation.
For a new or difficult routine, a quick demonstration or asking a student to restate the expectation can make the reminder more effective.
Actively supervise the routine and acknowledge students who meet the expectation. This links Recommendation 2 to the positive attention strategies in Recommendation 3.
Track whether the problem behavior decreases. As the routine becomes reliable, reminders can become shorter, less frequent, or student-led.
Check Your Understanding
For each statement, choose Accurate or Inaccurate, then check your answers.
1. A precorrection is delivered after a student makes an error, to explain what the student should have done instead.
2. A reminder that names the specific behavior expected in the upcoming routine is generally more useful than a broad rule such as “be responsible.”
3. A precorrection given once at the start of the school day is usually enough to guide behavior during an afternoon transition.
4. Pairing a precorrection with active supervision and acknowledgment of students who meet the expectation connects Recommendation 2 to Recommendation 3.
“I Already Remind Them”
Most teachers already remind students of the rules. The question is not whether reminders happen but whether they are delivered in a way that can change behavior. Look at four features of your current practice.
When precorrection has not improved behavior, these features are usually the first place to look. A strategy that was delivered late, vaguely, or inconsistently has not yet had a fair test, and adding a more intensive intervention may not be the right next step.
Precorrection or Correction?
Read each classroom example and decide whether it is a precorrection, a correction, or neither. Then check your answers.
1. Before students line up for recess, the teacher says, “When I call your table, push in your chair, walk to the door, and keep your hands at your sides.”
2. After two students run to the door, the teacher says, “Walk back to your seats and try that again.”
3. As students return from lunch, the teacher stands at the door and says, “Come in, take out your math notebook, and start the warm-up on the board.”
4. At the end of the day, the teacher tells the class that everyone needs to work harder on following directions tomorrow.
Build a Precorrection Plan
Scenario: Ms. Rivera’s third graders often call out and leave their seats during the first minutes of independent reading, right after a whole-group lesson. She currently reviews the classroom rules each morning. Choose the strongest option for each part of a precorrection plan.
1. When should the precorrection be delivered?
2. What should the reminder say?
3. What should Ms. Rivera do once reading begins?
4. Which data would best show whether the plan is working?
Evaluate a Precorrection Plan
Apply the concepts from this lesson to evaluate a precorrection plan. Use the information provided in the activity to develop and explain your response.
Key Takeaways for Teachers
- Precorrections are brief, specific reminders delivered before a predictable problem context, rather than corrections delivered after an error.
- Effective precorrections name the expected behavior for the specific routine and are delivered shortly before students need it.
- Modeling, rehearsal, or a quick check for understanding can strengthen a precorrection for new or difficult routines.
- Precorrections work best when paired with active supervision and acknowledgment of students who meet the expectation.
- When precorrection does not seem to work, examine timing, specificity, consistency, and follow-through before concluding the strategy has failed.
- As routines become reliable, reminders can be shortened, delivered less often, or shifted to students.