Enhancing Teachers’ Capacity to Manage Classroom Behavior as a Means to Reduce Burnout: Directed Consultation, Supported Professionalism, and the BASE Model

Abstract

More than a buzzword, teacher burnout captures the zeitgeist of the last few years as schools grapple with the challenges of education in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world. Garwood sounds an alarm and issues a call to action to address teacher burnout given its implications on students in general and, more specifically, on its implications for the fidelity of service delivery interventions for those students most in need. Of the malleable factors related to burnout, this article focused on teachers’ capacity to manage classroom behavior and discusses the potential of the Behavioral, Academic, and Social Engagement (BASE) Model to disrupt processes that can lead to teacher burnout. To illustrate the model’s potential, we present perspectives from middle school teachers shared in focus groups about challenging classroom behaviors and their professional development needs, and we discuss how the BASE Model can help address teachers’ capacity for managing their classroom context. Implications for teacher training and supported professionalism to reduce burnout are discussed.