What Should You Do if Two Students Continue to Be Disruptive

Are you a teacher who finds it difficult to manage disruptive student behaviors?

Are you unsure of how to respond?

Do you lack confidence to even  address those behavior?

If so, it's time to add some useful management tips to your behavior tool belt.

The good news is there are several classroom management tips to help you be successful, a few of these tips are outlined below.

1. Redirect quickly

Many times I talk with teachers who are afraid to correct their students. I believe this hesitation comes from a lack of confidence in their ability to effectively address the behavior or not knowing what to say in that moment.

If you can identify with the reasons above, I encourage you to fight the fear, accept feeling uncomfortable and correct the behavior that you don't want to see in your classroom, especially if it is disrupting the flow of your lesson.

The method I like to use to correct behavior is to simply redirect student  attention to what they should be doing instead.

I have found that giving them a quick call to action (CTA) works better that focusing on the actual misbehavior.

A good tip is to have 1-3 predetermined responses that you can use on a regular basis. These will be your go-to responses when addressing disruptive student behaviors.

Here are a few responses I use:

"Enough (whatever the misbehavior is) talking, get back on task."

"It's time to focus on (whatever task they should be doing) completing your reading, John."

"Get focused, get working."

Notice I didn't ask questions like, "What are you doing?" or  "Why are you doing that?"  because honestly I'm not interested in the answer right now. My main focus on is getting the back on task so that the disruptive behavior stops.

Also, as  you are redirecting the behavior, make sure your voice tone and facial expression is serious. This way your student knows that you mean business and you are expecting them to comply.

Sample Scenarios

If a student is calling out or making noise I'll say, "Enough with the noises/call outs, voice level zero, let's get started.

If a student is out of seat and bothering other students I'll say,  "Return to your seat and start where you left off. "

2. Check your environment

Did you know that it's very difficult to demonstrate or continue  negative behavior in a positive environment? The truth is classroom environment has a major impact on student behaviors.

Questions to consider when auditing your class environment:

• Is your classroom chaotic?

• Does your classroom lack structure?

• Are the students often in conflict?

• Is there a climate of respect in the classroom?

• Do you have consistent routines?

• Are the routines being followed?

• Is there a lack of consistency in the school day?

All of these factors affect student behavior because disorganized and unruly class environments are great breeding grounds for disruptive behaviors.

When you have a classroom environment where the routines and schedules are in place and functioning, plus the physical space is order and together,  it can be very difficult for students to engage in disruptive behaviors because order promotes order.

But if your classroom environment is out of control and all over the place, it invites disruption into the  class setting.

The takeaway is that cleaning up the order and structure in your classroom can make a huge difference in curtailing disruptive behaviors.

Quick Fix

Focus on one area of your classroom each week to organize until the room is completely organized.

Focus on one routine each week to practice and perfect with your students until all the routines are in place.

3. Find the need

If the behavior continues to happen after repeated redirection and following the reward/consequence steps of your classroom management system, it's time to find the why.

Look at the pattern to see what the disruptive behavior is really communicating.

Check to see if student is using the behavior to avoid an non-desired task.  Find out if the student is being disruptive to get power and control in the classroom or attention from their peers.

I had a student who would loudly tap on the desk during whole group because he was trying to hide the fact that he could not follow along and take the notes for the activity (avoidance).  His disruptive behavior was expressing a need for more support. But I was only able to find that out because I looked at his behavior from a different perspective.

I viewed his behavior as communication for something he needed beneath the surface of the actual behavior.

So if the behavior is continuous and you have tried your usual strategies with zero to little progress, start looking beyond the behavior and find the need.

Steps to finding the need

1. Target a behavior
2. Look at the pattern: before, during & after
3. Check to see what the student gains, avoids or lacks skills in with the target behavior.

4. Give alternative/ replacement behaviors

Whenever you observe disruptive behavior in your classroom, it's important to have in mind what behaviors you want your student to do instead.

Over the years, I have been surprised by how many times students really did not have a clue of what they could be doing instead their current misbehaviors.

They may have understood or known that what they were doing was inappropriate or incorrect,  but they didn't know what to replace it with and stay out of trouble.

And some of you may say "Well, of course he or she knows that all they have to do is – DO THEIR WORK!"  But if a need (the reason for the behavior) is not being met,  just doing their work, at least in their mind, is not an option.

So as teachers, we need to be ready with options on what a student can replace their behavior with and still meet the need.

Example: If a student is tapping on the desk during whole group and will not stop, what are some alternative behaviors for the student?

Some students simply need to be refocused, so a redirection to the task or activity at hand is a great replacement behavior.

Other students need a away to avoid (even if it's temporary) so taking a 3 minute can be a replacement behavior option.

Some students need attention, giving them 2 opportunities to check in with you for feedback as the work progresses is a replacement behavior you can try.

For the students who need power and control, allowing them to make a choice on where they complete their work, may be an acceptable replacement behavior.

Providing these alternative behaviors does not mean that you are giving in to the student. What you are really doing is providing another way to behave that is not disrupting your class. And this will give you time to create an individual behavior plan, bring the student to the support team or continue teaching replacement behaviors what work well in your class setting.

What misbehaviors do you struggle to find replacement behaviors for?

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Source: https://www.feedtheirneeds.com/classroom-management-tips-disruptive-behaviors/

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