Have you ever been in a class with someone who would act out on a regular basis? Did you ever wonder what was going on, or why the teacher seemed to be unable to deal with the issue? Acting out is not an uncommon occurrence for children in a classroom, or anywhere, for that matter. Chances are, we’ve seen this type of behavior displayed at least once in our lives. Or maybe some of us were those children who acted out. There are many reasons for students to act out: for example, to get attention. On April 20, four students–Kayla Murchison, Michael Guerrette, Margot Smith and Chelsea Langley–gave a presentation on how to deal with unruly behavior of students in the classrooms.
One of the things that the students mentioned in the presentation was that some problems that students are dealing with are things that the teachers have no control over, such as psychological problems. But it is important for the teachers to understand these factors. This will enable them to help their students in the best way possible. Things that can help are called “interventions.” These are ways in which the teacher can help the students. They can include giving more support or even just explaining classroom rules in a way that is easy for students to understand.
Kayla Murchison explained a model called the “A, B, C model.” This stands for Antecedents, Behavior and Consequences. While behavior and consequences are easy to understand, antecedents may seem a little complicated. “Antecedents are basically what sets the stage for a certain behavior,” Murchison said. So, certain things can spur students on to certain behaviors. Murchison said that this could be something such as students having to work on a project with other students they don’t necessarily like.
One other thing that Murchison focused on was the influences of the teachers themselves. “Another thing is if there is a poor student-teacher relationship,” she said. She said that students need to be able to trust their teachers. This will provide a student with a certain level of comfort in the classroom, and could help to prevent angry behavior. Murchison also pointed out that rewards could be given for good behavior.
The presentation went on to provide information on how to deal with angry behavior. Things like ignoring mildly bad or annoying behavior can discourage students from continuing this behavior, since they are not receiving attention for it. Also, teachers should make rules and consequences clear and praise good behavior.
One of the presenters, Michael Guerrette, spoke about punishment and how it may not be the best way to deal with bad behavior. “Don’t let things escalate any more than they have to,” he said. While consequences are important, Guerrette also said, “Punishment is probably one of the worst things you could do.” Guerrette pointed out that students might not know what the rules are in the classroom. They may even be trying to get attention, which is what punishing them will give to them. The best thing for teachers to do is to try to prevent and/or deal with angry behavior themselves in a calm and fair way before using punishment.
There are many ways to deal with the behavior of wayward students. It takes teachers giving their attention and effort to make sure that all students get the education that they need. Their behaviors should not prevent them from excelling in the classroom. And others can learn from these tips as well. They can provide some help in enabling us to better deal with issues we may think that we have no control over. Who knows? A child may thank us down the road.
