Part Three of the Series Just for New Teachers

How to Successfully Support Difficult and Challenging Students

In an effort to help new teachers as classrooms are again filled with students as the pandemic crisis is beginning to abate, I've included some of the slides from one of my seminars designed to help teachers support difficult and challenging students. In Part Three, I want new teachers to look at some of the things that research tells us about students who as challenging and difficult. While drawing generalizations is not always the best way to approach any problem, the generalizations here may make it easier for you to see a student who may be disruptive and unruly in a different light--and thus make it possible for you to help that student succeed.

If you've ever seen a student who misbehaves in your classroom behave well in another teacher's class, the truth of this slide is self-evident. When you can view all of your students in a positive and friendly manner, then you are on the way to solving any behavior issues that may arise. Keep in mind that difficult students tend to have big chips on their shoulders and often do their best to create those negative feelings that they are all too accustomed to from the adults that interact with them. 

Of course, this is all too obvious. When students have work to do that they find interesting and manageable, they tend to focus on it instead of creating classroom chaos. Do your best to figure out the learning styles and learning needs of your students and design instruction that can make it easy for them to achieve success.

While every student should be treated with respect and dignity, it is not always easy to keep this in mind when your own teacher frustration takes over. One of the worst mistakes that any teacher can make is to cause a child to be embarrassed. When a child is humiliated in class, not only will that child find it impossible to learn, but the desire to lash out at the adult to caused that humiliation will be firmly in place. Respect the privacy of all of your students when you are dealing with discipline issues--in particular, respect the privacy of the students who need it most--those who are accustomed to causing disruptions in class.

The students in your class are far more aware of your regard for them than you may be aware. If you have students who have a long history of disruptive behavior, then you can expect that they are experts at reading your body language--constantly on the lookout for anything that indicates that you do not like or value them. Be as glad to see the students who are causing you sleepless nights with their misbehavior as you are the more compliant students in your class. 

It is not always easy to regard the troublemakers in your class as "fragile," but they are. Look beyond the tough and uncaring shells that difficult students arm themselves with to see the child who wants to succeed and be accepted.

Difficult students often act the way they do in an effort to hide their insecurities. They often lack school skills, social skills, or even basic manners. Yes, someone should have taught them these things before they were assigned to your class, but that didn't happen. It is up to you to make sure than the playing field is level. Model the courtesy and positive behaviors that you want from your students. Show them how to succeed--don't just cover the material. 

Part Two of the Series Just for New Teachers

How to Successfully Support Difficult and Challenging Students

 

One of the most common problems faced by beginning teachers is the often perplexing problem of difficult and challenging students. Last week, in Part One, I covered some suggestions for avoiding classroom power struggles. In this part of the series, I want to provide some general suggestions to guide your thinking. 

First, coping successfully with challenging students is not something that can usually be managed in a day or so. Difficult students did not develop their behaviors overnight. Generally, the behaviors that are not appropriate for a classroom setting are ones that students learned over a period of time. With that in mind, you will be more productive and far more likely to help these students if you take a measured, well-planned course of action. Take your time and help your students learn how to be successful rather that just insist on compliance. 

There are all sorts of mistakes that it possible for even the most well-intentioned teacher to make with students who are struggling with school. If you find yourself having to deal with a disruptive student or two, you may want to consider if you have made of of the mistakes in this list below. Of these mistakes, perhaps the most common one is the last one--giving too much attention to students who are causing trouble in class. Instead of reacting in a negative way, ignore as much as you can and find ways to make these students feel that they are part of the class--not on the outside with nothing to lose. 

When you look at this list, do you see your own classroom leadership style? Could you be adding to the problem?

A final thought to help you with this issue is the biggest take away. Instead of being upset and negative and stressed out, adopt the attitude that classroom misbehavior is a problem that can be solved. You are no longer the victim of unruly students, but instead a classroom leader who is willing and capable of helping all students learn to manage their own behavior and succeed in your class. 

Quick Tips for Redirecting Off-Task Students

Your most important goal when redirecting students who may be off task is to quickly and quietly help them get back on task without missing even a moment of instruction. The difficulty lies in trying to be as unobtrusive as possible while still stopping the misbehavior.  Fortunately, there are many different ways to redirect students without disrupting instruction. Here are just a few of the techniques you can use to help your students stay on track during class.

·       Use sticky notes to write reminders and put them on the desks of students who are off task.

·       Set a timer and give everyone a two-minute break.

·       Change the pace of the assignment.

·       Ask students if they would like help from a classmate.

·       Use your “teacher look” to remind students to keep working.

·       Call home if several attempts to redirect are not successful.

·       Remind students of their long and short-term goals.

·       Ask students to restate the directions.

·       Ask students to estimate how long it will take to finish the assignment.

·       Count 1, 2, 3 and wait for everyone to pay attention to your directions.

·       Ask students who are struggling with an assignment if they need help.

·       Move to stand near the students who are off task.

·       Have students stand, stretch, and then return to work.

·       Put your hand on the desk of a student whose attention seems to be wandering.

·       Discreetly remove distractions.

·       Ask students who are off task to sit near you.

·       Pleasantly remind students of the behavior you would like to see.

·       Sometimes the problem is not off task behavior, but noise. You can also establish signals such as these with your students to let them know that they need to moderate their noise level:

o   Flick the lights

o   Fan them so that they “chill out”

o   Tell them to use a six-inch voice

o   Ring a bell

o   Wave your hands over your head

o   Snap your fingers until students snap back

o   Blow a whistle

o   Play calming classical music

o   Raise your hand until they raise theirs                                                         

o   Clap your hands until they clap with you

o   Clap twice until they clap three times

o   Stand near a noisy group

o   Give them a thumbs up when they are quiet

o   Give them a thumbs down when they are noisy

o   Shush the nearest group and have them pass it on

o   Place your finger over your lips and have them do the same

o   Hold up your hand in a “V” for volume sign

It’s also helpful to remember that alpha commands tend to be more effective than beta commands when redirecting students. An alpha command is one that is simple and direct while pointing the student in a positive direction. For example, an effective alpha command for students who are lollygagging in the hallway would be, “It’s time for you to go to your seat.” A less effective beta command would be, “Why are you guys still in the hallway?” The effectiveness of an alpha command is that it does not just stop misbehavior, but instead focuses on a desired positive behavior.