1. Introduce Must-Haves
What are must-haves?
They are the goals you have for your classroom. Come up with 3-5 must-haves on your own that
you desire for your classroom. Think of
it as your classroom mission statement.
You want all students to learn right?
That’s a must have. Many of us
like to create a positive environment.
That is a must have.
Bullying? Not on my watch. Kind friends are a must-have in my
classroom. You get the idea. The key is to get your students on board, so
find goals they will likely agree with. Make
this list and discuss it with your students.
Then ask them what types of behaviors lead to achieving these
must-haves. You can write them down to
post in the room without using the word “rules.”
- Assignment idea-have each of them write a sentence describing a desired behavior in the classroom and post them around the room.
What you achieve:
-This page by apa.org has a number of articles on why it is important for students to take
responsibility for their actions. Giving
them responsibility makes them more likely to desire a harmonious classroom as
it is now their choice.
-By challenging students to come up with
their own ideas about what actions lead to your “must-haves,” you are
encouraging them to think more closely about cause and effect relationships,
and to strategize to accomplish a goal.
These as you know are important life skills.
Help your students understand how important it is to
consider their fellow classmates or friends.
If you want to make it simple and use the golden rule, go for it. Challenge them to think about how their
actions might affect others. Would they
want someone to make them feel that way?
The likely answer is no.
What you achieve:
-Students recognize a natural consequence when they behave a
certain way. Instead of seeing how it
affects the teacher(aka frustrating the teacher or making the teacher angry),
they see how they are affecting one another.
-You remove yourself as the “bad guy.” You’re not imposing, you’re facilitating.
3. Explain Consequences
You would be surprised how many children just want to
learn. Again, I refer you back to the
apa.org page. I can’t tell you how many times teachers
would dismiss me in school when I asked how a formula works. They would often respond with “just learn
it,” or “it’s too complicated.” How many
times have you either heard or said, “because I said so?” Students do not respond well to this because it
still leaves them with questions.
Instead, explain to them why we have consequences. You’re not “punishing” them to be mean, you
are trying to achieve your “must-haves” in the classroom. If they are doing something that affects the
classroom culture, there has to be a solution that puts a stop to it. Encourage them to think about what would make
them stop. Use this example: “if there
wasn't a consequence in your house for eating cookies before dinner, would you
eat them?” They will likely say “yes.” You
explain that this is why there are consequences for our actions, to keep us
from doing certain things that aren’t good for us or others. I actually did this with second graders and
it was amazing what they came up with.
What you achieve:
-Students again see an example of cause and effect
-Students better understand the purpose of certain
consequences, and try to avoid them.
As the adult, you have a responsibility to first try and see
where your student is coming from. If he
or she is acting out, attempt to determine the cause. Is this student looking for attention? Is he or she distracted? Is he or she upset by something that happened
before and is lashing out? While
children may not reason quite like adults, they do feel more than we
realize sometimes. Once you are
able to determine the cause of the student’s behavior, target it.
If it’s attention, ignore it to the best of your ability and
wait to praise the student for desired behavior. You can also distract him or her by
delegating a certain responsibility.
Once he or she accomplishes the task, deliver praise. Once the child is feeling positively, he or
she may obtain the desire to work and achieve more praise.
If it’s distraction, try to remove the distraction. Gently encourage the child to sit elsewhere.
What you achieve:
-You pull ideas of misbehaving and acting up from the
equation. Instead you objectively see a
problem and strategize to resolve it without the student’s knowledge. This eliminates argument with the student.
5. Discuss Consequences
Use this step if the child’s behavior persists or if he or
she begins to argue with you. It is
highly non-productive to have a disagreement with a student in front of the
rest of the class. It generally provides
attention that the student wants in the first place, or causes undue
embarrassment.
- · Call him or her over to your desk.
- · Explain to him or her the behavior you are seeing and how it is affecting the must-haves in the classroom. Remind the student of their signed agreement to uphold the must-haves.
- · Remind the student that a consequence must occur to discourage him or her from continuing this behavior.
- · Strategize with him or her to come up with a solution.
- For example, if it is distraction, see what he or she thinks will lessen the distraction. Sometimes, this means removal from the room entirely. See if you can collaborate with another teacher or your librarian to have a “quiet space” available for distracted students.
What you achieve:
-Teaching the student to strategize while taking
responsibility for his or her own actions
-Making the student feel respected when you ask for his or
her input
I know this is the most difficult step for me to
follow. For me personally, my pride gets
in the way. The student isn’t listening
to me, they are disrespecting me, and that makes me angry. The trick is to
remove yourself from the situation. The
student’s behavior is not directed at you. It is simply a response to something
else.
What you achieve:
-When you are not angry, you can objectively look at the
best way to solve the problem in front of you
-Removing yourself from the situation eliminates the
fulfillment of the student
’s desire for attention and it removes you as the source of “punishment.”
’s desire for attention and it removes you as the source of “punishment.”
7. It’s a Collaboration, Not a Power Struggle
This goes hand in hand with removing anger. Many times, a student is challenging your
authority. Again, this isn’t
personal. The student is testing his or
her boundaries to see what you will allow.
He or she may also be testing how to get your attention and push your
buttons. Sometimes it is a matter of asserting
his or her independence and not knowing quite how. Collaborate with the student on how to remedy
the situation rather than chastising him or her about a specific behavior.
What you achieve:
-Collaboration gives your student a voice, making him or her
feel respected and grounded
-Allowing your student choices gives him or her personal
responsibility, and removes the response that you dislike or are being mean to
him or her.
8. Ask Your Student “Why.”
Sometimes it’s as simple as asking a student why they did
what they did. Now I know you’re
thinking “well my student always just says ‘I don’t know’.” If your student responds this way, pry
further. Give him or her a list of
feelings to choose from. Was he or she mad
at a friend? Upset about something? Bored?
Ask in a way that makes them comfortable to answer without judgment. “Why” can also be a dangerous word because it
prompts defensiveness. Be aware of this
and proceed with care. Once you and your
student identify the cause of the behavior, give him or her alternative actions
that are appropriate responses in the future.
What you achieve:
-Asking open questions promotes reflection and
self-awareness in a child, while promoting critical thinking.
-Asking questions makes the child feel heard, and thus cared
for, leading to a greater respect for you as an authority figure.
9. Open Up A Little
In addition to asking your student to be open, be willing to
be open yourself. Tell the student how
his or her behavior makes you feel.
Again, this one is tricky, because you have to assess how the student
feels about you. He or she may not care
about your feelings. Try something like
“That makes me sad because I see how it hurts your friend’s feelings,” or “I
get frustrated when you act that way because I know you can do better.”
What you achieve:
-When you open up, it builds trust between you and your
student. He or she is again more likely
to respect you and your authority if that trust is there.
-It brings attention to natural consequences that are a
result of the student’s behavior.
Find a way to convey a positive message to your
student. Help him or her to understand
that you don’t see them as “bad” or “naughty.”
Highlight something good he or she did earlier or how you know what he
or she can accomplish. Build your
student up. You can even motivate him or
her if you are using a token system in your classroom. Encourage your student to work harder towards
a reward of some kind.
What you achieve:
-Making a child feel positive helps build intrinsic
motivation. He or she will want to do
better and will work harder as a result.
-You avoid making a child feel your opinion of him or her is
less than favorable, or worse, that he or she is a “bad kid.”
Classroom culture is the first step toward creating an
environment that promotes success through student-centered learning. Once you foster a sense of responsibility in
your students’ behavior, you can develop that into an overall sense of
responsibility for their educational success.
Stay tuned for our next post on project-based learning.
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