Classroom Management

MANAGING CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR

 ng Emerson et al (1987) have
en g i
Ch a ll developed a definition of
h at is u r?
W vi o challenging behaviour that has
Beha
become widely used in the
context of learning disabilities:

“behaviour of such intensity,

There is no universally accepted frequency and duration that the
definition of challenging behaviour. physical safety of the person or
Behaviour is define as acceptable others is likely to be placed in
or not in a social context, and is serious jeopardy or behaviour
also shaped by the broader which is likely to seriously limit or
environment in which people delay access to, and use of
interact with each other. ordinary facilities”
 Behaviour Management

• Behaviour management is the ability of the teacher to establish a classroom

atmosphere which is fully conducive to learning and productive interaction.

• It involves an approach to teaching which values the rights and individuality of

each student, which promotes a positive view of people and which is based on
interesting and varied methods of teaching.

• This approach enables the teacher to redress problem situations which may
arise and take action where necessary. Behaviour management is a crucial
aspect of teaching.
 Classroom Management Strategies
4

Hold and communicate high behavioral expectations

Establish clear rules and procedures, and instruct students in how

to follow them; give primary-level children and those with low
socioeconomic status, in particular, a great deal of instruction,
practice, and reminding.

Make clear to students the consequences of

misbehavior.
Enforce classroom rules promptly, consistently, and 5
equitably from the very first day of school.

Work to instill a sense of self-discipline in students;

devote time to teaching self monitoring skills.

Maintain a brisk instructional pace and make smooth

transitions between activities.
Monitor classroom activities; give students feedback 6
and reinforcement regarding their behavior.

Create opportunities for students (particularly those

with behavioral problems) to experience success in
their learning and social behavior.

Identify students who seem to lack a sense of

personal efficacy and work to help them achieve an
internal locus of control.
Make use of cooperative learning groups, as
7
appropriate.

Make use of humor, when suitable, to stimulate

student interest or reduce classroom tensions.

Remove distracting materials (athletic equipment, art

materials, etc.) from view when instruction is in progress.
 DISCIPLINE

Effective discipline is positive and constructive. 8

Positive Discipline is

About finding long term solutions that develop students’ own self-discipline

Clear and consistent communication

Based on knowing your students and being fair

Aimed at building a mutually respectful relationship with your students

Teaching students life-long skills and fostering their love of learning

Teaching courtesy, non-violence, empathy, self respect, and respect for others
and their rights
Increasing students’ competence and confidence to handle academic
challenges and difficult situations
 Positive Discipline is not
9

Permissive

Letting students do whatever they want

Having no rules, limits or expectations

Short-term reactions

Alternative punishment to slapping, hitting and shaming

 Positive Discipline in Everyday Teaching
(Pedagogical Principles and Practice) 10

Holistic: It applies
not only to students’
behavior, but to all
aspects of their Strength-based: It
learning and social identifies and
interactions builds on the
students’ Constructive: It is
strengths aimed at
strengthening
students’ self-esteem
and confidence
 11
Inclusive: It
recognizes and
respects the
diversity of all Pro-active: It identifies
students the roots of behavioral
and learning difficulties
and implements
strategies to promote
success and avoid
Participatory: It
conflict
engages students in
the learning process
and in the school
community
 Consequences versus Punishment
12
Emerging research suggests that inappropriate behavior should be followed by
consequences rather than punishment.

Consequences are viewed as an end result of a child’s inappropriate act.

That is, they should not be viewed as something imposed, such as sanctioning, but
rather as an appropriate outcome for an inappropriate act.

A consequence should make sense, be a logical ending for an action. It should be the
effect of behaving inappropriately.
 13
Punishment, on the other hand, is punitive and/or penal in nature. It does not
necessarily serve a learning purpose, but rather “gets even.” It sends the wrong
message. Children are in school to learn

Imagine punishing a student for misspelling a word. It sounds absurd. Effective

teachers discover appropriate ways to help the student learn the correct way to spell
the word.

A like approach should be taken to address inappropriate behavior.

The approach should have as its major tenet ways in which the student might learn
from the mistake.
 Preventing Disruptions
14

Kounin identified specific approaches to keep students focused on learning and

reduce the likelihood of classroom disruption. These included:

“Withitness.” Communicating that you know what the students

are doing and what is going on in the classroom.

Overlapping. Attending to different events simultaneously,

without being totally diverted by a disruption or other activity.
Smoothness and momentum in lessons. Maintaining a brisk pace 15
and giving continuous activity signals or cues (such as standing
near inattentive students or directing questions to potentially
disruptive students).

Group alerting. Involving all the children in recitation tasks and

keeping all students “alerted” to the task at hand.

Stimulating seatwork. Providing seatwork activities that offer

variety and challenge.
 Make your presentation of a particular topic as clear as
possible by using the most appropriate model:

Presenting information to the class

 Present information with a high degree of clarity and enthusiasm:
 Focus on one point at a time, avoiding digressions and ambiguous
phrases or pronouns.
 When dealing with more demanding topics, keep repeating and
reviewing general rules and key concepts, to help students retain
and understand the topic.
 Use a variety of media and methods, to help students with different
learning styles. Present material in small steps pitched at the
students' level, which are then practiced before going on to the next
step.
Deductive model: Start with
Inductive model: Start with (real-life)
general principles or rules and
examples and move on to general
go on to more detailed and
rules or principles.
specific examples.
Part-whole format: Introduce a Sequential ordering: Teach the content
topic in its most general form, or rule in the order in which it occurs in
and then divide it into clear and the real world (e.g. teaching how the
easily digestible sub-parts. steel-making process works by going
Combinatorial relationships: through the stages from iron ore to
Bring together the various finished product).
decisions or elements that
Comparative relationships: Place
influence the use of rules, facts or
different elements side by side so that
sequences in a single format (e.g.
learners can compare and contrast
teaching about law by drawing
them (e.g. comparing two different
together all the influences on the
beliefs in religious studies).
process of making a law).
The following techniques may also help you make presentations
clearer:

Modelling: When presenting certain topics it can be useful

to explicitly 'model' or demonstrate a skill or procedure to
learners. This can be more effective than using verbal
explanations, especially with younger learners or those who
prefer a visual learning style.
Demonstrate the behaviour by doing it, linking it to skills and
behaviours that learners already possess.
Conceptual mapping
This is a framework that can be Interactive teaching
given to students before the topic Optimise the interaction
of the lesson is presented. between you and your
The teacher makes an overview students by ensuring that
diagram linking different parts of a your questioning is as
topic, with a ready-made structure. effective as possible.
It helps students to store, package Questioning, either by the
and retain the concepts, and to teacher or between the
link different lessons to one students, is a crucial part of
another. review following guided
practice or at the end of the
lesson.
Types of questions: -
 Closed questions have one clear answer (e.g. 'How much is 4
times 8').
 Open questions have open-ended answers (e.g. 'What do you
think makes a country democratic?)
 Product questions are designed to find the answer to a
particular problem.
 Process questions are meant to elicit procedures, processes
and rules used to get the answer.
The mix of question types you use will depend on the topic
and goals of the lesson. Your teaching is likely to be more
effective if you use more open than closed questions, and
more process than product questions.
 What is the correct wait time?
Wait time depends on the type of question asked. Allow three
seconds or slightly longer for a lower level factual recall question,
and up to 15 seconds for higher level questions (those requiring
more sophisticated thinking skills).

Waiting much longer than this may lead to the other students
becoming restless.

Prompt the student after the acceptable wait time has been passed.
If you ask a complex question requiring a lot of thought, allow
students some time to work the answer out on their own (on paper
for example).
Eliciting student response and prompting

Getting students to answer a question can be a problem,

especially with older or shyer students. To overcome this,
give students plenty of experience of interactive lessons,
and create a non-evaluative, positive atmosphere.

Students are more likely to get involved if they feel that a

wrong response will not elicit criticism or ridicule from
either you or their fellow students.

Prompting can be useful to help students answer

questions.
 d s o f
e t h r ee kin
re a r
T h e
m p ts:
pro
Physical prompts: These may
Verbal prompts: These include cues,
be necessary among young
reminders, instructions, tips, references
learners. For example, if the
to previous lessons, or giving part
student cannot yet hold a
sentences for students to complete.
crayon or form letters or
numbers, you can take their
Gestural prompts: The teacher hand and guide them. It is best
models the behaviour of students so to use mainly verbal prompts,
as to pre-empt any mistake, e.g. by to prevent students becoming
pointing to the object they want a overly dependent on your
student to use, or showing how to guidance.
hold a pen correctly.
 e n ts '
to s tud
o n d ing
Resp rs
n s w e
a Vary your acknowledgement of a student's
response according to the confidence with
which they gave it:

When a student answers a

A correct, quick and firm response question correctly but hesitantly,
must be acknowledged in a gives the student positive but
businesslike way (a nod or a more explicit feedback, to help
gesture, although lower ability and them remember that the
less self-confident students may response was correct. If many
need more praise). You may want students seem hesitant, find out
to follow up by asking the student why, and if necessary re-attach
another question. the material.
 Incorrect answers can be of two types, carelessness or lack of
effort, or else lack of understanding or knowledge. In both cases
you need to acknowledge that the answer is incorrect in a
businesslike way without resorting to personal criticism of the
student:

2. Where there is lack of

1. With carelessness or lack of understanding or knowledge, prompt
effort, move swiftly on to the the student, simplify the question (by
next student - the denial of breaking it into a series of small
possible praise is the best steps) or provide hints. If this fails,
response to this problem. look to the next student for the correct
answer, rather than giving it yourself.
3. When a student answers a question partially
correctly, first make clear which part was
correct and which was not, to avoid confusing
either the student or the class. Then prompt
the student to correct the incorrect part of the
answer. If this doesn't work, ask another
student to correct the part-answer.
 Sample Behavioral Assessment Questions
27

• What do we know about the child’s likes and dislikes?

• What does the challenging behavior look like?
• Does the challenging behavior occur all the time or at
certain times?
• When is it less likely?
• What are the activities or expectations and with whom
does it occur?
• Is the behavior harmful to self or others or is it merely
distracting?
• Is the problem significant to some teachers and not
significant to others?
• Whose problem is it?
• What are some of the strengths/ weaknesses and
needs of the child?
• What does this child value?