Addressing Disruptive Behavior During Class
If you are an educator, it is likely that you have been in this scenario: Class is going well. Most of the students are on task, but there is a group of them who are being disruptive and causing the lesson to go off the rails. In a split second you have to decide what to do, and any way that you decide to handle it is going to have an impact on the rest of the class. The key to handling this moment well has to do with three crucial elements: prevention, intervention and restoration.
Prevention
Prevention is about setting up the necessary systems, procedures and rituals to address behavioral issues BEFORE they start. Observe your class and look for answers to these critical questions:
When do I encounter disruptive behavior the most? (ex: during transitions, after recess, during lectures, etc.)
What sparks disruptive behavior? (ex: a request to take out books, homework collection time, etc.)
What can I do to circumvent or prevent these challenges?
Next you need to figure out WHY this is happening.
Do you have students who have trouble with focus (ADHD, Autism, etc.)?
Is there a lack of trust and respect amongst students?
Is the content too hard or not presented in a way that is conducive to the learning styles of the students in your class?
Once you have answers to these questions, you can craft a plan to PREVENT these behaviors from happening.
Intervention
During a moment of disruption it is important to have already decided how to respond in advance. What are your behavioral guidance systems? Behavior Guidance Systems are tangible procedures that pair behavior with an incentive or a consequence. Ask yourself:
Have you clearly articulated the code of conduct for your learning environment?
Do you have appropriate and relevant incentives and consequences?
Do you use them consistently?
Are the students aware of the code of conduct?
What will you do when disruptive behavior happens while you are teaching?
If you need to set up a behavior guidance system, click here to purchase the guide.
If you are in the middle of a lesson and have to stop to address a behavior, here are some strategies for doing it gracefully:
Create a gesture that signals to the student that they are not following the rules. Use that as your first warning. Depending on your style of leadership this may look a lot of different ways. It could be a facial expression, tapping one of the rules that's written on the board, using a hand signal, etc.
Apply one of the lower level consequences from your behavior guidance system (Taking a Pebble out of a jar, taking away a behavior buck, taking away points, etc.).
Give the class some self guided task (ex: turn to a partner, respond to a journal prompt, etc.) and ask said student to step outside so that you can check in. Give the student very clear feedback about why they're outside and what is expected if they are to come back inside and ask them if they are able or willing to do what you're asking. If not, go to your next level of consequence from your behavior guidance system.
Restoration
Restoration after dealing with a behavioral issue is important! It is a time to restore and repair the relationships, and to cement learning. This can look like having a follow up conversation the next day, creating some sort of deal with the student for behavior moving forward, and deliberate trust building. This is also an opportunity to ensure that the student understood why the behavior was problematic and why the consequences were applied. If it is a recurring issue, make a deal with the student, for example: “If you can go all next week without name calling, I will give you 10 extra behavior bucks.”