A Teacher Action Research Magazine & Network

THE PHILOSOPHY

Nothing is more disarming to a student (or anyone for that matter) intent on engaging in disruptive or just generally unpleasant behavior than the target of that behavior being in complete calm, confident control with a pleasant demeanor and something nice to say. Under virtually any circumstance anyone can be that calm, confident person in the classroom. Obviously a situation of out and out violence is not what is being considered here. What is being considered is merely the day-to-day uncalled for behavior in the classroom that drives teachers to losing control, writing referrals to the office, assigning detentions, all of which result in minimal if any success in terms of classroom management. The single most disturbing outcome of resorting to these measures is that many students are "repeat performers"-these measures do not assist the student in developing into a more socially acceptable individual. A quick glance at the cumulative files of such children reveals a history of such measures having been doled out repeatedly. That being the case, why continue down the same path expecting to see a different result? The answer is, there will not be a different result. There may be a short-term change in behavior, perhaps because the parent took away a cell phone or iPod for a week due to receiving a detention or referral, but over the long term, nothing significant actually changes. You want a change, a change for the better, and a change for good.

As a former high school science classroom teacher, I never wanted to give up my authority to anyone else. I was never interested in sending students out on referrals to the administration (they'd probably just bounce the student back to me anyway). No, students belonged in class-my class. I wasn't about to reward inappropriate behavior with an "escape hatch" to the office where they could sit and do nothing until the next bell. That is not what the taxpayers are paying for-they are paying to educate the next generation and that happens in a teacher's classroom. Certainly if a student caused trouble in class I was in no way interested in spending more time with that student after school for detention. Above all, I was not about to lose control in front of the students, allowing them to think they had "won" the who-controls-the-classroom-agenda battle. Therefore, I needed to put in place both immediate and long-term mechanisms (interventions) for behavior modification and that meant starting with my behavior.

THE IMMEDIATE PROACTIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT METHOD

Recall that there are essentially only two reasons why anyone ever does anything, because they can or to see if they can. When a student disrupts a class that is about all there is to it (unless there are physiological reasons or other factors influencing the student's behavior, such as trauma.) Such is not the case in most circumstances. For the most part it is mere challenge of authority (especially as children reach the upper elementary, middle, and high school grades.) It's important to recognize two critical elements at this point. The first has to do with normal human development. In elementary school, children are busy trying to just figure things out. As they enter the upper elementary grades and on into secondary school, they are trying to achieve, and that means in all areas of their existence, including socially. The second element has to do with where they choose to exhibit the less than desirable behaviors. The classroom is the best place to act out because it provides a ready audience. If the goal is to act out to get attention, assert power and gain dominance, and achieve social status in the presence of peers, then the classroom is the perfect venue. The same student, who drives a teacher to distraction one hour, is good company the next when encountered one on one out on campus or later that day in the local community. "Public" opportunity is a major influence for young people to challenge authority in the classroom. It is normal, it needs to be accepted, but not permitted. It is this "not permitted" aspect that prevents a student from acting out in some classes, but not in others. The reason for this phenomenon is the teacher's behavior.

The cause for the challenge ultimately does need to be discovered in order to put the unacceptable behavior to rest swiftly and appropriately. In the mean time, however, something needs to be done immediately to mitigate the problem. After that, you are able to implement the long-term methodology (explained in the subsequent section.) Essentially, what you will see is that your success lies in your own behavior.

The only behavior you have control over is your own. This is key in the entire spectrum of classroom management situations. The first thing any teacher should train him/herself against is the temptation to become angered when students become disruptive or disrespectful. It should be remembered that the student's behavior is not personal and there is no reason to take offense, there is no reason for an emotional or adrenal response by a professional educator such as you. Instead, any disruptive behavior should be viewed as "boring, "uninteresting kid stuff", and not worth your emotional energy. Such behavior should trigger your overwhelming desire to assume a calm, confident demeanor. This must be accompanied with strong, focused body language. This is difficult to master, but it can be mastered and it will save you so much trouble in the future (it can even be applied with success in other challenging aspects of your life.)

First, let's deeply consider body language for moment. Think of other animals aside from ourselves who live in social groups, especially those like dogs, horses, llamas, that we as a society have invited into our living spaces and lives. Or think of television programs you may have seen about the nature of packing animals such as wolves. Virtually all of the behavioral information we can collect from these animals can be applied to humans, especially in a close social group like a classroom. Your job is to be the leader of the pack, the alpha member of the herd. If you are not interested in being that individual, then you are not interested in being a teacher, and you need read no further. I know that's a strong statement, but I sincerely want teachers to "take back" the classrooms of America. Daily I hear disturbing stories or witness disturbing events concerning K-12 student behavior-no more! Now, picture what the body language of a confident, strong individual looks like; what do you look like when you are confident and strong? Below is a checklist of attributes that are indicators of strong and confident body language:

Squarely facing the challenging individual (hips and shoulders directed forward),

Shoulders down and relaxed (versus tense and hunched up)

Head up, eyes forward,
Silence (no talking, no threats),
Moving from a pleasant to no facial expression,
Slowly walking forward toward the disruption,
Ability to come in close proximity of the challenging individual/s,
Avoidance of any threatening behavior toward the challenging individual
Ability to say, "thank you" when the desired behavior is achieved

Habitually behaving in the ways previously listed will eliminate the vast majority of behavioral problems. The secret is to NEVER buckle, do not give in and do not give up. Once you do, they have won, game over. You just sent the message that they have you beat, and they will continue to beat you day after day. This can be simply illustrated with examples from other animal species as previously stated.   Horses, dogs, llamas, other herding or packing animals like to "bump" up against others in the herd or pack to show dominance. They have no trouble doing it to humans as well. If you let it happen without "bumping back", the animal just learned that it is perfectly acceptable to "be in charge" because you're not. Students who act out get the same message from teachers. The secret is in "how" you bump back.

The silent cues you send by exhibiting the behaviors listed previously speak louder than words because body language is the dominant form of communication, followed by voice tone, and finally by words. Sound unlikely? It's understandable that you may think that, but recall the times you've witnessed someone say something and get away with it when someone else couldn't. The combination of body language, the tone of voice and knowing when to speak and more importantly, when NOT to speak is critical. Teachers make the huge mistake of speaking in the classroom when something goes wrong and instruction is interrupted. Silence is indeed golden in that type of situation. Do not engage with the disruptive student in a discussion in front of the class. The group dynamic will take over and you will lose (there's only one of you and lots of them). In this case you will "bump back" by stopping instruction and with a calm, focused, expressionless face, with shoulders down and relaxed you will walk slowly toward the disruption. It will become very quiet in the classroom because nobody knows what you are thinking. When you get compliance, quietly say, "thank you" and continue.   The key here it that no one knows what you are thinking-keep it that way. Now you have control.

The same method is successful when the entire class is just too noisy to allow for effective instruction. In this case, do not even start, or if you have started, stop the instruction, remain expressionless, and when it is quiet (the students tend to quiet each other, don't be concerned if it takes awhile) politely say, "thank you" and continue with your lesson.

The confidence you exhibit is critical, just be certain to back it up at all times with a lesson that is meaningful, doable with reasonable challenge, and is connected to the student experience. Your behavior and teaching skill must work in concert and compliment each other.

Calm is power and strength, being upset shows powerlessness and weakness; this cannot be overstated. We naturally respect those in control and those in control are the calm and focused ones.

THE LONG-TERM PROACTIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT METHOD

Understanding and implementing the immediate intervention method of modifying your own behavior is the platform for the long-term methodology. Without the ability to take a hard look at your own behavior, moving on to the next process is virtually pointless. This next step is a data gathering process. It is not a "how to" solve your classroom management problem.   No one other than yourself can solve your problem. The data you collect over a relatively short amount of time will reveal a history of your interactions with the students who impede the progress in your class the most.

Your ultimate goal is for students to succeed academically and socially. When they don't, it's not because they can't, it's because they won't (for a variety of reasons that are yours to discover.) A confident professional educator can turn this situation around, it is all a matter of following through, showing your work and taking action.   Start by identifying your top 3 challenging students in each class (if you are teaching at the secondary level) or the top three in your multiple subject, self-contained classroom. Produce a spreadsheet like the example in Table 1 below. Your spreadsheet will be longer, as Table 1 is merely an abridged example. In the left hand column, place the names of the students you would like to focus on over a two-week period.   Along the top row, write behaviors you would be willing to exhibit toward these challenging students. I have included some sample ideas, ones that I have used and found to be successful. You might come up with others such as "show of concern", "one-on-one talk" (away from peers, of course), or giving the student a "role of responsibility" in class.   Whatever you select to do, make it simple and very natural.

You do not need to exhibit all of the behaviors with all of the students on your spreadsheet everyday-just be certain to exhibit at least one of the behaviors with each student daily. Decide ahead of time what behavior you will exhibit with each student.   You may change the behavior you exhibit from day to day. The most important aspect of this process is recording what you do (by placing a mark each time you exhibit the behavior.) Prepare a sheet for each day for a two-week period. When I have used this process I have found it convenient to carry the spreadsheets on a clipboard, this way I could also jot down notes of observations I made on the students. While this sounds like a lot of work and bother, so is suffering unacceptable behavior or the disappointment of students not succeeding in spite of your best efforts.

Be very consistent and dedicate yourself to this practice for a minimum of two weeks. Do not give up and do not be discouraged if the changes in behavior you seek take three weeks to immerge. You will see improvements in your challenging students in both behavior and academic performance. Behavior and academic performance are closely aligned. Over time your "proactive management" behaviors will become habitual, you will not need the spreadsheet for record keeping. The culture of your entire classroom will improve and all students will benefit.

All of this data from your spreadsheets gives you a lot of power in the event that a student fails to improve in terms of behavior and or academic performance. At this point you will be able to confidently seek assistance from your administration by sharing the data and clearly illustrating that an additional intervention is needed.