How to Handle a Child Disrupting a Classroom

A boy with his paper plane moments before having his design mildly ridiculed by his physics teacher.

Being a teacher can be daunting when students begin to be disruptive. It can be difficult to know just how to deal with occurences of general disinterest, students disturbing other students, bullying, verbal and physical abuse of people or property. Often, it is easier to know what course of action to take when the disruptive behavior is extreme than when disruptive behavior is a result of minor misbehavior; a gifted child becoming bored, for example. In cases like this a teacher must be tactical and apply some cunning to get the classroom back on her side without losing temper or respect.

Instructions

1. Prevent the possibility of disruption as much as possible. This involves setting a tone of discipline with your students right from the start, consulting students about what behavior they feel is appropriate in class and drawing up a class contract so everybody knows where they stand.

2. Act quickly when you notice disruption to your lesson. If you do nothing you run the risk of losing control of your students, losing their respect, letting a hostile learning environment develop and frustrating students who genuinely want to learn. If prevention hasn't worked, swift action is the next best thing.

3. Identify the disruptive student and quickly decide how best to quell his disruptive behavior. There are many techniques depending on individual situations. Some include standing right next to him while conducting class (he might not appreciate that much attention), stopping what you are doing until the class quiets down then calmly continuing or simply asking him to leave.

4. Take steps outside the classroom to help with any disruption in the classroom by talking to nondisruptive students and asking for their support to create a better classroom environment, talking to the disruptive students and explaining why you find their behavior inappropriate and talking to colleagues to find out different perspectives on similar problems.

5. Be creative and try as much as possible to tailor the way you deal with disruptive students to them specifically. This involves knowing your class, but if you can be funny, embarrass them a little for their behavior and be firm yet nonconfrontational, then you stand a good chance of quelling disruptive behavior. If possible, use the content of your lesson to justify why disruptive behavior should stop.

Tips & Warnings

• Never suffer in silence and always seek advice.

References

• TeachTech: Tips for Disruptive Classroom Behavior