Behavior & Classroom Management Tips for EBD Students

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) can be hard to manage inside a classroom. Anything can set a student off and send them into a fit. To keep order in a classroom, there are methods a teacher must use to keep the environment controlled at all times.

1 Develop A Routine

Having a routine in place inside the classroom helps to keep the environment calm and controlled. Students need to know what's going to happen each day at school, so there are no surprises. Go over the daily schedule on the first day of school, and implement it each day. If there is going to be a change to the schedule, give students plenty of notice.

2 Small Groups

Teachers don't always have a choice in the size of their classroom. When possible, though, teachers that work with EBD students should have small classrooms. Small classes leave less of a chance of students distracting each other or eliciting bad behavior from other students.

3 Time-Out Chair

Bad behavior will occur, so it's important to teach EBD students that there are consequences for their actions. Designate an area of the classroom to send students who have misbehaved or need to calm down.

4 Work to Change Behaviors

Identify what behaviors need to change in each student. When the student performs one of these behaviors, tell the student that the behavior is not acceptable. For example, if a student hits another student, it's important to correct it right away. Ask the student why they did what they did, and ask them what they could have done instead. Offer suggestions if they are not able to come up with one. Also, remember to talk to the student after they have calmed down. If they are in the middle of a tantrum, they will not be able to focus on what you are saying.

Megan Richardson began her career as a freelance writer and editor in 2009. She has experience in public relations and event planning, and she worked as a writer's assistant to a published author for more than a year. Her work has also appeared in "The Daily Sentinel." Richardson holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and journalism from Stephen F. Austin State University

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