Dealing With Problem Behaviors

Even though teachers take all of the preventive measures as well as tactics for managing inappropriate behaviors, working with lots of students, they might still face difficult situations that must be resolved. The concept of problem behavior is broad. Rather than enumerate all possible misbehaviors that might occur in classrooms, it is more manageable to consider categories.
There are mainly four problem behavior categories: (1) Non-problem, (2) Minor Problem, (3) Moderate Problem, (4) Major Problem and (5) Special Problem Behaviors. The strategies teachers can apply for each category as follows:


Non-Problem Behaviors:
Description: This level of behavior includes very small of task activities such as brief inattention, daydreaming during instruction, some talk during transition between activities.

Management Strategies:
As long as they are brief and not spreading/escalating, teacher can chose to ignore them during instruction and wait for it to end, otherwise address this continuing misbehavior very quickly with eye contact or proximity.


Minor Problem Behaviors:
Description: These are the behaviors usually go against the classroom rules and procedures. Examples include calling out, leaving seats, passing notes, extended talking, eating candy, and other off-task activities. These behaviors must be addressed and must be addressed promptly. Teachers should not ignore these behaviors and should never let them slip by. These behaviors can spread and escalate very quickly if not addresses, affecting learning and undermining your classroom management system.

Management Strategies:
Again, prompt attention is needed because these behaviors can be persistent and spreadable.
Make eye contact with the student. This should eliminate 90% of minor problems that occur daily.

* Move closer to the student. Students sometimes ignore eye contact; sometimes they do not see you. Moving closer to the student without interrupting your teaching will most probably help.
* If the two steps above did not help, it is time to let the student know about the misbehavior and remind the correct procedure. This should be followed by redirect student into the appropriate behavior. "Jennefer you should be writing now."
* If the misbehavior continues, ask or tell student directly to stop the inappropriate behavior. Then monitor until it stops.
* If all did not help, and if you cannot confront a student at that moment, "take a mental picture" or "flag it" and handle the behavior issue privately by speaking with student after class. Additional measures might be necessary.


Moderate Problems:
Description: These are serious misbehaviors that disrupt classroom activities and interfere your teaching. Moderate problems sometimes are self-contained that they are limited to one or a few students: For example: a student refusing to do work, chronically off-task, walking around the room and talking with others. In addition, these problems also can be more serious that they are spreading and becoming a commonplace in classroom and threat to order in the classroom. For example: students roaming around the room, students talking back and refusing to comply with teacher's requests

Management Strategies:
Always warn students before doing any of the below by framing a choice: comply or consequence. For example: you may choose to do x however, if you choose, y will happen.
Withhold a privilege or desired activity: Abusing a privilege will cause losing it such as limiting or removing the computer use, library use

* Isolate or remove students: Time out, sitting alone in the back. Be careful, some students will see this as reward because of attention they get from others. Do not make them heroes.
* Use a penalty: Extra math problems, extra reading, extra homework etc.
* Assign detention: Serve a detention during recess, or before and after school. Most students do not like detentions and it allows teachers conference with students while monitoring the detention.
* Contact and confer with parents: Students do not like parents to be involved in their cases. Tell parents you would appreciate support in helping understand and resolve the problem. Don't make parent feel defensive/responsible. Determine if phone or in-person meeting is warranted.
* Referral to School Office: Referral to an assistant principal who then deals with the student. Teachers should be careful on this so that it does not become a habit. Even though students do not like referrals, and referrals work for teachers because teaching time is not wasted,
your classroom management problems are now known by others. You are simply transferring the problem to outside person (rather than dealing with it. Teachers should not make referrals easy/quick solution since assistant principals do not like them either.
* Contract with student: Before contacting parents, referring student to the office, teachers sometimes prefer to give students a choice which also includes a contract between teacher and students. During this written contract, teacher discusses problem with student, identify possible solutions, and agree on a course of action. The contract will specify expected change in behavior and consequences if not. There might be incentive for the corrected behavior.


Major Problems:
Description:
These behaviors can be more serious that they are spreading and becoming a commonplace in classroom and threat to order in the classroom. For example: Students roaming around the room, students talking back and refusing to comply with teacher's requests, making noise all together.

Management Strategies:
The escalating and spreading misbehaviors should not take place if minor problems were not ignored in the first place.

* Do not try to discipline the whole class at once. 'Hey, please be quiet!' will work for five-ten minutes only.
* Remember Jackie Chan movies. Seems to be fighting a whole group of guys at once but no matter how many guys are attacking, he only actually fights one at a time. Some down, some run!
* Once you successfully crack down on the first few individuals, the rest of the class will start to 'run away'-realize they don't want to tangle with you. This does not mean asking to be quiet individual students one by one.
* Address one student with a consequence that counts, until the rest of the class is listening and sees that they do not want to be in his (or her) position. Remember police officers who are writing tickets, nobody wants to be the one getting ticketed!
* Who to choose? Not the student you can handle, choose the ringleader: the one others follow. You will always know who that is!
* Remember just approaching and telling the one "to be quiet" does not matter to him. Therefore, be ready for a consequence he cares about: detention, involving parents, etc.
* Ignore any protests or comments from him (Why are you picking on me) or others (that's not nice). This is what puts you in charge!
* Again, let everyone see a car pulled to the side of the road, and everyone slows down.


Special Problem Behaviors:

Description:
These are major special problems needing others to be involved. For example: Bullying, fighting, obscene language, vandalism, and unexcused absences.

Management Strategies:
* Most schools have prescribed procedures for dealing with certain types of major problems and sometimes even the minor ones.
* Teachers' responses are likely to be directed by school (or district) policies.
* Therefore, beginning teachers must learn what policies are in force and follow them.

Last Words:
Remember, no matter how you prepared, student misbehaviors will occur. The key is always to identify the misbehavior and take action promptly. Also, focusing on behavior not the student is something to keep in mind. You should work with each and every single misbehavior by finding out why they are occurring, what solutions exist, and how to implement your solution or obtain a commitment from your students. Since every misbehavior is unique, teachers should be able to involve other parties (ask for help) when looking for solutions. This includes but not limited to classroom management books, other teachers, parents, school personnel (counselor etc.), internet community (forums/boards), your university supervisor or faculty at your college.