Module 4-B
Maintaining Appropriate
Student Behavior
TED 377
Methods in Sec. Ed.
Module 4-B
Students will explain types of motivation and
behavior management problems presented by
Secondary students, including integrated
students with disabilities.
Classroom Management
Good Teaching and Communication
Pacing of Instruction
Be Careful:
Don’t Let Little Things Slip!
• Most students exhibit good behavior
initially. Gradually this can change if a
teacher does not pay attention to
maintaining good student behavior. Don’t
be lulled into a false sense of security!
Warning: Minor
inappropriate
behaviors left
unaddressed
can snowball!
Be Careful:
Don’t Let Little Things Slip!
1. Communicate expectations clearly.
2. Take action promptly.
Ways to Address
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Monitor student behavior.
Communicate your concern effectively.
Be consistent.
Manage inappropriate behavior promptly.
Create a positive climate.
Get to know your students as people.
Use teacher praise (public and private)
appropriately.
• Use incentives or rewards.
Monitor Student Behavior
•
Two categories of behavior to monitor:
1. Student involvement in learning activities.
2. Student compliance with classroom rules
and procedures.
Do this by…
Monitor Student Behavior
Walking around allows you to assess
student performance, and your
presence increases student attention.
Monitor Student Behavior
Do not talk to the chalkboard.
When using PowerPoint, arrange the
PC so that you can face the class
without looking at the display.
Monitor Student Behavior
Look at the whole room (not just front
and center seats).
Make sure you can see all faces.
Monitor Student Behavior
Check assignments regularly. Check
progress on long-term assignments.
Get everyone started together (do the
first one or two together as a group).
Do not just “chase hands.” Monitor
progress of all students.
Communicate Your Concern
Effectively
• Communicate:
– Clearly identify the behavior.
– Describe the effects/impact of the behavior.
• Use appropriate body language:
– Make eye contact with the student.
– Use appropriate facial expression and tone.
• Listen, but do not accept excuses.
• Use a little drama when needed
to convey your concern.
Use a little drama when needed
to convey your concern.
Be Consistent
• Keep same expectations for behavior (and
consequences) for the same activities for
all students at all times.
– Students will test the limits, causing teacher to
abandon the procedure OR tolerate behavior.
Don’t be a hard nose. It is OK to make an exception for
students in special circumstances, or for those who have
a valid excuse.
Be Consistent
• 3 sources of inconsistency:
– Rule/procedure is not reasonable/workable.
– Teacher does not monitor students closely
and misses inappropriate behavior
sometimes: seems inconsistent to students.
– Teacher does not want to enforce the rule.
Either re-teach, modify, or abandon the
rule/procedure.
Manage Inappropriate
Behavior Promptly
• Detect “off-task” behavior and stop it
before it escalates.
• Do not ignore:
– Makes it difficult for students to learn.
– Students will not complete assignments.
– Situation can snowball!
Manage Inappropriate
Behavior Promptly
• Try to cut off inappropriate behavior
quickly and quietly without disruption to
the class.
– Speak in a low tone, using nonverbal signals.
– Keep the “flow” of instruction going.
vs.
Manage Inappropriate
Behavior Promptly
• Ways to manage:
– Make eye contact, use a signal, and monitor until
student complies.
– Remind. State the correct procedure or not other
students who are doing what is expected.
– Redirect attention to the task. (“Fred, you should be
writing now.”) Check progress.
– Ask/tell student to stop behavior. Monitor until student
complies.
If you cannot confront a student at that
moment, “flag it” and speak to him/her
later privately.
Manage Inappropriate
Behavior Promptly
• If the inappropriate behavior continues,
“flag” the behavior & continue with class.
• Then handle the behavior issue privately:
– Tell the student to wait after class to speak
with you, or conference briefly in the hall.
– Speak with student at your desk.
Manage Inappropriate
Behavior Promptly
•
Your goal in discussing the problem is:
1. Determine the reason for the problem.
2. Make clear what unacceptable behavior is
and what the student should be doing.
3. Obtain a commitment from the student for
acceptable behavior.
•
You can put the commitment in writing as a
contract/plan.
Create a Positive Climate
• The overall climate should be
• Students should look forward to coming to
your class.
• Do not overreact.
• Do not only address inappropriate
behavior. Reward positive behavior!
Create a Positive Climate
• Admonish behavior, never persons.
• Do not display prejudice against any
student.
• Be optimistic and enthusiastic.
• Encourage students to set high yet
realistic goals, and show them how to
work in increments to meet goals.
• Help students develop skills in
interactive and cooperative learning.
Get to Know Your Students
as People
• Quickly learn students’ names and use
them!
– Use a seating chart.
– Have students sit in assigned sits (at least
initially).
– Address students by name.
– Look at name and face when handing back
materials.
• Helps maintain positive student behavior
as well as motivate.
Communicate Positive
Expectations
• Communicate positive expectations!
– Lay the foundation for students to attempt
new tasks and reach new goals.
My teacher
believes I can
jump this high. I
guess I can do
it!
Communicate Positive
Expectations
• Explain instructional goals so
expectations are known.
• Insist students complete work
satisfactorily.
• Refuse to accept excuses for poor
work.
• Convey confidence in students’
ability achieve.
• Be an encouraging, “can-do”
teacher.
Create a Positive Climate
• Avoid…
– Comparing one student (class) with another.
– Giving up on any student (or appearing to).
Perception is reality!
– Telling a student how much better he/she
could be.
– Using qualifying statements (“I like what you
did, but…”)
Teacher Praise
• An important part of a positive climate for
learning is created by appropriate
teacher praise.
• Teacher praise can be:
– Encouraging.
– Self-esteem and self-confidence boosting.
– Motivating.
Teacher Praise
•
Teacher praise should include:
1. Informative feedback:
•
Specify what aspect of student performance is
worthy of praise.
2. Genuine teacher approval:
•
•
Demonstrate that you are impressed with the
quality of student work.
Can include constructive criticism without
lessening the positive effect!
Teacher Praise
• Praise for accomplishment is more
effective than praise for effort.
– Praise should be well-deserved and not too
easily obtained.
– Praise for working hard only suggests the
teacher believes the student lacks ability.
– Praise for an easy task suggests to student
and class that the teacher believes the
student has little ability.
Teacher Praise
• Seek to praise privately as well as
publicly.
– Provide written comments on student work.
– Praise verbally in informally during private,
casual conversations.
– Send a note/e-mail to parents.
– Praise student during parent conference.
Praising a student privately avoids the complications
of public praise in front of the class. It also allows
more detail to be conveyed.
Use Incentives or Rewards
•
•
•
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Recognition.
Individual and class activities as rewards.
Material rewards.
Other motivating devices (competitions,
extra-credit assignments, student-tracked
point system, class honor roll).
We already looked at these in
Module 4-A Motivation.
Scenarios
• Remember:
• Don’t over-react!
– Can the behavior be handled
quietly?
– Do you need to flag the
behavior and handle it privately?
– Does the situation require
stopping instruction in order
to handle?
Is teaching
and learning
being
disrupted?
Scenarios
• As students are reading aloud from the
textbook, one student tries to engage
others around him in conversation.
– How will you react?
– What could you do to be proactive?
Scenarios
• There are a couple of students in one of
your classes who are being disruptive.
This is not the first time they have done
this.
– How will you react?
– What could you do to be proactive?
Scenarios
• Ahmed arrives in class wearing a kufi
(short round hat). Your district has a “no
hats” policy. Because you want to be
politically correct, you let it slide. Five
minutes later, Salvador dons a do-rag and
tops it with an askew baseball cap. Then
Sam, Marcos, and Lindel put on red
bandanas.
– How will you react?
– What could you do to be proactive?
Scenarios
• One student is being openly critical of your
teaching style and is refusing to complete
the seatwork assignment you have given.
– How will you react?
– What could you do to be proactive?
Scenarios
• Two students are being disruptive in your
class. You decide on one of them that has
to go to the office. That student argues
that the other student was worse and that
was the person who should have been
sent out.
– How will you react?
– What could you do to be proactive?
Review:
MODULE 4-B
• Maintain appropriate student behavior:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
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Monitor student behavior.
Communicate your concern effectively.
Be consistent.
Manage inappropriate behavior promptly.
Create a positive climate.
Get to know your students as people.
Use teacher praise (public and private) appropriately.
Use incentives or rewards.