As teachers, we inevitably have “that” student that causes trouble in our classes. I call them a “difficult student”. Here are some strategies that I have used to help with behavior management.
Make a relationship with them
The #1 best thing that you can do to help your classroom management is to make relationships with all of your students. Find out what they like to do, who they hang out with, what sports they like, etc. That bond that you create will be absolutely invaluable. Students just want to know that you care.
Read More: #1 Thing Any Teacher Needs to Know to Be Successful
Talk to them before and after class
Class change is a great time to get to know your students. Be prepared enough that that your change over from the previous class to the new class is seamless. If you can do that, you can foster relationships during that few minutes. If you can create a positive environment from the start of class, then the student will be in a better frame of mind to learn.
Take them to the hallway to talk.
Getting the student out of a situation can help them process what’s going on. Candid conversations can also happen in the hallway. Once a student is away from his/her peers, they can be more honest without the risk of being judged.
Sit them near you or away from all distractions
Depending how you run your classroom, you could put the difficult student right next to you or somewhere away from distractions.
Having the student near to you in proximity can subconsciously improve the unwanted behavior.
A student’s behavior can be triggered by someone or something within the class. If you can sit them away from those triggers, then they can pay attention better.
Students just want to know you care.
-Mrs. Finchum
Have a parent conference with admin and guidance counselor
Parents see a different side of their child when they are at home. To gain insight on any student, parent conferences are the best. However, do NOT do parent conferences alone – take a counselor and/or administrator with you.
Have them vocalize or write down what you as the teacher could do to help them
I know this is a weird one, but if a student can vocalize what they need help with, it makes life better for both the teacher and the student.
I have been known to ask the student, “What can I do that would help you learn?” And the look on their face is priceless. Most students have never been asked this, but if you let them think about it, there is always something they come up with. And honestly, it is something that I CAN do to help them. I have rarely had something that I was not able to change to help them learn.
Keep tally marks
A behavior management system that I have done in the past is tally marks on the board or on a sticky note on their desk. After having a conference with the student to discuss their behavior, I let them know that this is the plan. Once they reach the threshold that we discussed, then he/she knows they are in trouble. It shows a visual representation and they can know they are getting close to being in major trouble.
Don’t always give them the attention they want
For me, this is the hardest one for me to do. I am all about taking care of the issue right then, but sometimes if you ignore it and don’t give them the attention they want, it will eventually stop.
However, this one tends to backfire and the difficult student causes more issues than normal, so I don’t highly recommend it unless you just know that works for that particular student.
Talk to Guidance or Administration
Most of the time, administration or guidance will know about something going on in his/her life. If you go ask them, they should be able to tell you what’s going on. It helps me to understand why they are acting like they are and to help correct them in the situation.
What do you do to deal with a difficult student?
What are some strategies that you use to help correct difficult student’s behavior?
