Chapter 5

1. Chapter 5 Don’t Let Everyday Problems Get In Your Way

2. Learning Objectives • Understand the primary causes of behavior problems. • Be able to find solutions to common misbehaviors.

3. Learning Content • Student Responsibility in Resolving Conflict • Five Primary Causes of Misbehavior • Physical Needs That Get In The Way • Other Things That Can Get To You • Six Guidelines For Handing Common Misbehaviors

4. Student Responsibility in Resolving Conflict • Teachers need to consider preventative measures, such as teaching students how to solve conflicts by themselves. • Let students learn the following sentences will be helpful: “I didn’t like it when you…” “It made me feel…” “Next time I would like you to….”

5. Five Primary Causes of Misbehavior • Boredom • Need for Attention • Power • Revenge • Self-confidence

6. Boredom • A well-planned, engaging learning environment will motivate many of your typically bored students to participate and keep up with new and exciting activities in your classroom. • The teacher needs to examine commonly used teaching strategies and instructional practices. Try using manipulatives in your lessons or changing teaching strategies every ten minutes.

7. Attention Seeking Behavior • Attention-seeking students prefer being punished, admonished, or criticized to being ignored • Give attention to this student when he or she is on-task and cooperating • “Catch them being good!”– and let them know you caught them

8. Power Seeking Behavior • Power-seeking students attempt to provoke teachers into a struggle of wills • In most cases, the teacher should direct attention to other members of the class

9. Avoid Power Struggles • NEVER reason with a student – reasoning turns into a power struggle. • Student, “That’s not fair” • Teacher, “Probably so” or “Nice try” without sarcasm Sarcastic teachers do not know when the student is going to get even with them – they just know that they will!

10. Ways to avoid power struggles • Use thinking words not fighting words • Never tell a student what to do, tell them what you are going to do • Set limits without telling students what to do • Share control

11. Share Control • All human beings have a need for control. • Share control by providing choices • Force decision making • Deliver content message (bad news) with a positive relationship message (smile) • use questions

12. Reasons Behind the Use of Choices • Choices create situations in which students are forced to think. • Choices provide opportunities for students to make mistakes and learn from the consequences. • Choices help us avoid getting into control battles with students. • Choices provide an opportunity for students to hear that we trust their thinking abilities • builds self-confidence • builds relationships between adults and children

13. Examples of Choices • “Would you rather have homework due Monday or Tuesday?” • “Would you like to edit your own paper or have a partner do it?” • “Will you be turning in your work on time, for full credit or later, for partial credit?” • “Would you rather listen without interrupting or move to another seat?” • CAUTION! -- It is very easy to turn your choices into threats. (“Would you rather turn in your work or go to the principals office?”)

14. Rules for Giving Choices • Always be sure to select choices that you like. • Never give a choice that you do not like (that does not match your value system). • Never give choices when danger is involved. • Never give choices unless you are willing to decide for the student in 10 seconds. • Delivery is important • “You’re welcome to ________ or ________. • “Would you rather ________ or ________. • “What would be best for you, ________ or ________.

15. Revenge • Children who constantly demonstrate revengeful behavior often feel like they don’t belong. • The best thing to do is to build trust with reflective listening. A supportive conversation could begin with the teacher identifying and validating underlying feelings by saying, “I can see you are hurting right now. Tell me about it.” • You will want to help these students to discover how they can utilize their strengths and explain to them what their revengeful behavior will cost them.

16. Self-confidence • This problem extends to two extremes—too much self-confidence or not enough. • Do not pity or mother them; instead, set up opportunities for their success. Often, these students assume the role of the helpless one, and others will notice and constantly come to their aide. • For students who have too much confidence, foster their desire for autonomy by giving them challenging learning activities.

17. Behavior: Rambling （跑题，题外话）-- wandering around and off the subject. Using far-fetched examples or analogies POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Refocus attention by restating relevant point. • Direct questions to group that is back on the subject • Ask how topic relates to current topic being discussed. • Use visual aids, begin to write on board, turn on overhead projector. • Say: "Would you summarize your main point please?" or "Are you asking...?"

18. Behavior: Shyness or Silence -- lack of participation POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Change teaching strategies from group discussion to individual written exercises or a videotape • Give strong positive reinforcement for any contribution. • Involve by directly asking him/her a question. • Make eye contact. • Appoint to be small group leader.

19. Behavior: Talkativeness -- knowing everything, manipulation（操纵）, chronic whining（发牢骚）. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Acknowledge comments made. • Give limited time to express viewpoint or feelings, and then move on. • Make eye contact with another participant and move toward that person. • Give the person individual attention during breaks. • Say: "That's an interesting point. Now let's see what other people think."

20. Behavior: Sharp shooting （穷追不舍，不依不饶）-- trying to shoot you down or trip you up（绊倒）. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect the question the group or the individual who asked it. • Acknowledge that this is a joint learning experience. • Ignore the behavior.

21. Behavior: Heckling（起哄）/Arguing -- disagreeing with everything you say; making personal attacks（人身攻击）. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Redirect question to group or supportive individuals. • Recognize participant's feelings and move on. • Acknowledge positive points. • Say: "I appreciate your comments, but I'd like to hear from others," or "It looks like we disagree."

22. Behavior: Grandstanding（ 哗众取宠)-- getting caught up in one's own agenda or thoughts to the detriment of other learners. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Say: "You are entitled to your opinion, belief or feelings, but now it's time we moved on to the next subject," or • "Can you restate that as a question?" or • "We'd like to hear more about that if there is time after the presentation."

23. Behavior: Overt Hostility（公开敌意）/Resistance -- angry, belligerent(好斗）, combative（好战） behavior. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe hostility as fear to depersonalize it. • Respond to fear, not hostility. • Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check. • Don't disagree, but build on or around what has been said. • Move closer to the hostile person, maintain eye contact. • Always allow him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the confrontation.

24. Behavior: Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent, combative behavior (continued) POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Say: "You seem really angry. Does anyone else feel this way?" Solicit peer pressure. • Allow individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be able to offer solutions and will sometimes undermine his or her own position. • Ignore behavior. • Talk to him or her privately during a break. • As a last resort, privately ask the individual to leave class for the good of the group.

25. Behavior: Griping（抱怨） -- maybe legitimate complaining. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Point out that we can't change policy here. • Validate his/her point. • Indicate you'll discuss the problem with the participant privately. • Indicate time pressure.

26. Behavior: Side Conversations（一边对话） -- may be related to subject or personal. Distracts group members and you. POSSIBLE RESPONSES: • Don't embarrass talkers. • Ask their opinion on topic being discussed. • Ask talkers if they would like to share their ideas. • Casually move toward those talking. • Make eye contact with them. • Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by participant a question so that the new discussion is near the talkers. As a last resort, stop and wait.

27. Physical Needs That Get in the Way • Hunger • Thirst • Fear of Pain • Need for a Restroom Break • Space and the Physical Setup of the Classroom • Break From the Predictable

28. Other things that can get to you • Tattling（告状） • Swearing（说脏话） • Note Writing（写字条） • Pencil Sharpening • Name-Calling（骂人） • Chronic Lying and Stealing • Fighting • Playing with Objects During Class Time

29. Tattling • There is a difference between telling and tattling. • “I just established a tattle box. It was a covered shoebox with scraps of paper by it. I have the child write down his/her name, the date and the tattle and then put it in the tattle box. Now when someone start to tattle, I just say write it down. I tell them I will read them and if necessary (ie it is something they should tell me) I will get back with them. It has cut the tattling down to only the important things like: someone is sick or someone could get hurt. Hope it works the rest of the year.” • -Linda Patton

30. Swearing • The use of profanity is sometimes just an opportunity to feel mature, but these words can inflame an already tense situation. • It is vital for a teacher to calmly explain to the whole class the difference between school talk, street talk, and home talk. • If “No Swearing” is your expectation, you need to establish consequences for when a student swears. • Another possibility is to give access to a box where a child can write a word and slip it in if he/she feels an urge to swear.

31. Note Writing • This is usually harmless unless it takes a person awayfrom learning or contains a negative statement aboutsomeone else. • The best course of action is to not read the note, but instead respect students’ privacy. • If this is a big problem in your class, then it is highly possible that the classroom activities planned are not engaging enough or that sufficient lesson accountability is not required of students. Then Change your teaching strategies .

32. Chronic Lying and Stealing • Chronic lying can signal a psychiatric or social disorder and, as the teacher, you will need to believe very little of what these students say until they have a history of telling the truth. • Once you have evidence that demonstrates a student told lies, meet with him/her privately and discuss an active plan in which he/she can win back your trust. • Stealing and lying are very difficult habits to stop. In order to break one of these habits, you may have to enlist the help of the student’s parents or guardians.

33. Six Guidelines for Handing Common Misbehaviors • Structure-Structure-Structure • Negotiate • Deal with Problems Quickly • Use Direct Language • Know your Bottom Line • Following Up

34. School Policies How to stay out of trouble

35. Be familiar with school policies from the start! Policies relating directly to students: • Attendance/Tardy Policy • Academic/Grading Policies • Telephone use (school phones, cell, pagers) • Student Dress and Grooming Policies • Safe School Policies • Weapons, fighting, intimidation, verbal abuse, etc. • Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Policies • Sexual Harassment Policy

36. Policies you’ll need to be aware of as a teacher • Internet/Email use policies • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Policies • Policies regarding the reporting of abuse, neglect, suicide threats, etc. • Emergency procedures • Fire, earthquake, bomb threat, intruder, etc. • Field Trip policies • Accident reporting procedures • Reporting academic progress • Purchasing guidelines • Substitute teachers • Requests for, planning, etc. • Use of videos, movies, and instructional materials

37. If you advise a student group • Be familiar with: • Travel policies • Fundraising policies • Activity absence policies • Student organization finance policies

38. Summary