Improving and Guiding Student Behavior

High interest activities reduce student problems.

Despite the wealth of helpful information about why students misbehave, many teachers continue to cling to use the same old methods with marginal or no success.

by Harvey Craft

Most students understand the difference between good and bad classroom behavior. Most students will choose to behave properly because they have been taught to so. That’s the good news. One doesn’t need to be a teacher to know that the classroom can be a stressful place. Anyone who has been a student can recall confrontations between students and teachers, and we have a pretty good idea of the teachers in our pasts that were effective at maintaining control and those who weren’t. Those recollections can serve as a starting point for establishing our classroom strategies.

My reference to “strategies” is intentional. Teachers need a plan based on knowledge of human behavior and often just common sense. Understanding that “tricks and tips” are not the solution is important. Ethical, honest is essential to a plan that promotes mutual respect.

1. An Attractive Room.

Some teachers enjoy decorating their rooms in preparation for the first day of school. They have an advantage already. An attractive classroom is important, but it should be a student-centered classroom. 

This student has volunteered to hand out materials.

Too often, teachers think sarcastic signs and posters are funny, and maybe they are to some adults and even some students. But being welcomed by “Your mother doesn’t work here!” or “No whining!” is offensive to many students and parents who will visit. Don’t post signs supporting your political candidate — even with the very young, politics can be a contentious point especially if it is at home. Parents may be less supportive knowing that the teacher support s someone who they think is an idiot.

Give students some ownership of the way the class looks. Allow them to volunteer to change bulletins boards or make other reasonable changes. Accept volunteers to empty trash cans and pencil sharpeners.

2. Responsibilities.

These are often called “rules,” but rules have a way of being negative, too brief, and are not a good basis for establishing bonds between and among people. Responsibilities are simply rules lite! I.e., a polite way of expressing those behaviors that will help maintain a proper environment for instruction. Remembering that some students will not come to school without a sense of responsibility is wise — challenges will occur; plan accordingly.

Try to keep responsibilities to a short and positive list – 10 is good. There is little need to try to cover everything students are expected to do because there are too many — really. There will be school rules which teachers don’t need to repeat on their list. Teachers should be sure that the responsibilities listed address things that will be addressed if students ignore them. Threats are never appropriate! Management of a classroom should be a part of the teacher’s day — students will be corrected politely, instructions will be given, someone will be asked to pick up paper that they dropped, etc. Don’t preach; don’t embarrass! Just do it!

3. Don’t rely on what other teachers do.

Design responsibilities that are based on creating a safe, positive learning environment. While there are many cute ideas that teachers employ to control students, some are coercive, unfair, and can generate negative thoughts in students. If a teacher mistreats or embarrasses a student, classmates may emotionally take side with the offending student even if he or she is not particularly popular; they have expectations of teachers, and most will expect adult, fair behavior.

Teachers try a number of crazy, unfair practices to maintain order. Many of them are simply bad practice — e.g., punishing an entire class when one or two students do not obey a teacher’s instructions. This seems unfair to students because it is. It compares well with arresting a whole neighborhood because one person does not stop at a local red light.

Pay attention to the kinds of classroom problems that other teachers have and how they manage them, but avoid playing “ain’t it awful,” and engaging in gripe sessions in the teachers’ lounge.

4. Be Analytical.

When teachers have notable successes with managing behavior or terrible failures, sitting down in a quiet place and analyzing what happened and why can help them learn about future problems. Keep Maslow’s Hierarchy in mind.

Use the Internet to research reputable sites that provide objective information what works and what doesn’t. Many of the things that people believe are simple wrong. Verify ideas that sound wacky or unfair.

Remember that all behavior — good, bad, or apathetic — is meaningful. Don't quickly label students based on what they do, rather try to place an intelligent interpretation of what the behavior means. By understanding, one can often plan effectively to help students improve.

Also, when students continue a disruptive behavior it helps to know that people find some emotional return for their actions. Try to discern what students are getting from their actions. What is the “payoff?”

5. Be Wary of Rewards. 

Reward, incentives — whatever term one prefers — are fundamentally manipulative. They do not equally reinforce all students and they do not focus on intrinsic motivation, which is essential for responsible learners. 

There is a frightening trap with using rewards: giving candy and prizes to students is a pleasant experience for teachers; everyone enjoys making others feel happy. Teachers receive positive reinforcement from giving and can become hooked on the feeling that comes from giving and attach a reward to practically every task creating highly materialistic, selfish students.

Relationships are best built on exchanging human virtues like kindness, recognition, friendliness, etc. One’s personal friends do not have expectations of material exchanges, but expectations based on positive feelings. Teachers who are compassionate, friendly, enthusiastic, helpful, patient, and who use humor have what students really want in a teacher.

6. Don’t Demand Strict Obedience.

A teacher can be in control without absolute quiet.

Strict teachers are boring. A class that is afraid to make a sound or look out the window now and ten is a class that does not feel safe — the teacher is a threat. Students should have no doubt about who is in control, but teachers can achieve respect by being consistent about responsibilities and expectations. Have a simple hand sign that means “quiet;” avoid shouting to bring order, but use a sign or countdown. If shouting is used often, students will quickly learn that the teacher doesn’t “mean it” unless he/she is screaming.

Consider offering a brief “timeout” between lessons or after something that is really tough. During the timeout, students can stand, stretch, and speak quietly to neighbors and then get quickly back to work. A break tends to make the class pass faster for them, and they appreciate being given the chance to show that they can responsibly manage the break.

Discuss behavior with students during calm times. Ask them to assess their own behavior. E.g., is there something they might feel they should try to improve? Write it down and keep a record. The wrong time to talk about behavior is in the middle of, or minutes after, “an event” when the teacher may be angry and the students are hyper.

7. A Calm Voice Turneth Away Wrath.

Teacher should be models of self-control. That doesn't mean they surrender their right to show anger, but anger can be calmly displayed. Teachers have every right to human emotions, but there should never be any doubt about who the adult is. Students refine their own behaviors based on observations of adults. Use good manners! “Please” and “Thank you” are never out of style.

The same rules apply when talking to parents. A calm, professional tone is best — parents will come to the defense of their child if a teacher is too harsh in describing negative behavior. The more parents who get positive messages from a teacher the better things will go for both.

Greet students as they are encountered elsewhere at school, at lunch, in the community. Students appreciate being recognized by teachers. Wait at the door and welcome each student individually as they enter the classroom. Start class by standing up in the front of the class and clearly state what they will be doing on that day.

8. Expectations are not Chiseled in Stone.

Flexibility is essential in the classroom. Rigidity can back teachers into a corner — particularly new teachers who may be unaware of what works and what doesn’t. Monitoring student behavior and attitudes is always helpful. Do they need more independence or less homework?

Discuss how they feel about class expectations and the learning environment generally. Some students can be surprisingly intuitive and offer suggestions that are practical and helpful. 

9. Expect to Make Mistakes.

Beginning any new job can be a challenge. First-year teachers often experience unnecessary stress because their expectations for themselves are unrealistic. The results of the first test is often lower than hoped for, but remember that students need time to learn how teacher assess. One idea is to ease them into assessment with shorter, less challenging tests and quizzes to build confidence.

Teachers are often surprised at how little time they have to complete the paperwork teaching demands. If that is the case, you might be giving too much work — especially homework. Homework doesn’t need to be graded — it’s a formative assessment.

Be willing to admit mistakes. One doesn’t need to make a big deal of it, just a sincere admission that a mistake was made. Students will appreciate the assurance that the teacher is willing to demonstrate the same responsibility expected of them.

10. Classroom Interactions. 

Correct small transgressions quietly and politely. Don’t be a mean teacher! If there is a mean-spirited streak that creates conflict, lose it! Teachers often need to call on firm patience. Loss of control does not set a good role model. Quiet vigilance is always appropriate. Move around the class to monitor behavior.

Refrain from talking about discipline, punishment, and generally threatening actions that accompany misbehavior. Once responsibilities and expectations have been established, students will need time to understand that the teacher intends to hold them accountable in a calm, respectful manner. Threats weaken a teacher’s position.

When tests or quizzes are given, refrain from talking about grades. Talk about learning. By the way, it isn’t necessary to grade everything that students do. Acknowledge it, post it, send it home, but teachers who grade everything are setting themselves up for exhaustion. Be sure that what they do has relevance to learning. Explain to students that some things they do are to help them practice a concept and that the assessment comes when they see something like it on a test or quiz. 

Without good management skills, learning will suffer. The considerations above will help, but teacher attitude is crucial. Teaching is always hard work. If students see teachers as friendly and genuine, they are more likely to respect the responsibilities and expectations placed before them. 

Teaching Mistakes Teachers should Avoid

Teachers continue to make the same old teaching errors and ignore opportunities to improve. Student achievement suffers as a result.

Common instructional mistakes that teachers just won't give up.  

1. Incorrect use of homework. Homework is a formative activity -- i.e., it is assigned to help        teach new material. As such it should not be graded. If students see it as clearly related to learning they are more likely to do it. There should be no need to grade it; if homework is clearly relevant student grades will be lower on their tests. Why give zeros for missing homework if the student will receive a lower test grade because he did not use 

the learning opportunity homework offered. Tell parents about the missing homework.

2. Giving poor assessments. Teachers should understand formative and summative assessments and grade only summative. Also, teachers should not depend heavily on published assessments-- they might not agree with teacher vocabulary or syntax. 

3. Grades are for assessments, not behavior. Teachers should not deduct points for misbehavior or add points for behavior not related to learning. 

4. Avoid extra credit. If parents or students want extra credit allow them an opportunity to retake an alternate version of a failed assessment.

5. Screaming at students teaches them that you don't mean it unless you scream. 

6. Don't expect students to act like your children. Respect individuality.

7. Rewarding students with material "things" will not necessarily improve learning. There are problems with this practice. Dr. Marvin Marshall, an expert on motivation writes, "External controls are manipulators that set up students to be dependent upon external agents." 

8. Punishing the entire class. Would you want to pay a fine because your neighbor has a wild party? The practice turns peers against one another, while demonstrating that teachers have a right to be unjust.

Some of the Worst Instructional Mistakes Teachers can Make

Many teachers spend a career doing the wrong things. What's worst is that some are aware that much of what they do is poor teaching and teachers continue because they are unable to adapt to new ways, or some are just "wrong-spirited" and seem immune to new ideas.

#1. Grading formative assessments. Homework, for example, is generally for diagnosis and practice. It has two serious defects as a gradable assessment: (i.) it can be -- and often is -- copied; and (ii) it often violates the principle of grading something  that has not yet been thoroughly taught -- that's why it is designated as a "formative" assessment.

Likely, the most common reason for grading it is personal deriving from the notion that the teacher told students to do it and feel as though the student disobeyed by not doing it. The grade is a punitive action for the disobedience and a reward for compliance.

 

A picture of a mother teaching
responsibility.

Perhaps equally common is the belief that "If I don't grade it, they won't do it." That is due to the fact that many students have been    "taught" that school is about grades and learning is secondary. Students often do not understand that well-conceived homework is about learning and not grades. After receiving a few grades for homework students expect it. 

Finally, many teachers believe that homework develops responsibility. Actually, responsibility develops homework. The seeds of responsibility are planted and nourished at home and responsible students do homework because their parents engendered positive habits. Students with parents who don't nourish children get penalized. 

Suggested reading for #1        

#2. Over-Reliance of Punishment and Rewards. Teachers often face a genuine dilemma when students  misbehave or violate class rules. They often turn to some type of punitive retribution that may or may not bring about positive changes in student behavior. Punishment can create as many problems as it solves and may be effective at temporally stopping bad behavior but useless at creating long-term positive changes.


Rewards to increase positive behavior or enhance learning can likewise create serious and unexpected consequences. To believe  that material rewards are necessary for learning is simplistic and incorrect. 

Careless use of rewards by teachers
may discourage charitable behavior.

Most of us are raised on a reward/punishment routine by our parents, so it seems OK to apply the same techniques in class, but there are ethical and behavioral issues with both. Punishments have been briefly discussed above. As for rewards, teachers should know that rewarding expected behavior is equivalent to giving a payoff for doing things that are simply right and should not be rewarded. Charitable behavior, for example, is something we want people to internalize as "a right thing to do." It becomes an ethic, and the "reward" should not be an expectation of a prize, but a good feeling from within. 

Suggested reading for #2.

#3. Poor Evaluation Techniques. No. 1 (above) addresses the issue of grading homework, but there is a large class of student work that need not be graded. They are generally called "formative assessments" and include lots of written classwork (like worksheets) which students complete while they are learning something new. Getting students used to completing work that they know will not  be graded may seem difficult, but the solution lies in convincing them that what they do helps them learn the material for formal testing (summative assessments). That also means that teachers must plan and select class activities that actually do help students learn. 

The big bonus for teachers is that there are fewer papers to grade, since students can correct answers in class. Teachers must help students see the relationship between formative work and summative grades. Parents should be kept up to date about whether or not students are completing formative work-- not because it is graded, but because failure to complete formative assignments can result in lower grades on tests.

Many teachers record 40 or more grades per student per grading period. Some of  these grades are for non-academic work like returning important papers with parental signatures, scores for good behavior, deductions for tardiness, etc. Grades or unfortunately used as bribes, rewards, and punishments. Lots of teacher do it, but it is still wrong.
Suggested reading for #3.

#4. Poor Discipline. Often during class two or three students might continue to talk or be disruptive despite the teacher’s warnings. A common practice is to announce that if unless everyone behaves that the entire class will be punished in some way. This is equivalent to arresting everyone present in a bank even though all of the evidence makes it clear that only one person committed the crime!

Use positive discipline to develop trust  and cooperation.

The intent of this type of negative discipline is to create resentment toward the offender and turn peers against one another. Often the one or two guilty students aren't the most popular kids in school anyway, and punishing the class distances them even more from good role models who typically behave. Holding each member of a class responsible for controlling the behavior of all makes little sense. It is a Machiavellian power approach -- the ends justify the means. If it works, it is deemed "good." 

What these teachers fail to understand is that creating resentment in students is not a good idea. The teacher has made a judgement call that "bad" students deserve to be disliked by peers. Also, students correctly see this technique as unfair and are more inclined to label the teacher as unfair. 

The responsible, well-behaved students in the class may  behave better because they fear the irrational actions of the teacher, not because they respect  the teacher. Those students who cause the problem initially feel great-- they may not like others in class and have found a way to manipulate the teacher. If the resentment created is strong enough, the offending student(s) may become targets of physical violence if the mistreated students decide to take retribution.

Suggested reading for #4.

#5. Too many Notes. Notes are a pat of the learning process, especially as students get older. But teachers who depend on notes and lectures daily are making a big mistake. Some teachers learn that giving notes can help bring quiet to a noisy class by giving them something to do. I.e., students who are busy writing are not as likely to get involved in misbehavior. 

This does not mean that the students who are busily copying notes are involved in a learning activity. It means that they have something to do. It's like "doodling," and compliance in note-taking helps defeat the boredom of sitting quietly and paying attention. There is no guarantee that students will use notes to study. Indeed, they may never look at them again.

Before using notes teachers should offer tips to students about taking and using notes.

• Listen to what is said by the teacher. Be confident about listening skills.
• Writing word for word is not necessary. Key words and concepts can be studied later.
• Abbreviate liberally. Develop unique shorthand symbols.
• Don’t copy what is already known well.
• Ask questions for clarification.
• Students should organize notes in a way that they understand.
• Use highlighters to emphasize key points.
• Have a designated notebook for notes. No loose-leaf paper that ends up stuffed into a book bag.
• Review notes soon after taking them. Compare them with classmates.

There are many ways for students to take notes. Teachers should not dictate a precise method. The important thing is that the notes are meaningful and useful to the student. 

Notes have their place, but teachers who use them as the main instructional method on a daily basis run the risk of being boring and ineffective.

Suggested reading for #5. 

#6. Failure to Know and Treat Students as Individuals. One size does not fit all. Cookie-cutter teaching does not reach everyone. The expectation that all students will react identically to one method of teaching is flawed. 

Teachers need to know something of significance about each students. They need to know something of their families, their hobbies, their reading and math abilities. This does not mean  we delve into their personal lives for sordid details, but the social  grapevine in schools is fruitful and paying attention to it can provide insights into behavior and academic progress. 

Differentiate instruction when possible. With cooperative work, mix the groups frequently rather than allow the same students to work together all the time. 

If students are failing assessments due to particular deficits in basic skills, make tests that are fair to a broad group of students. Be sure vocabulary is appropriate and sentence structure is appropriate for the entire class. 

Talk with parents to gain understanding of students. No need to pry, but parents are usually anxious to share issues that might become barriers. 

Take time to engage each student in polite conversation as time allows. Make each one feel welcome and noticed. Validate their existence as persons of worth. You may be the only person to do so.