The Relationship between Teachers’ Classroom Management Strategies and Student

Misbehavior

Content

1. Effective teacher
 Effective teacher-Professional Skill
 Effective teacher-Personal Skill
2. Classroom Management
3. Influences on Classroom Management
 Other influences on Classroom Management
4. Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques
 Guidelines for Class-wide Strategies
 Classroom Strategies
5. Classroom Arrangement Strategies
 Classroom Arrangement
 Classroom Management Plan
 Preventing Disruptions
6. Student Misbehavior
 Types of Misbehavior
 Children Behave Inappropriately for a Reason
 Moving from Inappropriate to Appropriate Behavior
 Prevention of student misbehavior
 Responding to challenging behavior

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1.Effective Teacher

According to Borich (2000), the responsibilities of effective teachers are to have

lesson clarity, instructional variety, teacher task orientation, engagement in the learning
process and student success rate.
Therefore, effective teachers do not teach in front of the class doing a good
demonstration on the extensive and deep content knowledge, they teach to promote and
enhance learning. Besides, they knows how to manage, not only their knowledge, but also
the classroom and the students in terms of discipline, work, interaction between teacher-
students-students, how to give instructions, and how to assess and evaluate activities, the
students and their own work. Therefore, to be effective teachers also imply to have a series
of qualities, in terms of professional and personal skills.

 Effective Teacher -Professional Skills

Effective teachers are distinguished by their dedication to the students and to the
job of teaching, and feel responsible for the achievement and success of the students and
own professional development. Effective teachers really believe that all students can learn,
although all learn differently. They strive to motivate and engage all their students in
learning rather than simple accepting that some students cannot be engaged and are
destined to do poorly.
There are many different types of teachers. For instance, among many others, there
are those who walk into the classroom, and some students do not even notice them; also
there are some who seem to be authentic dictators, and students are even afraid to ask
anything in the classroom. There are those who read from a book, or talk constantly,
during the whole session, while students keep just copying; or even those who just talk,
and by the end of the lesson, students do not even know what the lesson was about,
because the objectives, structure and/or theme were not clear, even for the teacher.

Content Knowledge
For many, including teachers, the most obvious requirement to be an effective
teacher is the content knowledge of the subject. Reynolds and Muijs (1999) considered
good content knowledge responses to spontaneous and demanding students questioning.
According to the McBer Report (DFES, 2000) students expect a teacher to have good
content knowledge to be considered effective, which inspire the students’ confidence in
the teacher. In addition, Ferguson & Womackl (1993) stated that “effective
communication of content knowledge is a hallmark of good teachers”. However, having
good content knowledge is just one of many vital factors and qualities, which an effective
teacher needs to have in order to enhance learning and achievement.

Good Planning
Having good content knowledge is not so effective without a well planned lesson. A
lesson plan makes the content and the session interesting and involving. Good planning
facilitates clear explanations, and it provides a wide range of resources suitable to students
needs. It assists with effective use of oral questioning, giving instructions, being flexible,
and having an impact on the students´ stimulation to encourage their interest and
participation. Effective teachers should give meaning to the subject by facilitating relevant
material to the students wherever possible, and by finding means to stimulate interest on it.
Besides, they must be prepared to reconsider whether the material and methodology is

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suitable to be re-presented in the classroom. Craig and Dickenson (2003) pointed out that
good planning ensures that lessons include periods where students are allowed to have
discussion in open or close groups or in pairs. Good planning organizes the material which
allows doing more and better during a session. Gurney, (2007) also pointed out that should
allow the students to give the teacher their feedback in order to improve own knowledge,
methodology and learning environment if needed. Cruickshenk & Haefele (2001) stated
that “effective teachers are able to qualitatively do more with the same amount of time”
However, good planning also implies classroom management and organization to achieve
learning.

Classroom Management and Organization

The goal of every teacher is to have a classroom in which students feel safe,
supported, and academically challenged; and without proper classroom and behavior
management students will be disorganized, off-task, and unable to meet the grade level
standards. “Well managed classrooms provide an environment in which teaching and
learning can flourish.…research tells us that the teacher is probably the single most
important factor affecting student achievement…”(Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003,
p. 1).
Effective teachers manage and organize the classroom, in the beginning of the
year, according to the students’ needs and preferences to create an optimistic and warm
learning environment for all the students, and enhance learning. Emmer et al. (1980, 2003)
stated that “effective teachers takes time in the beginning of the year and especially on the
first day to school to establish classroom management, classroom organization and
expectations for students behavior”
According to Sokal et al. (2003) classroom management seem to be a high priority
for novice and experience teachers. However, management is not parallel to strict rules; in
fact, management is to anticipate students´ needs, and then prepare a suitable year plan,
procedures, activities, assessment, evaluation criteria, and above all, clear instructions to
the students to promote students motivation, enthusiasm and learning. Effective teachers
use low classroom rules, and more routines to maintain a relaxed and warm environment
to enhance learning. Marzano et al. (2003) stated that “minimum number of classroom
rules, which tend to focus on expectations of how to act toward one another, maintain a
safe environment, and participate in learning”. McLeod et al. (2003) distinguished from
rules, and stated that is more effective and efficient to use routines in the classroom.
Stronge et al. (2003) also suggested that effective teachers use more routines for daily
tasks than rules. Wong and Wong (2005) distinguished between routine as what the
students do automatically, and procedure as what the teachers want to be done.

While classroom management focus on instructions which influences the students

in terms of psychological behaviour to learn, classroom organization influences the
students’ motivation to learn created from the physical learning environment. Effective
teachers organize the classroom to promote learning and interaction, and have to create an
optimal learning environment where students feel comfortable and relax in terms of
decoration, accessibility and mobility. According to Stronge et al, (2004) part of the
classroom organization is the furniture arrangement, the accessibility of material, and the
decoration. Kohn (1996) stated that the furniture arrangement facilitate interaction.

Classroom Behaviour
Good classroom management and organization, and a good lesson plan also
minimises the likelihood of misbehaviour. Craig and Dickenson (2003) stated that almost

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all classroom behaviour is learned and that students must clearly understand what is
expected of them. The responsibility lies with the teachers to explain how and why they
want them to work in that way, and to give positive feedback when students respond
positively. In the McBer Report (DFES, 2000), it is stated that students themselves want a
teacher to keep discipline in the classroom. According to Kyriacou, (1998) maintaining
discipline is necessary for learning to be effective. He also suggested that students’
misbehaviour can be minimised by generally skilful teaching. Wong and Wong (2005)
differentiate between manage and disciple. They stated that “effective teachers manage
their classrooms with procedures and routines. Ineffective teachers discipline their
classrooms with threats and punishments”. They also underlined that discipline has to do
with how students behave, and management has to do with procedures on how students
have to work in the classroom. Many ineffective teachers use reward stickers, incentive
gifs, infractions cards to discipline their classroom with punishments. They only waste
time, and do not solve the problem, effective teachers manage the classroom with
procedures and routines to maximise and engage learning time.
Misbehaviour such as luck of silence can occur. Some seemed to obtain virtual
silence all the time. Others obtain almost perfect silence, but pupils need regular
reminders, while others, seldom achieved any silence and pupils behaviour needed
regularly keeping in check. Craig and Dickenson (2003) pointed out that it is unreasonable
to expect total silence for extended periods. On the other hand, an effective teacher is
aware that some students might prefer to sit quietly and have low active participation in
the classroom activities, although will know how to make the student participate.

Communication Skills
Communication skills are vital for anyone who has a teaching job. Effective
teachers are always effective communicators. They communicate clearly about course
objectives, content and testing, making sure to provide a rationale for learning particular
material and adapt instruction to their student's level of knowledge and skill. Lacks of
communication mean that the students will not understand key concepts at all, or they will
do incorrectly. Effective teacher can take something that is complex and present it in a
way that can be easily absorbed by the students, and through different verbal and non-
verbal communications (Prozesky, 2000).

The Teachers´ Confidence

Teachers’ confidence pays an important role in effectiveness. Confidence to teach
subject matter influences the teaching outcomes (Bandura, 1997). If effective teachers
believe in themselves, they achieve a lot in the classroom, and students know who is in
charge, and the teacher knows what material to cover, and how to teach it.
Effective teachers are passionate about teaching and the subject. If the teachers do
not love their job, the students perceive it, influencing in their low motivation. Besides, if
they do not love the subject, therefore, how can the students are going to love it? Effective
teachers have an energy that almost makes them glow and they tackle each lesson with a
sense of challenge, rather than routine. Wolk (2001) stated that when the teacher is
passionate about learning can create an “infectious classroom environment” Besides,
Gurney (2007) pointed out that when the teachers show enthusiasm, and there is
interaction in the classroom, the work of learning process is turned into a pleasure. In
addition, teachers who are enthusiastic about their subjects and learning, motivate
students, and therefore increase achievement (Stronge et al., 2004).

Motivation for Learning

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 Motivating students make them to be more receptive and excited about the subject,
make them be aware of the value and importance of learning, and have a better attitude to
learn. Effective teachers makes the students increase their academic self-concept, their
interest in the subject and the desire to learn more, and therefore to have a high level of
achievement (NWREL, 2001). It also been stated that students see the effective teacher as
a motivational and a leader when the teacher encourages them to be responsible for their
own learning. Also when high standards and challenge tasks and a variety of strategies
such as cooperative learning (Fisher, 2003); and when relevant reinforcement and
feedback have been provided during the process, enhancing learning as a result. Humour
can be a powerful ingredient in every lesson. Effective teachers do not need to be clowns,
but it is beneficial to have good sense of humour, and been willing to share jokes with the
students to break negative-cold barriers.

Respect, Fairness and Equity

Respect, fairness and equity are identified as the prerequisite of effective teaching
in the eyes of students. Kyriacou, (1998) stated mutual respect as an essential feature of
the classroom to establish the right climate for effective teaching and learning. He also
added that respect requires the students to know that the teacher is competent, interested in
their progress and is committed. Effective teachers should avoid situations of luck of
respect among students who do not respect their peers. Fairness is so appreciated by the
students, and effective teachers respond individually to misbehaviour, rather than to the
whole class, (Stronge et al. 2004). He added that students expect to treat them equitably in
any situation, either in case of misbehaviour, assessment results, religion, ethnic
background, age, etc. and to avoid favouritism (Peart & Campbell, 1999). Therefore,
effective teacher continually demonstrate respect to their students (inside or outside the
classroom), fairness and equity regarding individual situations, age, background, ethnicity,
religion, economical status, and so forth).

Teacher Learning Development

Effective teachers have high expectations of students in terms of both their
standard of learning and their behaviour, but they also have high expectations of
themselves and their own learning development. Effective teachers constantly self-
evaluate, critique and reflect on how well they are getting through to their students, and
search for better ways of teaching, new tools, materials and methodologies especially for
those who are not achieving learning as well as others. In order to achieve some of these
skills, many British institutions of higher education require attendance at a short
introductory course on university teaching and learning, but in many systems voluntary
participation is the norm. Effective teachers are willing to promote their own learning by
investing on training and/or inviting observation and suggestions from colleagues.
Collings (1994) stated that a teacher should be in constant training-learning process, and
have capacity to reflect upon own practice. Stronge et al. (2004) stated that staff
development is vital to effective implementation, and can help teachers to learn new
strategies to be applied. They also work collaboratively with other staff members, are
willing to share their ideas, and assist other teachers with difficulties and volunteer to lead
work teams and to be mentors to new teachers, (NETI, 2009). They are informal leaders
who are not afraid of taking risk to innovate or improve education. Therefore, effective
teachers participate in creating a collaborative environment of a positive working
relationship.

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Effective Teacher -Personal Skill
Together with professional skills, effective teachers use their personal skills with
the students as these skills play an important role in students learning process,
achievement, and behaviour.

Caring
Effective teachers care about their students in order to bring the best of each one to
encourage learning. According to Gurney (2007), learning has been considered as an
emotional exercise which will allow the students to get engaged as it appeals to be
emotionally. Besides, Eisner (2002) suggests that “teaching is a caring exercise” which
takes an important role in effective learning process. Showing care includes listening to
the students, not only when they are in the classroom, but also about their particular lives
and/or personal problems. The role of the effective teachers, in this situation, is to be good
listeners, paying attention to, and showing understanding through tenderness and patience.
According to Stronge et al. (2004) students perceive effectiveness when teachers show
kindness, gentleness and encouragement. Effective teachers demonstrate genuine concern
and empathy toward students through understanding the students´ concerns and questions.
Stronge et al. (2004) stated that effective teachers listen to the students’ arguments and
help and/or indicates them how to resolve their problems, and are willing to talk about
their personal lives and experiences respecting the confidentiality issues. Therefore, there
is a more effective achievement when the teacher demonstrates that cares about the
students and knows them individually.

Knowing the Students Individually

Effective caring teachers also know the students individually and give them
individual attention and develop productive relationships with their students. They treat
their student with respect and expect the same in return, enhancing the students learning
progress. It is not enough to know the students in their formal setting (in the classroom:
their learning strategies or learning style), but also, to know them in their informal setting
(outside the classroom: likes and dislikes, background, their motivation, aptitude and
attitude to learn). These have great effect on behaviour and performance in the classroom,
and in their learning process (Cruickshank & Haefele, 2001). In addition, according to
Stronger et al. (2004) caring goes beyond listening, understanding and knowing the
students, it is also being patient, kind, warm, sensitive, human with them. It is to be
adaptable to particular students’ situations, honest, trustworthy, encouraged, and having
and showing affection and love for them. Sizer (1999) stated that students cannot be taught
well if we do not know them.

Teacher-Students Relationship
Effective teachers do not only have a teacher-student relationship in the classroom,
but also demonstrate interest in students´ lives beyond the classroom, using a wide variety
of strategies to interact with them outside the class, and the educational institution. This
also encourages students to perform their best in the classroom (Kohn, 1996). The election
on the type of social event can be easier if the teacher knows the students preferences.
Students really appreciate the teacher who attends social event with them, such as the
graduation, the end course dinner, a visit to a museum, a local event, a concert, etc.
According to Stronge et al. (2004) the social interactions between the teacher and students
encourage students leaning and achievement. Besides, this helps introvert or low self-
esteem learners to be better integrated in the group. This increases students´ participation
and motivation, which enhance a more favourable leaning environment, and challenge the

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students to succeed. Wolk, (2002) stated that a strong relationships with the students helps
to decrease discipline problems. Therefore, a teacher who spends more time interacting
socially with the students, working directly with them, and demonstrates a sense of fun
and willingness to participate, in a friendly and personal manner, is considered to be
effective. Knowing the students and having a teaching-student relationship with them
creates a warm classroom and learning environment.
Development and display of externalising behaviour problems (e.g.
disruption, non-compliance, aggression) were correlated with low quality teacher-child
relationships. In addressing teacher-pupil relationships, Alderman and Green (2011) have
identified and described four basic ‘power’ strategies that teachers can use to enhance
student relationships and classroom control. These are:
 ‘Coercive Power’, which involves the teacher’s judicious use of authority to
achieve behaviour change. It includes modes of correction, classroom points
systems and supportive interactions intended to change behaviour.
 ‘Manipulative Social Power’, in which the teacher uses subtle strategies such as
giving behaviour choices, options for task completion, self-monitoring, introducing
interesting activities to motivate, and increasing probability of success in academic
activities.
 ‘Expertness Social Power’, involves providing academic support that helps
students overcome problems that they cannot solve on their own, which is
supported by the teacher’s active listening and then identifying potential resources
or sources that will assist the student.
 ‘Likeability Social Power’, based on the teacher’s use of their own personal
characteristics such as enthusiasm, interest, humour and warmth to encourage
positive behavior in pupils. Alderman and Green set out examples of how to apply
these strategies to effect positive changes in student behavior and to enhance
teacher-pupil relationships. They note that many teachers fail to use all of these
strategies in effective ways and that some rely too heavily on coercive or
manipulative power to try to achieve behavior.

Classroom Environment
All teachers want to have positive interactions with students in a classroom where
students are motivated, engaged, and positive about learning, but not all teachers are able
to create such an environment. In fact, there is a line of research that developed a profile of
the classroom context that makes it virtually impossible to create the type of positive
learning environment just described. Mayer (2002) enumerated the variables that “appear
to contribute to punitive school environments that promote antisocial behavior”
1. an over-reliance on punitive methods of control;
2. unclear rules for student deportment;
3. lack of administrative support for staff, little staff support of one another, and a lack of
staff agreement with policies;
4. academic failure experiences;
5. students lacking critical social skills that form the basis of doing well academically and
relating positively to others, such as persistence on task, complying with requests, paying
attention, negotiating differences, handling criticism and teasing;
6. a misuse of behavior management procedures;
7. lack of student involvement;
8. lack of understanding or appropriate responding to student differences.

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 Using effective behavior management techniques is extremely important for
teachers to have successful classroom environments. In addition to managing individual
student behaviors, if a teacher is able to effectively manage the classroom, there will be
fewer behavior problems; thus, students may have a greater chance at overall academic
and social success.
Wang et al. (1997) found classroom climate to be one of the most important factors
to affect students’ achievement, although, on the contrary, it has been a strong predictor of
students’ aggression. However, having an optimal relationship with the students helps to
create a warm and safe classroom environment so that students can achieve their potential,
as they feel safe and confident to attempt new tasks and participate (Reynolds and Muijs,
1999)

2.Classroom Management
Classroom management refers to anything that would create effective student
learning in the classroom (Wong & Wong, 2005). It takes account of students and their
environment and is intended to increase student achievement by the process of planning,
student engagement, assessment, and evaluation (Tal, 2010). Classroom management also
has been seen as an example of positive behavioral support for students with discipline
issues.

Many researchers believe that classroom management is the driving force behind a
teacher’s ability to be successful in the classroom.

Classroom management is related to all of the things that teachers do to organize

students, time, and materials so that student learning can be meaningful (Wong & Wong,
2005). Classroom management is an effective teaching strategy and a key concern of
many teachers while providing important teaching approaches for students (Cothran,
Kulinna, & Garrahy, 2009).

Classroom management refers to a teacher’s ability to keep order in the classroom,

engage students in learning, and elicit student cooperation, all while balancing the menial
tasks of the classroom (Wong & Wong, 2009).
Larrivee (2005) noted that “classroom management is a critical ingredient in the
three-way mix of effective teaching strategies, which includes meaningful content,
powerful teaching strategies, and an organizational structure to support productive
learning”
Effective classroom management is necessary for all teachers and facilitators.
Classroom management involves all aspects of what is going on in the classroom while a
lesson is being taught. Not only does classroom management include how the teacher or
facilitator delivers the curriculum, but also how the students interact with the teacher and
with others in the classroom, and extends into the classroom environment in which
students learn as well.
Students cannot learn in chaos. Classroom management includes elements of
classroom discipline, but focuses more on creating a peaceful learning environment that is
comfortable, organized, engaging, and respectful for both the teacher and the students.
In education, a class is a group of students under one teacher, or pursuing a study
together. A classroom is a room in a school in which classes meet. It is a meeting place of a
group of students for instruction and learning. In the present time, management is taken as a

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serious applied social science. In that light, it is defined as the process of working with and
through individuals and groups to accomplish organizational goals. Or it is the process of
optimizing the use of four or five resources namely, persons, money, material, information and
time for achieving some predetermined goals of an organization. Based on certain general
consideration, all managers in their stations of work perform the same main functions such as
forecast, plan, organize, direct and control. Thus, be it a factory chief, military general,
housewife , school principal or a teacher , all are managing .With some added specifics skills
for educational management, a school principal does institutional management and a teacher,
classroom management( Khetarpal,2005).
In all classrooms the teacher is in charge of organizing the environment, managing the
learning process and student behavior as well as establishing the framework for a sprit of
enquiry. In the ultimate analysis, good classroom management is when ‘my students really
want to come to my class and the responsible parents are ager to send them there after
watching their day to day progress on some hard indicators’.
Seven indicators, although not exhaustive, of such structuring reveal much about the
depth in the concept of classroom management (Khetarpal, 2005). These are listed below and
described thereafter.
 Classroom climate; as a set of characteristics that describe a classroom, distinguish it
from other classrooms and influence the behavior of teachers and students in it,
relatively enduring over a period of time.
 Classroom communication; the process by which someone who has a purpose to
accomplish , say a teacher, tries to convey something to get someone else, say a
student, to act for the achievement of the purpose. Communication involves both
exchanging information and transmitting meaning.
 Classroom management of student learning to belong; which is about focusing on
culture which can help shape attitudes , dispositions , and behaviors and a strong sense
of belongingness of those in the school , all of which work in pursuit of the technical
part of school. The culture produces a strong sense of community for the school and a
feeling of belonging to that community on the part of teachers and students and
parents. Teachers creating learning experiences for their students by knowing about
their background knowledge of skills, interests outside school, cultural heritage and
special needs through various methods.
 Management of student behavior in the classroom (Discipline); refers to approaches to
managing students’ behavior till learning occur in an effective environment. Managing
discipline in the classroom is an important component of classroom management.
Learning will not meet in an environment where student behavior is out of control.
 Teaching strategies; means selecting best method for teaching once teacher become
aware of what the class needs in terms of learning experiences; teaching the whole
class, teaching groups, or individual work.
 Managing the new generation classroom; is shifting classroom management to
computer lab management. Obviously, classroom management for the new generation
will need to be different, far different.
In some other point of views classroom management is the organization of a classroom as a
learning environment; the management of student discipline, order and care; the grouping of
student for different tasks and patterns of interaction; the individualization of students learning
(Stensimo, 1995, Emmer, Everston, Clements, &Worsham, 1994, Jones and Jones, 1990 as
cited in Martin & Shoho, 2000, and Smith, 1991). The task of classroom management is also
defined as follows (Truly et al 1992).

3.Influences on Classroom Management

Behavior theorists in the 1930's through present day described frameworks for
encouraging and maintaining good behavior. These behavior theories greatly influenced,

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and are still influencing classroom management. According to Emmer and Stough (2001),
some studies have used student achievement or attitude as outcomes. But most classroom
management research today has been concerned with identifying how teachers bring about
student engagement with each other and limit the disruptions in the classroom.
The following paragraphs will summarize the work of some important behavior
theorists. These summaries will identify the influences each has made on classroom
behavior and management.

Burrhus Frederick Skinner

Behaviorist B.F. Skinner developed the idea of “operant conditioning” (Boeree,
2006, para. 9) and the use of operant conditioning can be seen in classrooms today.
Operant conditioning is defined as “the behavior is followed by a consequence, and the
nature of the consequence modifies the organism’s tendency to repeat the behavior in the
future” (Boeree, 2006, para. 9). Teachers who use behavior management techniques are
responding to, or often trying to prevent, certain individual student behaviors in the
classroom.
Burrhus Frederick Skinner's philosophies can be related to the issue of classroom
management. As a renown learning theorist in the 1930's and 1940's, Skinner (Sprinthall,
1981) emphasized his research on how the organism learns, regardless of its inherited
potential, regardless of its stage of physical or psychological development, and often
regardless of its species. Otherwise stated, he saw learning as a result of associations
formed between stimuli and actions, or impulses to act. Simple associations would
accumulate to larger groups of learned associations. Skinner felt learning resulted due to
conditioning, similar to Pavlov's dogs' being conditioned to salivate at the sound of a
specific tone.
In regards to the classroom, Skinner (Conte, 1994) stated that by rewarding students for
good behavior and ignoring or punishing wrong behavior, students would come to
understand how to behave in a classroom environment. Behaviors that were rewarded
would be repeated; those that were not would be avoided, and thus, a well-behaved class
would result. This step-by-step conditioning process helped Skinner (Sprinthall, 1981)
develop and test his first "teaching machine" in the 1950s. The teaching machine was a
form of programmed instruction. At first, it was seen as a threat to teachers and their jobs.
Reassuring the educators, Skinner announced that his programmed instruction was a
learning aid, not a substitute for a human teacher. He also reassured educators that the
children trained with the device would not become mechanized little robots, but would
more likely be able to reach their intellectual potential.
Later, Skinner was credited with creating a revolution in the technology of
education. Skinner's research of reinforcing stimuli also led him to the development of
behavior-modification techniques in the classroom. Behavior modification involved
training teachers to wait for their students to emit appropriate responses and then to
reinforce those responses quickly and consistently. This idea of behavior modification
would again, revolutionize technology in education.
Behavior modification refers to the overall procedure of shaping student behavior
intentionally through reinforcement. This procedure still comprises a major part of many
teachers’ discipline systems, particularly at the primary grade level. Constant
reinforcement provided every time a student performs a desired act helps new learning to
become established. For instance, the teacher might praise Jonathan every time he raises
his hand, or privately compliment. Mary every time she submits the homework.
Intermittent reinforcement, in which rewards are supplied only occasionally, is sufficient
to maintain desired behavior once it has become established. After students have learned

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to come into the room and get immediately to work, the teacher will only occasionally
need to express appreciation. Behaviors that are not reinforced soon disappear or, as
Skinner said, become extinguished. For example, if Roberto raises his hand in class but is
never called on, he will sooner or later stop raising his hand. Successive approximation
refers to a behavior-shaping progression in which behavior come closer and closer o a
preset goal. This process is evident when skills are being built. Here students are rewarded
regularly for improvement. Punishment often has negative effects in behavior modification
and hence is not used in the classroom. Skinner believed punishment could not extinguish
inappropriate behavior.

William Glasser
In the 1950's, Glasser's Reality Therapy (Emmer and Stough, 2001) stressed the
use of choice as the cause of behavior, good or bad, and thus instructed teachers to direct
students towards making value judgments about their behavior. By making value
judgements, students would come to realize the importance of "good" choices in behavior
and continued to make them again in the future. Therefore, students were taught the
difference between a "good judgement", and a "bad judgement". Students are taught
"right" from "wrong" at a very young age. Parents model this behavior for their children
on a daily basis. They make value judgements by making "good choices" and "bad
choices". In today's classrooms, rewards are given for "good choices" and consequences
are given for "bad choices". This process too, is to promote good behavior and diminish
bad behavior in the classroom.
Glasser’s earlier view was that teachers should do the following:
 Stress student responsibility in making good choices (you live with the choices you
make).
 Establish class rules that lead to success.
 Accept no excuses.
 Call for value judgments.
 Suggest suitable alternatives to an inappropriate behavior.
 Invoke reasonable consequences following student behavior.
 Be persistent.
 Continually review the discipline system.

Students should take responsibility for their own behavior and be held accountable for
it. Since learning to be responsible is not a natural process, individuals need to be taught to
be responsible from loving and disciplining parents and/or significant others(teachers). In
order for the latter to occur, teachers need to be more of a lead manager than a boss
manager. In other words, teachers should try the following:
 Lead instead of drive students.
 Depend on cooperation instead of authority.
 Think “we” instead of “I”/ “they”.
 Instill confidence instead of fear.
 Fix problems not blame.
 Accept high quality work instead of poor/mediocre work.
 Is concerned about needs of students instead of only curriculum.
 Set friendly atmosphere instead of adversarial atmosphere.
 Constantly search for better ways to do things instead of use coercion.
 Is courteous, clam and consistent instead of abrupt and impersonal with people.
 Show interest in personal lives of others instead of not wanting to get involved.

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Jacob Kounin
Jacob Kounin was an educational psychologist and classroom management
theorist, and was most popular for his work on classroom management in the 1970’s.
Kounin based his work on the theory of Glasser (Kounin, 1977).
Kounin noted several important teacher behaviors that dramatically impact the
occurrence of misbehavior in students. One of the most important was the evidence of
teacher planning and organization (Kounin, 1997). Kounin was also one of the first
theorists to research and approve of preventative discipline—the use of techniques and
strategies designed to prevent discipline problems (1997). After years of research, Kounin
used five terms to denote actions of teachers that made a vast difference in preventing
student behavior. These included: withitness—a teacher’s ability to know what is going on
in the classroom at all times; overlapping—a teacher’s ability to multitask; momentum—a
teacher’s ability to keep the lesson going smoothly; group alerting— a teacher’s ability to
keep all students engaged and actively involved; and smoothness—a teacher’s ability to
transition smoothly from one activity to another (Kounin, 1977
Jacob Kounin and his colleagues engaged in substantial classroom management
research during the 1970s. His work focused on determining whether specific behavior
settings and environmental conditions influenced behavior. He also identified a set of
teacher behaviors and lesson characteristics, including, withitness, smoothness,
momentum, overlapping and group alerting.
Withitness- the teacher knows what is going on in the classroom at all times. Seemingly,
the teacher has eyes in the back of his/her head. This is not only when the teacher is in a
small group setting, but when he/she is presenting a topic or students are working as
individuals. It can be as simple as looking around the room frequently or making sure
his/her back is never turned to the class. It is not necessary to know what the teacher
knows is going on- it is what the students believe he/she knows.
Overlapping- Overlapping is the ability to attend to multiple things at the same time. This
might include giving a lecture to open a new topic, while at the sae time patrolling the
room and preventing student misbehaviors and also handling any notes being delivered
from the office. This is closely related to withitness, and Kounin felt one without the other
would reduce effectiveness.
Momentum- momentum is the flow of a lesson. Not only does the teacher need to know
what is going to happen next, but needs to be prepared for unexpected changes.
Smoothness- smoothness is maintaining direction in the lesson and not losing focus, going
on tangents, or being diverted by irrelevant information or incidents. The teacher must
accomplishes by letting students know what is going to happen in class on that day and
sticking to it the task. The teachers must transition from one learning activity to another
without a lot of disruption. This includes “flip flops”, where a teacher may close one
subject and begin another and then jump back to the previous subject again. He must also
avoid “dangles” where he is interrupted, leave the topic unfinished and then return to it at
a later point. Avoiding Truncation where the teacher is interrupted and leaves the topic and
fails to return to it is good.
Group Focus- The whole class is involved in the lesson. To make the class interesting for
the students who are unable to find other things that interest them more is the another
strategy the teacher make students accountable for their misbehaviors without disrupting
the entire class.
These characteristics would describe a teacher who knew what was going on at all
times in the classroom and was able to deal with more than one issue or problem at a time.
Good classroom management would then facilitate student learning, by allowing teachers

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to accomplish other important instructional duties. Kounin (Conte, 1994) thought teachers
who could be that "aware" would be better managers of children in the classroom.
According to Emmer and Stough (2001), Kounin also became interested in a rather
contemporary issue of the time. He questioned whether managerial behaviors that work for
regular education students have the same effects on students identified as emotionally
disturbed in the same classrooms. His answer was "yes," at least in whole class behavior
settings in regular education classrooms. This research was an early indication that
inclusion of children with disabilities within the classroom was the right approach.
Kounin also coined a term, the Ripple effect. “Ripple Effect,” with the
understanding that one student’s behavior can influence, either positively or negatively,
the conduct of the other students in the classroom; thus a teacher must be proficient in
both managing the whole class, as well as individual students (Kounin, 1970).
He believed that how a teacher handled one student’s misbehavior influences the
other students who were not misbehaving.
Kounin's work then focused on management research shifting from reactive
strategies to preventive strategies and from teacher personality to environmental and
strategic components of management. His work highlighted the influence of classroom
activities as a source of important variations in student and teacher behavior. With this
wide range of theories, Kounin's research of classroom management helped to identify
many of the issues teachers are still facing in today's classrooms.

Abraham H. Maslow
Maslow's research on hierarchy of needs has also influenced effective classroom
management. Helping students meet their own needs is of the utmost importance to
enhance student learning opportunities and to maintain teacher longevity in the classroom.
Maslow (as cited in Sprinthall, 1981, p. 327) an important psychologist in the area of
motivation theory, has suggested that there is a definite order in which individuals attempt
to satisfy their needs. Maslow had declared there is an "order-of-importance" that is
universal among all humans. Until these needs are met, the individual will not be
concerned with the needs of the next level of importance. In other words, basic survival
needs override other needs in this hierarchy. Herbert Grossman (Gordon, 2001) recaps
students' basic needs and the order which those needs must be met to produce well
balanced members of society. The following is a summary of Grossman's basis for student
need using Maslow's Need Hierarchy:
 physiological satisfaction: taking care of hunger, thirst, and rest
 safety: avoiding injury, physical attack, pain, extreme temperatures, disease, and
psychological abuse
 nurture: receiving love and acceptance from others and having a feeling of
belonging to a group
 a sense of personal value: experiencing self-esteem, self-confidence, and a sense of
purpose and empowerment
 self-actualization: realizing one's full potential

The theory of hierarchy of need, can be related to the school setting. According to
Gordon (2001) school staff members may attend to basic physiological needs on a
daily basis by providing breakfasts and lunches for needy students and, in some cases,
making home visits to teach parents how to provide for their children's needs. Until these
physiological needs like food are met, basic functioning in the learning environment is
very difficult, maybe even impossible.

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 Although meeting the second category of needs-those regarding safety issues may
lie outside of the teacher's direct influence when students are at home or away from
school, some of these needs can be addressed in the classroom. Good classroom
management can help to ensure protection of students from physical attacks by other
students, dangerous environmental conditions such as playing around electrical equipment,
and from psychological abuse from peers or adults.
Gordon (2001) believes the teacher has the opportunity to create a learning
environment that is kind and respectful in order to meet the nurturing need. Students will
be better able to reciprocate genuine loving, caring behaviors toward other people if the
demonstration of affection is modeled for them in the classroom.
The fourth category of needs that Gordon (2001) states surrounds self-esteem, self-
confidence, a sense of purpose, and empowerment that will directly relate to love and
acceptance. If a student feels cared for and can express those emotions and behaviors, the
student will continue to build self-esteem and confidence. The need of self actualization
can be fulfilled when the more basic needs have been met.
All of these theories are an intricate part of the history of classroom management
research. Together the theories help build a foundation upon which we can continue to
build our research on classroom management, inclusion of disabled students, reactive and
preventative responses, and making value judgements.

 Other Influences on Classroom Management

Within the last seven decades, classroom management theories have held the
philosophy of promoting a productive learning environment. Why then, is there still a need
for management strategies? The world of education has drastically changed from what
many of the behavior theorists had been exposed to and upon which they based their
research. Today, more than ever, efficient management systems are needed to establish
and maintain a positive, learning environment for students.
Curwin and Mendler (as cited in Gordon, 2001, p. 3) presented a list of global
causes of misbehavior that describe the specific roots of classroom deterioration. They are
as follows:
 violence in society
 massive media coverage of overt and covert messages regarding "sex, violence,
and death"
 a throw-away societal mentality focused on individual indulgence and subsequent
escape from family commitment
 unstable home situations
 a wide range of temperaments among children

Students have an overwhelming amount of social and cultural demands placed

upon them. This in most cases has made education less of a priority. Students coming from
unstable or abusive homes suffer feelings of powerlessness. They have nowhere to turn in
their chaotic life. According to Brownlee (1996) very few children who are mistreated or
abused receive the kind of help that can reverse the underlying physiological changes they
suffer. Social and peer pressures misguide children who are driven to seek comfort and
understanding from social groups and cultural gangs. School aged children lack
appropriate outlets for expressing negative and sometimes destructive feelings and
emotions. In other words, children arrive at school each day bringing much more than
their homework and sack lunch. They also bring with them all the insecurities, fears, and
bottled emotions that are a part of their everyday lives.

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4.Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques

Classroom strategies, integrated throughout the school day, are based upon the
following themes:
 Prevention: Classroom discipline problems are prevented before they begin.
Teachers use strategies such as recognizing students for doing the right thing
providing pencils with students who come to class without them, and using the
conflict resolution process to solve student-to-student issues. Teachers also
motivate good behavior through the use of positive praise.
 Organization: The learning environment is organized to prevent off-task behavior
and to encourage students’ management of their own behavior. This includes
organizing space, time, materials and supplies, and routines, and the posting of
daily learning expectations.
 Caring: The classroom climate reflects a caring learning environment. Teachers
use active questioning strategies to ensure that all students are engaged and have an
equal opportunity to respond.
 Cooperation: school staff, teachers, and students work together to achieve an
orderly environment in which to work and actively learn. Teachers use cooperative
learning strategies to foster team participation and responsibility for each student’s
success.
There are eleven techniques that teachers can use in their classroom that help them
achieve effective management and control. These techniques are adapted from Thomas R.
Mc Daniel (1986)’s article called: “A Primer on Classroom Discipline”. These are
 Focusing. Be sure teachers have the attention of everyone in their classroom before
they start their lesson. Don’t attempt to teach over the chatter of students who are
not paying attention. The focusing technique means that teachers will demand
students’ attention before they begin. Those teachers know that silence on their
part is very effective.
 Direct instruction. Uncertainly increases the level of excitement in the classroom.
The technique of direct instruction is to begin each class by telling the students
exactly what will be happening. The teacher outlines what he and the students will
be doing this period. He may set time limits for some tasks.
 Monitoring. The key to this principle is to circulate. Get up and get around the
room. While students are working, make the rounds. Check on their progress. An
effective teacher will make a pass through the whole room about two minutes after
the students have started a written assignment.
 Modeling. Teachers who are courteous, prompt, enthusiastic, in control, patient,
and organized provide examples for their students through their own behavior. The
“do as I say, not as I do” teachers send mixed messages that confuse students and
invite misbehavior. If teachers want students to use quiet voice as the teachers
move through the room helping youngsters.
 Non-Verbal Cuing. Non-verbal cues can be facial expressions, body posture, and
hand signals. Care should be given in choosing the types of cues teachers use in the
classroom. Take time to explain what teachers want teachers want the students to
do when teachers use their cues.
 Environmental Control. A classroom can be a warm cheery place. Students enjoy
an environment that changes periodically. Study centers with pictures and colors
invite enthusiasm for the subject.

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 Low- Profile Intervention. Most students are sent to principal’s office as a result of
confrontational escalation. The teacher has called them on a lesser offense, but in
the moments that follow, the student and the teacher are swept up in a verbal
maelstrom. Much of this can be avoided when the teacher’s intervention is quiet
and calm. An effective teacher will take care that the student is not rewarded for
misbehavior by becoming the focus of attention. The teacher monitors the activity
in the classroom, moving around the room. The teacher anticipates problems
before they occur. The teacher’s approach to a misbehaving student is
inconspicuous. Others in the class are not distracted.
 Assertive discipline. This is traditional limit setting authoritarianism. When
executed it includes a good mix of praise. This is high profile discipline. The
teacher is the boss and no child has the right to interfere with the learning of any
student. Clear rules are laid out and consistently enforced.
 Assertive I-Messages. Components of Assertive Discipline, I-Messages are
statements that the teacher uses when confronting a student who is misbehaving.
They are intended to be clear descriptions of what the student is supposed to do.
The teacher who makes good use of this technique will focus the child’s attention
first and foremost on the behavior he wants, not on the misbehavior. (“I want you
to …..” or “I need you to …..”)
 Humanistic I-Messages. These I-messages are expressions of the teachers’
feelings. Thomas Gordon, the creator of Teacher Effectiveness Training (TEL),
divides these messages into three parts. First, a description of the child’s behavior
is stated as “When you talk while I talk….” Second, the effect this behavior has on
the teacher is described as “I have to stop my teaching….” And third, the feeling
that generates in the teacher is mentioned. For example “….which frustrates me.”
A teacher, distracted by a student who was constantly talking while tried to teach,
once made this powerful expression of feelings: “ I cannot imagine what I have
done to you that I do not deserve the respect from upon that I get from the others in
this class. If I have been rude to you or inconsiderate in any way, please let me
know. I feel as though I have somehow offended you and now you are unwilling to
show me respect.” The student would not talk during his lectures again for many
weeks.
 Positive Discipline. The teacher should use classroom rules that describe the
behaviors he wants instead of listing things the students cannot do. Instead of “no-
running in the room,” use “move through the building in an orderly manner.” He
has to refer to the rules as expectations. He must let students know this is how
teacher expect them to behave in the classroom.
Stage and Quiroz (1997, as cited in Marzano and Marzano, 2003) stated that
teachers build effective relationships with students in the classroom through such
strategies as:
 Using a wide variety of verbal and physical reaction to students’ misbehavior, such
as moving closer to offending students and using a physical cue, such as a finger to
the lips, to point out the inappropriate behavior.
 Cuing the class about expected behaviors through prearranged signals, such as
raising a hand to indicate that all students should take their seats.
 Providing tangible recognition of appropriate behavior –with tokens or chits, for
example.
 Employing group contingency policies that hold the entire group responsible for
behavioral expectations.

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  Employing home contingency techniques that involve rewards and sanctions at
home.
The results of classroom management are reduced discipline problems, increased self
responsibility, improved attendance, increased focus on learning and create learning
community.

 Guidelines for Class-wide strategies

• Create a classroom management plan - Although creating a classroom management plan
is a short activity it is crucial in establishing how the classroom with function. As
mentioned above, the classroom management plan should be posted during every lesson,
reviewed often, and referred to when challenging behaviors arise.
• Understand the power of day 1 – Day 1 is the first day you are in the classroom with the
students. Day 1 is the most important day you will spend with students because you set the
tone for the classroom and the rules and class norms are established. Work to create a
classroom that is warm, inviting, and inclusive. Show enthusiasm for the lessons you are
teaching and show students you are excited about being able to spend time with them. We
want students to leave the classroom after Day 1 and look forward to the next lesson and
the time they will spend in the classroom while you are facilitating.
• Access a seating chart ahead of time – Young people want to be addressed by name. If at
all possible access a seating chart ahead of time so you can make name tents for each
student to grab on their way into class and take to their desks or arrange with the
classroom teacher a time before your lesson starts for students to create their own name
tents on a piece of paper. These name tents should be used each time you have class and
will not only assist in you learning the students names, but will eliminate the need to
reference a seating chart and take time and attention away from the students. The simple
act of looking down at a seating chart and searching for a student’s name is plenty of time
for students to start to disengage.
• Greet students as they enter the classroom – Even in the beginning when you aren’t
certain of student’s names, it is important for students to feel a sense of belonging and to
know you are excited about being at school and are happy they are a part of the class.
Simple phrases like, “I am glad you are here today” or “welcome to class” can help
students feel connected and engaged. Also, to show students you enjoyed your time with
them and look forward to seeing them again, always say good bye and reference when you
will see them again for the next lesson.
• Create an agenda for each day – Start each lesson on time and quickly review what is
listed on the agenda for the lesson. Check off agenda items as they are completed to build
on a sense of accomplishment and to help students know what is coming up next. This
helps students understand there is a routine followed during your class time and a
predictability of what is coming up next.
• Be genuine and sincere with praise – While praise is very important and is often times a
great prompt to the class acknowledging appropriate behavior, empty praise or praising for
small tasks or less than adequate work can actually cause students to disengage and lose
interest in your feedback. Be thoughtful in what you say to students and work to find ways
to offer genuine praise and feedback. Always try to focus genuine praise on the work and
behavior of a student and not the student themselves.

Effective teaching and positively functioning classrooms with low levels of

disruptive behavior require planning and consistency. Factors which have been found to
contribute to these outcomes identified in a literature review by Kern and Clemens (2007)
are:

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• Clear, simple rules and expectations which are consistently and fairly applied.
• Predictability of events and activities through establishing routines, information, cues
and signals about forthcoming transitions and changes, as well as for content, duration,
and consequences for activities.
• Frequent use of praise, both verbal and non-verbal. Teacher praise has demonstrated
effects on both those earning it and those nearby. Verbal praise should be specific and
descriptive. Teachers should try to provide a child with at least four praise statements for
every reprimand.
• Because disruptive behaviour is often associated with learning deficits, task difficulty
needs to be monitored. All students need to have the required entry skills and ability to
successfully engage in assigned activities. Participation and learning can only follow
successful access to the curriculum and encouragement to sustain activity.
• Opportunities to respond and participate in the classroom activities, to use the materials
and to respond to requests must be inclusive of all children in the class.

 Classroom Strategies
Strategies to increase the engagement of all students include having everyone write
answers to some teacher questions rather than just seeking one correct response.
• Seating arrangements: For older students (10 years and above) seating in rows works
better than group seating.
• Effective instructions and commands need to be preceded by getting the pupils’
attention, and then presented clearly one at a time as “do’s”, in a firm (not angry) voice,
with time to comply and praise for compliance. Precise, specific, direct and paced (one-at-
atime) instructions delivered in a calm and quiet voice, followed by praise for compliance
have been found most effective.
• Sequencing of activities, so that easy and brief tasks are interspersed with longer and
more demanding ones, enhances engagement and learning as well as reducing disruption.
Preceding difficult activities with a few simple ones has been found to enhance transition
to a new activity as has scheduling active learning after breaks before moving on to more
passive activities so that children have time to adapt to quieter routines.
• Pace of instruction is best if it is brisk. This can be achieved by increasing the rate of
instruction or decreasing the pauses between student response and the presentation of the
next task. Increased pace needs to be managed so that students do not lose opportunities to
respond and access reinforcement.
• Choice and access to preferred activities increases engagement and reduces problem
behaviour. Using children’s own special interests as the basis for activities can
significantly increase engagement.

5.Classroom arrangement strategies

 Classroom Arrangement
As Fred Jones, a noted classroom management expert, explains: “A good
classroom seating arrangement is the cheapest form of classroom management. It’s
discipline for free.” Many experienced teachers recommend assigned seating for students
to facilitate discipline and instruction. They argue that students left to their own devices
will always choose a seat that places the teacher at the greatest disadvantage. Best
practices suggest a few common-sense rules to guide classroom arrangements.
• Students should be seated where their attention is directed toward the teacher.
• High traffic areas should be free from congestion.
• Students should be able to clearly see chalk board, screens, and teacher.
• Students should be seated facing the front of the room and away from the windows.

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• Classroom arrangements should be flexible to accommodate a variety of teaching
activities.

 Classroom Management Plan

A classroom management plan is where clear rules are set, class norms are
developed, expectations are stated, and consequences are defined. The classroom
management plan does not have to be lengthy, complex, or intricate. A simple set of rules
or class norms and consequences hand-written on a piece of flip chart paper is all you need
to create your plan. The classroom management plan, also referred to as a classroom
management contract, is a contract you create with your students focusing on providing
for their needs in the classroom and a commitment to help students learn without
interference and disturbances. Once the classroom rules or norms are developed, the
contract is presented to the class and is the document that defines the classroom norms.
The contract should be followed at all times and requires teachers and facilitators to hold
students and themselves accountable at all times.
Some important points to keep in mind when creating a classroom management plan or
classroom management contract with students:
• Involve students in all aspects of creating the classroom management plan.
• Create no more than five rules or class norms –
Keep things as simple as possible. If you create too many rules students will feel
overwhelmed by the classroom management plan. Look for rules that cover behaviors that
could interfere with the learning and engagement of your students. Creating a classroom
management plan should be a short, rather quick activity meant to set the tone for the rest
of your time together. Always state rules or classroom norms positively and be as brief
and to the point as possible. Rules that work well in most situations would be:
1. Respect yourself, your classmates, and your teachers.
2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat.
3. Keep your hands, feet, and materials to yourself.
4. Listen, follow directions, and ask questions when needed.
5. Be positive.
Much research on classroom management has focused on student participation in
establishing codes of conduct. It suggests that students should actively participate in the
creation of guidelines governing classroom behavior. This belief suggests that students
will support rules they establish. Best practices recommend minimizing the number of
rules. Children have a tendency to recommend a laundry list of rules. Teachers, however,
should provide limited structural input so that rules are direct, clear, and consistent, and
encourage positive behavior. In addition, teachers must make sure that rules are designed
to support a concept of consequences for inappropriate behavior rather than punishment.

 Preventing Disruptions

Effectively managed classrooms are orderly (relatively speaking), with a minimum

of student misbehavior and reasonable levels of time on task. Effective classroom
managers are more skilled at preventing disruptions from occurring in the first place,
according to J. S. Kounin (1970). Kounin identified specific approaches to keep students
focused on learning and reduce the likelihood of classroom disruption. These included:

• “Withitness.” - Communicating awareness of student behavior

- Communicating that you know what the students are doing and what
is going on in the classroom.

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• Overlapping. - Doing more than one thing at once
-Attending to different events simultaneously, without being totally
diverted by a disruption or other activity.
• Smoothness and Momentum in lessons.
- Moving in and out of activities smoothly with appropriately paced and
sequenced instruction;
- Maintaining a brisk pace and giving continuous activity signals or cues
(such as standing near inattentive students or directing questions to
potentially disruptive students).
• Group alerting. -Keeping all students attentive in a whole-group focus
-Involving all the children in recitation tasks and keeping all students
“alerted” to the task at hand.
• Stimulating seatwork.- Providing seatwork activities that offer variety and challenge

6.Student Misbehavior
Thomas Gordon, renowned psychologist and author of T.E.T.. Teacher
Effectiveness Training (1987) and Discipline That Works (1989), defines misbehavior as
“an adult concept in which a specific action of the child is seen as producing an
undesirable consequence for the adult”. To paraphrase Gordon, we might say that
misbehavior is anything students do that teachers don’t like.

Linda albert, author of A Teacher’s Guide to Cooperative Discipline (2003),

defines misbehavior as inappropriate acts associated with students’ pursuit of mistaken
goals, which are attention seeking ( “Look at me” ), power seeking (“Yor can’t make
me”), revenge seeking (“I’ll get even”), or withdrawal (dropping out). Such misbehavior
appears when students fail to achieve their prime goal of acceptance in the classroom.
Albert bases her definition on work done earlier by psychiatrist and child development
expert Rudolf Dreikurs (with P. Cassell, 1995).

Spencer Kagan, psychologist and author of Win-Win Discipline (with P. Kyle and
S. Scott, 2004), describes misbehavior as disruptions that can be categorized into four
types_ aggression, breking rules, confrontations, and disengagement (ABCD). These
disruptions, he says, almost always spring from one of seven student positions_ attention
seeking, avoiding failure, angry, control seeking, energetic, bored, or uninformed.

William Glasser (1998), psychiatrist and prolific writer and consultant in teaching,
curriculum, and discipline, defines misbehavior as unacceptable acts students perform in
an attempt to meet one or more of five prime needs_ safety, love and belonging, fun,
freedom, and power. He believes misbehavior is minimized to the extent students are able
to satisfy those needs in the classroom.

C. M. Charles (2008) describes misbehavior as any action that, through intent or

thoughtlessness, interferes with teaching or learning, threatens or intimidates others, or
oversteps society’s standards of moral, ethical, or legal behavior.

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  Types of Misbehavior

Thirteen types of misbehavior are likely to occur in your classes_ some frequently,
some rarely. It is often helpful to talk with your class most often. This helps students
understand the undesirable effects of such behavior and encourages the class to think of
ways in which self-defeating behaviors can be avoided. The thirteen types are as follows:

1. Inattention_ daydreaming, doodling, looking out the window, thinking about things
irrelevant to the lesson.
2. Apathy_ a general disinclination to participate, as demonstrated by sulking, not
caring, being afraid of failure, not wanting to try or do well
3. Needless talk_ chatting during instructional time about matters unrelated to the
lesson
4. Moving about the room_ getting up and moving around without permission,
congregating in parts of the room.
5. Annoying others_ provoking, teasing, picking at, calling names
6. Disruption_ shouting out during instruction, talking and lauhing inappropriately,
having confrontations with others, casing “accidents”.
7. Lying_ falsifying to avoid accepting responsibility or admitting wrongdoing or to
get others in trouble.
8. Stealing_ taking things that beong to others
9. Cheating_ making false representations or wrongly taking advantage of others for
personal benefit.
10. Sexual harassment _making others uncomfortable through touching, sex-related
language, or sexual innuendo
11. Aggression and fighting _ showing hostility toward others, hreatening them,
shoving, pinching, wrestling, hitting, bullying.
12. Malicious mischief _ doing intentional damage to school property or the
belongings of others.
13. Defiance of authority_ talking back to the teacher, hostilely reusing to do as the
teacher requests.

Classroom misbehavior among secondary school students is any activity that

interferes with teaching and learning. Activities such as unpreparedness for class, talking
in class, fighting, cheating, rudeness to teachers, and so on might disrupt the process of
teaching and learning (Slavin, 2001; Hussain, 2005). Misbehaviors is also any activity that
hinders the misbehaving students to learn. Misbehavior can arise because students feel
frustrated and bored in schools. Another reason why students misbehave is because they
want teachers’ attention. A lot of problems which teachers must deal with are minor
disruptions in the classroom. In dealing with classroom problems, it is best to correct
behaviors by using the simplest intervention. Thus, it is expected that if the teacher takes
cognizance of the unruly behavior of the students and applies the appropriate class control
method, punishment or sanctions, the students will derive maximum advantage from the
classroom learning. However, in order that the teacher may be able to effectively manage

21
his/her classroom, he/she needs to have sufficient and more importantly confidence and
develop abilities in classroom management (Cartledge & Johnson, 1996).

 Children Behave Inappropriately for a Reason

When teachers seek to understand why some children behave inappropriately, they
should begin their inquiry with a consideration of practical factors:
 Is the child hungry, bored, or tired?
 What does the child seek to gain from the behavior?
 Does this child have particular disabilities? What might this mean?
 Are the behaviors predictable?
The first consideration may be addressed rather easily. A hungry child should be
given a snack. This should not be viewed as an interruption, but rather seen as an easy way
to address the student’s needs with minimal interruption. A teacher might have a supply of
nutritional snacks in the classroom and begin the morning by simply asking students, “Has
everyone had something to eat?”
If student restlessness or inattentiveness always occurs around the same time, first
rule out hunger as the cause for disruptive behavior. If the same one or two students cause
the disruption and hunger has been ruled out as a factor, then the teacher might determine
whether the disruption occurs at times when students are focused on a particular subject.
The disruption may be an attempt to communicate to the teacher that these students have
not understood the directions or that the assignment presents problems for them and
teacher assistance is required. Perhaps further clarification is required.
Do not assume that because the rest of the students understand the directives and
are working quietly that all students do. Provide students additional help when their
behavior asks you for it! You’d be surprised to know the number of students who simply
struggle with the instructions even though you think you explained them adequately.
Making sure that all students understand what they have been asked to do should be
considered an ounce of disruption prevention.

 Moving from Inappropriate to Appropriate Behavior

Anderson and Prawat (1983) and others have noted that many students simply do
not perceive a connection between their level of effort and the academic or behavioral
outcomes they experience. These students have what psychologists call an “external locus
of control,” and do not believe in their own ability to influence events. Researchers have
observed behavioral improvements in settings where students are taught to attribute their
success or failure to their personal effort. In these situations, students have learned to:
(1) check their own behavior and judge itsappropriateness;
(2) talk themselves through a task, using detailed, step-by-step instructions; and
(3) learn and apply problem-solving steps when confronting classroom issues.

Brophy (1983), Gottfredson (1986) and others have also noted that the use of
cooperative learning structures can increase student task engagement, acquaint students
with the benefits of working together, and ease the tensions that sometimes arise among
racial/ethnic groups—all of which are related to reductions in the incidence of
misbehavior.
The work of other researchers (e.g., Ornstein & Levine 1981) has also revealed
that it is beneficial for teachers to use humor to hold student interest and reduce classroom

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tensions. Removing distracting materials, such as athletic equipment or art materials, may
also be effective, especially when implemented in the beginning of the year. Children can
learn how to modify their behavior through active planning and negotiating contracts with
their teacher. Also, teaching prosocial skills, such as self-awareness and cooperation, will
often lead to improved behavior.

 Prevention of student misbehavior

Prevention through classroom management typically focuses on developing
appropriate student behaviors, accelerating classroom learning, and decreasing
inappropriate behaviors. Features of positive classroom management include:
• Clearly communicated expectations for student behavior. Teachers define
acceptable behaviors in a concrete manner. Acceptable and desired behaviors are within
reach for the students.
• Ongoing positive and corrective feedback. Teachers tell students what they are
doing correctly and praise them for appropriate behavior. In addition, teachers redirect
inappropriate behavior before more intensive interventions become necessary (Montague,
Bergeron, & Lago-Delello, 1997).
• Fair and consistent treatment of students. Rules, consequences, and
enforcement procedures are clearly defined and articulated to all students (Henderson,
1997). There are no surprises; students know what is expected and what will happen if
they deviate from the established system. The posted rules and mild consequences are fair
and applied consistently to all students.
An important element of positive behavior management is teaching students to
monitor their own behaviors. Self-monitoring provides students with a strategy for
observing their own behavior, recording it, and evaluating how they did. Typically, self-
monitoring strategies consist of teacher cues, a student checklist of appropriate behaviors,
and systematic reinforcement for progress. Self-monitoring helps students internalize their
behavior and provides a visual reminder of what is expected of them.
An increase in academic engagement, in seat behavior, and in positive student
interaction— what administrator would not want a strategy that delivered these results?
The Behavior Prevention Program works with educators to develop classroom
management systems that focus on helping students develop these and other positive
behaviors. In the Behavior Prevention Program approach, teachers identify their
expectations and teach the appropriate behaviors directly. Key instructional strategies
include modeling, providing practice, rewarding good behavior, and having students self-
monitor their progress. Teachers find that this approach increases their use of praise and
reinforcement of proactive skills — a powerful strategy in teaching students how to
behave.

 Responding to Challenging Behavior

With the exception of encountering a student who is extremely belligerent or
disruptive, most disruptions in the classroom will be mild and just disruptive enough to
slow the lesson.
Proactive class-wide strategies alone are rarely sufficient in dealing with all
classroom behaviors. While the classroom teacher may know a little more about a
student’s situation, we typically come into the classroom as a guest and will not know or
be aware of each student’s skills or academic challenges. The classroom teacher will likely
handle any major challenging behaviors from students, but often times the disruptive
behavior can happen while we are facilitating a lesson, so being prepared and having some
strategies to deal with challenging behavior can help us more effectively manage the

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classroom and keep the lesson on-track. Some common challenging behaviors in
classrooms range from students wanting to dominate discussions, students who call out
answers or don’t wait to be called on, to the students who hum, click pens, and can’t sit
still. We might also encounter a student who asks too many questions, wants to know
personal information about us, or who wants to debate any information presented. While
all of these behaviors would be considered low level distractions or disruptions, we know
they can have a high impact on the classroom learning environment. Along with
implementing class-wide strategies, facilitators can implement any of the strategies below
to help deal with disruptive students and challenging behaviors.
 Use proximity to stop disruptive behavior – Place yourself in close proximity to
the student and conduct a few minutes of the lesson standing by them. You don’t
need to be overly obvious about moving toward the student, but many times having
you near will subdue the disruptive behavior.
 Stop and wait – On occasion you might need to simply stop the lesson, pause,
make eye contact with the student and wait for the student to quiet down and focus.
This can also cue the classroom teacher in on which student is being disruptive or
that their assistance may be needed.
 Location, location, location – While many teachers have created elaborate seating
charts to keep certain students away from each other or in the front of the room, if
where the student is seated is causing some of the disruptive behavior, it might be
worth consulting the classroom teacher about having the student moved to another
seat. Often behaviors are not as disruptive to you or the class if the student can be
seated in the back of the classroom and close to the classroom teacher. If you have
an extremely disruptive student you might want to consider putting them in a seat
closest to the classroom teacher’s desk.
 Use your voice – Students often match the volume of the teacher’s voice in the
classroom. If you want to gain a student’s attention or the attention of the class,
instead of increasing the volume of your voice try decreasing your volume. It’s not
productive and effective to try and talk over a student or the side conversations of
students. Silence can be very effective and sometimes it is very appropriate so
students have to focus and really listen to hear you.
 Stay cool – Remember to stay calm and keep your composure when presented with
challenging behaviors. You don’t need to accept or tolerate the behavior, but you
will lose credibility if you lower yourself to his/her level.

It is important to stay professional at all times and even when students are
disruptive it is important to reach out to the classroom teacher for assistance, but to refrain
from sharing frustrations, venting, and complaining.
If you encounter a student who was consistently disruptive during class you can use the
following steps to try and work with the student to correct behavior:
1. Speak with the student after class. Never try to engage in a conversation about
behavior during class or while other students are able to hear the conversation. Be
as private as you can with the conversation, but have the discussion out in the open
where other people are around, but not included in your conversation.
2. Speak only for yourself and don’t speak for the classroom teacher or the other
students in the class. Make the conversation very centered on just you and the
student.
3. Try to understand and see things from the student’s point of view.
4. Help the student understand your point of view, but understand many adolescents
are not able to see beyond that moment or understand how their behavior can affect

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 5. While it is important to state what the disruptive behavior was, focus more on
finding a solution so next class period the student knows how to handle the
situation and knows what the expectation for behavior is.
6. In the end you want the discussion with the student to be short, focused, and
solution orientated.
Lastly, persistent disruption by a student may ultimately mean the classroom
teacher will have to remove the student from the room. While we value having each
student in the classroom, at some point we must prioritize the needs of the class as a
whole.

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