“We don’t get to decide whether we have challenging students in our classes, but we can certainly decide how we respond to them.”
Do these wise words by Carol Ann Tomlinson sound like something you need to hear right now?
Success without setbacks is impossible. When you first stepped out into the world of education, you may have been warned about managing challenging student behavior.
The time has come to overcome this common roadblock to creating a positive learning environment for all of your students.
Read on to learn how you can master challenging student behavior.
#1. Take Stock of Classroom Dynamics
Challenging student behavior does not appear out of thin air.
Life has a sense of humor and likes to present hurdles when we least expect them, but chances are if you take stock of the classroom dynamics leading up to challenging incidents, you will see the warning signs.
Take time to reflect on specific incidents of the behavior and analyze its root causes.
Consider the factors that may have triggered the challenging behavior. Was it related to academic frustrations, social dynamics, or personal issues?
Understanding the underlying causes is crucial for implementing targeted interventions.
Need a resource for that? Check out my mini-video training on the ABCs of Responding to Challenging Behavior. There is a behavior tracking chart that can help you identify the root causes of behavior.
Hindsight is 20/20, but with a little bit of work, you can make sure past mistakes do not influence the future success of your students.
#2. Damage Control
Is the challenging student behavior having a broader effect on your classroom environment and the learning experience?
Don’t panic or despair. No, seriously, this is not the time to stick their head in the sand and give up.
You can control the situation and come out with a stronger, more positive classroom atmosphere.
Here are a few actionable strategies to prevent recurrence of challenging behavior:
- Regular communication. Foster open and regular communication with both students and parents. Keep families informed about their child’s behavior, successes, and areas for improvement. Establishing a partnership with families creates a support network and ensures consistency in addressing behavioral expectations both at school and at home.
- Positive reinforcement. Emphasize positive reinforcement by acknowledging and celebrating students’ achievements and positive behaviors. Create a system of recognition to motivate students and reward desirable conduct. By focusing on positive reinforcement, you can shift the classroom culture towards a more positive and supportive environment.
- Teach and model social-emotional skills. Integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) into your curriculum, explicitly teaching students skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and conflict resolution. Model these skills and provide opportunities for students to practice them. Equipping students with strong social-emotional skills can empower them to navigate challenges more effectively.
- Individualized behavior plans. Collaborate with your school’s support services or behavioral specialists to create individualized behavior plans for students exhibiting challenging behavior. These plans should include clear expectations, positive reinforcement strategies, and consequences. Tailoring interventions to the needs of each student can be highly effective in preventing future issues.
Top Tip: Take inspiration from educators who have turned around challenging classrooms..
If you lead with empathy and effective communication, you can regain the trust and cooperation of your students. What do you have to lose?
#3. Accept Support and Seek Help
I know you like to handle everything in your classroom on your own, but isolating yourself can have a negative impact on your effectiveness as an educator.
Instead, if you accept guidance from other teachers who’ve successfully managed challenging student behavior, you can find innovative ways to overcome the challenges.
For example:
Sarah, an experienced high school teacher, faced a challenge with a defiant student. Seeking support, she approached a seasoned colleague known for effective classroom management.
Sarah shared her concerns about the student’s disruptive behavior, and her colleague suggested two strategies. First, to build rapport with the student, finding common interests. And second, maintaining consistency in enforcing classroom rules.
Taking her colleague’s advice, Sarah implemented these strategies. The student responded well to Sarah’s attempts to get to know the student on a personal level.
The other students also saw Sarah holding consistent expectations and giving consequences for challenging behavior. When the defiant student was held accountable, the other students felt more confident that the environment was a safe learning space.
Through ongoing collaboration, Sarah received guidance and encouragement. And she was able to create a more engaging and respectful classroom as a result.
#4. Future Planning
Now that you know how to avoid the recurrence of challenging student behavior, it is time to leave it behind you and create your classroom like the teaching expert you are!
Remember: Classroom behavior challenges are common, and you are not a bad teacher just because they’ve happened to you. All you can control is how you deal with future classroom management.
Plan for a new outcome by incorporating proactive strategies, reinforcing positive behavior, and continuously refining your teaching approach.
Here are some of my top posts on how to effectively manage your classroom:
Creating Clear Classroom Rules and Expectations
10 Ways to Stop Challenging Behavior Before It Starts
Responding to Challenging Behavior
5 Effective Classroom Management Techniques to Deal with Disruptive Behavior this Week
#5. Act, Don’t React
Did your mentor or teacher tell you that one, too? Don’t roll your eyes at me! You know we’re both right.
Action is the mother of educational innovation. If you haven’t been taught about effective classroom management, let me tell you a little more about positive reinforcement and engaging lessons.
Our friends over at Truth for Teachers have a great post on a fresh approach to support disengaged students.
Reaction puts you back in the headspace of feeling like a victim.
Actively shaping a positive learning environment is the key to overcoming challenging student behavior.
Oh, hi, want a toolkit to help you with this step? You’ve got this! My downloadable Classroom Management Toolkit will help you build on the skills learned in this post.
Click the image below to get your Classroom Management Toolkit now >>
How can Empowered Educators help you overcome challenging student behavior?
Are you still flailing a little or want just a bit more help to get you back on your feet after recent classroom management incidents?
No problem! You did see the ABCs of Responding to Challenging Behavior earlier in the post, right? I worked super hard on the video training and want to make sure you get the most out of proactively managing challenging student behavior.
At Empowered Educators, I pride myself on giving you practical tools you can implement right away and the support to shift any mindset or energy blocks.
That means you don’t have to take care of all of your classroom damage control alone. That’s what I’m here for.
You can book a free consultation to talk through your challenges and possible solutions.
I can’t wait to see you there.
And did you see my post on 4 Classroom Management Myths that Every Teacher Needs to Know? It’s all about using restorative practices and implementing effective strategies for challenging student behavior. I’d love to hear what you think of it!
