Productive Ways to Respond When a Student Refuses to Leave the Classroom

The Spring Valley High School incident has made me reflect on what I would have done if a student using a cell phone refused to put it away and refused to leave class.  Like many teachers, I have been faced with similar (if not exactly the same) situations. I never once thought to force the student out of his/her seat.

I have had to learn over time how to react and control my emotions when a student is defiant.  Early in my teaching, my anger would boil up when a student openly defied me. Over time, however, I have learned that reacting with anger and yelling is unproductive.

Steps to Handle Defiance:

 

1. Move On (Secretly Wait & Take Deep Breaths)

   After asking a student to do something, such as leave the room, I don't stand there stopping the whole class in a stalemate. I move on with the lesson. Now really I am giving some wait time to the situation. Some students need more time to process what is happening and comply to the directive. I also am calming myself down. No matter how many times a student is defiant to me in front of a class, it triggers a fight or flight mechanism in me, and usually the "fight" mechanism. If I give in to anger, then I've lost control of myself and the class. I will get nowhere with the student and will most likely lose respect from the class. One way I've learned to pacify this response is to meditate or breath. I have gotten to the point where I don't even try to hide it in front of students--I hope they see it as a positive way to regain control.
   
   

2.  Think

   While I'm continuing with class, I am really trying to figure out what happened and decide how necessary it is to follow through with a class removal. If a student has done something very disruptive and the student's presence is still a disruption to the learning environment (and all my other management tricks are not working), I may call the Dean's office or principal and ask for an administrator to come get the student. However, if it is something like a student refusing to put away his/her phone and he/she is sitting quietly in class, there is no need for class removal. After nine years in the classroom, I have seen plenty of disruption. I have seen many students storm out of the classroom and many others refuse to leave their seat. I have never seen a student refuse to leave their seat and continue to disrupt the class. Although the defiance is something that needs to be discussed eventually, there is no need to remove a student by force if he/she is not disrupting the class or causing harm to themselves or others.
   
   

3.  Discuss Privately

   If it seems as though the student has calmed down and there is a moment where students are working and I can talk to the defiant student privately, I may go over to discuss the issue with him/her. It is often the case that the student is not ready to talk to me. I may write a note or give distance until the next class period (if someone is too angry to talk to me later in the class period, they will probably not be calmed down for a while). If they refuse to interact with me and sit quietly for the rest of class, even if they continue to disobey the cell phone rule, I let it go. I have confidence that my other students know that I will work with that student and that using your phone in class is not acceptable.
   
   When I do talk to the student, I do not discuss the incident right away or speak to them with anger in my voice. I ask them how they are doing, if they've had a bad day or if something has gone on that upset them. If a student is furious because you want them to put away their phone, there's probably a deeper issue going on.

4.  Think Again and Investigate

   After my class has ended, I'll have more time to try to better understand what happened. I'll check in with the student's advisor, other teachers (particularly those right before my class) and the Dean. I may or may not contact the student's parents that night--depending on how that would make the student react. I also may email the student. A lot of what I do depends on what I think will work with that individual student--getting to know students ahead of time, therefore, is key!

5. Make a Plan

   Typically by the next day, the student has calmed down and can talk. Again, I don't address the situation in terms of what the student has done wrong, but more about what is going on and why the student was so upset. If the problem is something that re-occurs, I would work out a system so the student and I can deal with the issues in a proactive manner. 
   
   For example, I once had a student who would storm out of class angrily, yelling at me and the co-teacher. After eating lunch with her and talking, it became clear that sometimes she had a bad day and my redirection was the last straw. We came up with a plan that when she felt like storming out, she would ask permission and I would always say yes. We continued to develop a plan where she would go visit the Dean and give her a candy or cookie (yes, this was our plan--I was pregnant and always had cookies at my desk!). Over time, the student gained control of her reactions and our relationship improved instead of deteriorated.

The big point I want to make here is to not respond immediately with anger. Losing control in front of the class is bound to happen, but using strategies like cooling down (yes, you too!), meditating and trying to understand the trigger for the behavior is far more productive than proving your power in front of the class.

Read Your Students

A New York Times article mirrors many of the ideas above. The teacher interviewed also brings up an important preventative measure: read the students as they enter the class.  Pedro Noguera, author of "The Trouble with Black Boys:...And Other Reflections of Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education", discusses the importance of understanding the root of the defiance. Next time a student is defiant in your class, pause and remember how easily things can escalate into a situation you didn't intend for. De-escalating situations should be at the forefront, which may mean letting something go until everyone is calmed down.

Tips for Handling Tough Middle Schoolers

Every teacher has their own philosophies and strategies for classroom management. Some say not to smile until January, others insist that engaging lessons curtail any misbehavior. When managing students, teachers need to find a management systems that align to their own philosophies and personalities. That being said, it never hurts to hear tricks other teachers use to build relationships and keep class focused on learning.

Below are some of the ways I stay ahead of mutiny in the classroom and work with individual students who might need a little extra TLC.

Class Roles

It may feel scary to put a student who typically disrupts class or barely keeps his/her head up in a classroom leadership role, but I have found this to be exactly what some students need (note: I said some, this might not work for every student!). It is important to say, I NEVER force a student to participate in a role--it is strictly voluntary. I do try to persuade them to try it out first. Also, I make sure it doesn't go against any IEPs. Here are some classroom roles and the students I have found they are best suited for:

Document Camera Worker

I often flip between a document camera and powerpoint slides while teaching.  The document camera is at the front of the room, with a desk area and seat next to it. I especially like to put students who have low self-esteem about learning science in this role. These students take notes under the document camera or record answers as they are reviewed with the class. If possible, I also have them model how to record entries in the science notebook. Many students are afraid they will make a mistake in this role at first. To help boost confidence, I initially give the student a cheat sheet with the correct notes or composition book entry or answers. I have noticed students change their demeanor in the class as they begin to be an expert and leader.

Powerpoint/Computer Worker

I like to use powerpoint slides to stay on task and organize lessons. I put my computer near a student's desk and when we use powerpoint slides, I have the student closest to the computer forward slides for me, change to videos, and do other work. I intentionally seat a student who I think needs a positive role in class to the spot closest to the computer. Often times there are students who are hard to keep on task in class. For some of these students, the powerpoint role works great. For others, it may exacerbate them (especially if they have ADHD). I also like to teach the student hotkey tricks (e.g., ALT or Command  and Tab let you quickly switch to another app), so they move fast and learn something new.

Lights & Doors Worker

I always have a few antsy students who just can't stay in their seats. For these students, I have standing tables at the back of the room. When it is time to shut the door, turn on or off lights, or do anything near the back of the room, I ask them to do it.  The standing tables have been an amazing improvement for the focus and behavior management of some of my students!  It is important not to use standing tables at the back of the room as a punishment. I never force a student to work there--it is voluntary. If my room has little space, I'll put taller stools there, so there's an option of sitting.  Also, it's important to check IEPs and make sure students who need this accommodation are not required to be at the front of the room.

Building Strong Relationships

Many teachers will tell you that the students they know the best were once their toughest. When you start to clash with a student and find that he/she is pushing your buttons, although it is the one person you may not want to interact with, that is the best solution. Getting to know tough students is often the solution to their disruption in your class. Here are some ways I've gotten closer to students who need a stronger relationship:

Buy a Book

First talk to the student--what are their hobbies? What do they want to do when they grow up? Once you know an interest, hobby or future career that a student has, buy them a book on the topic. I like to write a note on the inside. If it starts to get expensive or you want to maximize the effort, I often keep the book in my library and lend the student the book, with a note inside.  If it's hard to get a conversation off the ground, you can always lend them a book that other students like. For example, "Wonder" is a great book, so is "The Hunger Games" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." I write my name on the bottom of the book to ensure it gets returned. Not only does it show the student you care about him/her, but it also starts a conversation. You can ask if they liked the book or if they've read it yet!

Start with a Positive

Some students seek out negative attention because they simply want attention. When co-teachers and I believe a student has this tendency, we try to counter-act it by giving them positive attention from the start. This often requires two teachers in the room. When that student comes in and starts class, one of us will sit with him/her and check in with them about their day (or other interests) while they work on the Do Now.  Throughout class we sit down and check in, giving them positive attention before they seek out negative attention.

Lunch Buddy

When a tough student is really tough and has me completely stuck in building a relationship, I will resort to buying them lunch--or atleast a snack.  I'll ask them what they like to eat for lunch (trying to stay on the healthy side of options) and invite them to join me for lunch one day in my room (NOTE: Keep doors open and have a colleague somewhere in the room. You should never be alone with a student with the doors closed) or in the cafeteria. If they refuse because they want to eat with a certain friend, I'll invite that person too (or if there is a group of students I'm really struggling with, I'll invite 2 - 3 of them). When they come to eat, I do not address any of the misbehaviors that I'm frustrated with. Instead we play UNO or talk about stuff that is positive. Playing UNO (or another game) has been especially helpful. Students often will open up to me and share personal stories that help me better understand their situation and reasons for misbehavior. Often once I know their story, it is a lot easier to conference with them when misbehavior occurs later in class.

Managing Meltdowns

If you are like me, despite every attempt to run a smooth class, you will have students with meltdowns in your room which completely disrupt your lesson plans. We often forget that students have lives outside of our class--if a student loses his/her cool in class, it's important to remember that you don't know what triggered it. The sooner that student can be calmed down, the less time your class can be derailed. Never argue with a student in class and call for assistance if the situation is serious.

What may start as a minor disturbance can escalate into a meltdown if you are not careful. When a misbehavior disrupts class and a warning doesn't change anything, I like to conference with a student privately. Here are some tips I use when conferencing with a student.

Be Random and Be Kind

When you walk outside or to the back of a room with a student, they are expecting you to talk about their misbehavior. They may be embarrassed of being singled out and your redirection speech could trigger a bigger outburst. I've noticed that not starting with the behavior works best. I like to start with a random observation or by saying something nice to the student.

Take a walk

If there is a co-teacher in my classroom who can take over, I often like to do a little loop around the building with the student. If I can't leave the area, I like to stand or sit next to the student, looking outward and not at them. I've found that not forcing a student to look at you while you discuss behavior works best for many.

Anger Workbook Book for Teens

Some of my students have so much anger that despite my best strategies, they still have to get their anger out. I like to have copies of the Anger Workbook for Teens in my classroom for students to work through. One strategy is to write out what is bothering you and then rip it out. If an outburst is due to an incident outside my class, I'll often have a student write out what they're feeling and rip it up, so they can get back to class.

The Takeaway: Respect Them

In the end, if you want to work well with students, respect them as people. Do not humiliate them. Do not make them feel ashamed or point out their weaknesses in front of the class. Do not assume you know why they are acting the way they are--in fact, assume the best. I truly believe that every child wants to succeed in my class and some of them have just lost their way at some point (often because of how a teacher had made them feel.)

What are your management strategies? Please share below!

Also, please follow me on facebook and twitter.

Managing the Science Classroom - The 4 I's and Science-Specific Systems

Everyone has different ideas about how to manage a classroom. A teacher’s personality greatly impacts their success and approach to their classroom.  My approach is directly connected to who I am as a person and teacher. Below are some general guidelines that I find helpful for classroom management (The Four “I”s), as well as some procedures for managing labs, and other science-specific classroom activities.

The Four “I”s of Classroom Management

It is very hard to coach new teachers on classroom management. There are so many other aspects of teaching that new teachers are trying to remember and the nuances of reading and responding to student behavior is enough to make any teacher give up.  That being said, the core strategies of good classroom management can be found in four steps:

Imagine It

Close your eyes (yes, I have done this while standing in front of a room full of chaotic children) and imagine the classroom you want.  Imagine what students are doing. Are they sitting? Are they hunched around desks? Are their books on their tables? Backpacks on their chairs? Phones away?  Think about what you want.  These are your expectations.  Try to pull out explicit, visible aspects of your expectations and take note of them.  It may help to even write them down.  Pick the most important one or two things that you would like to see in the classroom and focus on these. Once these are mastered (days to weeks to months later), then move on to other aspects.

Illustrate It

Once you can envision what you want to see, students will not magically understand and meet those expectations. First you have to show and teach the expectations. Explicitly state, model, and practice that behavior, then praise students who are getting it right.  If a student still isn’t meeting those expectations, assume the best and check in with him/her privately.  Model the behaviors and get confirmation that the student understands and can follow them, then remind him/her once more of the expectations before setting him/her free to enact them. Once the student gets the expectations right, praise him/her!  If a student is intentionally disobeying an expectation, it will become clear in this process.

Insist on It

So you know what you’d like to see in the classroom, you’ve explained it to your students, but how do you get students to do it day after day?  There is no magic trick.  The hardest part of achieving your classroom expectations is to insist on them.  When I was teaching middle school, I had the hardest time getting my students to start the Do Now right away.  My friend, on the other hand, had no problem. I would watch her students enter her room, sit down and start working.  When I asked her what she did, she couldn’t say; “That’s what they’re supposed to do!” was her reply.  I then noticed that as she stood by the door, welcoming students into the room, she would redirect those in the room to get started.  There was simply no tolerance for not doing the Do Now.  Students weren’t 100% silent when doing their work, but there was momentum in her classroom—students knew they needed to get started right away and if they didn’t, it would not be tolerated.

Insistence means that you do not ignore misbehaviors.  It is important to only focus on one or two expectations at a time, otherwise you will be overwhelmed.  If you re-state your expectations, re-model them (if necessary) and give students a chance to practice each time you do not see what you want, you will work towards a well-managed class. 

Consistently addressing misbehaviors can become exhausting. I believe this is why many of us (myself included) lose or never attain the classroom we envision—we do not stay on top of continually expecting the behaviors from everyone.  There will be many days when you are tired and want to let something go, or when you don’t have time to redirect a behavior because you will not get to a crucial part of your lesson.  However, when you are not consistent in your expectations, students will stop meeting them.

Intercept the Inequities

An often overlooked aspect of classroom management is how you invite or exclude students from being part of the class.  When a student is not meeting your expectations and you have gone through the other three "I"s, think about the ways in which that student might feel excluded from your class, or school as a whole. Do you call on that student as much as you call on others?  Do you welcome him or her into the class the same way?  Do you include examples of scientists that connect with that student?  It takes time and serious reflection to  acknowledge, let alone address, the ways in which you may exclude that student in subtle or obvious ways, but it is important to be aware of them. There are small ways you can ensure you are treating all students equitably--using a system to randomly call on students, including diverse science posters around your room, etc., but there are many ways in which you may undermine these gestures with your language, tone and even gestures. It is difficult to take the idea of how we, as teachers, spread inequity in our classroom and condense it into a few sentences here, so I will address this idea again in later posts. 

The Reality

Despite your best efforts, you will likely have days where the classroom feels mismanaged.  You are human, so are your students.  The Four I’s work in the grand scheme of management, but be mindful that we are working in a chaotic environment! Below are some other ways to trouble shoot problems in the classroom:

• Film Yourself

  
  My number one weapon when things seem out of control is my video camera.  It is terrifying to film yourself teaching, but once you get over the fear, it becomes a source of objective information.  Sometimes I would think the class period was complete chaos, but when I looked at the film, I could see it was really only a few students acting out.  The film also can help me see when students misbehave and find reasons why. More often than not, it occurred when I droned on for too long giving directions!  Before filming, I always run it by my principal or department head (being clear that the video is just for me) and explain to my students that it is a tool for me to improve my own teaching.  Students wave to the camera at first, but they soon forget it is there.  Also, it is REALLY important you do not use the camera as a way to catch students misbehaving and punish them for it.  Although you may see lots of misbehaviors previously unknown to you, using film as a “gotcha” tool will only lead to mistrust and resentment and make your classroom more difficult over time.

• Reach out the most to the hardest students

  
  
  It is likely you will face a few students who do not respond to redirection and the Four I’s.  When I realize who these students are, I also find ways to love these students the most.  It is much easier to accept and work with these students rather than try to battle them.  The first step starts with your mentality.  Instead of thinking that these kids are trouble, they don’t respect you, and dwelling on negative aspects of working with them, I like to flip my perspective on them.  I tell myself that they are good kids that must have some reason to act this way, and that it is a challenge to learn how to work with them and get them on my side.  I envision us as friends at the end of the year instead of enemies.  By switching your mindset, your words and actions will (hopefully) soon follow.  I often will spend time getting to know the student—going to their basketball games, asking them what their hobbies are, looking up notes they wrote in the ice breaker games at the start of the year.  If I find out they are interested in rap music, I might buy them a book about how to get involved in music production, or lend them a book that connects to something they mentioned they cared about.  I’ve also resorted to buying them Burger King and playing UNO with them at lunch—for no reason other than to get to know them better (UNO or some other game helps a lot—if you try to ask questions early on, it may feel phony. It’s amazing how much kids open up over a meal and a card game!)
  
  
  
  

Classroom Procedures that Make Labs Run Smoothly

A big part of having an efficient science class has to do with classroom management (see the first half of this blog!), however there are some steps that can help make science class run more smoothly.  Here are ways I have tried to run a tight ship:

Photo courtesy of USDA

Cafeteria Style Lab Set-Up 

The most time-consuming part of teaching science is preparing (and taking down) lab supplies.  Of course there will be times when you have to prepare something ahead of time, but if you learn to let students do everything they possible can to set up and take down labs, you save yourself a lot of time and energy!  I use a cafeteria-style system to minimize my prep work (mentioned in this blog post).  Here are some key steps:

• Organize lab items into bins or containers, so that there is a class set of each easily accessible. 

• Have a model lab tray set up with every item needed for the lab.  Put this at the beginning of the cafeteria line or on a document camera. You also can list items on a board or Powerpoint slide.

• Pre arrange lab groups using a seating chart system (again see, this blog post) and assign one seat number or student as the materials collector.

•  Leave plenty of time at the end of class for students to clean up and put away materials.  Different seats can have different tasks (e.g., washing out beakers, wiping down tables, checking under the desk for trash).  You can always play a review game in the last couple minutes of class while surveying desks and material bins. My favorite? Science Taboo!

• This is the key step—be very observant and careful to correct any mistakes and praise any successes in correctly taking and putting away lab materials.  Do not let any student leave the classroom if it is messy.  This means leaving ample time before the bell rings and being a stickler for perfection (imagine putting on white gloves to check for dust!).  Although it may mean a few students step up and clean up others’ messes while everyone waits, the message is clear: keep the room clean!  Also, don’t assume a table or bin is clean by glancing from across the room.  I typically inspect each table before dismissing it during lab days.

Best Lab Group Award

One way to incentivize a clean lab room and good team work is to give a best lab group award at the end of lab class once in a while.  I review the expectations of a good lab group (works well together, stays on task, doesn’t ask me questions they can figure out on their own, and cleans up quickly and thoroughly), and then make notes while visiting each lab group.  Narrating the groups’ progress helps inspire some healthy competition (Table B is wiping down their table… Table H is working together).  The lab award usually meant some extra points on their lab grade (they would staple their award to their lab at the end of class).  A template of my lab reward cards can be found here (want the word doc version? Contact me on Facebook or Twitter!)

 

Always Include Lab and Safety Expectations

Before every lab, I always include lab and safety expectations.  The lab expectations are essentially what was mentioned for the best lab group award—students are expected to collaborate and work together through their inquiry, rather than asking for answers.  Staying on task, staying with the lab group and following directions are also key.  I also think of any safety hazard that could happen through the lab and explicitly address what the safety hazards are, and what to do in case they happen.  I leave these expectations up on the board during the lab. 

Make Lab Behavior a Grade

When I taught at an IB school, how students conducted themselves during a lab activity was part of their grade.  Grading students’ behaviors while trying to manage all the other pieces of running a lab can be difficult, but having a rubric and grade attached to how students conducted themselves during an inquiry lesson definitely had an effect.  Here are ways I made it work:

• Post the rubric on the board.
  
  
  I included a rubric for students' "Attitudes in Science" at the back of their lab worksheet--see example above (adapted from the 2012 IB Curriculum). This served as my expectations – I showed the rubric on the document camera at the start of the lab, discussed what the highest level looked like and made sure there was no confusion.
• Track  behaviors (or look like you are tracking). 
  I always had a clipboard with my roster and many columns to record grades.  This included participation and lab work, as well as grades from assignments.  It was nearly impossible to track everyone’s progress precisely during the lab, so instead I put a plus mark (+) if I saw students doing something exceptionally well and a minus mark (-) when there was a misbehavior I had to address.  I explained at the beginning of class that students would get a certain score (say a 5 in a range of 1 – 6) if I did not mark a + or a -, a “6” if they had an exceptional behavior and something less than a 5 if I addressed a misbehavior with them.  I always made it clear to the student if they lost a point and whenever possible gave a heads up if they were about to lose a point (“Are you about to ask me a question you could answer within your group?”).
•  Make Challenging Directions to Follow
  If one part of your lab grade is following directions, early on in the year, include a strange step in your directions (for example, draw a star in the corner of your paper).  At the end of the lab give the exceptional grade to those who followed it (especially if it is a minority of the class) and make all students aware of the small steps.  Although you hopefully do not use cookbook labs for every experiment, following directions is an important part of a lab!
  
  

Was this post helpful?  It was partially inspired by a science teacher’s suggestion (This post is for you Madelyn!). What are you struggling with as a new science teacher?  Please contact me on facebook,  twitter, or leave a comment below with a topic you would love some input on!