{"id":4413,"date":"2012-04-19T18:39:05","date_gmt":"2012-04-19T18:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teachingexpertise.flywheelsites.com\/index.php\/2012\/04\/19\/how-to-react-to-disruptive-pupils\/"},"modified":"2021-09-13T04:06:49","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T04:06:49","slug":"how-to-react-to-disruptive-pupils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teachingexpertise.com\/articles\/how-to-react-to-disruptive-pupils\/","title":{"rendered":"How to react to disruptive pupils"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t
How will your response to disruptive pupils set the tone for their future behaviour? In this Behaviour Matters<\/em>, author Dave Stott looks at appropriate reactions and the use of reflection sheets to conquer this common problem<\/p>\n Whole-school behaviour policies and classroom rules generally feature a hierarchy of responses employed by teachers and adults working with young people. The hierarchy will begin with the lowest intervention, often ‘the look’ followed by a range of responses intended to help the pupil focus on their own behaviour and therefore not escalate the response stages. For the teacher, the effectiveness of this style of approach relies on consistency, delivery and inevitability of consequences. The clear message from this style of behaviour management is a reminder of behavioural expectations and the opportunity to reassess actions.<\/p>\n If the strategy is used simply as a reactionary response to inappropriate behaviour, there is little or no opportunity for the pupil to consider their actions and to reflect or visualise likely consequences. The system is in danger of become merely a staged response to unwanted behaviour with the chances are the pupil, or at worst – the adult, will simply move from step to step, eventually escalating towards unnecessary high-level responses.<\/p>\n If your hierarchy of responses contains stages such as:<\/p>\n then you have the opportunity to present the pupil with a consequence that requires them to reflect on their behaviour, consider what happened and also suggest what may have been a better, more considered course of action.<\/p>\n The days of pupils writing out pages of lines, or copying large extracts of text as so-called sanctions or punishments are thankfully long gone. The concept of ‘using the pupils time’, however, is still with us and with some creative thinking can be used to reinforce behavioural expectations, while embedding a process of problem solving and self-review. Use the opportunity for the pupil to undertake a structured review of their actions. A reflection sheet or reflective meeting will form an effective step in your hierarchical approach to managing behaviour. The reflective sheet may be a hard-copy or electronic document completed by the pupil or may even be a structured discussion at a time when tempers are under control and any audience has moved on.<\/p>\nPractical Tips<\/strong> The written sheet may look something like:<\/p>\n 1. This is what I did……………..2. This is rule I ignored\/the expectation of the teaching and learning area<\/p>\n 3. This is what I should have done\/what I will do next time.<\/p>\n The structure gives the pupils a formal reflective review process, enabling them to begin a problem-solving process and consider how their behaviour is affecting themselves, other pupils and the teaching and learning environment.<\/p>\n\n
\nThe intention of the reflective sheet or reflective meeting is to give the pupil a clear and structured format to consider their behaviour which led to the meeting or completion of the sheet, to review the rules and expectations of the work area and to then indicate what, after some detailed consideration, would be a more appropriate response.\n