MANAGING DIFFICULT BEHAVIOUR

Introduction
There are moments when in classrooms, disruptions occur and things get out of control. Problem behaviour can take many forms. Paul Waddon and Sean McGovern list disruptive talking, inaudible responses, sleeping in class, tardiness and poor attendance, failure to do homework, cheating in tests and unwillingness to speak in the target language ( Wadden and McGovern 1991).
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 In some contexts, might add, behaviour such as insolence to the teacher, insulting or bullying other students, damaging school property, and refusing to accept sanctions / punishments. Indisciplineddepends on what counts as well-ordered or disciplined classroom for the individual teacher. (Brown and McIntyre 1993:44). Need to know why it occurs, how we can prevent it and what to do if it arises.
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Introduction

WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

Can stem fr students reaction to teachers behaviour / fr other factors,inside or outside : 1. The family experience with the family have a significant influence on their attitudes to learning and to authority. Indiscipline have been traced back to a difficult home situation. Learning attitudes to English, to learning in general can cause students to behave problematically.
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WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

Children need positive attention and support from their parents. If there are not enough positive interactions with parents , children may act up in order to gain attention and control over others. Poverty, marital problems, learning difficulties, and other stresses may lead children to act out.
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WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

2. Education previous learning experiences affect students behaviour. Students are influenced by what went before and their expectations of the learning experience can be coloured by unpleasant memories or by what they were allowed to get away with.

 3. Self-esteem very important if effective learning is to take place. May result from teacher approval, fr students peers or as a result of success. A lack of respect from teacher or peers or being asked to do something where they are almost certainly bound to fail, can make students feel frustrated and upset. Disruptive behaviour becomes an option, impress peers and force teacher to take them seriously.
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WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

4. Boredom If students lose interest in a task or topic they are likely to misbehave. When pairs or groups finish early and are left unattended , boredom may lead to disruption. If topic / activity is inappropriate, students sometimes show their lack of interest by behaving badly.

WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

5. External factors some external factors may affect students behaviour too. If they are tired, hungry, they will not be able to concentrate. Classroom , too hot / too cold ss being too relaxed / nervy. Discomfort leads to disengagement. Noise fr outside the classroom can impact badly upon students concentration.

WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

6. What teacher does a lot depends on how we ( as teachers) behave in class, especially when problem behaviour first takes place. Ss whose self esteem have been damaged by the way we discipline them are likely to be badly behaved in the future.

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WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

7. Temperament some children are born with the tendencies to be intense and negative in their moods. Such temperamental tendencies may set the stage for difficult behaviours later on.

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WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?

8. Learning difficulties Some problems such as attentiondeficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are often the result of difficulties in the way certain areas of the brain function. Impulsivity and problems with self-control can often cause problems at home, in school or in other areas of a childs life.

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 Difficult behaviours create problems for children themselves as well as for those around them. Difficult behaviours often include Temper tantrums Physical aggression Verbal aggression Defiance Irritability Impulsivity Restlessness Hyperactivity Self-control problems
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WHAT HAPPENS ?

WHAT HAPPENS ? Difficult behaviours may also be accompanied by signs of low self-esteem, discouragement and sadness. Some show these reactions quite frequently and with intensity, causing significant problems for themselves and others.

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HOW TO PREVENT?
1. Creating a code of conduct let students know where they stand. Establish a code of conduct. Include students own opinions in the code. produce a chart which says, As your teacher / a learner I expect ,As your teacher/ a learner, I will This document can be put up on the class noticeboard for all to see. Students are to abide by the rules and norms which they themselves agreed to.
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HOW TO PREVENT?
2. Teachers behaviour may sometimes be the cause of disruptive events, so the way we teach and the relationship with students , can help to prevent problem behaviour. Maintaining ss interest and relating to them in appropriate ways is the key. i) interest and enthusiastic --- ss who are interested & enthusiastic do not generally show problem behaviour.
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HOW TO PREVENT?
--plan classes with flexibility & variety. Engage ss in reading & listening text before giving detailed work,introduce topics relevant to the ss. Ss can be engaged by Ts energy & enthusiasm. ii) Professionalism ss generally respect teachers who show that they know what they are doing. -- evidence: invested time in thinking about & planning our lessons. Professionalism means practising what we preach.
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HOW TO PREVENT?
iii) Rapport btw Ts & Ss listen to what they say with interest, look at them when we talk to them, respond equally to ss infront and at the back of the class.

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WHAT TO DO?
SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES. 1. Act immediately.
the longer the behaviour is left unchecked, the more difficult it is to deal with. =>immediate action=> stop taking, pausing& looking at the ss in question. Sometimes requires stronger action. 2. Focus on the behaviour not the ss.

do not humiliate an uncooperative ss. It is the behaviour that matters ,not the ss character.Treat the individual fairly, not overracting, nor making light of the disruption.

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WHAT TO DO?
3. Take things forward. think carefully before we respond. better to be positive than negative. More effective for teacher to say Lets do this than Do not do that Taking things forward is better than stopping them. In extreme cases, change the activity in order to take out the steam from the situation.
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WHAT TO DO?
Other ways => reseat ss. Separate them in an effective way, ss will calm down and the problem behaviour dies away.

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WHAT TO DO?
4. Reprimand in private appropriate to discuss their behaviour in private, and talk about how to improve it. Eye-contact is important when dealing with individuals in class. Dealing with indiscipline is often a matter of pastoral care, helping ss to recognise the problem behaviour and start to find a way towards changing it.
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WHAT TO DO?
5. Keep calm. Teachers who shout to assert authority appear to be losing control. Shouting raises the level of overall noise in the classroom. More effective to approach the ss who is disruptive and speak more quietly. Teachers have reported the benefits of restoring order and/ or silence by either speaking very quietly to the class as a whole so that ss have to stop talking in order to hear what is going on or by raising a hand , having previously agreed with ss that they are expected to do so.
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WHAT TO DO?
6. Use colleagues & the institution consult our colleagues, asking them for guidance. When problem going beyond control, speak to coordinators, director of studies / principals.

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WHAT TO DO?
7. Remove the disruptive ss from their audience and give them time to calm down. 8. Quickly try to calm the situation and then at a later stage reflect on what has gone wrong. give instructions clearly and dont give in to poor behaviour. 9. Never take out your temper on your students. step back and stay cool.
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WHAT TO DO?
10. Think about why the problem has arisen and check to see if you are part of it. 11. Do your homework and if there are students with a discipline problem, know who they are . Know how they act and what process and procedures have been used successfully in the past. 12.Pick up on signals quickly. Actions like throwing things or scraping their chair are indicators that something is wrong, deal with it.
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 13. Examples of behaviour management schemes. Use one that works for you. Eg : stars chart, Rewarding good behaviour does work. 14. Try reasoning and explanations when talking to older children and teenagers. 15. Use punishment less often than positive feedback.

WHAT TO DO?

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WHAT TO DO?
16. Time out or short term removal of a privilege are helpful forms of behaviour management. 17. Psychological help is needed when childrens behaviour problems are frequent, intense and cause significant difficulties for themselves and others.

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CONCLUSION

All children are unique. They all have special needs that differ with age, family, cultural values and life experiences.

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