After this module, learners will be able to
1. Speak to their students about tardiness and solutions to being late for school.
2. Explain to students why an unfavorable behavior is bad.
3. Set appropriate consequences for rule-breaking and bad behavior.
4. Communicate with students calmly and fulfill their emotional needs.
5. Escalate behavioral cases to school administration, only when necessary.
When dealing with students who have made a mistake or are exhibiting bad behavior, it is important to engage calmly. Fixing the behavior can be done through open communication and employing appropriate consequences (or rewards). One common behavior among students is tardiness. Some level of tardiness is tolerated, but past a certain point, there needs to be a conversation with the student or their parents. When communicating your unhappiness with a behavior, state why it is undesirable and what steps can be taken to fix it. Take the following example.
Ex 1: a) (Student name), you cannot keep throwing your pencil at other students.
b) But they make me angry, (Teacher name).
a) I understand. However, being violent and hurting them is not the answer. Next time you get angry, try taking your anger out on this stretchy toy instead.
b) Ok, thank you.
Ex 2: a) Why do I have to do this stupid survey? I hate it!
b) This survey will help your classmates with their research project, (Student name). It only takes 10 minutes.
a) This is still so stupid!
b) Complaining about it is rude to your classmates and all the effort they have put in. If all students complete the survey, I will give everyone a piece of candy.
a) Well, I guess I'll just do it. Thanks for making this survey.
Both consequences and rewards can be good ways to incentivize students to engage in a particular behavior. Of course, being kind and considerate of students by rewarding them when they do well is usually more effective than punishing them for what they do wrong. If bad behavior is not fixed after a long period of time or many conversations with the students, escalating to administration may be appropriate. For example, if a student is continuously hurting other students in class, or has brought a dangerous item to school, speaking to a school counselor or administrator can convey the seriousness of the situation to them. Of course, even in these situations, extend patience and empathy to the student throughout periods of bad behavior, and always remain calm.
Practice: Find a partner. Take turns repeating exercises 1 and 2 out loud by substituting different information in for the underlined parts.
Act out this situation with a partner.
Teacher (a) speaks to student (b) after class to berate their tardiness.
a) Sam, can we talk for a bit after class?
b) Yes, Ms. Robin.
a) Sam, I noticed that you have been late to class three days in a row. Is everything alright?
b) Oh, yes, I'm ok. I actually have been sleeping very late at night, sometimes at midnight or 1 AM.
a) I'm sorry, why is that?
b) Well, when I get home from school, I usually play video games until dinner. Then after dinner, I do my homework. But I usually have much more homework than expected and cannot finish it all by bedtime.
a) I see. How about you try to finish your homework before dinner and then play games at night instead? By flipping the order, you may feel more incentivized to finish your homework. Then you can go to bed on time when you get tired.
b) Ok, I'll try that.
a) I just want you to know that being tardy so many times in a row is unacceptable. You need to come to school at least 5 minutes before class. This is because coming in between class will disrupt the other students' learning and distract them.
b) I understand, sorry Ms. Robin.
a) It's alright if you understand. Just know that according to school policy, 6 tardies count as 1 absence, which can impact your participation grade.
b) Oh no! I didn't know that. I will be more careful and come to school on time.
a) Thank you, Sam!
How did Ms. Robin get Sam to talk to her?
Did Ms. Robin start by getting angry at Sam? What could be the issue with immediately punishing students?
What solution did Ms. Robin suggest for Sam's tardiness?
How did Ms. Robin communicate school policy?
How did Ms. Robin set up a consequence for future tardiness?
Is it important to give students multiple warnings before employing consequences?
What would be an appropriate consequence in this case? What would be an inappropriate one?
Order the actions you should do from first to last if a student is cheating on tests at school.
Tell school administration immediately.
Have an individual conversation with the student, let them know you notice the cheating and that it will affect their grade.
Offer more options for the student to learn without relying on others. Make homework and assignment collaboration guidelines stricter.
Have a conversation with the student's parents or guardians.
Correct answer: 2, 3, 4, 1. First, speak to the student and let them know the consequences of their actions. Offer them alternative ways to succeed on exams. If the cheating continues, have a conversation with the student's parents or guardians after letting the student know that you will be doing so. Speaking to administration and calling for drastic measures such as suspension should only be done after exhausting every other option.
After this module, learners should be able to deal with students' bad or unfavorable behavior. Learners should think about offering solutions and support and explain the reasoning behind any reprimands or punishments.