Students can sometimes have emotional outbursts in school settings. This fact will not surprise many teachers, who have had repeated experience in responding to serious classroom episodes of student agitation. Such outbursts can be attributed in part to the relatively high incidence of mental health issues among children and youth. It is estimated, for example, that at least one in five students in American schools will experience a mental health disorder by adolescence (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). But even students not identified as having behavioral or emotional disorders may occasionally have episodes of agitation triggered by situational factors such as peer bullying, frustration over poor academic performance, stressful family relationships, or perceived mistreatment by educators.
CAUTION: The guidelines presented below are intended for use with a student whose agitated behavior is largely verbal, shows no signs of escalating beyond that point, and does not present as potentially physically aggressive or violent. Educators who suspect that a student may present a safety risk to self or others should immediately seek additional assistance. Schools should also conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs), assemble appropriate Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) and--if needed--create Crisis Response Plans to manage the behaviors of students who show patterns of escalating, potentially violent behaviors.
Since virtually any professional working in schools might at some point find him/herself needing to 'talk down' a student who presents as emotionally upset, all educators should know the basics of how to de-escalate the agitated student. The advice offered in this checklist is adapted for use by schools from research on best practices in calming individuals in medical or psychiatric settings (Cowin et al., 2003; Fishkind, 2002; Richmond et al., 2012). These strategies are intended to be used in a flexible manner to increase the odds that an educator can respond efficiently and effectively to students who present with a wide range of emotional issues.
Create a 'safe' setting. An educator attempting to calm an agitated student cannot always select the setting in which that interaction plays out. When a student outburst occurs in the classroom, however, the educator should attempt to engage the student in a semi-private conversation (e.g., off to the side of the room) rather than having an exchange in front of classmates. As part of the protocol for conducting a de-escalation conference, adults should also ensure that they are never left alone with agitated students.
Limit the number of adults involved. Having too many educators (e.g., teacher and a teaching assistant) participating in a de-escalation conference can be counter-productive because of possible confusion and communication of mixed messages to the agitated student. If more than one adult is available in the instructional setting, select the one with the most experience with de-escalation techniques to engage the student one-to-one, while the additional educator(s) continue to support the instruction or behavior management of other students.
Provide adequate personal space. Stand at least 2 arm's length of distance away from the agitated student. If the student tells you to 'back off' or 'get away', provide the student with additional space.
Do not block escape routes. When individuals are agitated, they are more likely to experience a 'fight-or-flight' response that can express itself in the need to have escape routes available. When engaging a student in a de-escalation conference, do not position yourself between the student and the door. If the student says, "Get out of my way", step back to give that student additional personal space and reposition yourself out of his or her potential escape path.
Show open, accepting body language. Convey through stance and body language that you are calm and accepting of the student--and will treat that student respectfully and maintain his or her safety. Stand at an angle rather than facing the student directly in a 'confrontational' pose. Keep hands open and visible to the student. Stand comfortably, with knees slightly bent. Avoid 'clenched' body language such as crossing arms or balling hands into fists.
Keep verbal interactions respectful. It is natural for educators to experience feelings of defensiveness, embarrassment, anxiety, or irritation when attempting to talk down a student from an emotional outburst. However, you should strive to appear calm and to treat the student respectfully at all times. Avoid use of teasing, reprimands, or other negative comments and abstain as well from sarcasm or an angry tone of voice.
Communicate using simple, direct language. When people are emotionally upset, they may not process language quickly or with complete accuracy. In talking with the student, keep your vocabulary simple and your sentences brief. Be sure to allow sufficient time for the student to think about and respond to each statement before continuing. In particular, if the student does not respond to a statement, avoid falling into the trap of assuming too quickly that the student is simply 'ignoring you". Instead, calmly repeat yourself--several times if necessary. So long as the student's behavior is not escalating, give him or her the benefit of the doubt and use gentle repetition to help the student to focus on and respond to you.
Coach the student to take responsibility for moderating behavior. At the point in an encounter with an agitated student when you feel that you have established rapport, you can use a positive, assertive tone to prompt the student to take responsibility for controlling his or her own behavior (e.g., "John, it is hard for me to follow what you are saying when you raise your voice and pace around the room. If you sit down and calmly explain what the problem is, I think that I can help.").
Reassure the student and frame an outcome goal. You can often help to defuse the student's agitation by reassuring the student (e.g., "You're not in trouble. This is your chance to give me your side of the story") and stating an outcome goal ("Let's figure out how to take care of this situation in a positive way" ; "I want to understand why you are upset so that I can know how to respond"). Also, if you do not know the agitated student whom you are approaching, introduce yourself and state both your name and position.
Identify the student's wants and feelings. Use communication tools such as active listening (e.g., "Let me repeat back to you what I thought I heard you say ...."), open-ended questions (e.g., "What do you need right now to be able to calm yourself?"), and labeling of emotions ("Rick, you look angry. Tell me what is bothering you") to better understand how the student feels and what may be driving the current emotional outburst.
Identify points of agreement. A powerful strategy to build rapport with an agitated student is to find points on which you can agree. At the same time, of course, you must preserve your professional integrity as an educator and therefore cannot falsely express agreement on issues that you in fact disagree with. Here are suggestions for finding authentic common ground with the student in response to different situations. (1) Agreement with student's account: If you essentially agree with the student's account of (and/or emotional reaction to) the situation, you can say so (e.g., "I can understand why you were upset when you lost your book on the field trip. I would be upset too."); (2) Agreement with a principle expressed or implied by the student: If you are unsure of the objectivity of the student's account, you might still discern within it a principle that you can support (e.g., If the student claims to have been disrespected by a hall monitor, you can say, "I think everybody has the right to feel respected."); (3) Agreement with the typicality of the student response: If you decide that the student's emotional response would likely be shared by a substantial number of peers, you can state that observation (e.g., "So I gather that you were pretty frustrated when you learned that you are no longer sports-eligible because of your report card grades. I am sure that there are other students here who feel the same way.";(4) Agreement to disagree: If you cannot find a point on which you can agree with the student or validate an aspect of his or her viewpoint, you should simply state that you and the student agree to disagree.
Download This Blog Entry in PDF Format: How To: Calm the Agitated Student: Tools for Effective Behavior Management
Description. When students engage in disruptive behaviors in the classroom, they may be seeking to escape or avoid an academic task (Packenham, Shute, & Reid, 2004). With the Class Pass intervention, the student is able to use a limited number of passes to take brief (8-12 minute) work breaks to engage in preferred activities without disrupting instruction (Collins et al., 2015; Cook et al., 2014). To promote increased work tolerance, however, the student is also given an incentive to retain passes unused to redeem later for rewards.
This article lays out the procedures for using Class Passes (based on the work of Collins et al., 2015; Cook et al., 2014).
Preparation. In advance of the Class Pass intervention, the teacher:
decides how many Class Passes to issue. The teacher determines the number of Class Passes issued to the student each day. As a guide, research shows that 3 passes per day (elementary) or class period (middle or high school) have generally been sufficient to substantially increase academic engagement. Review these examples of Class Passes
determines the length of the work break. When the student uses a Class Pass, that learner receives a short break from academic work. The teacher chooses the length of these brief breaks. Research supports a 10-minute break period for elementary students and a 5-minute break for secondary-level students.
decides on the minimum wait-time between work breaks. Once a student has used a Class Pass to take a break, that student is expected to resume work for a minimum period before being allowed to request another break. The teacher chooses the minimum wait-time period between breaks. Research suggests that a minimum wait-time of between 7 and 15 minutes to be effective.
identifies allowed break activities. The teacher and student develop a list of activities that the student can engage in during work breaks. Acceptable activities should be reinforcing for the student, cause minimal distraction to peers, and be manageable within the time-limits of the break (e.g., 10 minutes). Examples of appropriate activities might include drawing at one’s desk or using a computer math-skills program at the back of the classroom. If there are particular rules or exceptions associated with any of the activities, these expectations should be clearly defined. For the activity using a computer math-skills program, for example, teacher and student may agree that this activity is available throughout the day except when other students are using that program for math instruction. More detailed instructions for identifying break activities can be found in the organizer Class Pass: Selecting Break Activities.
creates a reward menu. The teacher and student identify several positive reinforcers (‘rewards’) that the student can access by redeeming unused Class Passes. These rewards are arranged in a menu format, with information about how many unused Class Passes are required to access each reward. Appropriate reward choices are those that are permissible in the classroom or school, viewed as reinforcing by the student, and available at little or no cost. Guidelines for assembling a reward menu can be found in the organizer Class Pass: Building a Reward Menu.
Student Training. When the Class Pass program is ready to start, the teacher trains the student. The training should follow the sequence of coach (the teacher describes the procedures), model (the teacher demonstrates for the student what the procedures look like), and practice (the teacher has the student practice the procedures with instructor feedback). While this training can most likely be completed in a single session, the teacher should be prepared to provide additional training sessions if the student needs them.
Most of the steps that the student is to be trained in are explained in the ‘Procedures’ section that follows. During this training, the teacher also:
helps the student to recognize signs that a work-break is needed. The teacher tells the student that a work-break might be needed when the learner feels confused, bored, frustrated, or tired during academic work. The student can then be prompted to come up with specific examples of when they might need to take a work-break.
identifies the sequence for requesting a work-break. The student is told that, to initiate a work-break, he or she raises a hand and waits patiently for teacher acknowledgement and approval before starting the break.
informs the student when work-breaks are not permitted. The student is informed that Class Pass breaks are off-limits (1) during exams, (2) if the student has already used up all available Class Passes for the session or day, or (3) if the student requests a work-break too soon after requesting a previous work-break.
Procedures. When the Class Pass is in effect, here are the daily steps that make up this intervention:
The teacher issues the allotted Class Passes. The instructor starts the day or period by issuing the student the agreed-upon number of Class Passes (e.g., 3).
The student requests Class Pass breaks when needed. During academic tasks, the student monitors his or her emotional response. If needed, the student signals the request for a Class Pass break by raising a hand and waiting for the teacher to acknowledge and approve the request. The student surrenders a Class Pass and begins the break.
The student takes the timed work-break. When the student starts the work-break, the teacher or other supervising adult starts a timer set to the break length. At the end of the break, the student returns to the work setting and resumes the academic task.
The student is credited with unused Class Passes and selects rewards. At the conclusion of the instructional period or day, any Class Passes the student has not used are credited to that learner. Periodically and in a timely manner (e.g., daily, every other day), the student has an opportunity to review the reward menu and ‘purchase’ rewards for which the student has collected sufficient Class Pass credits.
Troubleshooting/Tips. Here are teacher tips to get the greatest benefit from using the Class Pass intervention:
Remind students to use the strategy. When the teacher observes the student being non-compliant, appearing frustrated, or otherwise displaying potential escape-and-avoid behaviors, the instructor can gently remind the student of the intervention: e.g., “You can follow instructions or you can take a Class Pass break. It’s your choice.”
Pair Class Passes with academic supports. If the student appears to habitually engage in behaviors to escape or avoid academic tasks, it is likely that the learner experiences real difficulty in completing the assigned work. In this common scenario, the Class Pass system can quickly reduce disruptive behaviors—but does not address the academic deficits that are the root cause of those behaviors. Students who fit this profile, therefore, should also be provided with appropriate academic supports to help them to successfully complete schoolwork and eventually eliminate the need for scheduled work-breaks.
Periodically update activities and rewards. To maintain the effectiveness of the Class Pass system, the teacher may want to re-meet with the student every several weeks or so to update the work-break activities and Class Pass reward menus. Refreshing these intervention elements occasionally can sustain student motivation.
Fade Class Passes over time. As the student shows the ability to tolerate longer work-periods and save unused Class Passes for rewards, the teacher should frequently reinforce the student by praising gains in academic engagement as well as increased work production and improved grades. Along with consistent use of praise, the instructor can gradually reduce the number of Class Passes assigned per day (e.g., dropping from 3 to 2, etc.) until the student is able to complete academic work without supports and the intervention can be discontinued.
Student Training. When the Class Pass program is ready to start, the teacher trains the student. The training should follow the sequence of coach (the teacher describes the procedures), model (the teacher demonstrates for the student what the procedures look like), and practice (the teacher has the student practice the procedures with instructor feedback). While this training can most likely be completed in a single session, the teacher should be prepared to provide additional training sessions if the student needs them.
Most of the steps that the student is to be trained in are explained in the ‘Procedures’ section that follows. During this training, the teacher also:
helps the student to recognize signs that a work-break is needed. The teacher tells the student that a work-break might be needed when the learner feels confused, bored, frustrated, or tired during academic work. The student can then be prompted to come up with specific examples of when they might need to take a work-break.
identifies the sequence for requesting a work-break. The student is told that, to initiate a work-break, he or she raises a hand and waits patiently for teacher acknowledgement and approval before starting the break.
informs the student when work-breaks are not permitted. The student is informed that Class Pass breaks are off-limits (1) during exams, (2) if the student has already used up all available Class Passes for the session or day, or (3) if the student requests a work-break too soon after requesting a previous work-break.Student Training. When the Class Pass program is ready to start, the teacher trains the student. The training should follow the sequence of coach (the teacher describes the procedures), model (the teacher demonstrates for the student what the procedures look like), and practice (the teacher has the student practice the procedures with instructor feedback). While this training can most likely be completed in a single session, the teacher should be prepared to provide additional training sessions if the student needs them.
Most of the steps that the student is to be trained in are explained in the ‘Procedures’ section that follows. During this training, the teacher also:
helps the student to recognize signs that a work-break is needed. The teacher tells the student that a work-break might be needed when the learner feels confused, bored, frustrated, or tired during academic work. The student can then be prompted to come up with specific examples of when they might need to take a work-break.
identifies the sequence for requesting a work-break. The student is told that, to initiate a work-break, he or she raises a hand and waits patiently for teacher acknowledgement and approval before starting the break.
informs the student when work-breaks are not permitted. The student is informed that Class Pass breaks are off-limits (1) during exams, (2) if the student has already used up all available Class Passes for the session or day, or (3) if the student requests a work-break too soon after requesting a previous work-break.
Download This Blog Entry in PDF Format: How to Reduce Disruptive Behaviors Through a Brief Escape Break: Class Pass