Students interrupting, fighting or acting up in class not only affects their educational experience, but also the atmosphere of the entire room and your ability to teach. Employ tactics to improve the behavior and ensure that each student is respectful and attentive throughout the day.
Instructions
- Design a chart of classroom rules and post it in the front of the class where each student will be able to see it clearly. Refer to it often at the beginning of the school year until the class becomes familiar with what you consider unacceptable behavior.
- Create an incentive program to motivate students to finish their work in class (and reduce the noise level in the room). Award a sticker for each completed assignment and hold a classroom party at the end of the month, allowing the kids with a certain amount of stickers to watch a video and receive small prizes and food treats.
- Encourage teamwork to keep students quiet by dividing the class into numbered groups. Award points to the group that enters the classroom, sits down and works quietly. Pair the students who typically disrupt the class with ones that will work the hardest to keep them in line. Give the “winning” team an extra recess period, a “homework pass” or treat them to a special dessert.
- Institute a card system to improve behavior. Start everyone on a blue card at the beginning of the day. If a student violates a class rule, pull a card to go to green. Assign consequences to the lower orange, yellow and red cards like a missed recess or a note to parents. As positive reinforcement, let them move up a card when they’ve done something helpful or noteworthy.
- Give each student a monthly packet of “bonus pages” (like colouring sheets, extra math problems or word searches) that they can work on when they’ve completed a test or class assignments rather than talking to their neighbours who may still be working.