VOCATIONAL TRAINING DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION IN APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

(Construction Technology)
Course Title: ED103 Instructional Methods and Strategies
Lecturer’s Name: Mrs. Linda Williamson

Student(s) Name: Lorenzo Ellison

Topics:

In light of the current behavioral challenges faced by teachers in the Jamaican classroom, you are

being asked by the Ministry of Education to write an article on the topic ‘Managing Disruptive

Behavioral Challenges in today’s Classroom: using the Teacher as Classroom Strategist’. You

must:

i. Identify five causes for students’ disruptive behavior or misbehavior in the classroom.

ii. Discuss three causes for students’ disruptive behavior or misbehavior in the classroom.

iii. Describe one of the challenges identified and discuss the impacts on the classroom

environment.

iv. Justify the Three steps that you would take to address the challenges in the classroom.

v. Discuss three strategies that you would use to remediate these challenges.

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IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE CAUSES FOR STUDENTS DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR

According to Hendricks (2017), disruptive behavior in the classroom is defined as repeated,

continuous, or multiple-student behavior that prevents an instructor from teaching and/or
students from learning. Disruptive behavior causes disturbances in the classroom and makes it
difficult for students to enjoy the educational process. Below is a list of four possible motives for
misbehavior. In addition to these causes, there are other factors to consider that may result in a
student who refuses to act appropriately.
1. Seeking Attention
2. Desire for Power
3. Looking for Revenge
4. Lack of Self-Confidence
5. Classroom Environment
6. Problem with the curriculum

DISCUSS COMPREHENSIVELY THE CAUSES OF STUDENTS DISRUPTIVE

BEHAVIOR OR MISBEHAVIOR IN THE CLASSROOM
Seeking Attention
Attention-seeking misbehavior is a mild, recurring behavior that a student knows is unacceptable
but engages in as a way to get teacher or peer attention. Chronic blurting out, excessive
helplessness, and tattling are examples that may be attention-seeking in nature ( Shepherd &
Linn 2015). Being the center of attention is a common desire for students, some more than
others. Acting out by making fun of others, swearing, talking out of turn, or simply being
uncooperative are a few ways students looking for more of the spotlight may misbehave.
According to Watson (2020), it is not uncommon for children in the classroom to do things to get
their attention. Too much attention-seeking can be disruptive, causing trouble and creating
distractions. The attention-seeking child will often interrupt a lesson by blurting something out.
Their desire for attention is almost insatiable, so much so that the child often does not seem to
care whether the attention they receive is positive or negative. In many cases, it does not even
seem to matter how much attention you give them. The more you give, the more they seek. The
attention-seeking child requires more attention than most. They seem to have something to prove

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and do not take as much pride intrinsically as they do extrinsically. This might be attributed to
the child not having a sense of belonging. They may also suffer from low self-esteem, in which
case they will need some help building their confidence. Sometimes, the attention-seeker is
simply immature. If this is the case, adhere to the interventions below and the child will
eventually outgrow their craving for attention.
Desire for Power
According to DeBruyn (2019), some students who misbehave are expressing a desire for more
control in the classroom, and acting inappropriately makes them feel powerful. Signs of a power-
seeking student include constant arguing and a refusal to follow basic rules intended for
everyone. These students usually feel defeated if they do as they are told. Most commonly, we
know these students as total independents, the defiant ones, the rule-breakers, and the bullies.
They believe that if they had more power, nobody could tell them to do anything; they would be
doing the telling. If they cannot gain power inappropriate ways, they will fight for it in
inappropriate ways. It is recommended that giving power to those students who need it is easy–
and whit it comes to the perfect opportunity to teach that responsibility is a part of power.

Looking for Revenge

Hendricks (2017) states that some children lash out in the classroom as a response to hurt
feelings they experience. They believe that misbehaving is their way of getting back at those
responsible, whether it involves the students, the teacher, or both. This misbehavior usually
stems from their need for revenge and may involve; acting violently toward others.  They find
their place by being disliked, feared, or hated. Unfortunately, they find personal satisfaction in
being mean, vicious, and violent. They are the students who tend to write on desks, bully
classmates, threaten young students, cause constant controversy, and mark restroom walls. If you
have students who fall into misbehaving because they are seeking revenge, realize that only
appropriate success will change them. Understand that the revenge seekers can be diverted back
to healthy goals they have abandoned out of despair if they are given a sense of place and
belonging. They cannot be ignored or rejected, or their hate will remain.

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Revenge-seeking students hurt others because they are hurt.  Causing them more pain only
provokes more revenge-seeking behavior.  Offer understanding and assistance.  Encourage other
students not to retaliate when the revenge-seeker misbehaves.  

Lack of Self-Confidence
A lack of self-confidence is also a cause for misbehavior and a very common one. Those
students use an inability or assumed inability to escape participation out of fear that they may
fail. Fear of failure occurs when a student feels he cannot possibly live up to the expectations of
others. These students misbehave as a way to avoid participating in anything that may lead to
failure. To counter this thought process and to change students' self-image more opportunities
for success must be created since feelings of inferiority can be changed one successful event at a
time. A lack of self-confidence also leads to an increase in anxiety no matter how minor or
insignificant the task is. A lack of confidence may also cause a child who may seem completely
confident with school-related activities outside of the classroom, incapable of functioning in a
learning environment.

Classroom Environment
Poor seating arrangements may result in behavior issues. A classroom not designed for optimal
learning may contribute to a student who refuses to behave. Poor seating arrangements, extreme
temperatures, or a high noise level are all distracting elements in a classroom that ultimately
hinder the learning experience. An atmosphere in classrooms like this will result in behavior
issues (DeBruyn, 2019).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED

The challenge identified that I will be describing is revenge-seeking behavior. Kuehn (2019)
states in an article entitled “Revenge-Seeking Behavior in Children” that a child whose
misbehavior is motivated by revenge is thinking: “I can’t be liked; I don’t have power but I’ll
count if I can hurt others as I feel hurt by life.” This distorted thinking colors how this type of
child views the world.  He sees the world as a hurtful place so he makes it his goal to strike first.

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Children who make it their goal to hurt others are not hard to find.  Their pain is obvious by the
pain they cause others.  They reveal their struggle in the following ways:
 Saying hurtful things such as, “You don’t even love me!” or “I hate you!”
 Damaging something belonging to an authority figure (may say it was an “accident”)
 Unprovoked injury of younger child/sibling (often a baby or toddler)
 Mean-spiritedness
 Extreme reactions to accidents against their person or possessions
 Dismissing a gift or special treatment by a parent (unappreciative)
 Focus on wanting to get even or things being “fair”

Parents of revenge-seeking children often find themselves perpetuating this cycle of hurt which
can quickly change to resentment, retaliation, and a desire to get even.  During this phase,
parents may use phrases like, “He is so ungrateful! He doesn’t appreciate anything.” “I would
never have treated my parents like that!” or “I just don’t understand why he would do something
like that.”
This type of behavior only adds to children feeling that he/she is of little value in the world. 
They see the world as hostile and view themselves as victims of that hostility. To cope with such
feelings, they then lash out and often justify their action thinking they are only giving those
around a “taste of their own medicine.”  By this point, they find themselves in a constant state of
discouragement.  He is often identified as the “black sheep” in the family – and once that
identifying marker is hung on his neck, it is hard to remove.  Once he feels he is bad, he will
continue to act in such a way to confirm his perception that he deserves such a negative label
according to, Kuehn (2022).

DISCUSSED FULLY THE IMPACTS OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR ON THE

CLASSROOM ENVIRONS
There are various negative outcomes related to troubling student behavior, as well as peer
rejection, lack of friendships, and referral for placement during a class discussion (Bru, 2009).
Loss of instructional time is an impact on the classroom environment of a student who exhibits
disruptive behavior. For students who are measured as non-compliant and misbehaving, teachers
should manage problems with classroom management and discipline, which takes away time for

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instructional or class activities. Disruptive behaviors could also be considered as clowning
around and not seeming to be threatening, however, this type of behavior demands a lot of the
teacher and diverts it from teaching which leads to decreased quality of teaching. Additionally,
one disruptive student could distract a teacher’s attention to an identical degree as many
disruptive students.
Disruptive student behavior within the classroom can also lead to decreased levels of
educational accomplishment. Bulent (2016) found students who showed disruptive behaviors
like misconduct, lack of self-control, and not thinking before acting were at risk for academic
difficulties. Disruptive students spend time in extra-academic activities and nonacademic
activities; they consistently break rules and usually have lacked in essential academic skills.
When students show disruptive behavior in the classroom, they miss essential skills, which, over
time, impede their ability to keep up with the new material being presented. Deficits in any
academic area will contribute to academic failure and, the more problematic it is, the more
subjects the disruptive student is likely to fail. Hence, this leads to school dropouts.
Ministry of Education, Guyana (2015) outlined that disruptive students interfere with the
teacher's ability to teach effectively. The behaviors require large amounts of the teacher's time
and attention. The teacher must stop the lesson or discussion to address the behavior, and this
takes away from the valuable time needed to instruct the rest of the class. If the disruptive
behavior is threatening, it may challenge the teacher's authority and can create tension in the
classroom, which pushes learning to the background. Disruptive behavior by one student also
encourages other students to do the same, which compromises the teacher's authority and ability
to control the group.
The learning process for other students is affected when one or more students behave in a
disruptive manner. Constant interruptions can adversely throw off the ability of not just the
teacher but of other students to focus on the lesson. Students are forced to wait while the
behavior is addressed, or they are sidetracked by the disruptive student's attempts to be noticed.
This can result in lower grades and behavioral issues with other students as well as with the
student who is causing the interruption. Peers tend to have a significant influence over each
other, and if one student is disruptive, it may encourage similar behavior in other classmates who
might not have had trouble otherwise.

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 Often schools must focus time and resources that could be used elsewhere on trying to
stop disruptive behavior in students. This takes away from the educational mandate of most
schools, which is usually to provide a safe, effective learning environment for all students.
Teachers are often not equipped to deal with some types of extremely disruptive behaviors, and
as a result, the student is sent out of class or the school must enlist the aid of outside
professionals to try to intervene. This takes resources and funding, which could be better used to
improve the educational environment for all students instead of just one.

JUSTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE STEPS TAKEN TO ADDRESS THE

CHALLENGES IN THE CLASSROOM

For students who are presenting problems of misbehavior, especially while seeking
attention, through talking to their classmates in class and making a joke about everything; the
teacher can offer a solution to the issue by moving the student from his/her regular seating place
to sitting at the front of the classroom and also to have a private conversation with the student, by
explaining how disruptive their behavior his to the entire learning process. An effective strategy
would be to, let that student know how important his/ her collaboration is to have a better
learning environment in the classroom. By doing this the teacher gives the student a sense of
responsibility as well as a sense of worth.

In cases where a student is having behavioral problems, especially if the desire for power
is manifested by refusing to do the activities the teacher ask the students to work on, and also by
telling the teacher whom to choose first after being asked to carry out a specific class activity;
the teacher may solve this issue by ignoring the student when he refuses to participate in the
classroom activities. By doing this the teacher establishes control over the situation and does not
give attention to this kind of behavior which would only serve to fuel it by making it worst.
Having a private conversation with the student and explaining to him/her that their behavior is
not correct, is a good option to solve the issue.

Dearborn, the author of “Compassionate Discipline: Dealing With Difficult Students”

states that there are many ways to deal with behavioral issues in the classroom. A teacher can
change some of the ways they teach their students to fit every child’s needs including the student

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with behavioral issues. Dearborn outlined that there are appropriate steps that can be taken to
address the challenges in a classroom setting. These include:

Stay in contact with their parents: make sure they know what is going on; how often he is in
trouble, and what trouble it was. Create this bond and you won’t regret it.

Use proximity to limit negative actions: when at all possible, place the student nearest you
(hard when you are immersed in PBL) or stay within proximity to him.

Have defined student expectations: use the same steps to get the student on task and behaving
EVERY TIME…i.e., ‘this behavior ALWAYS equals this consequence.”

Choose the best time to discipline: you can’t win when you try to call out a student in front of
his or her friends. Back off until you talk in private.

Try to empathize with the student: I know it’s hard because the kid is RUDE, but try to find
out what is going on. Can you get someone to talk to the student? The student might need to take
a safe seat to re-group.

Build on common ground: reflect on your relationship to see if there is any way you can relate
to the student. Does the student play sports? In the Band?

DISCUSS IN DETAIL STRATEGIES USED TO REMEDIATE THESE CHALLENGES

Disruptive behavior in the classroom can have significant negative effects on both
students and teachers, which can be lasting. Disruptive behaviors can be pervasive and there is a
need for effective interventions.

One of the strategies that teachers can use to decrease disruptive behavior is the use of a
combined withdrawal design and delayed multiple baseline design. An article entitled
“Increasing Preschool Student Engagement During Group Learning Activities Using a Group
Contingency” by Ling and Barnett published April 16, 2013, states that when a teacher’s
attention is positive, the engagement of students is likely to get increase. As a teacher, be careful
not to send students mixed messages about the behavior you expect from them. If you are

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impatient, quick to anger, and inconsiderate of your students' feelings, it is unlikely the class will
demonstrate the positive behaviors you ask of them. Set a positive example by showing high
levels of patience, organization, courtesy, and enthusiasm. If you expect the children to use quiet
"inside" voices, you must speak at that volume as well

Another strategy for decreasing disruptive behaviors and increasing student engagement
is giving students response cards so that each student can write their response to the questions
that are posed by teachers during class sessions. In the traditional methods of single-student
responding, only one student is allowed to answer the question the teacher poses. This leaves the
rest of the class unengaged and bored. On the other hand, the response card method allows every
student to respond and take part at all times (Bru, 2009). The use of response cards is, therefore,
an effective strategy to increase student engagement and reduce disruptive behavior. Response
cards allow students to actively participate in learning, thus leading to higher student engagement
levels and lower disruptive behavior levels in the classroom.

The way a class is organized can also influence the behavior of students. Teachers
should, therefore, ensure that the class is neatly arranged and clean which creates an environment
that is conducive to learning. This is likely to reduce disruptive behavior and increase the
engagement of students. If the classroom is arranged in a way that the students feel engaged, they
are less likely to exhibit disruptive behavior and their engagement is likely to increase.

The use of peer teaching is another classroom strategy that can be used to remediate
challenges in the classroom. This strategy can help engage and educate disruptive and struggling
students. Peer teaching activities, such as pairing students together as reading buddies, can be
especially beneficial for students who suffer from low confidence and poor interpersonal skills.
Authoritative research states tutors improve self-esteem and interpersonal skills by giving
feedback. Tutees realize these benefits by asking questions and receiving immediate
clarification. A later study of at-risk students echoes these advantages. According to the study, ‘
you should spend time teaching peer tutors how to properly communicate with tutees, you’ll
likely find the benefits are worth the work’.

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 Praising students for jobs well done is another strategy, as doing so improves academic
and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study (Guido, 2018).
When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:

 Inspire the class

 Improve a student’s self-esteem
 Reinforce the rules and values you want to see

Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students to repeat positive behavior. Let’s say a student
exemplifies advanced problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem. Praising his or
her use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues to use these
tactics. Not to mention, you’ll motivate other students to do the same.

Guido (2018) clearly outlined that a teacher should model the behavior they want their
students to emulate. Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many
studies show that modeling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations. A
straightforward way to model certain behaviors is by holding a mock conversation with an
admin, another teacher, or a student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or other
relatable topic, be sure to:
Use polite language
Maintain eye contact
Keep phones in your pockets
Let one another speak uninterrupted

If multiple members of a classroom are struggling with the same problems or if a

particular issue gets out of hand, having regular classroom meetings can be another strategy.
Teachers should make it clear what is unacceptable about the students' behavior and why. Ask
the class for suggestions on ways to improve the situation and to keep it from coming up again.
This gives students a chance to participate in the problem-solving process and contribute their
ideas on how to stop misbehavior from happening. When a student misbehaves, it might seem
natural to react negatively or show frustration. Instead of giving in to your agitation, take a deep
breath and try to handle the situation as calmly as possible. If you attempt to put a stop to

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misbehavior in an angry state, your decision-making will suffer, and you will only pass your
negative feelings to other students who will easily sense your lack of control.

Create nonverbal reminders to let your students know you need their attention. Flip light
switches, ring a bell or come up with hand signals that alert your students to quiet down instead
of raising your voice to settle commotion. Discuss these cues with your class before you
implement them so students know exactly what they mean and how they should respond to them.
(Hendricks, 2017).

Hendricks (2017) also outlined a few other strategies that could help a teacher to remediate
disruptive behavior in the classroom.

Know school policy

Most schools have a student handbook in which the rules and consequences for breaking the
rules are outlined. All teachers should be united in enforcing the school's policies. Then when
there is a discipline issue, the administration knows that the teacher has followed procedure and
will be more likely to offer support if a concern comes up with a parent.

Set specific classroom rules, expectations, and goals.

Don't overly lengthen the list or the students will feel overwhelmed with rules and will be
challenged for the rules you didn't think to mention.

Choose your battles.

Remember not to criticize the students on everything. Some small behaviors should be ignored
since usually with time, they will improve. When the student fails to get attention or is distracted
by something else, then the behavior stops.

Socialize.

Know the names of the students on the first day. If the teacher is in a larger school, find a
yearbook and match the pictures with the names. The students will be impressed. Say "Hi" to the
students in the hallway and call them by name. Meet them at the door with a friendly face each

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day no matter what problems they had the day before. It is a lot harder for them to misbehave
when they believe the teacher is on their side.

The look

Sometimes the teacher needs to be quiet and just give "the look". Although this is a stereotyped
aspect of teaching, it does work. Before giving a verbal warning, give a misbehaving student “the
look”. It is like the flashing yellow light on a stoplight meaning "Watch your step, bub!" Quite
often, this prevents further disciplinary problems.

A verbal warning.

Give one verbal warning and that is it. If the verbal warning does not solve the problem then the
teacher must move on to another form of discipline. Do not repeatedly scold or warn. It doesn't
work. Have a consequence that occurs after the first verbal warning and be prepared to follow
through.

Conclusion

Classroom management is a very difficult task for all teachers because of the different
kinds of misbehavior that students have, and looking for a solution to those behavioral problems
is a matter of the instructor. Misbehavior problems can have different sources in every student,
for example; poor familiar environment, seeking attention, the desire for power, a lack of self-
confidence, and problems with the curriculum. But, no matter what the source of the problem is,
the most important thing to focus attention on is that those students who misbehave are affecting
the learning process of themselves and their classmates; and that is why having an action plan
regarding what to do to prevent, or to solve these kinds of problems is a very important tool for
the teacher to maintain a good classroom environment.

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