Improve Student Behaviour by Improving Student Mood

(Today's post is a guest post from Rob Plevin, the creator of Needs-Focused Teaching His bio is at the end of this article. Thanks so much, Rob for a thought-provoking article! - Pat)

Did you know that there’s a simple way to improve behaviour in your classroom? It’s a little counter-intuitive to be honest and I must confess, as both a teacher and a parent, it took me quite a while to discover it. Like most adults I was usually concerned with achieving a particular aim – getting my students to work, my teenage son to remember where he lived at bedtime, and my young daughter to throw her tantrums at home instead of supermarket checkouts. So much so, that it almost did NOT dawn upon me that there is an inextricable link between mood and behaviour.

Think about this: how often have you seen a genuinely happy student causing mayhem in your lesson? I know your answer already. When kids are in a contented, relaxed mood, happily engaged and with their needs being met, they have neither reason nor inclination to reduce your lesson to chaos.

In some classrooms scenes of diligent students seem to be the norm; their teachers manage to draw the very best behaviour – textbook, you might say – from the most challenging, resistant kids in school. So how, you ask, is that?

Well, as one who has spent many years in schools as teacher, manager, coach, and trainer, I used to ask it too. I witnessed some incredible teachers and was always fascinated by the spells they seemed to cast – yes, at times it really did seem to be magic. What on earth was it these brilliant teachers do to get even the most challenging students on side?

The solution is absurdly simple: they make kids feel good. They make them laugh. They make them feel empowered. They make them feel capable. They make them feel understood, wanted, and valued. Most important of all, I think, they make them feel good about themselves.

The good news for you is that any teacher prepared to spend time tending to the emotional and social factors that influence learning can weave this magic. One way to achieve this is through certain classroom activities… ‘mood changers’, I call them. These can quickly help you create a classroom environment in which students feel safe, supported, and eager to participate. And, of course, non-disruptive.

High-energy activities, for example, generate movement, action, laughter, fun, excitement and interest. They can be used to start a session, to introduce a new topic or idea, or to invigorate a flagging group. The right high-energy activity can change the mood in a room very quickly and help instill a sense of excitement, engagement and focus.

Calming activities have the opposite effect, lowering the energy in your classroom by inviting students to settle down and quieten the ‘busyness’ of their minds a little. Brain scans show that the pattern of alpha waves generated when we are in a calm, relaxed state (as opposed to normal waking state beta waves) enhances learning, retention and recall.

Creative thinking activities bring bright ideas and challenges into the classroom, encouraging students to think creatively and help them develop skills that will be essential for success in both their personal and professional lives. Creative thinking helps students become more innovative and ‘think outside the box’. It allows them to approach tasks with a different perspective, thereby helping to boost their confidence and self-esteem.

Connection activities can be used to develop a sense of inclusion and community in your classroom. Students feeling that they are part of a safe, supportive and inclusive community are less likely to feel overwhelmed and isolated, more likely to participate and contribute in class, and to feel comfortable when asking for help. Connection also leads to improved social skills and helps develop a culture of respect and understanding. Students who feel valued and respected are more likely to treat their peers and teachers with the same kindness and respect.

Finally, we have focus activities. These help students concentrate on their work and avoid distractions. They promote the learning and retention of information, leading to improved test scores and overall academic performance. Perhaps the greatest benefit of helping students learn to focus is that it promotes the development of a ‘growth’ mindset. Students able to immerse themselves in a task and concentrate fully on their work can more easily embrace challenges and put in the effort to learn. Many studies have revealed that growth mindset has significant positive effects on behaviour, motivation and academic performance.

If I’ve done my job right, by now you’re thinking, ‘this all makes perfect sense, Rob, but where do I find such activities?’ Well, I’ve got you covered. My latest book ‘Change the Mood of the Noisy Class’ is jam-packed with 102 tried and tested activities to improve students’ mood and boost creativity, connection, and focus in your classroom; it also includes a bonus suite of downloadable resources and printables.

Get your copy by searching for ‘Change the Mood of the Noisy Class’ by Rob Plevin on Amazon and start transforming your classroom into a place where students love to learn!

Rob Plevin was a special-ed teacher and deputy head and has spent the last 15 years helping teachers, lecturers, parents, carers and youth workers to connect better with children. He provides free training and downloadable resources from his website at www.needsfocusedteaching.com.

Fidgeting

Another question, on an education forum that I participate in, was asked:

“Hi, I am a student teacher in a kindergarten classroom. A student in my classroom struggles with focusing and sitting still during class and tries to seek my and my cooperating teacher's attention during instructional times. She will call out in class and is unable to keep her body still, such as whipping her head around and stretching her legs and arms on the carpet. She also will touch anything around her such as her pencil box, basket, chairs around her, the carpet, and more. This is also a problem when the class goes to specials, as well as walking in the hallway. My teacher and I have tried providing her with a fidget tool however she did not use it properly so it was taken away from her. She distracts the students around her with her behaviors and her disruptions deprive the other students of their learning. We try to keep her seating close to us and use positive reinforcement with her as well. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know, thanks!”

As I’ve mentioned before, I think a token economy for the class would work effectively with this student and others. At first, you may have to really look hard to catch her acting appropriately but that is the time to reward her. Giving her frequent rewards at first may help her show appropriate behavior more often and then she can be weaned to more infrequent rewards. I would give all the students a blank index card with their names on it at the beginning of each day. I carry a hole puncher and each time I catch the students acting appropriately, they get a hole punched in their card. If students are acting inappropriately, I can decide to ignore it or circle one of the holes with a red pen. At the end of the day, we count how many holes are punched and subtract any circled hole to get the total reward points.

I would have a prize box set up so students can buy items with their points.

I would also try different fidget tools because not all of the tools are a one-size-fits-all type tool.

I have also used wobble stools that have helped active children. These were extremely helpful during whole-group instruction. I just made sure the stools were at the back of the group so they didn’t distract others.

Last, I would call the parents/caregivers to see if they see this behavior at home. If so, they may use strategies or tools that would also work in the classroom.

What advice would you give this teacher? Please share.

Out of Seat Behavior

Another question, on an education forum that I participate in, was asked:

“I am a secondary teacher in the EC setting. I have a student who is constantly displaying behaviors that are interrupting my class daily. He also find a reason to get out of his seat and also talk across the room during instruction. He has a BIP in place but nothing is really working for him. We have even modified his day due to all the major incidents that has happened. Some of the things I have tried is to give him choices, allow him to work then break for 10 mins, allowed him to access YouTube to listen to music, and choice of chips/drink/candy at the end of each week if he does well with his behavior cart. He also receives social skills during class time. Do you all have anymore suggestions on what I can do to help him be successful?”

Has a conference been held with this student to ask him why he is doing this? Has he had input into what would help him not exhibit this behavior? Has he given input into what rewards he would be willing to work for?

Many times I see teachers create a behavior plan that works for the teacher but not the student. At this age, the student should have input into a behavior plan and work towards self-monitoring his own behavior.

He might be getting out of his seat because he is anxious about the assignment. Is there a way to give him a visual schedule of what to expect during class? In my class, we had a regular routine and if the student knew what was going to happen, this helped lower his level of anxiety.

Also, I would start off with a more frequent reward rather than once a week. A daily goal and reward would help the student get into the habit of appropriate behavior. Eventually, he could be weaned to weekly rewards. If he starts off with a weekly reward and never earns it, he is set up for failure.

What advice would you give this teacher? Please share.

Dealing with Distractions

Recently on an education forum that I participate in, this question was asked:

“I am currently student teaching in a 2nd grade classroom with students who are easily distracted by any stimulus that is in or around the classroom. Adults coming into the room, students outside at recess, or noise in the hall are common distractions. I feel like I verbally redirect the students often, and depending on the day, it sometimes works and other times it does not. I am looking for non verbal cues or signals that might help redirect the students to get back on task. When the volume of the classroom is too loud from ongoing conversations, I am trying to not add to the chaos, instead find a calm manner to redirect the students.”

I have used a token economy where each student is given an index card with their name on it. Each time the students act appropriately, I would use a hole punch to mark their cards. You could also just use a pen and make a star or an initial instead. At the end of the day, students turn in their cards for a daily reward. Eventually, I would wean students off daily rewards and go to weekly rewards. This was a very effective technique and was successful with most of my students.

Another tool I use is headphones. These are available for all students. They can wear them so they don't hear a lot of noise to distract them. 

I also played a lot of soft music in the classroom while the students worked on assignments at their seats. This helped keep them from being distracted by other things happening around the room or other interruptions during class.   

What advice would you give this student teacher? Please share.

Acting Out Behaviors

Recently someone asked the following questions on an education forum that I participate in. I thought I would share my answer here.

“I am currently student teaching in a Kindergarten classroom. I have a student who often acts out for my attention, my mentors attention, our teacher assistants attention, and more often than not his peers attention. Often when the student acts out for his peers attention it takes away from the lesson that is being taught and it takes a while to regain everyones focus. The teacher assistant often pulls the student aside to complete a simple task when he starts acting out. However, he often yells across the room to get the students attention as well. How do I prevent these acting out behaviors from taking away from a lesson and the whole classes attention?”

I would start doing a functional behavior analysis and collect data on this behavior. Is it only happening when a new skill is being taught? Does it happen during other activities? Does the student gain attention which could be rewarding the behavior instead of diminishing it?

I would also contact the parents to see if the student has experienced any changes in his routine or life. Is the child acting out at home as well as in school? How do the parents handle his acting-out behaviors? Sometimes parents can give suggestions that might work in the school situation also.

Look for what may be causing the behavior and that might give you a clue on how to handle it. Maybe the student is anxious about learning a new skill. Maybe pairing the student with a buddy could help this anxiety if he knows he can ask a buddy for help.

Is there a behavior system implemented in the class? If not, one should be created for all of the students so that they are rewarded for appropriate behavior as well as consequences for inappropriate behavior. If there is one, is it being implemented consistently? I find that one of the hardest things for new teachers to follow through with because it is very time-consuming at the beginning but the pay off is worth it in the end.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Boundaries

In Constraints are a gift from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin shares, .

“Constraints are a gift because they bring us something to lean against, and they give us the chance to focus on work we can actually do.”

One of the most challenging things for new teachers is to set boundaries for students. We really want our students to like us but they need a teacher more than they need a new friend.

Students need boundaries so that they know where they stand. They know what is expected of them and how far they can go. Of course, there will be many times when they push these boundaries but I think this is a way to see if the teacher is being fair and consistent.

If students push boundaries and the teacher doesn’t stand firm, then those boundaries don’t really exist. This means that the student doesn’t know when they are in danger, which can cause fear. Just like we wouldn’t let a toddler run out in the street, our students need to know that you won’t let them do something dangerous. They need to know that someone cares enough to stop them from going too far.

Often, students live in a chaotic world and the classroom is where they get structure and security. It is the boundaries that the teacher sets which make them feel safe.

So, even though the student may say they hate me or resent me, they know in their heart that I’m doing what is best for them. It is important for them to learn the boundaries so that they can eventually set them for themselves. How can they learn this if they never experience them?

How do you feel about boundaries? How do you set them? Please share.

Photo by Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash

Surviving Unruly Students

Here is another question that was asked recently:

“After many years of teaching, today I wanted to throw in the towel and quit. I have 2 classes that are horrible, it isn't the entire class but three or four constantly interrupting, using inappropriate language, getting up and down, being disrespectful and harassing other students. I write them up, they may get one day in ISS then they are right back in class doing the same thing again. Its not only in my class but in on our entire team. I really don't know what to do. I love teaching and I hate what the few are doing to me and entire class. If something doesn't change I may have to find a new profession. Looking for all the advice I can get.”

Here is my advice:

"Start calling parents and bragging on the ones that are doing great. Talk about how you enjoyed talking to their parents during class. Give lots of praise in class. Find these "bad" kids doing something good and call home to praise them, It might take a while but soon, the kids will start trying to be good so you will call home. I've done this for years from elementary to high school and it really works."

I believe that we don’t involve parents enough as teachers. Maybe we are afraid that we will seem weak or incompetent if we ask the parents for help. Instead, we need to see parents as another part of the team that will help us reach our goal. Our goal is to help the student be successful. Parents and teachers should not be adversaries! Communicating often with the parents is key to a successful classroom. It will show that you care and that you want to help the student succeed. It will also make your job in the classroom much easier since you won’t have to spend so much time on discipline and can spend more time on teaching content.

Simply ignoring bad behavior doesn’t work if you don’t give students something else to replace it with. Sometimes it is hard to find something good that the student has done but I look really hard even if it is to say that I can see the student trying. The more positive things you can start saying about the student the easier it gets because the student starts working hard to do more positive things. Then when the student act up, it is easier to ignore and explain that you are looking for good behavior so you can call and brag about them.

This strategy takes time and you need to be patient. It also helps the students who are acting appropriately because it shows that they aren’t forgotten. They don’t have to do something bad in order to be noticed. It rewards them for acting appropriately.

What advice would you give this teacher? Please share.

Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash

Changing Behavior

Here is another question that was posed to my special education group:

“I teach an LLD self-contained class in high school. The last two years I had about 6 students. This year it is 14, most of whom are typical LLD. One of my students I had for the past two years is the one I am asking for ideas for. She is 16 and was placed in my room for ADHD and her Learning Disabilities. She always had some behavior issues such as: talking back, or calling out in class. This year though the behaviors have escalated 110 %. She is extremely disrespectful to me, my paras etc. The students try to ignore her and at lunch do not want to even sit with her. I have had a reinforcement program in place to earn pts toward watching a movie, or a game day. She did not earn this for the past two weeks. I also try to ignore the behavior and redirect. I have spoken with CST and they said to revamp my reinforcement program. I am an 18yr veteran of teaching and have taught BD before but I am at a point where I am frustrated and not sure what else to do. My BD students were easier than this along with students I had that had ODD as well. Can anyone offer ideas for me to implement in my classroom so my other students do not lose out on learning?”

Here was my answer:

• Have you done an FBA to see what is happening that causes this behavior?
• Have you talked to the student to find out if she can give you some insight into her behavior?
• Have you asked her what would help her to behave more appropriately?
• Did something happen this summer that may have caused this change in behavior?
• Have you talked with the parents to help you find some answers?

I don't think that just revamping your reinforcement program will help change her behavior. I think you need to investigate more into what is causing this drastic increase in inappropriate behavior. It seems like she is pushing everyone away from her for a reason and it may be a defense mechanism. Maybe have her keep a journal about her day and her feelings which could help her in the long run. She could either write about it or record it orally and she could share it with you or keep it totally private but it might be an outlet for her.

What advice would you give this teacher? Please share.

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Is It Working?

In “But how will you know?” from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin shares,

"So the question: “How will we know if it’s working?” is a powerful one."

I have helped a few teachers set up behavior management plans for their classes. Each one was different because each one involves various amounts of time and energy required by the individual teacher. Different plans work for different teachers. Some involve extensive planning before implementation and may involve a lot of record-keeping during the implementation. That is just the first part though. Just because a plan is manageable for the teacher to implement, it doesn’t mean that it works.

I also advise teachers that they may attempt one plan but it doesn’t work so they should be willing to try something else if needed.

Of course, how do you know if it is working or not?

I had one teacher that tried a plan for two days and scrapped it saying that it didn’t work. Then she’d try something different for two more days and be frustrated when that didn’t work.

Whatever you chose to try, you need to try it for more than two days! I would give a plan at least two weeks before evaluating it for effectiveness. During these two weeks, students will test you to see if you really will follow through with the plan. It is important that you be fair and consistent with all of the students while implementing your plan. Students will want to see if you let someone else get away with something but enforce it with them. If this happens, your plan will never work.

During these two weeks, keep a daily frequency chart of the negative behaviors that you want to get rid of. At the end of the two weeks, this will help you decide if the plan is working or not.

At the end of two weeks, you can look at the frequency charts to determine if your plan is effective. You may need to do some adjustments to your plan but make sure your students know about these changes before implementing them.

What else would you do to see if a behavior plan is working? Please share.

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Consistency

In Persistence vs. consistent in Seth Godin's Blog , Seth Godin shares,

“And the best thing is that you only have to make the choice to be consistent once. After that, it’s simply a matter of keeping your promise.”

When having to discipline students, it is important to be consistent. Students will know if you aren’t and feel that you are showing favoritism. If they feel this way, you will lose their respect and they won’t follow your directions.

Once you set the rules and consequences, you have to be consistent even at times you are tempted not to be.

Students need to realize that the rules apply to everyone equally. If anyone breaks the rules, they will suffer the same consequences.

If you aren’t consistent, students won’t know if you are serious or kidding. If you only appy the consequences when you are in a certain mood, students won’t learn to follow your directions when you need them to. They may try to take their chances that they won’t suffer any consequences this time.

Students will learn that you may or may not enforce the rules and this is not the way to be an effective teacher.

If you want students to be successful in your classroom and in their future, you need to teach them that rules are important and that the consequences of not following them apply to everyone in the class.

How do you show consistency in your classroom? Please share.

Photo by Jungwoo Hong on Unsplash

Always a Teacher

In Living Life as a Teacher Is Noble Enough from Cool Cat Teacher Blog, coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher) shares,

“You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher.”

My husband is always telling me that I put my teacher hat on whenever I’m around children who are misbehaving.

When we were recently at the movies, a little girl was banging on the arm rest next to me. I asked her several times to stop but she didn’t. The adults she was with were ignoring her. I finally told her in a stern voice that I was going to go get an usher to remove her if she did not stop. With a scared look, she stopped and behaved herself the rest of the time.

When we were at Disney World, there were teens acting silly in line and accidentally bumping into other guests. I asked them to stop and behave themselves so people wouldn’t think all teenagers were rude and obnoxious. Everyone in line looked at me and couldn’t believe that I spoke up. The teens stopped and apologized to me and the rest of the time, they acted appropriately.

My biggest beef is when we are in line somewhere and some young people think they will cut in line. It amazes me that no one will speak up except me (unless they are another teacher). I will quickly tell them that the line is in the back and they usually look shocked that I say anything.

I can’t seem to help myself when I see young people acting inappropriately and no other adults will say anything. My husband is always telling me that he can see me put my invisible teacher hat on and take care of the situation.

I know that there are many other retired teachers who do the same thing. So, if you see an adult speaking up, you can probably guess that they were or are in the education field.

Have you ever done something like this? Please share.