NUO Conference: Challenging Behavior in the Classroom: Be the Example

We read an article by Michael Linson on How to Handle A Student Who Yells At You. This article provided a lot of useful techniques on how to communicate with the student when they are in an escalated state and how to de-escalate the situation. I found this article particularly helpful for teachers in primary junior because this age group has less experience with emotional regulation.

My views on handling challenging behavior in the classroom aligns closely with the advice from this article, as I believe that to make any lasting change one must first de-escalate the student and get them back to a relaxed and rational state. It is further important to model the behavior that you want to see from your students. Show students what respect looks like, by showing them respect. I can relate back to a personal experience where modeling respect has worked to de-escalate negative behavior and reinforce positive behavior. A student in my current placement class who often displays challenging behavior was becoming angry towards other students in the classroom, and began yelling and calling them names. When I approached the student, I was sure to talk to them in a kind and respectful tone, acknowledging their feelings of frustration, but also modeling how we should treat others. I told the student I wanted to understand what they were upset about, and wanted to help resolve the problem. The student then began divulging underlying triggers to that caused their behavior, and eventually apologized for  their outburst. This article makes  an excellent point when it states "when you show them- through your simple kindness and no-hard feelings of acceptance— what grace, forgiveness, and true respect looks like… you'll forever change how they view the world". 

EDU491 AimeeW@NUO

Linson, M. How To Handle a Student Who Yells At You. April 2016.

https://niagara.instructure.com/courses/31993/files/2795307/download?download_frd=1