What are your best methods/tricks for dealing with disruptive students?

Question

I deal with little ones one day a week and have enough problems with them. Most of the time I regain control pretty quickly.. If you can hear me now clap once, if you can hear me now clap twice brings this age back pretty well. What are your tricks?

And in the area of disruption...How much should be tolerated? Disruptive students prevent other students from getting a better education. Who should have more rights the disrupter, or the disrupted.

What are your best methods/tricks for dealing with disruptive students?

Answer 1

Usually disruptive students are thriving on the attention. Negative or positive attention, it doesn't matter. What works for me is giving plenty of praise and encouragement when the child is being good and ignore the negative. Catch the child doing good. Keep the child occupied in something constructive. If he/she is feeling active " I need a helper to dust these erasers or wipe this table off" Time outs are overused and causes more harm in little ones than any good it does. If its argumentative or social disruption, take the time to teach problem solving skills. If the child is removed from the situation and placed in isolation they will never resolve the conflict and adds to a build up of emtoions that will lead to temper tantrums or increased aggression. Make sure you have plenty of positive reinforcers in the classroom to catch children being on target. Reward often. Praise smiles, encouragement works just as good as stickers or treats. Keep track of the times and situations that disruptions occur most often. There may be a connection. For example a lot of children have a hard time settleing down after lunch or recess to get back into classroom appropriate behavior. A game or activity might fill this adjustment time. Also a study has been done that links dehydration to classroom disruptions and inattention. The brain feeds on fruit sugars and water. Plan enough periods of time for refreshment. Small cup of apple juice in midafternoon works wonders. Teachers often carry around mugs and water bottles and forget about the needs of smaller children.
I am a child psychotherapist

Answer 2

Disruptive students must be aware of how their behavior effects the other students learning. Other students should be free to tell the disruptive student that they are interfering with their learning.

Each time a student is disruptive, they should be given an opportunity to "own up" to the problem and devise a plan to correct it (on their own). We call this a "recovery plan," and if the plan doesn't work the student should have that same opportunity to revise their plan (this time with the help of the teacher or parent).

This works because it does not give too much authority to the teacher (kids want to be the boss of themselves), teaches them to take responsibility for their own actions, and see how their behavior effects the students around them.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I am a retired elem teacher. You should not tolerate any disruption, it shows lack of respect. It is important to lay down the rules very clearly and even role play them, and then when they break the rules, bam, the consequence, which by the way should be preset along with the rules. email if more info is needed

Answer 4

check out the foods that the kids eat. High sugar intake triggers disruptive behavior. Shift kids diet to natural and healthy foods.

Answer 5

I teach a very unruly bunch of 2nd graders, and I've found that he best way to keep them in line is with a stun gun! All you have to do is zap one of the little bastards in front of the whole class and the rest of them seem to get the message very quickly.
I love teaching!

Answer 6

well what i do is just tell he/she/them or what ever the students are, that you side with the bigest, and mean one, the one that you know will and can make the others obey and then things should settle down

Answer 7

pop quiz for everyone every time someone is disruptive

or.. how old are the kids?

Answer 8

beat 'em.