Module 7 discussion topics and analysis

¶ … Management of Misbehavior in the Classroom

The first and foremost important lesson which has to be learnt by the leader of any group -- including a classroom full of students -- is that of leadership through the power of example. The teacher will not for instance be able to implement discipline and demand respect from his students unless he himself is disciplined and worthy of respect, and treats his pupils with the respect they require. Given this understanding, the first step to be taken by any teacher is that of a consistent behavior of respect, dignity and generally high moral norms which stimulate the students to also develop and adopt the same behavioral traits.

The first step is a difficult one to implement and the final success and impact differ with each student as they are subjected to individuality and personality features. It is as such expected that, despite the behavior adopted by the teacher, students will engage in conflicts and will misbehave. This virtually translates into the necessity to interfere and manage the misbehavior. There are three gradual steps which would be implemented, as follows:

The recognition of a misbehavior

The immediate management of the misbehavior, and third

Learning from the misbehavior.

At the first level, it is necessary for the teacher to comprehend the existence of the misbehavior. This implies a consistent attention to the behavior of the students in the classroom, as well as the evolution of their behavior. As a misbehavior arises, it is necessary to recognize and treat it as such, rather than ignore it. Additionally, also at this stage, it is required that the teacher researched the misbehavior and understood its roots. This process is important in all contexts, but even more so in situations in which the teacher did not directly witness the misbehavior, but was eventually informed of it.

The second step is constituted by the immediate management of the misbehavior. Traditionally, the behavior of the student disturbing the class would be stopped by the intervention of the teacher. Peace would be restored in the classroom and the incident would be discussed and punished later on during direct and face-to-face-to-face interactions between the student and the teacher. Nevertheless, in few circumstances, it is possible for the misbehavior to be generated by positive intents and to generate positive outcomes, in such a case the intervention of the teacher being put off. Examples in this sense include those of a student trying to stimulate his classmates to enhance their performances at a sports activity or other curricular or extracurricular activity. The teacher's ability to make the differences between the positive and negative types of misbehavior -- and to as such decide his intervention -- can only be obtained through the completion of the first step.