Over the past several months the following articles, studies, and websites have not only changed the way I think about disruptive behaviour within the classroom, but they have also influenced my developing teaching philosophy and inspired me to become a better educator of children.
Wells, Karin. (2013) Self-regulation technique helps students focus in class: CBC News Canada. Retrieved From: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/self-regulation-technique-helps-students-focus-in-class-1.2440688
This article discusses the work of researcher Staurt Shanker in regards to minimizing disruptive behaviour within the elementary school classroom. Shanker’s research suggests that the best way for a teacher to manage events of disruptive behaviour is to ‘de-escalate’ the situation, or in other words, to teach the child how to calm themselves down and get them to think again. Studies show that when a child’s brain enters a state of stress, anxiety, or general overload of some sort, that the child’s ‘thinking’ part of the brain shuts off and they can no longer hear what anyone is saying to them, which is why self-regulation and teaching our students how to self-regulate themselves is so important. Within the article, author Karin Wells provides several examples that teachers can use to help teach and implement self-regulation within the classroom. Personally, I found many of the ideas outlined in this article to be very useful for minimizing instances of disruptive behaviour within the classroom. Although I think that student self-regulation can be a useful tool for many teachers and students, I was able to learn through my inquiry research that it is only one small piece of a much larger puzzle.
Jacobsen, Kari. (2013). Educators’ Experiences with Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom: Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers.
This research article discusses how instances of disruptive behaviour in a classroom setting have been proven to negatively impact both the individual distributing the behaviour as well as other students. Additionally, findings have also shown that disruptive behaviour can impair the classroom learning environment. Within the article, author Jacobsen pays particular attention to how disruptive behaviour is a common predictor for low grades and higher school drop-out rates. Finally, the importance for educators to both educate themselves and understand the source of a child’s disruptive behaviour are also discussed. For many children their teacher is the adult they see most often throughout the day, and thus, how a teacher decides to respond to instances of disruptive behaviour is extremely important. Especially relevant to my inquiry research topic is the discussion around teacher detection and intervention in disruptive behaviours and/or in developing mental health disorders.
Rosenberg, M., Michael S Rosenberg, & Lori A Jackman. (2003). Intervention in school and clinic: Development, implementation, and sustainability of comprehensive school-wide behavior management systems Pro-Ed, 39(1), 10-21.
This research paper discusses a variety of research findings which show that behaviour management and instances of disruptive behaviour in the classroom are the most troubling issues facing schools and teachers today. Throughout the article authors Rosenberg and Jackman describe a behaviour management system in which collaborative teams work together to form consensus on a positive and supportive school-wide approach to behaviour management for all children and how this model could be used to help minimize instances of disruptive behaviour within the classroom. Although I found some of the ideas in this article to be thought-provoking, I was more interested in directing my inquiry research project in a slightly different direction. That being said, this source was definitely relevant in my field of study and it did provide me with a more thorough understanding of how complex effective behaviour management can be.
Clayton State University Education Department Website (2016). Disruptive Classroom Behaviour. Retrieved from:http://www.clayton.edu/Portals/5 DisruptiveClassroomBehavior.pdf
This University document provides a broader, more inclusive definition of what disruptive behaviour can look like and what disruptive behaviour actually is. Within this document disruptive behaviour is defied as any behaviour that hampers the ability of instructors to teach and students to learn. Alongside this definition, a list of common examples of disruptive behaviour within the classroom is also provided. Personally I found this resource to be very useful in the early stages of my research on disruptive behaviour. This resource allowed me to develop a better understanding of some of the different types of disruptive behaviour that can occur within a classroom setting as well as how and why certain types of disruptive behaviour develop in children.
Lambert, M. C., Cartledge, G., Heward, W. L., Lo, Y., & Koegel, R. L. (2006). Effects of response cards on disruptive behavior and academic responding during math lessons by fourth-grade urban students. Journal Of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(2), 88-99.
Although I have had serval past experiences using student response cards within an elementary school classroom, I was completely unaware of the benefits associated with them before reading this article. Within the article authors describe and explain the results of an experiment in which two separate 4th-grade urban education classrooms incorporated the use of student response cards into the daily math lessons. Findings show that by incorporating the response cards into the classroom, student engagement went up, disruptive behaviour went down, and student responding increased significantly. Many of the ideas described within this article, in addition to researched findings, definitely helped to reframe my own beliefs about the way I think about disruptive behaviour within the classroom. Specifically, I would say that the ideas outlined within this particular article helped guide and direct me through the majority of my inquiry research.
Moore Partin, T. C., Robertson, R. E., Maggin, D. M., Oliver, R. M., & Wehby, J. H. (2010). Using Teacher Praise and Opportunities to Respond to Promote Appropriate Student Behavior. Preventing School Failure, 54(3), 172
This article discusses several important strategies for decreasing disruptive behaviour within the classroom. The two major strategies discussed within the article are: teacher praise as a positive reinforcement and providing students with more opportunities to respond correctly to academic questions, tasks, and demands. The authors note that using these strategies appears to help all students, but especially those students with learning disabilities or disruptive tendencies. Especially relevant to my inquiry topic is the discussion of using teacher-centred strategies to improve student behaviour within the classroom.
Scripp, L. (2002). An overview of research on music and learning. Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and social development. (Ed. R.J. Deasy), 132-136. Washington, DC. Arts Education Partnership.
This essay discusses and reviews a variety of research which shows how music can be used as a tool for social-emotional development and behaviour modification in schools. Based on the research examined within this essay the author argues that music should be incorporated in education for the many positive impacts that it can have both in the classroom and for students. Some of the positive impacts identified in this paper include: improved student academic success and performance, improved student motivation, improved student behaviour, and finally, the overwhelmingly positive impact it can have on a child’s social emotional development and their overall ability to learn. Many of the ideas outlined in this essay provide new insight into how teachers can use music as a tool to help minimize instances of disruptive behaviour within the classroom. Incorporating music into the classroom is something that I have already tried several times with my practicum class, and I would definitely agree that music has the capability to improve student behaviour.
Gouzouasis, P., Guhn, M., & Kishor, N. (2007). The predictive relationship between achievement in music and achievement in core grade twelve academic subjects. Music Education Research, 9(1), 81-92.
This article discusses the results of a longitudinal study which examines the relationship between student involvement in music and the corresponding academic success. After the thorough examination of three different groups of students, all of the collected results of this study reveal that – yes – there is a positive correlation between involvement in music and achievement in achievement in core academic subjects. Specifically it was found that students who had participated in band, choir, or music composition, on average, had higher achievement in mathematics, biology, and English. In addition to these findings, there is evidence that student involvement in musical activities increases self-esteem and social competences, including the reduction in aggressive and anti-social behaviour as well as the increase in pro-social behaviour. Many of the ideas described in this article have helped to shape the way I think about managing disruptive behaviours within the classroom.
Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2006). Student-teacher relationships. In G.G. Bear & K. Minke (Eds.), Children’s Needs III: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp. 59-71). Bethesda, MD: NASP.
This article discusses the importance of student-teacher relationships as an indicator for student success and behaviour. Within the article it is noted that positive student-teacher relationships are extremely important to establish within the classroom as they are often huge predictors of student social emotional development and student academic success. In building upon this idea, the article also discusses recent research which shows that positive student-teacher relationships can help minimize disruptive behaviour within the classroom, help reduce the amount of time spent on behaviour management, and make learning more meaningful. I am extremely grateful that my inquiry research lead me to explore student-teacher relationships because I am only just beginning to understand how important relationships are for student well-being, academic success, and social-emotional development.
Linsin, M. (2009). How to build classroom community: It’s not what you think. SCM, Online.
This article discusses how the process of building a strong classroom community can help improve both student motivation and student behaviour. Within the article the author notes that when students act in a kind and appropriate way it is not because there is a strong classroom community, but rather, it is the result of a strong classroom community. Specifically it is stated that in order for students to properly build a strong classroom community their teacher must first create an enticing goal, then make sure that every class member is needed to achieve the goal, and finally, make sure that there is a chance of failure. This article outlines that if the above three conditions are implemented correctly by the teacher, the close bonds that students will develop through these repeated experiences will carry over to everything they do in the classroom, including how they choose to behave. This resource helped me understand relationships and community within the classroom from a slightly different perspective, a perspective in which the teacher provides the right conditions for building a strong classroom community, but where the students are responsible for building camaraderie, teamwork, and togetherness.