Whether you’re dealing with a difficult classroom participant or you’re simply seeking to improve your own communication skills, there are certain techniques that can help you to deal with difficult classroom participants. By putting these techniques to practice, you’ll be able to handle most classroom situations with greater ease.
Avoidance
Various studies have been done on avoidance methods for dealing with difficult classroom participants. They include problem solving, punishment and reward strategies. These techniques should be used to defuse tension, redirect student attention and model desired behavior.
One tactic to use in de-escalating a classroom confrontation is the “face-saving de-escalation”. It’s a tactic that involves treating a student with dignity and respect and modeling negotiation as a way to resolve a conflict.
During the face-saving de-escalation, the instructor should respond calmly and formally in a business-like manner. In addition, the instructor should respond with a short, direct response to avoid provoking the student further. This will ensure that the instructor does not accidentally reward a student for misbehaving.
Another tactic to use in de-escalating classroom confrontations is to use non-verbal body language. These techniques can include strategic pauses, a non-threatening voice and a calming presence. This can defuse tension and allow the educator to think through an appropriate response.
In the paper, a study of 31 elementary school students was conducted. These students filled out questionnaires about anxiety and accommodation. The results were analyzed, and the underlying causes of school avoidance were explored.
In an attempt to understand the underlying causes of school avoidance, a semi-structured interview form was adapted depending on the instructors’ opinions. The resulting interviews were used to assess the strategies teachers used to handle disruptive classroom participants.
Among the teachers’ strategies, those who used “accommodation” were more likely to have students with higher levels of anxiety. These students were also more likely to be reluctant to seek help. However, most of these teachers engaged in accommodating behaviour at least once a week.
These strategies are not suitable for every student, but they are useful to help defuse a situation. Other methods to use to defuse classroom tension include removing the student from the setting, sending him or her to the neighboring classroom or using a buddy teacher timeout. These strategies should be used sparingly and only when necessary.
Effective communication with students is important for their psychological safety and is a basic principle in the classroom. It increases mutual respect between professors and students, and increases student self-confidence.
Redirect the question back to the participant
Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran, there are a few key strategies you can use to support your student’s participation and help you be successful in your classroom. These techniques are especially useful when dealing with difficult classroom participants.
The first strategy is to avoid using questions that students can’t answer. Instead, posing a question that requires a wide intellectual thinking skill is a good strategy. If a student is unclear about the question’s purpose or the type of response to expect, they may become disengaged.
Another strategy is to ask a series of questions that encourage students to provide answers. The questions can also function as a scaffolding tool, or as a means to validate shared knowledge.
A third strategy is to offer time for discussion. In this way, quieter students can make meaningful contributions to the class. If you have a group of students who don’t want to contribute, break them into smaller groups and let them share their ideas with each other. This can put the rest of the students at ease and allow them to participate without being overpowered.
Finally, teachers should call on students who are off-task. This isn’t a shaming technique, but rather a way to draw them back into the lesson. However, you should be careful not to pick on a student who is clearly off-task. This can lead to frustration for both students and the teacher.
These four techniques can help you be more effective in your classroom. They are effective in promoting high-quality student participation and can reduce the likelihood of random blurts. While you can’t expect to be able to effectively align your lessons with all your student contributions, these practices can help.
Lastly, it is important to periodically restate the goal of the discussion. This can help clear up the assumptions behind your argument and invite the person to consider different possibilities.
By incorporating these strategies into your teaching, you can ensure that students will be able to make the most of their time in your classroom. They will also be able to see that you take the time to evaluate the value of their contributions.
Repeat student responses to summarize or clarify ideas
Using the appropriate verbiage, students will glean a lot more information than you’d expect. Using the appropriate lingo will not only make the classroom experience more enjoyable but also allow you to be more efficient and effective at getting your message across.
While you should never rush to the punch, it’s best to be proactive rather than reactive. For example, if you’re having a tough time figuring out what to say next, ask a question to jog their memory. Another useful tidbit is to keep a notebook or pad of paper on hand for note-taking. This will allow you to refer to it at a moment’s notice.
The aforementioned is the least likely to get your attention, which isn’t a bad thing since it should be a given. A slapdash approach to teaching can be off-putting for both student and teacher. This can be remedied by a proper classroom protocol. This will ensure a smoother flow of information and a more productive environment in general. In addition, this will ensure that your time is devoted to the important stuff. Those key-chain gadgets are the bane of most teachers’ lives. The next time you’re dreading a class full of unruly kids, try these techniques to make the experience more enjoyable for everyone. Hopefully, your students will be rewarded for their efforts. They’ll come away from your lesson with a new found respect for you and your material.
Encourage students to share their ideas
Getting students to participate in a discussion can be a challenge, but there are some simple strategies to encourage participation. One strategy is to focus on individual ideas, which can be done by asking open-ended questions. This will give students time to formulate a response, and it will allow them to share their thoughts with peers.
Another technique is to use a small-group discussion method such as Think-Pair-Share or Jigsaw. In this method, students are placed in groups of four or six and given a topic to discuss. Once the group has discussed its ideas, one or two members rotate to a new group. This allows the students to work together, and it prevents the most talkative students from dominating the conversation.
If you want to encourage students to share their ideas, make sure you are clear about your expectations. You also need to weigh the impact sharing your own opinions will have on the discussion. Sometimes sharing your own view can shut down students who disagree with you.
You can also try a mini-icebreaker, such as naming a person’s name or introducing them to a classmate. This can help students learn to refer to others by name, which increases their likelihood of addressing each other directly.
When discussing a controversial topic, you can model good behavior by asking students to respond to other students’ remarks. You should never take comments personally, and you should ask for clarification. You should respond in a variety of ways, such as questioning a student’s evidence, urging them to reconsider their ideas, or challenging them to think more deeply.
You should also be prepared to redirect the discussion when it gets out of control. You can do this by pointing out the readings in the class, reminding students of the ground rules, or referring to the purpose of the discussion. This will help refocus the discussion.
Using a guiding question can help students formulate a response without interruption. Remind students to make eye contact, which signals that they should be listening. Creating a classroom environment where students feel comfortable will increase their engagement.