i) State what you want them to do calmly and clearly.
The first thing to do is state very clearly what they are doing wrong and what they have to do to put it right. You need to make their choices as simple as possible and leave no room for misunderstanding. As usual there’s no need to get annoyed or raise your voice to show you’re in charge – just calmly make the statement in short, clear sentences. You also need to explain why they should do what you’re asking – i.e. tell them what will happen once they’ve followed your instructions. By doing this you show that you’re not just getting on their backs for the sake of it. This of course, gives them fewer reasons to complain or argue against your instructions.
“John you’re not doing your work. You need to pick your pen up and finish your target so that you don’t have to get it finished in your own time.”
Finally notice how the requests are phrased in a positive, not negative way. For example “Stop wandering” or “Stop talking” are both negative commands and should be phrased as “sit down properly please” or “Get on with you work quietly.”
If they don’t immediately start doing as you’ve asked or if they answer you with a promise to do it soon, you should move on to stage 2. (A promise that they will do as you ask “in a minute” or “later” is their way of controlling the situation – treat it as if they have ignored you).
misbehave.
Tell them very clearly what the sanction will be if they continue to defy you. Use a matter-of-fact tone.
Remember not to get angry or raise your voice – you don’t want to reward this behaviour with emotion - you need to convey total and utter control. For that reason, once you get to this stage there is no longer a place for humour.
Also, under no circumstances should you get drawn in to an argument as this gives the impression that you haven’t fully made up your mind. If you start to discuss the matter then the pupil will think there must be a chance you’ll change your mind and once they see an opening, they will try to exploit it with more and more arguing.
“If you don’t manage to get the work that I’ve set for you finished, you will end up losing 5 minutes of break.”
“If you don’t stop throwing the bits of eraser you’ll have to spend your break clearing the floor.”
iii) Now you need to give them time to think about your instruction.
Immediately follow on by giving them a time limit and then back off to give them some space.
“Do that now, please.”
“Tom, I’m going to give you ten seconds to think about it.” “I’ll be back in about 30 seconds – you need to think about what you’re going to do.”
With a clear choice spelled out to them like this you’ll be surprised how easy it is for them to do the right thing. Once they have had it clearly spelled out to them exactly where the boundary is and that continuing their misbehaviour will result in a specific sanction, they soon change. By clearly explaining exactly what they are doing wrong, exactly what they must do to put it right and exactly what will happen if they continue the behaviour, you are also being completely fair. You are still
maintaining total control but by giving them a clear, limited choice you make it easy for them to do the right thing.
another pupil, you’re giving them a chance to back down without losing face; you’re giving them an escape route. When a child has backed themselves into a corner it’s difficult for them to back down in front of their classmates if you’re standing over them. If you say your piece and then stand there staring at them they will become intimidated in front of their friends and react accordingly – usually with more defiance. By walking away you take pressure off them so there is more chance of them doing the right thing.
How much more sensible is this than losing your temper and screaming, giving them lots of attention and confusing them with idle threats that you won’t follow up? Or worse – really losing your temper and looking a fool in front of the rest of the class. What will that do for your reputation?
iv) If they do as you’ve asked, acknowledge it!
It’s a big step they’ve just taken. Don’t lecture them about how they should follow instructions faster next time - just give them a sincere smile and some quiet private praise.
“I’m impressed John – well done.”
That’s all that’s needed to let them know they did the right thing and to encourage them to do it in future. With younger pupils the compliance can be rewarded more formally – perhaps by getting them to place a sticker on a chart for meeting the behaviour target “Follow teacher’s instructions”.
If they won’t comply then you can simply state the sanction or consequence that they must now face:
“Ok you’ve chosen to carry on doing…… That’s fine. You’ll be staying in at break for 5 minutes. Now get on with your work so that you don’t lose any more of your time.”
Once again, give them a few moments to think and settle. What’s of paramount importance is that you follow up on your consequence. This will have a very positive effect on the other lively members of your group because it shows you have total control but also that you are totally fair. It’s important for other children in the group to witness that.
If the pupil resumes the behaviour after a few minutes respite, repeat the procedure with a tougher consequence. This is why you should always start off with a small consequence so that you can increase it if necessary. In the example above, if the teacher had told John that he would miss ALL his break, what would be the next step if John
continued to misbehave?