Case study: When to Respond to Negative Behavior in the Classrsoom
Over the past few months, I have been student teaching in a 3rd grade class and observing a female student. I have noticed that she has struggled with misbehavior and a lack of respect for her teacher and authority. She is not a struggling student in her academics but struggles with starting and staying on task. However, when she is given directions or corrected in her behavior, she seems to take it as a challenge. My proposed question is; When should you respond to negative behavior in the classroom and when should you not in the classroom? I have found that students who are struggling with only the behavior piece in school, more often than not, are struggling with another determining factor. In this case, through intensive research and time spent with the student, I have found there her behavior inside the classroom is linked to how parental figures are teaching at home, and what they are tolerating. These strategies are important for all teachers because, every teacher works with students who struggle with misbehavior i.e. blurting out, sarcasm, talking back, lack of respect, etc. I have found that not directly engaging with her on all fronts but requiring a consequence for rules being broken, shows her that rules are still rules and she has a choice to make. This case is contextually different for each student, but through research have found multiple strategies to help teachers work alongside students, not tower over them in authority.
EDUC 321, Classroom Relations & Management
Brian Kaelin
10 AM – Noon