Observations – classroom disruptions

Almost every classroom has one – that student who won’t sit still, or who likes to talk to others, or disrupts the class in one of a dozen different ways.  Too often, teachers focus on the problem rather than trying to understand the cause.  To be fair, educators are under a lot of pressure on a daily basis and can’t always afford the time to find out why a student is being disruptive.

That said, it is a poor teacher, in my opinion, who belittles or lashes out at a student who won’t sit still.  Youngsters have a way of pushing authority to its limits, but a well-seasoned educator knows that an aggressive response simply makes the situation worse.  Too often, the end result is that the student is suspended or even expelled, but has the school achieved its goal of educating young minds when that happens?

Having spent a few years talking with young people of different ages, these are a few of the reasons I’ve come across for disruptive behaviour.  The following is by no means comprehensive.  On the contrary, it is merely an over-simplified peek at possible reasons for certain kinds of behaviour.  Nor does it offer any suggested solutions.  Teachers are already too busy to be expected to find the time to deal constructively with problems in the classroom.

Giggling:

This happened occasionally during the English speaking exam when the candidates were taking part in the group discussion.  I’m talking about 6^th Form students here, boys aged 18 or 19 who suddenly broke out in giggles while another candidate was speaking.  One stern look from me and they tried to stop, but they couldn’t.  The anguish was plain on their faces as they tried to stifle their outbursts while being unable to do so.  Were they disrupting the session?  Absolutely.  Were they being malicious?  Absolutely not.  One reason for disruptive behaviour, then, appears to be nervousness.

Talking during lessons:

It can be so annoying when a teacher is trying to explain something and someone starts whispering in class.  Why does this happen?  I’ve come across two reasons: boredom and zealous creativity.  A student can feel bored if he finds that the material is not challenging enough.  He already knows the answers and needs to find something else to stimulate his imagination.  The creative youngster, on the other hand, is bursting with ideas and can’t wait to share them with everyone else.  Punishing the bored or creative student serves no purpose, except perhaps to break them and stop them from becoming the best that they can be.

General disruption:

Occasionally one will come across a student who bullies or steals or finds other ways to hurt classmates.  Once again, malice might not be the reason for such behaviour.  A youngster who has to deal with a lot of stress at home might take it out on those around him at school.  An attention seeker, meanwhile, will do almost anything to get people to look at him.  Once again, chastisement is not the best solution for dealing with such situations.  The stressed student needs a place where he can feel safe and face stimulating challenges without having to deal with any undue pressure, while the attention seeker needs to be appreciated and reassured that he is indeed noticed, though people may not applaud every little thing that he does.

I have found that disruptive behaviour is not always the result of malice, and recognising the symptoms is the first step, in my opinion, in dealing with different challenges posed by those who rely on us to guide them through life.