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Dealing with unruly students in class?

Dealing with unruly students requires patience and a plan. To restore order and promote learning, consider these steps:

- Establish clear rules and consequences from day one to set expectations.

- Use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior instead of focusing on the negative.

- Implement engaging activities that cater to various learning styles to keep students interested and involved.

How do you handle disruptions in your classroom? Feel free to share your strategies.

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Teaching

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Dealing with unruly students in class?

Dealing with unruly students requires patience and a plan. To restore order and promote learning, consider these steps:

- Establish clear rules and consequences from day one to set expectations.

- Use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior instead of focusing on the negative.

- Implement engaging activities that cater to various learning styles to keep students interested and involved.

How do you handle disruptions in your classroom? Feel free to share your strategies.

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281 answers
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    Ekaterina Sitnikova

    Business Insights & Data Analytics Expert | CX Strategy & Product Management Professional | Marketing Solutions @ NBCU

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    When I was a math teacher once, I used this trick: nominated the most difficult (unruly) student in the class as a Behavioral Manager who should help me with discipline and carefully take notes about every violation during a lesson. It worked like magic - we had absolutely no issues since then.

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    CA Anu Agrawal (CPA Australia)

    Founder AAC / CA and ACCA Faculty / Mentor / AIM Institute of Foreign Studies

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    Unruly behavior, in my experience, often signals unmet needs. I address it calmly, aiming to understand the root cause rather than reacting to the behavior. Setting clear boundaries while offering them a chance to explain fosters mutual respect and a better classroom environment.

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    37
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    Ms. Trisha Sharma 🏅

    💙 Head - Marketing (APAC) at eie EBS | Regional Director - Marketing (APAC) TEN | Expert Recruiter | B2B Sales Strategist | Team Builder | Collaboration Specialist | Mentor to 50,000+ students | Visionary Leader |👑Leo

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    Dealing with unruly students requires a balance of firmness and empathy. Set clear expectations and consistently enforce them, while maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. It’s important to listen to their concerns, address underlying issues, and offer constructive feedback. Building a positive classroom environment where respect and open communication are valued can also prevent disruptive behavior.

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    28
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    Meet Soni

    Assi. Professor | Entrepreneur | Public Speaker | Advocate for Sustainability | Helping You Thrive Personally & Professionally | Yog Practitioner | Vegan | Marathon Runner

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    My personal experience and way of dealing with such students is I always keeps few sparkling or amazing type of informations and share it with them while initiating the class to involve them towards me. And I make sure that that sparkling information must get related to the topic in the same session. This way students can get develop interest in the subject and they pay attention also.

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    15
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    Marilyn Miranda - S.E.R.-Sentir E Respirar

    Treino Respiratório & Respiração Funcional | Foco, recuperação e performance para pessoas, empresas e atletas | Fundadora S.E.R. – Sentir E Respirar

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    Da minha experiência sugiro a introdução de uma nova dinâmica antes de iniciar a aula: respirar conscientemente de forma lenta e profunda por 5 minutos pode mudar completamente o curso da aula, os alunos ficam mais calmos, mais concentrados e com maior regulação emocional o que leva a que o professor consiga dar a matéria com menos interrupções e a relação ensino aprendizagem seja melhorada.

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    Balakiran Pandramgi

    Associate Professor, Communication & Game Design, Unreal Authorized Instructor, Game Artist, Certified Trainer (Technical Artist, VR/AR)

    (edited)
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    Unruly students are very common to found these days. Managing unruly students requires empathy. Group them with responsible peers, using random selection. Respond logically but not strictly to rude replies. Use storytelling method to make lessons engaging. Guide/help them once to achieve good grades and acknowledge their success publicly. This approach fosters a positive learning environment and teaches life lessons, making students lifelong fans will make them to hear/understand you. Note : The teacher's job is not only to teach the subject but also to teach life lessons.

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    Ronny Croymans

    Production supervisor | Continuous improvement | ISO Auditor | (HSE) Advisor | Acting Purchase Officer

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    Handling unruly students requires a balanced approach, focusing on both prevention and intervention. Setting clear rules and consequences from the start helps establish expectations, giving students a framework for acceptable behavior. Positive reinforcement is essential acknowledging and rewarding good behavior encourages students to repeat it, fostering a more positive classroom environment. Engaging and interactive activities tailored to diverse learning styles can keep students focused and reduce disruptions. Creating a classroom culture of respect, consistency, and engagement is key. How do you manage classroom disruptions while maintaining a positive learning environment? Feel free to share your approaches. 🎓 #ClassroomManagement

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    9
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    Alexia Wong

    Tuition teacher. Earned Community Top Voice Badge in Teaching in '23 and Community Top Voice Badge in Cybersecurity in '24.

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    When dealing with unruly students, you need to first set clear and strict rules. This is so that they would know what they can and cannot do in your class. You must also set examples by punishing the unruly ones and rewarding the obedient ones. This is to show the others what they would get if they are unruly. You must also talk to these students if they are repeated offenders. This is to help you understand why they are doing so.

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    8
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    Sharon Mathangi

    Educator | Cambridge CELTA certified | Curriculum Designer | IGCSE | IELTS | PTE | TOEFL | Spoken and Business English | Creative Writing | Education Consulting | Website Content Developer | Business Development

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    Dealing with unruly students can sometimes feel like hosting a comedy show where you're the only one not in on the joke. One time, when the chatter got out of hand, I walked to the whiteboard, drew a giant ear, and said, "This is me, trying to listen to the brilliant points you’re making—mind sharing them with the rest of us?" The laughter broke the tension, and I had their attention back.

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    8
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    Ms. Trisha Sharma 🏅

    💙 Head - Marketing (APAC) at eie EBS | Regional Director - Marketing (APAC) TEN | Expert Recruiter | B2B Sales Strategist | Team Builder | Collaboration Specialist | Mentor to 50,000+ students | Visionary Leader |👑Leo

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    Establish clear expectations, remain calm and consistent, and engage students in finding constructive solutions to their behavior.

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    7
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