problem solving behavior challenges in the classroom

Responding to Behavioral Challenges in the Classroom

Working to maintain safe and productive schools..

Posted December 14, 2021 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• A recent survey shows behavioral issues in schools are on the rise.
• Increased class size, pandemic-related stressors, and mental health issues are common causes for behavioral issues.
• The inclusion of special needs students in general classrooms is creating new challenges for teachers.
• Taking immediate action and focusing on de-escalation are key ways to manage disruptions in the classroom.

Teachers and educators across the country are having to deal with more behavioral challenges in the classroom than ever before, all of which cause a variety of obstacles toward creating and maintaining safe and productive learning environments.

In a recent survey by the Education Advisory Board (EAB), 81% of school administrators indicated the frequency of disruptive behaviors in their schools is either “more” or “significantly more” than during the previous three years. Seventy-one percent of teachers responded the same, also estimating they lose an average of 144 minutes of instructional time per week (14.5 school days per year) due to behavioral disruptions in the classroom.

Reasons for behavioral challenges

There are many factors that can lead to behavioral challenges in the classroom, including increased class size and staffing issues, the inclusion of special needs students in general classrooms, pandemic-related stressors, and an increase in mental health issues driven by conditions in the home such as food and housing insecurities, parent-related problems, and financial difficulties.

No two behavioral challenges are the same in their cause or manifestation. One may be a result of a learning disability or autism and another of lack of sleep or a divorce . One child may express their frustration by acting out and another by remaining unresponsive. All of this leaves school districts, and teachers, with countless behavioral challenges to navigate while at the same time trying to state-mandated teaching curricula and keep students safe.

A common factor among many students exhibiting behavioral challenges is an inability to communicate effectively. This frustration can escalate quickly and cause significant disruption to a classroom. Reasons for a student’s difficulty in expressing themselves can range from autism or neurological disorders to issues in the home or fear of being mocked by peers. Related to this is a student feeling misunderstood, which can very easily turn into a volcano-waiting-to-erupt situation. Communication and self-expression are fundamental human needs; not being able to meet those needs, or feeling uncomfortable doing so, can create an enormous pressure and preclude a student from being able to learn and cooperate–particularly in a classroom setting where communication is generally controlled and moderated by an instructor.

Understanding and assessing factors

Probably the biggest mistake made in schools when it comes to mitigating behavioral challenges is educators waiting for a situation to escalate before acting. Today’s small problem is tomorrow’s major issue. It is essential for educators to identify specific indicators of impending behavior problems before they escalate into full-scale outbursts that can bring classroom activity to a screeching halt. Offering support, teaching alternative behaviors, and allowing more time or a break from the activity when the student is engaged in disruptive behaviors—like tapping a pen—are likely to prevent situations from escalating.

While there are many different types of behavioral challenges that can arise in the classroom, there are a few that are commonplace and indicative of a child struggling with either a physical, mental, or emotional issue. Complete withdrawal is something most teachers must contend with at one point or another. The student may put their head down on the desk, close their eyes, pull their hood over their head and just shut off. The student may also ignore the teacher’s requests to pay attention and refuse to engage in conversation. Occasionally, the student may just get up and walk out of the classroom.

Another common behavioral challenge is making some sort of distracting noise, such as pen-tapping, knocking on the desk, talking out, or making noises with their mouth. When outbursts occur, common physical behavioral challenges include hitting, punching, kicking, biting, pushing, throwing objects and even self-injurious actions such as cutting , or self-hitting.

Tips for managing behavioral challenges

School districts must provide teachers with the necessary tools and training to handle behavioral challenges in the classroom. Oftentimes this does not happen due to budget cuts, limited staff, and time constraints. There are some basic strategies and approaches teachers can easily implement. Here are a few practical tips and insights for teachers and educators to better understand and manage behavioral challenges in the classroom:

• Remember your first goal is to de-escalate the situation. Pick your battles. If a student is disrupting the classroom in a major way, it’s not necessarily the right moment to reprimand the student. Do what you need to do to calm the situation and handle the other issues privately and when tensions are not high.
• Acknowledge good behavior. Look for opportunities to praise students who have presented behavioral challenges when they are following expectations and participating appropriately. It’s important they hear from you not only when they do something wrong but when they do something right. We may forget to focus on the students’ appropriate behavior. Every student does something right every day. Capture those moments, too.
• Give the student an alternative to their challenging behavior. Don’t just tell the student to “stop,” but rather suggest an acceptable alternative. If the student is banging on the desk with a pen, suggest they take out a piece of paper and draw to keep their hands busy.
• Reset the situation. Rather than engage in an unproductive back-and-forth with a student, ask the student if they would like to step outside for five minutes and take a breath of fresh air. A pause can be an extremely effective tactic in getting back on track.
• Ask for help. Don’t be reluctant to use all the resources available at your school. Connect with other teachers, counselors, and administrators even if only to brainstorm ideas. Perhaps ask a colleague to observe your classroom and give a second opinion.
• Understand school is only one part of a child’s life. Many behavioral challenges in the classroom are driven by issues that have nothing to do with school. As appropriate, work with school counselors and administrators to assist the student with his or her life challenges.
• Pay attention to your behavior. Remember your behavior (tone and volume of your voice, facial expression, body posture, proximity, etc.), have a significant impact on a situation. It is easy to forget how triggering a disapproving look or raised voice can exacerbate an already contentious interaction. Make sure you are not unintentionally making a bad situation worse.
• Make sure your response is commensurate with what is happening that moment. It is easy to overreact to a specific situation based on previous history. Make sure there are no straws that break the camel’s back.

Maria Ferlick is a licensed teacher certified in Intensive Special Needs Education, as well as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst and a Master Trainer with QBS, provider of the Safety-Care behavior management and crisis prevention training program.

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The average classroom is likely to contain one or more students who demand more attention because of behavioral difficulties. In some cases, hormones, challenges with peers, and home-life problems can make even a “good kid” troublesome. And while some teachers are specially trained to handle special needs children who demand more time, some aren’t. That can hurt both the student and the teacher.

So how do we support these kids while also preserving our own energy, stamina, and patience? Let’s break it down.

First, who needs to learn these strategies?

All teachers need to learn how to teach students with behavior problems. No matter if the child is one student in a classroom with a concern or if the classroom is designed for children with these complex behavioral issues, the methods to teaching and avoiding complications or outbursts are sometimes the same. When teachers learn how to avoid situations that can push the button on these children, it is possible to ensure the classroom’s lesson plan is fully explored and all students get equal attention.

Prior to an occurrence

One of the best strategies for teaching in an environment like this is to learn methods that help to prevent the occurrence of behavioral issues. While every student’s needs are different, there are some simple steps teachers can take to help prevent problems as a group.

• Increase the amount of supervision present during high-risk periods. When misbehavior is likely to occur, such as during group work sessions or at specific times of the day, adding additional supervision can be a helpful step in preventing problems.
• Make tasks manageable. To avoid driving stress factors that can cause a child to begin to misbehave, ensure that all the tasks you assign can provide the student with small bits of information at one time. By dividing a lesson in chunks, you’re less likely to overwhelm the student.
• Offer choices whenever possible. Rather than creating a strict classroom routine, provide the students with choices. For example, let students choose which project they work on rather than having to focus on a specific project.
• Ensure children reach out for help. In some cases, behavior issues occur because the child does not know how he or she can receive help or does not, for some reason, feel that help is available. Reassure children that they can reach out for the help they need. If they feel comfortable coming to you when they’re lost, upset or overwhelmed, they’re not as likely to have an outburst.

Prevention is always the best step, but of course it’s not always possible to stop every occurrence of poor behavior.

Handling in-the-moment concerns

When behavioral problems begin to occur, it’s important for teachers to react in the right way. Here are some strategies:

• Apologies . Apologies help to repair the social conflicts between two individuals. Ensure that apologies are encouraged by all offending parties.
• Ignore . In some cases, the teacher ignores the behavior, meaning he or she does not react to it or reinforce or reward it.
• Reduce privilege access . After defining the privileges that students have, the teacher sets in place a rule system for taking those away. For example, things like having free time or being able to talk with friends are removed when rules are broken.
• Praise . Praising positive behavior (not just expected behavior) is also a way of managing negative outcomes. When teachers praise students more readily than scold them, the student learns that to get attention he or she must act positively.

Dealing with conflict in the classroom is never easy. But by getting parents involved, putting time aside to understand the cause of the problem, and by engaging children in positive rewards, it may be possible to reduce some of the risk that behavior problems will get in the way of learning—for you and for your students.

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Solving Behavior Problems Together

The strategy, building an alliance, the conference, step 1. establish rapport., step 2. talk about the problem., step 3. identify the problem and invite the student to solve it., step 4. explore possible causes., step 5. articulate a clear, specific goal., step 6. choose a solution., opening the way to further action, far-reaching benefits.

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Designing for Equity Collaborative Problem-Solving Around Challenging Behaviors in Middle School

Jeff Heyck-Williams, Ama Teasdel

Together, educators are doing the reimagining and reinvention work necessary to make true educational equity possible. Student-centered learning advances equity when it values social and emotional growth alongside academic achievement, takes a cultural lens on strengths and competencies, and equips students with the power and skills to address injustice in their schools and communities.

Providing Agency for Our Most Challenging Students, Part 2

Teachers can employ Collaborative Problem Solving to empower students with persistently challenging behaviors to change.

In part one of this two-part series, we explored how the school-to-prison pipeline is an insidious problem that suggests that we need to be doing something differently to help students who exhibit persistent challenging behavior at school. At Two Rivers, we are using a collaborative problem solving model to help all students work with teachers to find solutions to this problem. The heart of the model is in empowering students to articulate their own perspective on potential problems and working with their teachers to come up with mutually acceptable solutions that address both underlying concerns on both sides.

Using the same five steps with students in Kindergarten through eighth grade, we’ve found that all students can start to take ownership of their challenges around empathy, relationship building, and collaboration.

Once we as educators have identified a challenging behavior that we would need to work on with a student, the steps we use to solve the problem with the student is as follows:

• Listen : where we listen empathetically to hear the student’s concern about the persistent problem;
• Share : where we share our concerns about the persistent problem;
• Problem Solve : where we invite the student to come up with solutions with us that both address their concern and our concern and can realistically be implemented;
• Implement : where we put the plan into effect; and
• Reflect : where we evaluate the effectiveness of the plan with the student.

In the first post, Rachel Owens described how this can work in a Kindergarten classroom. Today’s story from Ama Teasdel explains what this looks like with students in middle school.

A Seventh Grade Example from Ama Teasdel

When we problem solve with students rather than for students, we empower them to take ownership of their learning. As a veteran special educator, I initially believed I was well versed in building relationships with students and working with them to address persistent challenging behavior. However, participating for two months in our school’s professional development training on collaborative problem solving conversations has proven me wrong. I’ve learned to become more humble and much more collaborative in my approach to problem-solving.

Henry, the first student I chose to engage in a collaborative problem solving conversation, is a student who has often been pegged as ‘unmotivated,’ or that he doesn’t care about school. I saw him as a hyperactive, disruptive, and disrespectful student who didn’t care about his academics and didn’t value what his classroom teachers, including myself, had to offer him. His classroom work completion was abysmal, and his negative behavior incidents caused him to lose anywhere from five to six instructional hours per week. Surprisingly, by opening up to collaboratively problem solve with a student, I learned three invaluable lessons from Henry.

Lesson One: Asking Before Assuming is at the Heart of Collaboration

I thought I had a generally positive rapport with Henry, so I believed that inviting him to the conversation wouldn’t be difficult. However, I was proven wrong. When I first approached him, he didn’t want to talk to me and he avoided having the conversation that I knew we needed to have. I assumed he wanted to avoid talking about a difficult topic. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was asking him to join me for a conversation during lunch which was the only time he had to socialize with his friends. When I slowed down and asked him when a good time would be to meet, we identified a time right after he arrived to school so that he wouldn’t miss out on time spent with friends.

Lesson Two: Students’ Perceptions are Their Reality, and Successful Solutions Must Take Their Perspectives Into Account.

Once we were able to have the initial conversation, I sat with Henry in a time and space of his choosing and really listened to him. I went in thinking that I already knew what Henry’s issues were. To be collaborative, I had to be humble and realize that I needed to hear from my students to truly understand their concerns. What I learned was that Henry had a lot of adult responsibilities caring for siblings before school. This impacted his ability to focus and stay on task. In addition, he shared that he wanted to do well, but as he said “I think they (teachers) don’t like me because they always say bad stuff to me and tell me what I am doing wrong.” He felt that any time an adult approached him that they would always have something negative to say. From my perspective this was an over-generalization; however, I had to humble myself and seek to understand the truth in what Henry was saying.

Lesson Three: Share Concerns in a Variety of Ways and Invite Students to Help Define Concerns with You.

Once I had actually taken the time to listen without using preconceived notions as a barrier, I had a better, albeit not perfect, understanding of Henry. This enabled me to take the next step of sharing my perspective. I shared with Henry that I had seen him in the hallways a lot when he was supposed to be in class; that his off-task behaviors in class distracted others; and that when he is redirected, his response is not the most appropriate. As I was sharing with him, it was clear from his body language that he was tuning me out. Thinking about what he had just shared with me, I realized that he was likely feeling overwhelmed by all the negative things I was sharing and I was feeding the perception that teachers only had negative things to say to him. So, I invited him in to think about how he responds to redirection, and that we could revisit that later.

Based on my conversations with Henry, my mindset and practices have shifted. I no longer take my experience for granted. Each student is a different and dynamic person. Even with 15 years of experience as a special educator, I still need to hear and understand the daily experiences and realities of my seventh graders. Problem solving does not only center around a problem I have defined, but the ways that we define the problem together. The beauty of collaborative problem solving conversations is that they empower both the student and teacher to define what success means. By giving middle school students autonomy to define and solve those problems collaboratively with their teachers, they take ownership and transfer critical skills.

Within the past few weeks, Henry’s negative incidents have decreased, and he is completing more classwork. Yes, he is still coming into class sleepy, hungry and sometimes ‘irritable.’ However, we are all equipped with a better understanding and tools to combat his challenges. We as staff are more cognizant of our interactions with him to make sure we are highlighting the positive with every chance we get. Just being aware of how we perceive his responses, Henry has also accepted redirection by responding in a more positive way and following directions and advocating for himself.

Using collaborative problem solving to address challenging behaviors has not only improved student behavior, but it has improved staff and student relationships while also building essential skills to help students take ownership of their learning.

Providing Agency for Our Most Challenging Students

As the two examples in this and in the previous post highlight, we have discovered that providing opportunities for students in Kindergarten through middle school to share their concerns and to collaboratively approach ways to overcome challenges with a teacher empowers them to be their best selves. They are learning the life skills of empathy, collaboration, and problem solving. Building these skills in the safe environment of schools with caring adults equips all of our students to better navigate challenges in their lives outside of school and on into adulthood. As a result, we are working to break the school-to-prison pipeline.

Read Part 1 of Providing Agency for Our Most Challenging Students: Collaborative Problem Solving around Challenging Behaviors in Kindergarten .

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Challenges and Solutions for Teaching Problem-Solving Skills

This resource provides common challenges children experience when learning the problem solving process along with implementation strategies for improving the problem solving process and supporting children through the problem solving challenges.

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15 Things You Can Do Right Now to Prevent Classroom Behavior Challenges

Today’s blog post is all about preventative behavior support in K-12 inclusive classrooms. Excerpted and adapted from Behavior Support, Third Edition , by Linda M. Bambara, Rachel Janney, & Martha E. Snell, the strategies we’re sharing today will help you reinforce your school’s behavior expectations, provide motivation and support for positive behavior, and strengthen both academic achievement and social skills in your classroom.

Use interest inventories to gain a better understanding of what motivates your students. (This will come in handy when you’re developing ways to reinforce desired behavior.)

Give students choices between two or three options instead of no choices or open-ended choices. For example, if you’re finding that math worksheets tend to be predictive of disruptive behavior, then give a choice of three different worksheets, all of which address the same skills but use varying formats or visual organization.

Provide more structure when you’re using cooperative learning and peer tutoring. For instance, make sure the student is assigned a role in which they will be successful, and avoid peer interaction difficulties by carefully choosing the group members.

Provide environmental supports such as carefully chosen seating or additional active supervision in situations that predict problems.

Periodically reteach and reinforce school and classroom rules for behavior and model the rules more frequently.

Remember to cue positive behavior by reminding your students of what to do rather than what not to do. Say things like “You can throw that paper in the trash” instead of “Don’t throw the paper on the floor.”

If you decide to give reward tickets on a random or intermittent basis when you catch a student demonstrating a school expectation, then give the student extra social recognition and enthusiasm as the ticket is bestowed. Say things like, “You showed respect for our school when you picked up the trash on the ball field. I appreciate your good citizenship!”

Provide additional reinforcement by having your students help you with role playing during social skills lessons for younger students. This will give them extra practice with performing social skills, along with valued roles and responsibilities.

Send home positive notes to parents. Families benefit from “tootles,” too. Write quick notes to parents that highlight the good choices and contributions their child made in the classroom that day.

Which of these strategies would you like to try in your classroom this year? Which ones have already been successful for you? In the comments below, tell us about your favorite strategy for preventing behavior challenges!

EXPLORE THE BOOK

A popular volume in the Teachers’ Guides to Inclusive Practices series, this book is your guide to implementing effective positive behavior support — both in the classroom and across an entire school. You’ll get explicit, research-based strategies for implementing the three tiers of PBS: 1) universal, schoolwide interventions; 2) selected interventions with students exhibiting risk behaviors; and 3) specialized interventions with students who need intensive, individualized help.

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Home » Tips for Teachers » Learn 5 Strategies How to Deal with Behavior Problem Students to Regain Classroom Control

Learn 5 Strategies How to Deal with Behavior Problem Students to Regain Classroom Control

Being a teacher can be a very fulfilling profession. However, it can also be a very challenging on at times, too.

From all the paperwork, grading, planning, and everything else that is needed to serve your class and help them learn. One other thing that can really challenge us as teachers is our students, particularly those with behavior problems.

Over my years in the classroom, I’ve certainly had my fair share of difficult students. If you feel at a loss about what to do to help your students learn and manage their behaviors, you’re not alone. School-wide behavior programs can help, but there are other things that you as the teacher can be doing with your students.

I decided to put this article together to help share some strategies and tips that have worked for me when working with disruptive students . According to statistical odds, it is likely that approximately 10% of your school’s population is facing serious mental health problems, violence or abuse at home, neglect, food uncertainty, or trauma .

When students are facing severe trauma or stressors, their brains aren’t able to learn. The key is to learn how to reach beyond these stressors that children are facing and help them learn how to regulate their behaviors and emotions. This is when the learning will be able to occur.

Continue reading, and you will know:

• The different types of difficult students →
• Common reasons behind the destructive behavior→
• How to improve communication and prevent challenging situations→
• Strategies to help you manage behavior problems in the classroom→

4 Types of Difficult Students

If you’ve been in the classroom for even just a few months, you’ve likely had a least a few difficult students. While you many not be familiar with the formal names for the different categories of difficult students, I’m pretty sure some of them will sound familiar as you read.

Here are some of the main different types of difficult students:

• Disruptive students: As their name suggests, disruptive students are those who are frequently disrupting your teaching or the other students in the classroom. The exact behaviors that are displayed, can vary depending on the student, but may include calling out, walking around the room, interrupting others from doing their work, and more.
• Defiant students: Defiant students are those who refuse to follow your directions. The level of defiance, again, can vary, but may include refusing to complete their work, refusing to follow classroom rules, or just a general refusal to do anything you ask. This level of defiance can also vary throughout the day or week, even for the same student.
• Inattentive students: Inattentive students are distracted and not engaged in learning. It is probably clear to you that they aren’t paying attention, but you can’t seem to get them to follow along with your lessons.
• Students displaying apathy: Apathy refers to a lack of caring. Apathetic students may convey to you that they just don’t care how well they do in school, whether they follow the rules, or about any of the consequences you bring up.

7 Common Reasons Behind the Destructive Behavior

Unfortunately, there is not just one reason that students are disruptive or destructive in class. Here are some of the potential cause of behavior problems in your students :

• Processing disorders
• Learning disorders
• Past or current trauma

How to Improve Communication in Class and Prevent Difficult Situations

Now that we’ve discussed some of the possible reasons behind the behavior of your students, you may be feeling at a loss for how to regain control of your classroom and help your students focus on the lesson.

As a teacher, your job is to coach your students and teaching them how to act responsibly . This is a big task and there is no ‘one’ thing you need to do. Every child is different and will require individual attention and support, but here are a few things you can do that should help improve your classroom and how your students behave:

• Let your students know that their emotions are important and valid. Help them learn how to talk about and describe their emotions using clear and direct language, and in a calm manner.
• Understand that you will need to get to the underlying cause of your students’ misbehavior to really address or extinguish negative behaviors, such as bullying, defiance, or aggression.
• Explicitly teach and model conflict resolution skills to your students. Examples include teaching students to take deep breaths or count to 10 before responding, modeling showing respect and empathy when sharing a problem or concern, and repeating what the other person you’re speaking with said.
• Focus a lot of your attention on rewarding the students who are doing the right things. Giving them positive attention can help behavior problem students see that they can still get the attention they’re seeking when they too listen and follow the expectations.
• Set clear expectations for your students and stick to them. Make sure students know what the rules are and be consistent with enforcing them.
• Make sure that the directions you are giving your students for independent work time are clear and easy to understand. You should also make sure that all the students in your room are able to hear you clearly so they understand what they are doing. A voice amplifier can help you save your voice while also ensuring it travels through the room for all to hear clearly.
• Make sure that consequences are immediate (or as close to immediate as you can get). This will help ensure that your students associate the consequences with the behavior that you are trying to eliminate. Without a clear connection, it is less likely that their behavior will change.

The video below shares some additional tips that may help you work with and manage the behavior of your students. Watch closely for tips that apply to the students currently in your class that need some additional support.

What tips did you hear that you think will help your students? Are you ready to implement them and see the difference they make?

5 Strategies for Behavior Problems in the Classroom

The strategies below can help you manage and change the more extreme and difficult behaviors that some of your students may be exhibiting. Consider the types of behaviors your students are displaying and choose a few strategies to try that you think will be best in your situation.

• Keep yourself calm: Despite how challenging it can be to stay calm in the moment, doing so is very important. It can help to de-escalate problem behaviors. Conversely, losing your temper can escalate the situation and cause the behavior to get worse.
• Be consistent: Develop a plan and communicate consequences to students upfront. Then, when faced with a challenging student, stick with your plan and follow through with the consequences you’ve already communicated to the class. Failing to be consistent will just tell students that they may be able to get away with more.
• Involve students in creating rules: At the beginning of the school year or semester, have your students work with you to develop the list of classroom rules and expectations. This can help them feel more vested and committed to following the rules. Remember to also periodically review the rules together as a class.
• Document problematic behaviors: If you have students with more extreme or disruptive behaviors, start a behavior log to document them. Record the date, time, and behavior, as well as what happened before and after the behavior was displayed. This information can be helpful if you need to refer a student for administrative support or an Individualized Education Plan.
• Reward positive behavior: Another behavior management strategy is to come up with a classroom reward system for students who are exhibiting the positive behaviors you’re looking for. For example, you could consider handing out “Classroom Cash” for students to spend at your class store. This can motivate students to listen and follow directions so that they’ll earn rewards too. You could buy small trinkets for your class store, or consider other rewards, such as extra time to play a game on the computer—don’t forget to pick up some headphones so the students don’t disturb others in the class as they play. 

If you’re looking for more strategies to help you learn how to deal with behavior problem students, I’d recommend watching this video. Amanda, the teacher in the video, has some very helpful tips that you can apply in your classroom.

I also found this video from Tips 4 Teachers to be quite informative. In it, a behavior expert, Sue Cowley, shares 8 different techniques that can help you bring order back into your classroom.

Now that you have more tips and suggestions, does managing your students’ behavior seem more doable? I have confidence in you, make sure that you believe in yourself as well, too!

Useful Resources

• How To Get A Noisy Classroom’s Attention
• Emotional Learning For Students
• How To Improve Discipline
• Conflict Resolution Techniques

Finding the right strategies to inspire your students and help them learn self-control can go a long way in helping you learn how to deal with behavior problem students. I hope you found the ideas and suggestions that I shared above helpful. Try them out with your students, and remember to be patient. Major change could take time, but you should likely see some smaller changes beginning to occur.

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Simona Johnes is the visionary being the creation of our project. Johnes spent much of her career in the classroom working with students. And, after many years in the classroom, Johnes became a principal.

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You wrote about the need to reward students for their succes. Could this have a negative effect on difficult students?

It is very important to treat all students equally, even if they cause problems. I usually praise difficult students even for small achievements because they need to put more effort than others. But try not to overdo it. For reward I always have a bunch of cute and funny stickers. I stick them on the work if the student did a good job. This is an easy way to pay attention to good behavior or grades. My class loves it!

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• v.6(3); 2018 Jul

Conflict management strategies in coping with students’ disruptive behaviors in the classroom: Systematized review

Tayebeh mahvar.

1 Nursing Care Research Center and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

MANSOUREH ASHGHALI FARAHANI

Aidin aryankhesal.

2 Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Health services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Introduction:

Classroom management is leading the class by setting the class schedule, organizing the procedures, supervising the learners’ progress, and predicting and solving their problems. Students’ disruptive behaviors and classroom management are the most important challenges and concerns of the teachers. The current review aimed to analyze the classroom management techniques and strategies used to cope with the students’ disruptive behaviors.

The present study was systematic review. The articles in Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases and Google Scholar search engine were searched using the keywords of classroom management, students’ disruptive behaviors, difficult students, and confrontation strategies during 2000-2017. A total of 31 articles were included in the study for analysis.

The results showed all the techniques and strategies used and teachers’ challenges in dealing with students’ disruptive behaviors were included in conflict management strategies, which were classified into three categories, i.e. cooperative and problem solving strategies, avoidance strategies and punishment strategies. Moreover, the studies mostly emphasized the use of cooperative and problem solving strategies, and the most highlighted methods were making effective mutual communication with students to correct their negative behavior, training and preparing the teachers for dealing with the students’ disruptive behaviors and using various teaching methods and approaches based on the classroom situation.

Conclusion:

To cope with the challenges of students’ disruptive behaviors, the teachers can use different strategies. Also, sufficient knowledge and skills about teaching, familiarity with the relevant and influential disciplines in dealing with students and making effective communication in the class can be helpful in developing and enjoying more effective skills in classroom management.

Introduction

Disruptive behavior in classrooms is a significant challenge for learning in schools and risk factor for the students' academic achievement and a significant source of teachers' work related stress ( 1 ). In the last two decades, the learners’ behaviors have changed a lot, involving the teachers in educational centers in a significant behavioral challenge ( 2 ). Classroom management is done by the teacher to create discipline and motivation and to attract the students’ cooperation in the learning process. If the teachers cannot manage their class by various teaching techniques, the teaching process will result in failure ( 3 , 4 ). Classroom management is a term that teachers use to guarantee a teaching process free of problems, even with the presence of the students’ disruptive behaviors. This term is defined as prevention of the incidence of behaviors that are probably the most difficult aspects of teaching for the teachers ( 5 ).

On the other hand, teaching is a complicated process in which the teachers have to win the hearts of the students and even feel themselves attached to the unruly students ( 6 ). This winning of the hearts occurs via interpersonal interactions. Studies have shown that the teachers who support the development of such relationships encounter less behavioral problems in their classroom on the part of the students and experience a better academic performance ( 7 ).

The learners’ behavioral problems are challenging in all academic levels. Destructive behavior refers to the repetition and persistence in the behaviors of some students that disrupt the teachers’ teaching and students’ learning ( 8 ).

Most studies have shown that the learners’ misbehaviors and classroom management are one of the biggest challenges and concerns of teachers ( 9 ). Disciplinary problems also cause academic failure in the larners and have a negative impact on the academic atmosphere and learning in the classroom ( 10 ). According to most teachers, if behavioral problems occur frequently in the classroom, making communication during teaching is disturbed ( 11 ), teachers will not be able to teach, and learners will not be able to learn. Nowadays, the educational psychologists believe that effective classroom management can promote the learners’ learning opportunities ( 12 ). Every educator, instead of getting angry, insulting the students and sending them out of class in the face of encountering disruptive behavior, can use effective classroom management strategies ( 13 ). Teachers should learn the claroom managemnet startegeis and apply the most efficient ones based on the conditions ( 14 ).

The vital components of teachers’ preparation are knowledge and skills about the students’ education and familiarity with relevant and effective fields of study to bring about efficient development and familiarity with unconventional cases and classroom management skills ( 5 ).

Moreoevr, teachers need to be fully prepared to confront the challenges inside the classroom ( 15 ). Different studies have sporadically investigated the classroom managemnt techniques and confrontation strategies for the students’ disruptive behaviors ( 16 ). However, few stduies have analyzed these methods. In the last two decades, a global movement by the redsearchers and policymakers has been initiated to stduy the factors involved in making the educational systems more efficient ( 17 ). Hence, the present research aimed to review the techniques and strategies used in classroom managemnt to cope with the stduents’ disruptive behaviors.

The present review employed a systematized, evidence-based approach. This method includes one or more characteristics of a systematic review, but it does no claim to present the same results as a systematic review does. In this study, the articles were not assessed qualitatively ( 18 ). To use the content of articles based on the study objectives, the content of each paper was studied several times and the teachers’ strategies in coping with the stduents’ disruptive behaviors were extracted and classified separately. The Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases and Google Scholar search engine were searched using the keywords of classroom management, students’ disruptive behavior, difficult students and confrontation strategies; the articles published from 2000 to 2017 were selected. This period was chosen because ( 19 ) of inevitable changes in education, teaching/learning methods, classroom management and prevalence of electronic equipment like computer and cell phone in the last two decades ( 20 ).

The inclusion criteria of the articles, in addition to the period 2000-2017, consisted of focus of stduy on the problems or challenges proposed in classroom management, access to full-text articles, and papers written in English language. The exclusion criteria comprised of abstracts without the text and articles focusing on course content management instead of classroom managemnet. Searching was performed by two researchers. First, the title and abstract of the articles were studied and irrelevant papers were detected. Then, the full-text artiles focusing on the challenges and problems of classroom managemnt and stdudents’ disruptive behaviors were retrieved and analyzed. The papers whose full-text was not accessible or whose language was other than English were excluded from the study. In the case of contradiction between the two researchers’ viewpoints on one article, a third researcher was asked to make decision about the given paper. The extracted data from the resources were organized and summarized, and the expressions from original articles used by the authors were used ( 19 ). ( Table 1 , Figure 1 )

Search strategy in different databases

Flow diagram of the systematic review

From among 153 articles searched in databases, 31 were included in the final analysis ( Table 2 ). As shown, most of the studies were conducted in the United States and the most frequently used research method was survey. Furthermore, the conflict management strategies that teachers used for the students’ disruptive behaviors were classified into three categories, including cooperative and problem solving strategies, avoidance strategies and punishment strategies, as shown in Table 3 .

Characteristics of the articles included in the study

Teachers’ strategies in coping with students’ disruptive behaviors

The aim of this study was a Review of Conflict Management Strategies Teachers for disturbing behaviors the students use in the classroom.

A factor that disturbed the classroom management was controversial issues between the teacher and students. There are numerous strategies for solving this problem. With respect to the situations and circumstances, the instructor should use the most effective strategy in that position. According to its results, it is one of the strategies which are very effective in eliminating the contradiction, the existence of order in the effectiveness of teacher teaching. A classroom teacher can provide a good learning environment for students.

In cooperative and problem solving strategies, problem solving is a purposeful behavior that requires an appropriate mental manifestation of the problem. Then, appropriate methods and strategies are needed to promote the problem from the initial stage to a desirable and purposeful status, during which the students’ active participation is highly emphasized because the students share and set up the activities. Based on the collected data, the following strategies are indicative of these kinds of strategies ( 21 ). One of the significant strategies in conflict management in the classroom is employing disciplinary strategy. This strategy should be used along with promotion of accountability and its reinforcement in students by involving the students in the subject of class and encouraging them to negotiate and discuss. Discipline is necessary for creating a favorable ground to prevent the students’ misuse and deviation from the learning process ( 22 ). Teachers also need to equip themselves with two aspects of science and skills, especially in the field of classroom education, and get familiar with its principles so that they can pursue learning goals.

Designing a lesson plan with clear expectations adjusted to the course objectives, in addition to creating discipline, is a strategy that can prevent conflicts due to indefinite expectations. Also, making more time for the students and having an intimate relationship with them are techniques that reduce challenging behaviors in students ( 23 ). Using positive reinforcement and encouragement, maintaning proper behaviors, using simple and effective educational methods and clarity of class rules have been suggested to be helpful. In this regard, the use of multiple techniques in appropriate circumstances is an effective way to advance the teaching process ( 24 ). Unity of teachers over classroom mangemnt and educational planning has been suggested to prevent confrontation with the students’ disruptive behaviors ( 25 ).

Factors such as the students being late to class, leaving the class early and using the class time for irrelevant conversation with the teacher can disrupt the classroom process and negatively affect the other students’ satisfaction. In such conditions, teachers are suggested to set attendance rules at the beginning of their class and encourage the students to focus on the course by using their verbal skills ( 26 ). Teachers should also talk to these stduents in a quiet and private environemnt with respect and explain the effect of disruptive behvaiors on the classroom. They also need to mention the rules of disruptive behaviors and provide the stduents with a chance to improve or stop their disruptive behaviors ( 27 ).

Other issues that need to be considered in creating discipline and regulations are culture and gender. Studies have shown a relationship between gender and students’ behavior in the classroom, and boys have been reported to have a more destructive behavior than the girls. Studies have also indicated that the teachers’ behavior in coping with students is different depending on their gender, and boys receive more negative feedback than the girls from their teachers ( 28 ).

The teachers’ report of students’ disruptive behaviors has been found to be associated with the teachers’ gender, their experience and field of work ( 29 ). The female teachers face more students’ misbehavirs than the male counterparts. In this regard, the cooperation of school adminidtators and teachers can be effecive in controlling the students’ disruptive behaviors ( 30 ).

Further, diverse disciplinary strategies are used differently in various cultures and nations, and cultural factors and differences among countries dictate different behaviors in dealing with students. For example, the cultural differences related to respect for men and women, disciplinary strictness and military interventions in various countries affect classroom management ( 31 ). Therefore, familiartity with cultural differences and using cooperative and problem solving strategies depending on the cultural values of every educational institution are of great importance.

Using learning strategies, classroom management by the teacher, creating stronger bonds among the students and establishing an interactive educational environment can be helpful in coping with students’ disruptive behaviors ( 32 , 33 ).

Making a mutual relationship creates a ground for teacher-student interaction during the teaching period, in which the teacher will not spend time on unnecessary issues. The more a teacher’s knowledge of learners, the more he/she will be logical in dealing with their different personality types. Effective claroom management depends on the teacher’s ability in using an appropriate tone and encouraging the learners to cooperate in the classroom ( 22 ). Effecive comminicaion helps to clarify the facts and reduce the chance of conflict. Effective communication means both stduents and teachers need to talk clearly and listen carefully and exchange ideas in order to come to a mutual understanding ( 14 ). If the instructor cannot communicate effectively with learners, one cannot expect to be able to provide classroom conditions for more learning. The observance of this principle will increase the student's psychological safety and will follow the presence of a space with mutual respect of professors and students.

Skills such as emotional intelligence can reduce the negative effects of stress in students. This kind of intelligence helps human beings through the management of interpersonal and intrapersonal communications. Accordingly, a student can better receive help from a teacher by virtue of better communication with him/her ( 34 ).

Studies have sown that some students’ misbehaviors ocuur due to the teacher’s lack of attention to the students’ talks and absence of skill in guiding the class discussion. From the stduents’ viewpoint, these behaviors can disturb the students’ learning and teacher’s teaching ( 35 ).

Some stdueis have indicated that talking out of turn, daydreaming, inanity, disrespect toward teachers and verbal aggression, use of electronic machines like cell phone to send text message, games, surfing the web and listening to music are current classroom problems. These problems are indicative of this reality that stduents do not have proper learning attitudes and values and are tired, lazy and unmotivated. Teachers have to make time to manage the classroom and teach problem solving strategies in various classroom situations. Otherwise, such behaviors will occur more frequently and intensely with the passage of time ( 2 ).

To understand the students’ behaviors, teachers need to put themselves in their shoes and make sure other measures are useless before using punishment methods. Proper use of reward can be a positive controller and can help to restore the students’ self-esteem, solve the problem fundamentally, improve the teacher-student relationship, and reduce the possible occurrence of misbehavior in students. The teacher should adopt a friendly approach in the classroom and try not to apply tough, harsh and parental behaviors ( 36 ).

On the other hand, correct implementation of moralities and sensitivity to the ethical issues of the students play a vital role in making effective communication, interpersonal commitments, and social interactions. Sympathy is one of the essential factors involved in ethical commitment that enhances moral sensitivity ( 37 ). Hence, familiarity with and attention to the concept of sympathy and employment of this skill from the very beginning terms and renforcing it in stduents can be helpful in establishing an efficient teacher-stduent communication, thereby preventing the destructive behaviors.

The findings of Yusoff et al. showed that faculties that were responsible for teacher training did not prepare the novice teachers for the management of problematic classes. This is one of the reasons for quitting the profession, especially among the novice teachers ( 38 ).

For the classroom management, teachers have to know that the students’ misbehavior may be due to physical problems, emotional challenges and environemntal factors. Thus, a teacher’s correct recognition of and attention to these factors and preparing the novice teachers will decrease the disorders ( 39 ). Disrespect in the academic environemnt has a negative impact on the health of the teacher and student, weakens the professional communications and inhibits effective learning-teaching process ( 23 ).

In this regard, the teachers’ favorable psychological condition is important for communication with students. Teaching can be stressful and, therefore, diturb the teacher-stduent relationship. Teachers’ recognition and screening of psychological and educational conditions as well as eliminating the problems prior to the strat of teaching can reduce the incidence of communication problems ( 40 ). One of the methods teachers can make use of to deal with the stduents’ disruptive behaviors is the use of counselling and psychotherapeutic methods to create sympathy and describe attitude and negative behavior ( 5 ).

Some studies have suggested working with disruptive students, making time to solve their problems in the classroom and not coping with them are the best and most constructive strategeis in dealing with students ( 39 ). Creating a sense of belonging to the classroom increases the students’ self-confidence and desire for learning. In contrast, adopting punitive strategies and methods has a negative impact on the students ( 22 ).

Assigning responsibility to students with a proper behavior, expressing the trainer’s expectations from the studnets clearly, encouraging the students’ good and positive behaviors, predicting the learners’ behaviors, establishing mutual interaction with the students to correct their negaive behaviors, rewarding the studnets’ behaviors, encouraging postive behaviors, and returing the question to the students have been recommended to be helpful ( 2 ). Furthermore, by understanding the mechanism of the effect of classroom environemnt on the students’ behaviors, the teachers can use this environment to promote learning and better behaviors in students by encouraging participation and concentrating on interaction rather than punishment ( 41 ).

Some studies have suggested the mediating role of another perosn with more experience in dealing with disruptive studnets such as the university dean in order to resolve the conflicting situations in the classroom. Teachers can also use their recommendations and strategeis to resolve the conflicts ( 42 , 43 ).

Teachers believe that they can have more control over the students and prevent their drowsiness by arranging the chairs in a U-shape manner. Also, they can decrease the stduents’ sleepiness by incraesing the number of practical courses, reducing the class hours and not running classes after lunch ( 42 ). For more student-student and techer-stduent communication and interaction, in addition to arranging the chairs in U-shape, the physical environment of classroom like the color of walls and ventilation, which make the students lively and energetic and prevent lethargy and boredom, should be taken into consideration. Encouraging the students is another method that can be effective in classroom ( 44 ).

To prevent the students’ aggressiveness and disruptive behaviors, teaching techniques such as role-playing, active learning strategies, holding conferences with attendance of students and teachers and promotion of civil behaviors for more student participation in the learning process can be helpful ( 45 ).

Presenting the educational course content using appealing and diverse methods can be a successful strategy in handling the students’ aggression. Teaching strategies along with friendship strategies have also been recommended. Interactive teaching strategies and discovering the students’ learning abilities can improve the teacher-student relationship. Further, social skills can improve the teacher-student relationship and largely lead to a safe educational environment ( 42 , 46 ).

Students’ assessment has always been an educational problem and a challenge between teachers and students ( 40 ). Assessment is a process that requires appropriate and specific criteria and tools. Therefore, subjective evaluation cannot accurately show the abilities of stduents and may cause conflicts in teacher-student relationship ( 47 , 48 ).

Research has shown that providinmg the students with self-assessment and using their pespectives in designing the teaching process and plan can be effective in reducing disruptive behaviors and reactions ( 48 ). In this regard, the teachers’ readiness, experience, slef-confidence and self-efficacy in classroom management are of great significance. The management of disruptive behavior and misbehavior depends on the experience and self-efficacy ( 49 , 50 ). Hence, it is necessary to provide additional trainings and prepare the teachers before starting their classes ( 13 ).

Based on this systematic review, avoidance is another strategy. In this type of strategy, individuals avoid conflict or ignore their will for the benefit of others ( 21 ). The teachers’ attitudes in picking misbehavior management strategeis in the classroom are important. Results have shown that teachers that use avoidance strategeis make more use of agression and punishment strategies ( 51 ).

Some studies have recommended that tachers should avoide reaction against disruptive behaviors, avoid overreaction and not succumb to the stduents’ wishes. Moreover, being unresponsive to the disruptive questions in the classroom on the part of the teachers has been suggested ( 2 ).

Furthermore, studies have reported various classifications for the students’ disruptive behaviors in the classroom, and teachers often behave passively and do not react to the moderate disruptive behaviors ( 41 ).

Every teacher in his/her classroom may confront unruly students with disruptive behaviors. Students’ disruptive behaviors can be such instances as sleeping in the class, talking with classmates, talking on the phone, playing online games or even doing aggressive behaviors which can lead to disturbed learning and teacher’s anger ( 52 ). Some of teacher use punishment strategies such as the meaningful looks of the teacher at a learner who is making noise decreases his/her misbehavior. In addition, looking angrily at the learners who have disrupted the classroom makes them listen to the teacher ( 53 ).

Effective communication can be achieved by using appropriate educational behaviors, listening to the stduents and giving equal attention to the stduents by looking at them similarly. A teacher must be a role model. Some teachers consider themselves superior to the studnets and regularly try to humiliate them by sarcastic language, which consequently leads to inefficient educational atmosphere. The result of such an approach is impolite student and reaction to the teacher’s unfair behaviors ( 25 ).

Behaviors like understimating students, fear of teacher and teacehr’s unrealistic expectation from stduents can bring about disruptive behaviors in students. Thus, respect for a successful teaching is neccesary, and the faculty memebrs or teachers play a vital role in creating a respectful educational environment ( 25 , 42 ).

In rare cases, students may insist on doing their disruptive behaviors. In such cases, administrative and disciplinary measures may be required. Taking actions to stop disruptive behaviors, getting students involved in the learning process and preventing other students’ involvement are some strategies that can help the teachers in this regard ( 54 ).

Teachers’ prejudice about the human nature, especially inherent tendencies of the students in using classroom management strategies, is considered significant. A teacher who has negative assumptions about the student’s nature selects the classroom management strategies aiming to control the student by punishment, coercion and reward. On the other hand, teachers who consider the students inherently good control them by discussion, talk and encouragement to do good behaviors ( 38 ).

Criticisms and punishment for misbehavior are strategies that teachers usually use (Sun 2015). Removing students from classroom, administrative referrals, limiting and inhibiting the student’s activity are behaviors that are performed by inefficient teachers ( 24 ).

Limitation:

In this study, only English-language studies were used and limited databases were searched for articles.

Implications for future research and practice:

According to the results of this study, it is recommended that studies should be carried out aiming at identifying and presenting solutions to interrupt the students' disruptive behaviors to more accurately understand these behaviors and solutions to fix these factors. Also, given that the students’ cultural differences and students’ personality can affect the use of these strategies, considering these factors is important in future studies.

The findings of this research showed that studies mostly focus on using cooperative and problem solving strategies, and most of the methods emphasized establishing mutual communication and interaction with students to correct their negative behaviors, training and preparing the teachers for coping with students’ disruptive behaviors, and using various teaching methods and approaches based on the classroom situation. Punishment and avoidance strategies like removing students from the class and humiliating them are not recommended.

Having knowledge and skills about education and establishing an effective communication in the classroom can bring about effecive development and familiarity with unconventional cases and classroom management skills. Since unrespectful and threatening behaviors, disrespect and violating the teacher's privacy and the classroom, even minimally, can significantly influence the educational environments, it is necessary to have adequate knowledge about such behaviors. Hence, future interventional stdueis are suggested to identify appropriate strategeis for dealing with these behaviors, and by recognizing the behaviors by the advisors and counseling centers, universities need to try to elimnate these challenges. Furthermroe, meetings on reforming the curricula, assessment methods and content of curriculum are required to be held to meet the professional needs and modify professional communications. Group discussions are also advised to attract diferent perspectives, exchange ideas and teach stress control techniques.

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12 Teacher Strategies to Inspire Listening, Learning and Self-Control

Detention doesn’t work. neither does criticism. or yelling. in fact, they may actually aggravate and encourage a child’s defiance. what does work these strategies for managing negative adhd behavior in the classroom — and teaching students better skills for the long run..

Challenging Classroom Behavior

Let’s start with the bad news: Teachers can’t actually control their students’ behavior . That’s because the only behavior a person can control is his or her own. And when teachers try to directly restrict what students say or do, they’re usually left feeling frustrated and helpless.

The good news? Teachers can apply some evidence-based strategies to help students take charge of their own behavior and learn how to interact with their environment in a positive way.

Why Do Kids Misbehave?

Behavior is a form of communication. For kids with ADHD, poor behavior usually blossoms from a skill deficit. A child who’s unable to express his frustration verbally may instead throw his pencil across the room; a child who feels socially ostracized may respond by pushing a classmate on the playground. The only way to prevent these undesirable outcomes is for teachers to identify the root causes of bad behavior — and set up systems that promote greater self-awareness and self-control.

What Can Teachers Do?

Of course, this is easier said than done because each child and situation is unique. But children with ADHD do tend to exhibit certain behavior patterns that stem from common triggers. To avoid these, teachers can use these 12 strategies to create structure, reduce boredom, and help children with ADHD connect causes to effects.

[ 10 Back-to-School Promises from a Very Cool Teacher ]

1. Make expectations clear.

Kids feel more in control when they know exactly what’s expected of them, which is why teachers should begin each new school year by establishing clear behavioral expectations. Begin by asking the class to help you devise a list of rules to keep everyone’s attention focused on learning. Be sure to state the rules in a positive way whenever possible to give children positive behavioral goals. “Raise your hand and wait to be called on before speaking” is better than “Don’t speak unless you’re called on.”

2. Have a predictable daily schedule.

Kids also feel in control when teachers post a clear, easy-to-follow schedule for everyone to see. For younger kids, the schedule may include pictures — an image of a book to represent quiet reading time, for instance. For older kids, it may include homework specifics and main objectives of the day’s lessons. Teachers should check off or erase items as the day progresses to help kids with ADHD learn to manage their time and prepare for upcoming transitions — a common trigger for bad behavior.

3. Explicitly teach routines.

Daily, repeated tasks like lining up for recess, sitting through roll call, or copying down homework assignments don’t always come naturally to students with ADHD. Teachers may interpret the child’s forgetfulness or confusion as defiance, when it’s really just a product of underdeveloped executive functions.

To prevent schedule slip-ups — and the problem behaviors that often come with them — a teacher may need to work one-on-one with some students to explicitly teach the daily routine. If a child repeatedly acts out at certain times of day, for instance, a “cue card” designed especially for those trigger situations can be helpful. An example: If a student struggles to settle into quiet reading time after recess — and instead provokes other children or moves around the room — he may benefit from a small card that spells out all the steps he needs to follow the moment he returns from recess. On days when he successfully completes all the steps, a small reward can help reinforce the correct routine.

4. Be consistent.

When kids with ADHD don’t follow directions, it’s sometimes due to defiance — but more often it’s because they failed to understand or pay attention to each step. Teachers can avoid this by establishing an auditory or visual cue that alerts the entire class that you’re about to give a direction — clapping your hands twice, for instance, or standing in the same spot every time you impart an instruction. Once students become accustomed to the cue, you’ll be amazed at how much better they tune in!

[ Free Handout: ADHD 101 for Teachers ]

5. Give better directions.

Kids are better able to follow the instructions of teachers who do the following:

• Make eye contact. Of course, you can’t hold eye contact with 25 children at once while you speak. But you can do a quick scan of the room to make sure every child is looking at you before you begin speaking, and make eye contact with the few who are struggling to maintain attention.
• Break tasks into steps. Chunking large amounts of information into smaller pieces makes it easier for children to digest. Writing each step on the board as you go is also a good idea for children who process information visually.
• Ask kids to restate. Check for comprehension by asking a few children to repeat back what’s expected of them. Rephrasing instructions in their own words makes it more likely children will understand — and follow — them.

6. Teach emotional regulation.

Kids with ADHD feel emotions more intensely than do their peers. This makes it tough to put on the brakes when a situation triggers feelings of anger or excitement, which can result in aggressive or inappropriate behavior. And since emotions are abstract, many children can’t identify what they’re feeling — and don’t know what they need to do to calm down again.

Teachers can help students regain emotional control by helping them recognize physical signs of strong emotions, and offering strategies for reacting appropriately. There are many different ways to do this, including a structured program called The Zones of Regulation. Teachers can learn more at zonesofregulation.com .

7. Create external structure in the classroom environment.

Structure is more than a daily routine. It’s also possible to arrange the classroom’s physical environment in ways that make it less likely students will act out. This can be done by positioning the desks in a specific way — a U-shape helps children manage their behavior since they’re all easily accessible by the teacher — or by setting up “stations” around the room for different activities. Group work, for instance, might always take place in the corners of the room, so kids with ADHD are less likely to get distracted or involved in what other groups are doing.

8. Make consequences immediate.

When children do misbehave, consequences should follow swiftly. Kids with ADHD struggle to connect delayed punishments — like after-school detention — to negative behavior during the day. If the child is able to directly associate the punishment with the undesired behavior, she’ll be more likely to change that behavior in the future.

9. Make better behavior a class-wide goal.

Singling out children who act out can backfire and lead to more bad behavior. Instead, set up a systematic behavior management framework — like a token system — that the whole class adheres to, so no one child feels the teacher is fixating specifically on him. If you prefer a more high-tech approach, apps like ClassDojo (for younger kids) or RedCritter Teacher (for older kids) can help you measure and track the behavior of your entire class.

10. Provide students with options.

One way to avoid oppositional behavior — and help children feel they can control frustrating situations — is to present them with a choice. For instance, if a child is refusing to work on an assignment, ask her, “What would help you get this done: working with a partner or going to a quiet room to finish on your own?” When the scenario is presented this way, completing the assignment isn’t optional — but the student retains some control over exactly how it gets done.

11. Make good behavior a game.

Boredom is a common trigger for kids with ADHD. When the ADHD brain is bored, it seeks stimulation — sometimes in the form of disruptive behavior. Teachers can provide some novelty to a restless brain by turning good behavior into a game. A straightforward point system — where earned points can be exchanged for rewards each day or each week — is an easy way for teachers to encourage good behavior.

Other teachers choose to split students into teams that compete to obtain a desired behavior — which team can read quietly for the longest amount of time? Or who can organize their desks the fastest? A quick behavior game will break up the long school day and plays to the ADHD desire for novelty and competition, while clearly modeling the expected behavior.

12. Allow movement.

Decades of research directly link physical movement to mental stamina, improved cognitive ability, and better behavior. All children — but especially those with ADHD — learn and conduct themselves better when they’re given frequent opportunities to move throughout the day. Having children march in place while reciting math facts, for instance, won’t just help them with memorization. It will also burn off excess energy and reduce the chance of outbursts later. And remember: recess should never be taken away as a punishment — doing so only increases the chance that a child will redirect his unused energy in a negative way.

Teachers Can't Fix Everything

These rules aren’t exhaustive. The goal of each is to teach better behavior over the long-term AND design a classroom environment where students are more likely to behave. But children will still act out. It’s important to remember that, as a teacher, sometimes a child’s behavior will be beyond your ability to correct. If a child is repeatedly engaging in behavior that’s dangerous to himself or others, seek additional help — from a qualified behavioral psychologist, the student’s IEP team, or the child’s parents.

[ Free Resource: How Teachers Can Manage Classroom Behavior ]

For Teachers: Read These Next

9 Things I Wish the World Knew About My Students’ ADHD

How Do You Reassure Your Anxious Child When You’re Scared, Too?

When ‘Careless Mistakes’ Aren’t: Dyscalculia & Math Anxiety

What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?

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What’s It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today?

4. challenges in the classroom, table of contents.

• Problems students are facing
• A look inside the classroom
• How teachers are experiencing their jobs
• How teachers view the education system
• Satisfaction with specific aspects of the job
• Do teachers feel trusted to do their job well?
• Likelihood that teachers will change jobs
• Would teachers recommend teaching as a profession?
• Reasons it’s so hard to get everything done during the workday
• Staffing issues
• Balancing work and personal life
• How teachers experience their jobs
• Lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Major problems at school
• Discipline practices
• Policies around cellphone use
• Verbal abuse and physical violence from students
• Addressing behavioral and mental health challenges
• Teachers’ interactions with parents
• K-12 education and political parties
• Acknowledgments
• Methodology

In addition to asking public K-12 teachers about issues they see at their school, we asked how much each of the following is a problem among students in their classroom :

• Showing little to no interest in learning (47% say this is a major problem)
• Being distracted by their cellphones (33%)
• Getting up and walking around when they’re not supposed to (21%)
• Being disrespectful toward the teacher (21%)

Some challenges are more common among high school teachers, while others are more common among those who teach elementary or middle school.

• Cellphones: 72% of high school teachers say students being distracted by their cellphones in the classroom is a major problem. A third of middle school teachers and just 6% of elementary school teachers say the same.
• Little to no interest in learning: A majority of high school teachers (58%) say students showing little to no interest in learning is a major problem. This compares with half of middle school teachers and 40% of elementary school teachers. 
• Getting up and walking around: 23% of elementary school teachers and 24% of middle school teachers see students getting up and walking around when they’re not supposed to as a major problem. A smaller share of high school teachers (16%) say the same.
• Being disrespectful: 23% of elementary school teachers and 27% of middle school teachers say students being disrespectful toward them is a major problem. Just 14% of high school teachers say this.

About eight-in-ten teachers (82%) say their school or district has policies regarding students’ use of cellphones in the classroom. Of those, 56% say these policies are at least somewhat easy to enforce, 30% say they’re difficult to enforce, and 14% say they’re neither easy nor difficult to enforce.

High school teachers are the least likely to say their school or district has policies regarding students’ use of cellphones in the classroom (71% vs. 84% of elementary school teachers and 94% of middle school teachers).

Among those who say there are such policies at their school, high school teachers are the most likely to say these are very or somewhat difficult to enforce. Six-in-ten high school teachers say this, compared with 30% of middle school teachers and 12% of elementary school teachers.

Most teachers (68%) say they have experienced verbal abuse from their students, such as being yelled at or verbally threatened. About one-in-five (21%) say this happens at least a few times a month.

Physical violence is far less common, but about one-in-ten teachers (9%) say a student is physically violent toward them at least a few times a month. Four-in-ten say this has ever happened to them.

Differences by school level

Elementary school teachers (26%) are more likely than middle and high school teachers (18% and 16%) to say they experience verbal abuse from students a few times a month or more often.

And while relatively small shares across school levels say students are physically violent toward them a few times a month or more often, elementary school teachers (55%) are more likely than middle and high school teachers (33% and 23%) to say this has ever happened to them.

Differences by poverty level

Among teachers in high-poverty schools, 27% say they experience verbal abuse from students at least a few times a month. This is larger than the shares of teachers in medium- and low-poverty schools (19% and 18%) who say the same.

Experiences with physical violence don’t differ as much based on school poverty level.

Differences by gender

Teachers who are women are more likely than those who are men to say a student has been physically violent toward them. Some 43% of women teachers say this, compared with 30% of men.

There is also a gender difference in the shares of teachers who say they’ve experienced verbal abuse from students. But this difference is accounted for by the fact that women teachers are more likely than men to work in elementary schools.

Eight-in-ten teachers say they have to address students’ behavioral issues at least a few times a week, with 58% saying this happens every day .

A majority of teachers (57%) also say they help students with mental health challenges at least a few times a week, with 28% saying this happens daily.

Some teachers are more likely than others to say they have to address students’ behavior and mental health challenges on a daily basis. These include:

• Women: 62% of women teachers say they have to address behavior issues daily, compared with 43% of those who are men. And while 29% of women teachers say they have to help students with mental health challenges every day, a smaller share of men (19%) say the same.
• Elementary and middle school teachers: 68% each among elementary and middle school teachers say they have to deal with behavior issues daily, compared with 39% of high school teachers. A third of elementary and 29% of middle school teachers say they have to help students with mental health every day, compared with 19% of high school teachers.
• Teachers in high-poverty schools: 67% of teachers in schools with high levels of poverty say they have to address behavior issues on a daily basis. Smaller majorities of those in schools with medium or low levels of poverty say the same (56% and 54%). A third of teachers in high-poverty schools say they have to help students with mental health challenges every day, compared with about a quarter of those in medium- or low-poverty schools who say they have this experience (26% and 24%). 

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Handling challenging behavior problems in the classroom

As a teacher, one of the most common things that you’ll come across in your career is dealing with challenging students. In case the behavioral problems that you are required to handle frustrate you, it would do you a lot of good to take some comfort in knowing that other teachers around the globe face the same challenges. The need to handle behavior issues is one of the additional packages that are tied to the teaching profession.

It is of importance for you to note that even the most experienced teachers have their fair share of managing difficult students. From power disputes and struggles among students to too many talkative students, the list of stubborn behaviors that you will have to deal with until you retire is quite lengthy. However, with a framework of how you can tackle all these issues, it is possible for you to have the upper hand over your students and hence assist you in avoiding frustrations in your job.

Luckily enough for you, other than acquiring help from educational technology tools such as flipgrid , Classdojo and insertlearning , below is such in-depth coverage of some of the best ways that you can handle the most common and challenging behavior problems in the classroom.

How to Handle 5 Challenging Behavior Types

1. noise making in class.

With about 3.8 million kids having attended public school kindergartens in the US, it is quite tricky to lack some students that have a tendency of talking nonstop and in the process distracting their fellow students from concentrating on their studies. These “chatterboxes” are the true definition of a nuisance to you as a teacher and to their classmates hence requiring the best methods to control this annoying behavior.

The best way to handle such students is by giving them positive instructions when trying to correct their endless noise making, while concurrently doing your best to avoid adverse instructions. Instead of using the typical “no talking” strategy, you should direct your instructions to these specific students by instructing them to “remain silent”. You should then follow up your request with a “thank you” for you to indicate that you acknowledge your request’s been adhered to.

In case the talking happens while you’re in the middle of teaching or addressing the class, the best solution is to stop talking. By doing so, you will have brought to life a reminder to your students that you are in charge and should be listening to you rather than talking among themselves.

In addition, there are some edtech apps that can help to indicate the noise in the classroom. Take Too Noisy for example. It shows them how loud the classroom is at that exact moment. Ask you students to stay in the “green” zone. The app visualizes the noise, so it’s easier for students to really understand the problem.

2. Power Struggle

Some students intentionally refrain from concentrating on their classwork or even completing it to draw their teachers into a form of power struggle. You should always be keen to identify such students and never fall into their trap at any given time.

The most prudent way to handle such students is by giving them choices that have consequences attached to them. Ensure that they are aware that if they do not finish their classwork within a given time frame, they are bound to miss out on the class’s free time or any other consequences that you find suitable to such a situation. Classcraft can help you with that in a playful way, where students' fantasy comes to life.

This helps to put their behavior’s responsibility on them while also assisting in teaching them the best way to make choices in life. In addition to the above, you should learn always to show your students appreciation when you give them a number of options, and they make the right choice. A simple “thank you,” or even a smile will go a long way in reinforcing this positive behavior. You could also think about setting up a reward system . But be careful with that. We want students to behave good on their own, and not because they get someting out of it.

3. Arguments Galore

Students that have cultivated a culture of challenging everything that their teachers say or do can easily distract the entire class from the teachers' lessons by deviating focus on secondary and meaningless issues. It’s quite hard for you to restrain yourself from reprimanding such defiant students, but it is crucial for you to note that adopting a hostile type of attitude or even getting defensive will not solve such an issue. Instead, you should purpose to remain civil and assertive while focusing on the problem at hand.

Instances such as this that occur recurrently will require you to hold an “after class” meeting with the responsible student(s). In this discussion, you should explain to the student(s) the manner in which the behavior is not acceptable and how it will bring about a problematic relationship between you and him/her as well as how it interferes with the learning time of the entire class.

Handling dificult and confronting conversations need some preparation. Here’s the ultimate conversation guide that helps you tackle 6 different conversations with students or parents.

4. Broading

Sulky behavior is also one of the biggest distractions for teachers in a classroom. This is a behavior that you should nip in the bud as soon as you can before it develops into a much more completed syndrome. 
 Once you’ve observed such action with any of your students, you must call for a private discussion with him/her. Make sure that you’ve demonstrated the mannerisms and brooding behavior to the student so that you can explain this behavior vividly to him/her. The reason behind your need to do this is that in most instances, brooding students have no idea of how their behavior is regarded as being socially unacceptable or being rude.

5. Overdependence

Students that tend to always request for assistance with every opportunity that they get may be doing this out of a desire for attention or could only have a genuine inability to accomplish these tasks on their own.

First, assess the main reason behind such a clingy habit so that you can address it. You can try and ignore the student’s persistent calls to look at his/her work for quite a while.

If he/she waits for you patiently, approach and reward him/her by taking a look at the work with more enthusiasm than before. Another strategy that you can use is having students to first ask their peers before approaching you for clarification. Lets students reflect on their work first before asking questions. Here are some creative self assesment ideas that might help.

5 Tips To Get Back in Control of Your Classroom

1. do what your students don’t expect.

However, you can choose to be different and uniquely handle things. You could try and tell them something that will catch them off guard such as, “You children seem too smart to be playing in such a restricted place,” This kind of communication will surprise students and children to the extent of prompting them to change their unwanted behaviors.

2. Find Positive Things about Them

You can step up and go out of your way to look for positive things to say concerning these chronic naughty students. Often, you find that these children lack belief in their abilities and require teachers to assist them in seeing that they have the ability to become constructive.

3. Don’t Act too Bossy or Showcase Bad Modeling

You should always strive to express a strong passion and desire to have significant relationships with your students or children. This will assist you greatly in curbing the growth of possible negative feelings such as loath and revenge from your students, thus making your teaching process much more comfortable.

4. Support Your Students' Sense of Belonging

In such a scenario, you should see to it that you put yourself in their shoes and uplift the affected students' sense of belonging. To get this done, praise the efforts of these students to work in class even in simple tasks or in their social life when they get along with others.

You could also praise the students' attempts to adhere to the set routines or follow the given rules. Also, you may find success by using terms such as “we” in the process of describing a behavior you would prefer. A good example of this is by saying, “We should always be kind when playing with our friends.”

5. Reprimand in a Different Manner

After you’re done reprimanding, you can wind up on a note such as, “I am sure that this mistake will not happen again due to the great student you have been until this moment. My faith in you is great.” You can use any other technique that you think will work out great for you, but ensure that you practice the element of acknowledging the child`s positive behaviors.

Be aware of the many punishment mistakes that are made too often. Take a look at the punishment tips in that post as well.

The teaching profession is excellent in a vast array of ways with the highlight of it all being the power you are given to shape the lives of the students entrusted to you. 


However, it is important to note that it is not always a walk in the park due to the various challenges that you are bound to face especially when dealing with children.

As much as these problems could be overwhelming, you should know that there is always a way to solve them.

Jake Lester is a real essay writer that is fond of writing about various spheres of life. The most recurring themes he covers are education, writing and marketing. He has his own writing style and this is why he is appreciated by readers. You may look through Facebook , Twitter & Google+ .

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Nurturing Mistake Tolerance in the Classroom

Teachers can help students get over the fear of making a mistake by showing them that errors are just a part of the learning process.

Our students do not like making mistakes in front of their peers. As a matter of fact, I can say the same for many adults. This dislike leads to an avoidance of failure in the hopes of preserving notions of identity and self-efficacy. What I define as “fear branding” is the perception, often implicit in nature, of being outed as incompetent by one’s community.

This fear can lead students down trauma spirals of internalized inadequacies, classroom disruptions, and other barriers undermining their confidence as learners. The resulting outlook can last a lifetime, limiting individuals’ horizons and opportunities. These effects may be more pronounced among students who already face disadvantages in the classroom, including stereotypes about their educational capacity.

One of the most ambitious goals of educators is to teach students what to do when they don’t know what to do. Social scientists illustrate these fear-branded trauma spirals through theories such as Albert Bandura’s reciprocal determinism and Carol Dweck’s growth mindset ; practitioners, on the other hand, find tangible value in applying knowledge to execution. Teachers need practice-based instructional activities that engage students in problem-solving development to move beyond the barriers highlighted in erudition.

The challenge is that learning is messy. The nonlinearity of trial and error (e.g., starting and stopping, hesitating, confusion, drafting, amending) requires a mistake tolerance that must be nurtured in the classroom . As this tolerance builds, students not only openly embrace mistakes as part of the learning process but also acknowledge their intrinsic value as they mature into expert learners.

3 Ways to Grow Students’ Mistake Tolerance

1. Use jigsaw activities. These activities break up complex text into smaller, disjointed chunks that students work collaboratively to piece together, creating coherence and meaning. Arranging ideas and/or events chronologically, logically, or sequentially requires a grit for trial and error that expert learners sometimes take for granted. Jigsaw activities create opportunities for students to gain confidence through justifying their ordering by experimentation, negotiating text meaning, and identifying target language.

First, I introduce this activity to students using comic strips. Students practice shuffling comic strip panels in the correct order by identifying key story elements (e.g., plot, setting, characters, point of view, theme). I then increase the rigor by tasking students to correctly sequence reading passage sections, employing the same story-element identification.

This tactile approach to text engagement mirrors that of puzzling. Like puzzles, the comic strip panels or text sections within the jigsaw activity are in pieces that have to be assembled properly. Manipulating the puzzle components and figuring out where they fit within the larger picture requires problem-solving perseverance as students develop their abilities to plan and test ideas. From a social and emotional standpoint, completing jigsaw activities also helps students learn how to accept challenges, overcome problems, and deal with the frustrations of failure.

2. Guide students to get the GIST. These activities are summarizing exercises that help students focus on main ideas. Developed by James Cunningham, PhD, in 1982, GIST (Generating Interactions between Schemata and Texts) helps students improve reading comprehension and increase recall of complex texts. As the name suggests, GIST scaffolds the removal of extraneous detail as students evaluate and create information to convey the crux of what they read. It’s an adaptable strategy that can be used with a variety of informational and literary texts and is an effective tool to use in content areas.

Students read a text and respond to the six common journalists’ questions on the GIST template (who, what, when, where, why, and how). Using their responses, students identify the most important information by paring down the text into summaries of 20 words or less (the teacher predefines the GIST word count).

As students work to comply with the word constraint, you will notice the messiness of trial and error as students revise, alter, and refine their summaries to fit the predefined parameter. As a result, students build mistake tolerance in low-stakes routines using various combinations of elaborative rehearsal, reorganization, and contextualized language.

3. Actively model critical thinking. To create a classroom culture truly open to mistakes, teachers must not only embrace them among students, but actively model their own tolerance for mistakes. We should want our students to see that we, too, wrestle with getting ideas down on paper. Follow a plan to ensure that you’re modeling the type of thinking you intended. Stay in character as a learner, not a teacher.

For example, imagine that you’re working through a text or a task for the first time. Model the types of thinking you expect from the students. Like a good learner, ask yourself questions, and verbalize inner dialogue.

• What is the author trying to tell me? Is that a clue about what’s going to happen next?
• What happens next if I do this? Is this getting me closer to my goal?

Narrate actions you’re about to do, such as “I’d better write that down” or “That didn’t work. I’d better erase that step and start over.” Let students see and hear you struggle with your thinking. Students also need to see the strategies that good learners use to overcome challenges. It’s important for them to see that all learners encounter challenges and that it’s OK. So not only verbalize struggle but model the metacognitive and critical-thinking strategies that good learners use for overcoming challenges. Try modeling perseverance by building in some unsuccessful attempts and giving yourself a little pep talk after each one.

Learning is a continuous process that involves practice, adjustment, and refinement. When students are given the tools and information needed up front, trial and error can be a fun method of learning. Lived experience, which often comes with discovering the right way to do something while making mistakes along the way, is the basis for learning and one of the foundational characteristics related to the motivation of seasoned learners.

Better Classroom Management Can’t Wait. How to Make Changes Now

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Next year. Whenever I talk to new teachers, whether informally or within a teacher education course that I instruct, there is consistent talk of the changes they will make “next year.”

Many first-year teachers in particular speak longingly about how their actions and classrooms will be improved the following school year. They describe all their mistakes this past year and how they will fix them in the fall.

Undoubtedly, one will eventually regurgitate some version of the old saw: “The first two weeks of the school year are crucial for classroom management and establishing rules and expectations.”

Teachers believe these two weeks are when they should develop the classroom structures that will allow students to know what to expect for the remainder of the school year. Conversely, because they were unable to establish such structures within their first two weeks of a school year, they can only look forward to correcting it the following year.

I’m here to say it’s all a lie.

Believing that one can establish their classroom management plan in the first two weeks of the school year is just one of the many “truths” about “managing” student behavior that teachers learn.

In my own first year of teaching , the first two weeks—and beyond —were full of difficulties. I struggled to understand which rules to enact or how to enforce consequences consistently. At some point, things improved but only well after two weeks. Through support and experience, I and many beginning teachers get better at managing the classroom.

But how? This is the question that all preservice and beginning teachers ask as they consider classroom management. Having now spent over a decade teaching preservice teachers and researching how teachers successfully manage classrooms , I’ve identified some key strategies that can improve classroom management at any point in the year.

Interestingly, these strategies have developed from repeated maxims—or what I deem as misconceptions:

“I build relationships before, between, and after classes.”

While informal conversations before class or between periods are positive, teachers can build relationships within lessons more effectively. Building relationships is central to every classroom, but it’s easier said than done. I love this meta-analysis (find the main table!) that lists concrete strategies from praise and check-ins to rewards and self-regulation.

You won’t know how to manage your students until you know who they are. This means ignoring other trite expressions, such as “not smiling before Christmas.”

“I need to focus on a good lesson, not classroom management.”

A good lesson engages students, reducing opportunities to misbehave. A good lesson also can be derailed if students’ perspectives are not considered. Here are a few tips:

• Think about what students do for each activity, not just what the teacher does. Interesting demonstrations and lectures often have students sitting quietly at their desks for a whole lesson. Consider other ways they could learn the material (e.g., small-group activities) and the appropriate directions and transitions needed to get there.
• Build from their interest. Whether it’s using examples about Paw Patrol or Taylor Swift, incorporating students’ interests engages them.
• Overplan material. Timing is difficult for beginning teachers, so it’s important to have an abundance of activities per day. You’d rather end long (and put a pin in it for tomorrow) than not have enough for your students to do. The more you have prepared, the less time you’ll spend dealing with misbehavior.

“I manage all my students the same.”

Consistent rules, procedures, and expectations are crucial in establishing the boundaries of your classroom. However, while the sentiment of treating everyone the same is understandable, we know that discipline is not administered equally.

Instead, teachers must be responsive to their class and understand that students may respond differently to consequences. Just like we do with instruction, it is important to manage behavior in a way that meets students where they are rather than treating them all the same.

Allow for some flexibility or have students offer suggestions for what’s important for their learning. Teachers can also find ways to promote positive interactions, such as utilizing nonverbal actions, specific praise, and parent partnerships to accommodate for student differences.

While these classroom management sayings are meant to help beginning teachers, they ultimately hurt students by ignoring how teachers can adapt classroom management skills throughout the school year. Of course, these recommendations are not exhaustive, and teachers must recognize that what works now may not work with next year’s students.

Instead of buying into these misnomers, teachers need to focus on skills that they can improve now. Don’t try to change everything all at once; find a few specific strategies to prioritize per day or week and solidify them in your classroom.

Teachers can even utilize the current classroom as a trial-and-error period to see which strategies they like best. Instead of waiting until next year’s first two weeks, how about changing things today?

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Top 10 Biggest Challenges Teachers Face In The Classroom Today

Written by Victoria Hegwood

Easily differentiate content, save time and unlock the benefits of adaptive, game-based learning with Prodigy!

• Teaching Strategies
• 10 Common challenges teachers face in the classroom

1. Understanding different learning styles

2. lack of effective communication, 3. staying up to date with learning technology, 4. communicating with parents, 5. pressure from school administrators, 6. creating engaging lesson plans that fit the curriculum, 7. behavior and classroom management, 8. time-consuming administrative work, 9. lack of funding, 10. burnout.

• How Prodigy helps teachers

There are few careers that make a bigger impact than teaching. Teachers are shaping the next generation, those that will decide what the future looks like.

But this noble work doesn’t come without challenges. Many teachers face challenges both inside and outside of the classroom, often making the career feel overwhelming. 

While the rewards often outweigh the negatives, it's still important to understand the daily challenges teachers face . It can help parents and administrators better support teachers and help teachers know that they are not alone in their struggles. 

10 Common challenges teachers are facing in the classroom

These are ten of the most common challenges that teachers face on a day-to-day basis. While that may seem like a lot of bad news, once the issue is understood, it’s easier to find the solution. 

Let’s get started. 

A single classroom most often contains students with a wide set of learning abilities and styles. It is nearly impossible for teachers to simply use one teaching method and have it be effective for all of their learners. 

Teachers are required to think strategically when making lesson plans to cater to all the learning styles in their classroom. They also have to be flexible while actively teaching, as they make adjustments in real time based on student performance.

This can take a lot of time and effort on the teacher’s end, but the benefits for student performance are unbeatable.

Teachers can also face significant challenges when trying to communicate with their students effectively. Not every student, especially at lower grade levels, will know when to ask for help. 

For example, most high school students are able to effectively communicate their needs, struggles, and triumphs. However, teachers with younger grade levels may not have the same experience.

In cases like this, teachers have to find an effective channel of communication so that their classroom can function well.

Now, there’s not one answer to this problem. Teachers may need to use different strategies depending on the age of their students. Particularly for teachers that teach multiple grades, this can be a time-consuming task. 

Finding a system to improve communication in the class can not only help struggling students get support, but it can also help teachers manage multiple students' needs at once.

See below how once teacher implemented a non-verbal signalling system in her classroom that helped students express their needs and thoughts without disrupting the class.

Learning technology is constantly changing. Every year, there are a slew of new apps, websites, and other technology tools created to improve the learning process.

And there is a lot of pressure on teachers to constantly stay up to date with the latest technology. Most believe that the latest and greatest tools will provide the best quality education. 

But there is often a lack of funding, resources, or time to implement every new technology as it's introduced.

One of the most common and pressing classroom challenges for teachers is the fact that some students are not receiving adequate support outside of the classroom. While teachers can work with students while they’re at school, students need support from their parents as well.

When parents take an active part in their children's learning, that student is much more likely to succeed. 

This issue also extends to intrapersonal relationships. Students will often feel comfortable turning to a teacher in their time of need–when it’s emotional support they are looking for instead of academic support.

However, this dynamic can put a lot of pressure on a teacher. The relationship can be tricky to navigate, and teachers often don’t have enough hours in the day to check in and talk with every student. 

Students need to be fully supported both in school and at home in order to have the best chance of success.

Did you know?

When teachers use Prodigy, a game-based learning platform Prodigy that delivers adaptive skill practice in students, they can also invite parents to join. With their free account, parents can keep up on their child's progress with reports and even send them motivational messages as they play.

Teachers are often under a lot of pressure by their school administrators to come up with new teaching strategies and ways in which they can improve student learning. 

School administrators want to remain competitive with other school districts when it comes to performance and test scores. However, teachers are the ones actually in the classroom, teaching students the necessary skills to achieve these outcomes. 

Teachers are seen as exclusively responsible for student achievement, growth indicators, professional development, and discipline.

With so much on a teacher’s plate, a supportive school administration can make a world of a difference to both their success and students’ success.

Creating engaging lesson plans that also align with the state’s outlined curriculum can be a tall task. 

And beyond just being engaging, time-constraints can also be an issue. While there is a syllabus and course schedule to stick to, students will often need additional time to fully grasp a subject.

Oftentimes, the state will outline a detailed curriculum for the school year, giving a jam-packed schedule for all the topics that need to be covered in a particular year. Teachers need to rely heavily on problem-solving skills in order to maximize their time in the classroom.

Additionally, with larger class sizes, it can be difficult to ensure every student is getting the support they need to fully understand a lesson. Teachers may work incredibly hard to create a great lesson plan that just doesn’t resonate with all of their students.

Engage your students in math with Prodigy

If you're teaching math, you'll probably already know how hard it can be to motivate students. Traditional learning materials like worksheets can bore some quickly, especially if they're not feeling confident with the material.

Prodigy Math combines the joy of game-based learning with the benefits of adaptive and targeted skill practice. As students play Prodigy Math, they'll answer questions of your choice, all while having fun exploring a magical world and casting spells. It's a great way to differentiate learning while keeping your class engaged.

One study even showed that students saw their level of math enjoyment significantly increase after just a few months of using Prodigy Math!

Student behavior can be difficult for teachers to manage on top of their other job tasks like administrative work, staying on track with the curriculum, and staying up to date with the most recent classroom trends.

Creating distinct behavioral and academic plans can help teachers stay on track and meet their educational goals as the school year progresses. But this doesn’t happen without a lot of work and support from administrators, parents, and other educational professionals. 

Oftentimes, motivating students with engaging lessons can be enough to manage student behavior in the classroom. But in some cases, students may need more support to manage behavioral issues and create a growth mindset .

The administrative work that comes with teaching takes a lot of time on top of managing students, creating assessments, and actually teaching lessons. Because of this, time management is a vital skill for every teacher.

The overwhelming amount of administrative work on a teacher’s plate can adversely affect their work-life balance, as they are often required to spend time outside of working hours grading assignments, creating lesson plans, filling out reports, and more.

In order to get everything done, some teachers are faced with the question of whether to give up their personal time or their time with students to complete administrative work. While they’re always looking for ways to streamline their administrative work, there often seems to be no good answer.

Teaching hack: Skip the grading with Prodigy!

Did you know that elementary and middle school teachers can use their free Prodigy teacher dashboard to set up engaging assessments in just a few clicks? All you need to do select the standards-aligned content you want your students to practice and have them play Prodigy Math or Prodigy English.

Then as they play, student responses are automatically graded and fed into your reports, helping you uncover hidden learning gaps and insights!

It's no secret that teachers and schools are constantly facing issues in terms of lack of funding.

For most public schools across the country that run into issues with funding, teachers are the ones that are expected to get creative and make do with the resources that they do have.

Beyond just a lack of classroom materials, underfunding can also lead to the inability to hire enough teachers. Oftentimes, this is remedied by increasing class sizes. 

While it may seem like the only solution, large class size can negatively impact the classroom experience for many students. It leaves less time for individualized teaching and one-on-one time with the teacher. 

This can lower the quality of learning and have a negative impact on student learning. It also negatively impacts the teachers, with them always feeling behind and overworked.

Teaching is one of the most demanding professions out there. Teachers are constantly working to juggle all their tasks of educating students, managing behavior, completing administrative tasks, and more.

And there’s an emotional element, as they know that their work is shaping lives and the future. 

With the high demand from all their job responsibilities, teachers commonly experience burnout. Some of the common symptoms of burnout include:

• Feeling drained after working on lesson plans
• Dreading going to work
• Lacking the motivation to be productive

Teachers should try to have the best work-life balance as possible in order to avoid burnout, but this can prove difficult with so many responsibilities on their plate. Administrators and parents need to take an active role in education in order to help prevent teacher burnout.

Fight burnout with these tips!

Burnout can happen to the best of us and knowing how to overcome it can be tricky. But with careful reflection and practice, teachers can get back on track and feel reinvigorated. We identified these tips proven to help combat teacher burnout:

• Practice self-care, especially when you doubt yourself
• Create boundaries with work and home where possible
• Consider adding a new approach to your teaching strategy
• Put every challenging day in perspective and remind yourself of your progress
• Share how you're feeling with other teachers, including those outside your school

Find new & unique teaching strategies to create an engaging classroom experience

Teaching is not for the faint of heart. It takes dedication, time, and grit to stick with it through the difficulties and the hard days. 

Teachers face a number of challenges while teaching students and even after students leave the classroom. Understanding what teachers are facing can help all of us provide solutions and support to those teaching our children. 

While demanding, teaching is a very rewarding career choice. Few other people in our society have as much impact as teachers do. There are downsides, but there are even more benefits.

If you're an elementary or middle school teacher looking to support your class, try Prodigy! Prodigy is a game-based learning platform that delivers adaptive skill practice in math and English to students. See how it works below!

The best bit? It's full of time-saving teacher features like reports and is available at no cost to teachers and schools. You can use Prodigy to:

• Set engaging, fun skill practice in just a few clicks
• Easily assess students on over 1000 standards-aligned skills
• Motivate your students with classroom goals, rewards and challenges
• Monitor and track student performance with automatic grading and reports

Get started with Prodigy today and bring the benefits of game-based learning into your classroom for free!