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Carl Mahlmann EDU206 Assignment: Research Report Date Due: 11/11/09

I. Topic Description -- Classroom Management: Working with Challenging / Difficult Students

“… teachers have a right to teach in a well-managed classroom and students have the right to learn in a controlled environment.”

(Malmgren, Trezek & Paul, 2005, p.36).

Children (and adults) go to school for one reason: to learn -- both academic and social skills. It is our jobs as teachers, therefore, to

provide them with an environment in which this is conducive. Effective classroom management, then, is essential to this process. As a

matter of fact: “In a study reviewing 11,000 pieces of research that spanned 50 years, Wan, Haertal, and Walberg (1993/1994) identified

28 factors that influence student learning. The most important one was classroom management.” (Boynton & Boynton, 2005, p.3). (Author

Note: See Instructor Slides, Chapter 2, #6.) Children cannot focus on their learning (or teachers on their teaching) if they are subject to

distraction within a chaotic or unsafe environment.

As was pointed out in the instructor’s presentation, first-year teachers prefer training in classroom management. As a teacher-in-

training, I share this sentiment. “Managing student behavior can be one of the greatest concerns for prospective teachers…” (McKinney,

Campbell-Whately & Kea, 2005, p.16). Content, I believe, is relatively easier to master than the process of teaching to a group of myriad

and often unpredictable personalities with their individual abilities and needs and accompanying behaviors. “…a teacher’s articulation of a

philosophy of classroom management is just as important as the articulation of an overall teaching philosophy.” (Malmgren, Trezek &

Paul, 2005, p.38).

This, then, is why I’ve chosen this topic for my research. It is the area in which I feel I am most challenged and have the most to gain:

“Difficulty managing behavior in the classroom is frequently cited as a source of frustration for teachers and a common reason why new

teachers leave the profession… A cohesive and thoughtfully constructed personal philosophy of classroom management can provide the

foundation from which teachers make classroom management decisions and respond to instances of student misbehavior.” (Ibid., p.36).

II. Main Points

Challenging / difficult students come in as many forms as there are individuals. They include bullies, students with anger management

issues (Boynton & Boynton, 2005, p.161, 142) and those who suffer mental, emotional and behavioral disorders such as: ADHD, ODD,

Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Obsessions, Compulsions and Anxiety. (Salend, 2008, p.70).

Classroom management models and discipline strategies also abound – e.g., Developmental Discipline, Teacher Effectiveness

Training, Positive Reinforcement, Time-out/Punishment/Time-Away, WEVAS (Working Effectively w/ Violent And Aggressive States),

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Functional Assessment & Positive Behavior Supports (Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2009), Behavior Modification, Assertive Discipline, Logical

Consequences, Transactional Analysis, Reality Therapy/Control Theory, The Ginott Model, The Kounin Model and The Jones Model.

(Edwards, 1993, p.viii -- xiii).

A research paper on any one of these items could be a tome unto itself. Therefore, it will not be the purpose of this paper to be an

expository essay of the subjects, but rather to be a reference guide; something which will serve to point one in the direction of more

detailed information on the subjects when help is needed with specific classroom management issues.

Strategies for Dealing with Challenging Students

According to Salend (2008): “an estimated 3 – 5% of students have emotional and behavioral disorders. Only 1% are identified as

such.” Those identified as having special needs are easier for the teacher to deal with, because Individual Education Plans (IEPs) have

already been developed for them. The teacher, therefore, does not have to evaluate the student’s behavior and determine which strategies

to employ, because these have been predetermined and spelled out in an IEP. In addition, since the IEP is distributed among school staff,

the teacher is not alone in his/her efforts; the teacher is now working together with other professionals who are all literally operating off of

the “same page” for the student’s benefit.

For those who have not been identified, however, the teacher has a greater challenge. S/he must have an arsenal of behavioral

knowledge and preventive and remedial strategies at his/her disposal in order to determine what method may work best with which

student.

Following are brief descriptions of some of the items one may want in their classroom management arsenal:

According to Kaiser & Rasminsky (2009):

Although the experts have their philosophical differences, they agree that several key factors will increase the

effectiveness of any strategy.

Since no behavior exists in a vacuum, the first step is to structure the classroom environment to prevent challenging

behavior. A safe… physical space; clear rules; …and interesting… instruction… minimize behavior problems, and lay a solid

foundation for any guidance strategy.

The essential – and perhaps even more important – partner of a carefully structured environment is a positive,

responsive, trusting teacher-student relationship. Where children with challenging behavior are concerned, such a

relationship may be difficult and time consuming to establish, but it is vital to guiding behavior successfully.

A crucial part of (this) relationship is having high expectations…

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A willingness to spend time working with students on behavior problems, rather than referring them to the principal or

(others).

The way you behave during a challenging situation also plays a key role… Remaining calm, especially in a crisis…

makes it much easier… and prevent(s) the situation from escalating. When you keep your composure and refuse to let a

child push your buttons, you are modeling and encouraging emotional control, a vital skill that many students with challenging

behavior lack.

Address the behavior, not the person. Make it clear that you still like and value the student; the problem is not with him

but with what he did (Kohn, 1996; Kottler, 2002).

When there is a problem, talk with the student privately.

Use humor whenever possible. It is a wonderful way to defuse a tense situation and allow everyone to maintain a

sense of self-respect (Curwin and Mendler, 2001; Goldstein, Harootunian, and Conoley, 1994). Be sure to avoid sarcasm and

put-downs.

Be reflective. (Reflect on) incidents of challenging behavior and try to figure out the message that the behavior was

communicating (Kottler, 2002).

Be patient and flexible. The child has been using this behavior for a long time and it’s hard to change a habit. A new

strategy can take as long as 3 to 4 weeks to work. (And if you find it’s not working) discard it and try another.

Start fresh every day. Whatever happened yesterday, let it go (Curwin and Mendler, 2001).

Above all, remember that you’re a teacher and challenging behavior is an opportunity to teach (Kohn, 1996).

Similarly, Boynton & Boynton (2005) have recommended strategies that, based on their 43 years in school administration and

thousands of classroom observations “can be used for challenging students, regardless of their diagnosis.” They have categorized these

into “…relationship/climate strategies, academic strategies, and disciplinary strategies.” Here are some brief descriptions:

A) Relationship / Climate Strategies:

Gradually Assign Responsibility and Leadership: Tauber (1999) states… turn (challenging students’) negative self-concept

into one that is positive and their obstructive actions into helpful ones. …there is danger that this technique could backfire, so

do this gradually…

Display a Personal Interest Daily: The challenging student is more difficult to bond with and often has few adult relationships.

As a teacher, it is important that you go out of your way to show your students that you like and value them.

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Drop All Grudges: Don’t’ take a student’s negative actions personally (Tauber, 1999). Anything he does or says does not

have to do with you. It has to do with him and the particular disorder he has.

Limit Negative Faculty Room Talk: When teachers… spend their time complaining about difficult students, they are

contributing to the negative cycle of interactions between staff members and students. (Use) this time (instead) to problem

solve or hear from other staff members about techniques that (may) work…

Open Parent Conferences with a Positive Statement: …These parents are so programmed to hearing negative things about

their child that they often come to meetings ready to fight. You can totally disarm them at the beginning of the conference by

sincerely sharing something that you like about the student…

Tell the Student You Understand Her Feelings: Validating a student’s feelings doesn’t mean that you agree with her actions,

but it helps her to know that her feelings are real, honest, and normal. Sometimes all a student wants is to know that you

understand how she feels.

Value the Student, Despite the Inappropriate Action: Even when a student does something that is inappropriate and results

in a consequence, remember to tell him that you like him, value him, and know that he’ll make a better choice next time

(Tauber, 1999).

B) Academic Strategies:

Keep the Class Moving: Slowly paced instruction can unplanned time periods are problems waiting to happen… Effective,

appropriately fast-paced instruction will prevent many problems from occurring.

Unleash the Power of Appropriately High Expectations: Research has demonstrated the power that high expectations have

for all students (Kerman et al., 1980). (Even the ones you struggle to have high expectations for…)

C) Disciplinary Strategies:

Bargaining is Not an Option: The challenging student is very adept at bargaining and manipulation. (Author Note: See Class

Observation # 2 – Tech Ed class teacher comment.) Success in bargaining only increases the chance that she’ll repeat the

offense and then try to bargain away the consequence. It is important to be firm in your implementation of consequences so

that she learns she can’t manipulate the situation and get away with her actions.

Criticize the Action, Not the Student…There is an important distinction… between letting a student know that fighting is

inappropriate… and telling him that he is a bad person for fighting.

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Have an Emergency Response Team in Place: Challenging students have a high probability of exploding, so it is essential to

have a plan in place regarding what to do to get help… when it is needed. (Author Note: See Class Observation # 2 – Special

Ed class recommendation.)

Have a Buddy Teacher Available to Help Out: There will be times when you have had your fill of a challenging student and

need a break. …have an arrangement with a buddy teacher to whom you can send the student for a brief time out (Tauber,

1999). This will give you time to get past your frustration point and be able to once again deal with the student professionally.

Apply Immediate and Meaningful Consequences: Even more so than with most students, you need to have immediate and

meaningful consequences to implement with difficult students… (Author Note: See Slavin p.145)

Judge Students’ Actions Fairly: It is easy to jump to conclusions with challenging students… Remember to be fair and look

at each situation based on the current facts… rather than punishing the “usual suspect.” (Author Note: See Instructor Slides,

Chapter 1, #13, 14)

Make the “Death Penalty” the Last Option: Sometimes you can get so …fed up with a difficult student that you want to hand

down a severe consequence for even a minor offense. Remember to save the most stringent consequences for the most

serious offenses.

Never Intervene Physically with a Student: …The only time you should intervene physically is if the student may hurt herself

or someone else, an even then you should have gone through training on how to do so safely.

Provide the Student with Choices: …it is always more effective to give options rather than make demands. (E.G.,) instead of

ordering “Get to work!” try saying, “Do you want to work on your math or your spelling now?”

Quiet Corrections Are the Most Powerful: You should be private in your corrections of your students rather than publicly

reprimand them. According to Tauber (1999), public reprimands increase the chance of escalating problems and take away

the students’ dignity.

Reward Students for Accomplishments, Not Promises: Challenging students are experts at diverting a responsibility or a

consequence by making promises. It is vital to wait until they have actually completed a task… before rewarding them for

their behavior (Tauber, 1999).

Saving Face is Everything: Allow students to save face whenever possible, as this allows them to keep their dignity and also

helps prevent issues from becoming worse. …giving choices and correcting privately, are ways (to do this) (Tauber 1999).

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The strategies above have been recommended for working with challenging students in general. While there are well-documented

strategies (which have also been studied), for dealing with those students who have been diagnosed with the specific behavioral disorders

mentioned in the first paragraph of this section, it is beyond the scope of this paper to elaborate on them. For more information on these

subjects, the references listed in the bibliography may be consulted.

III. Personal Application

Based on my research and self-knowledge, I feel that the following are the things I must most bear in mind as I proceed in my

teaching career:

1) I feel that the dynamic described in the following excerpt from Kaiser & Rasmisky (2009), very much applies to me:

“Emotional states are contagious, brain to brain,” writes Daniel Goleman (2006, p.77), author of Emotional Intelligence.

Whenever we interact with someone, the “mirror neurons” in our brain automatically adjust our feelings to synchronize with

his (Winkleman & Harmon-Jones, 2006).

The most powerful person in a group – usually the teacher – has the strongest concentration of emotions and is most able

to influence others (Barsade, 2002).

This emotional “mirroring” is something to which I have noticed I am very susceptible. I have found that sometimes, no matter how

much I’m aware of the dynamic occurring and try to retain my composure and own emotional integrity, I wind up taking on the emotional

aspects of the person with whom I’m interacting. This rarely works out well. The situation usually just “snowballs” out of control.

I also find that I’m the type of person who often gives my personal power away to others.

Therefore, I must make it my intention to continually remind myself that, as the teacher, I am both the model and leader. I must remind

myself that no matter the situation, I must maintain my composure and control. If there is “mirroring” to be done, it must be in the form of

the students reflecting my image, and not the other way around. It must also be my will determining the classroom climate, not those of

adolescent authority-challengers.

2) I’m also aware of my tendency to “hold onto” things. Therefore, I must heed Tauber/Boynton & Boynton’s advice above, re: to not

take students’ behaviors personally. Both this and the item #1) directly above require emotional distancing on my part. So, if I can instill this

as a habit in myself, it will go a long way toward helping me to establish the proper relationships with my students.

3) At times, I also find myself complaining about others in order to vent. This accomplishes nothing. When speaking with my

colleagues, I must avoid this “aboutism,” and use my time with them constructively – seeking advice and problem-solving.

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4) Since my self-concept is that of a trustworthy person, I tend to automatically trust others. I must remind myself that others,

including – and especially – children, can be very manipulative (as noted in Observation #2, Tech Ed class), and that I must be (as the

Tech Ed teacher Mr. Eisenhart said) “savvy” to manipulative behavior. I must remind myself that my trust must be earned – not given away

freely.

5) Since I now have – via my studies at Wilson and the research for this report – a taste of the different behavioral challenges I may

encounter during my teaching career, and the strategies that exist to deal with them, it would behoove me to revisit and explore them in

greater depth, and to refer to them regularly. As the instructor pointed out in his slide presentation: “A little knowledge is actually a

dangerous thing!” For the same reason, I will also seek out the advice of more seasoned veterans before implementing any strategy, if

possible, knowing I may do more harm than good due to my practical inexperience.

IV. Suggestions for Future Research

All of the different classroom management models and discipline strategies studied for this report have been explored by

experienced professionals at great length through scientific studies, practical experiments and observations. As a student new to the

field of education, therefore, I’m not sure I’m in a position at this point to suggest anything of any real value for further research that

hasn’t already been done. However, I would be interested in finding out the following (which may or may not already exist in the body

of research available):

I would like to read stories about and from teachers who are actually using these methods. I would like to hear from teachers who

have been through training in these methods, and have followed-through with them in practice. I would like to read / hear anecdotes from

real teachers about real events.

Based on my own experience, I question whether or not many educators who have been academically-trained in these methods

actually put them into practice when they should. For instance, I have a son who has been diagnosed with ODD. (One of the reasons I

decided on the topic of challenging students for my research.) The obtaining of a consultation and diagnosis for him was the result of my

efforts alone -- the school never suggested it. The school hasn’t taken any initiative that I’m aware of, to discipline, suggest or get him any

help – other than to send notices home when he misbehaves or cuts class. The only time any action or follow-up has been taken with him

was when I initiated and insisted on it, because of his behaviors at home.

In addition, I recall a time several years ago when I visited my other son’s class while he was in 3rd grade. What I saw pretty much

shocked me (especially since this was a parent visitation day -- I would have thought they’d be on their best behavior!); the class was

completely out of control. There was supposed to be a spelling bee going on. But while some students were in the front of the room trying

to spell, the rest of the class were out of their seats, creating a ruckus and being rude. I got to the point that, when I saw that the teacher

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couldn’t / wouldn’t do anything to get them under control, I stood up and reprimanded the class and held them to task. (Note – they

responded to me and immediately took their seats. The teacher then said something to the effect of: “See? You’ll listen to Mr. Mahlmann,

but you won’t listen to me! [And I’d never even been through any kind of discipline training – but I assume she had].)

It’s a shame the educators I observed haven’t, at least in my experience, put any of these methods to practice – because I think some

of this stuff can be effective. I know I’m going to take advantage of these available tools and try to utilize them, when needed.

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– REFERENCES –

Boynton, M., Boynton, C. (2005). The Educator’s Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems. Alexandria,

VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Edwards, C.H. (1993). Classroom Discipline and Management. New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Company

Kaiser, B., Sklar Rasminsky, J. (2009). Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School. Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Malmgren, K.W., Trezek, B.J., Paul, P.V. (2005). Models of Classroom Management as Applied to the Secondary

Classroom. The Clearing House; Sep/Oct 2005; 79,1; (pp 16 – 20). ProQuest Education Journals

McKinney, S.E., Campbell-Whately, G.D., Kea, C.D. (2005). Managing Student Behavior in Urban Classrooms: The

Role of Teacher ABC Assessments. The Clearing House; Sep/Oct 2005; 79,1; (pp 36 – 39). ProQuest Education

Journals

Salend, S.J. (2008). Creating Inclusive Classrooms – Effective and Reflective Practices (6th Edition, p.70). Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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– SECONDARY REFERENCES –

Barsade, S. (2002). The ripple effect: Emotional contagion and its influence on group behavior. Administrative Science

Quarterly, 47, 644-675.

Curwin, R.L., & Mendler, A.N. (2001). Discipline with dignity. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall.

Goldstein, A.P., Harootunian, B., & Conoley, J.C. (1994). Student aggression: Prevention, management, and

replacement training. New York: Guilford.

Goleman, D. (2006). The socially intelligent leader. Educational Leadership, 64(10), 76—81.

Kerman, S., Kimball, T., & Martin, M. (1980). Teacher expectations and student achievement. Bloomingdale, IN: Phi

Delta Kappa

Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall

Kottler, J.A. (2002). Students who drive you crazy: Succeeding with resistant, unmotivated, and otherwise difficult

young people. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

Tauber, R.T. (1999). Classroom management: Sound theory and effective practice. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.

Wang, M., Haertal, G., & Walberg, H. (1993, December – 1994, January). What helps students learn? Educational

Leadership, 74—79.

Winkleman, P., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2006). Social neuroscience. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Student: Carl Mahlmann

School: Wilson College

Class: EDU206 Educational Psychology

Instructor: Prof. Robert Cormany

Assignment for November 11, 2009:

Research Report