Job Discussion Forums

[DirtGuy]

I have a class of students, usually around 5-7 at one time, who range in age from 8 to 11 years old. One of the students, Daniel, is pretty disruptive just by himself and also leads the other students into disruptive behavior. I wouldn't classify him as a "bad" kid but he makes the class much more difficult than it should be. Making him stand outside the class for a few minutes doesn't really do much and I'm hoping others can give me some advice on this matter. What do I do with this kid other than make him stand outside? He's not the sharpest kid in the class but he's not stupid either. Outside the classroom he seems to be just fine - problems start when class does. I should say he is not too bad for the first 45 to 60 minutes of class. After an hour, the kid loses his self control and matters deteriorate quickly. Class is a total of 1.5 hours twice a week. Also have to say I have no training or experience with young learners. This is my first class of little monsters and everything is OJT.

Let me know if something I wrote is not clear and I'll provide more info.

Thanks for your help.

DirtGuy

[Javelin of Radiance]

I'd probably take the easy way out and tell his parents it's time for them to find another teacher. Either refund any money they might have paid up front or else finish any lessons already paid for then it's over. Gives them time to find someone else. You could also have shorter lessons if he's ok for the first 60 minutes. have three lessons of one hour each instead of two lessons for 1.5 hours.

[roadwalker]

I'm assuming there are breaks during those classes? An hour and a half does seem excessive. If the kid is in control for 45 to 60 minutes, he's probably reaching his limit. Do you break up the lesson into different activities? Do they do any physical movement as part of the lesson or just to release some energy? I'll wait for the experts to chime in, but most kids that age or any age have a hard time sitting and concentrating for very long.

[Javelin of Radiance]

Yeah, good point. I spent six months at an elementary school and one thing you need to do with kids is keep them busy, moving from one activity to another. Kids under 13 tend to have a short attention span and aren't well suited to lecture style lessons.

[johntpartee]

I will sometimes have disruptive children remain in the classroom and tell them to face the wall (or stand in a corner). Sometimes they will cry, sometimes the other kids will laugh. I tell the others not to laugh, but I let them cry and ignore them. I have never used corporal punishment (and probably wouldn't under any circumstances) but let them think it might happen. Practice your "war face" and don't be afraid to raise your voice. An open palm brought down hard on the desk or table in front of them has always worked for me.

[doogsville]

You have a couple of options. One is to make him stand outside until the lesson is over. I don't quite understand why you talk about making him stand outside for a couple of minutes. Unless your doing that of thing asking 'are you ready to come back in and behave now?' Of course he's going to say yes, and then get right back in to behaving badly. If you tell someone you're going to exclude them for bad behaviour it needs to be for the whole lesson. Then see how they behave next lesson. Perhaps a note to the parents to let them know their kid is wasting their money would help too.

For a more constructive solution, how about giving him some responsibility? If he behaves he can be class monitor. Ask him to help give out the activity sheets if you use them, or have him record the scores on the board when you have team activities involving competition. Let him clean the whiteboard or take in the homework etc.

And do you use competitive activities? I'm not in favour of competition, preferring to foster cooperation, but this is China, and kids here are as competitive as it gets. Students will police each other if they know that bad behaviour means points lost. Every time he steps out of line take points off his team, and his 'comrades' will soon let him know his behaviour is not acceptable.

[DirtGuy]

All good suggestions and I appreciate them.

Unfortunately, I don't have the authority to boot him permanently from the class as that is my boss' call. We are taking all these ideas into consideration and we'll see if the situation improves.

DG

[Ariadne]

Can you change his location in the classroom? Put him next to someone who won't be as susceptible to his 'charms'. I agree with what others have said about keeping him busy and changing activities. Even with my uni students it often helps to have everyone stand up every now and then. During your breaks, tell him to race another student up and down the stairs or to find some chalk in another classroom... anything that requires some physical activity.

.

[Non Sequitur]

Is there anything (other than disrupt) that this kid does well?
Even a physical thing like leading a march around the classroom.
If you put flashcards up on the walls at various points, he could halt the group and ask another student to identify the picture.
Try and align his energies with yours.

[haleynicole14]

As a disclaimer, I've used these kinds of things with at-risk kids in the U.S. with good results but I'm not sure how Chinese students would react since it's an entirely different educational system. I made students in my classes in China stand up when they misbehaved and it was met with varied success. But here are a few ideas:

If it's a problem with attention span, sometimes sensory activities can help. This link has some good ones: http://www.luriechildrens.org/en-us/care-services/conditions-treatments/rehabilitative-servies/Pages/basics/occupational-therapy/classroom-sensory-activities.aspx.

Playdough, stress balls, coloring sheets, things that students can do during lessons so they're not just sitting still can help. This only works though if the student can do it quietly without distracting other kids around him.

A teacher that I had in junior high had cut up boxes so that they had three sides and a bottom - students could choose to use one of those to have on their desk to do work if they were having trouble concentrating with so much going on around them. They were actually really popular in the classroom.

You could tell him to go outside the classroom and run up/down the stairs ten times to get out energy.

Brain breaks or energizers can help refocus a class in the middle of a long lesson. These ones might work in an TESOL classroom. http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/20-three-minute-brain-breaks.html

And I think that, like others said, building a relationship with the student and asking him to do special tasks for you (handing out papers, erasing the chalkboard) can be beneficial.

[kev7161]

How I would love to have your problem! (5-7 students with one being disruptive).

I have 25 students who range in abilities from a couple having absolutely NO English in their arsenal all the way up to a couple being practically fluent. And then everything in between. I have students who always raise their hands when questions are asked and those that never raise their hand and, when called upon anyway, stand and look at me dumbly. I have a clever boy who falls somewhere in the middle with his aptitude but is the class troublemaker. Regardless of who he sits by, they get sucked into his black hole of naughtiness. The school in their infinite wisdom this year, has moved us into classrooms about half the size of last year's rooms, but still the same number of students - - so there are not many places we can move this boy. Movement activities are nearly impossible due to the classroom size and number of students crammed in. I could go on, but I don't want to bore you. Anyway, good luck to the OP!

[DirtGuy]

Several posting have emphasized physical activity and that's what I'm going to try next class. Another teacher will step in while I run the kid up and down the stairs a few times. If this doesn't work, I'll try another suggestion.

DG

[wonderingjoesmith]

[artemisia]

Interesting thread and great suggestions. I think Roadwalker is right and the kid has reached the limits of his ability to concentrate. 1.5 does seem a rather long time. Variety and physically orientated activities are really important, but sometimes can be problematic with disruptive kids if they go overboard. I'd have a backup vocabulary/picture related worksheet ready for them (to colour in or join the dots or whatever) so you can get them back in their seats quickly if need be.

I'll just add a couple of ideas in case all else fails and you're going to involve parents. The chances of success will depend on what's usual with Chinese parents and with these particular parents, but perhaps see if they can attend the class as observers at the back, or sit with their son and become involved if you're comfortable with that. He may behave like a little angel, but the chances are he'll still reach his limit and his parents will see what he can/can't cope with. You could also have the kids work on a mini project and be ready to present something in English (songs, poems, short play etc.) to a group of parent 'guests' - if they can attend. It would give the kids a focus and the knowledge that they'll be observed by their parents at some point.

Pelmanism is a vocab (matching) game I've found works well with kids of all ages (in small teams). The game relies on memory and concentration.

[zacharybilton]