Article number 2
How to Handle Students
Who Complain and Talk Back When Sent to Time-Out
By:
Michael Linsin, April 13, 2013
Mr.
Linsin addresses an area of classroom management that deals directly with a
concern that I have. When disciplining a student, in this case sending a
student to time-out, it becomes very clear to me that that student has already
broken a rule. Because this student has already misbehaved to the point of
needing time-out it is very probable that they are upset, or not interested in
following the rules at this time. So why would I expect them as the teacher to
go willingly and quietly to the time-out area? Mr. Linsin recognizes this issue
and gives advice on steps to dealing with the behavior of the student who you
have sent to time-out.
The
first thing that is shown in this article is to wait until the student has been
seated and then approach the student calmly and then quietly explain what
behavior is cause for the disciplinary action and then ask the student to go to
the time-out area. As I have observed, the student in this example behaved in
an inappropriate manner by causing a scene and talking back to the teacher. As
the person in charge of the class it would be tempting to want to take any control
away from the student who is now making a scene but, Mr. Linsin recommends the
teacher ignore the scene and return to the activity of the class. There are
several reasons given to ignore the student. By giving more attention to the
situation the teacher is reducing the lesson to be learned by that student, as
well as giving them inappropriate attention. By returning to the classroom
activity or lesson the teacher does not take away from the lesson time the
remainder of the class deserves.
Not
to let the incident go without any consequences the author recommends later in
the day to simply give the student a note to be taken home to his/her parent to
be signed and returned.
I
think this is good advice in many if not most situations. If the student
continues to misbehave or is disrespectful to the teacher or classmates, I
believe there should be further action taken. Also as the teacher I feel a
follow-up conversation should be had with the student in private to address the
behavior and what will be expected in the future.
Here is
the direct link to this article: http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2013/04/13/how-to-handle-students-who-complain-and-talk-back-when-sent-to-time-out/
I think his advice to ignore the student if he makes a scene in refusing to go to timeout. Chances are the student wants the attention and to draw you into an arguement. If you don't respond he can't get that attention and the behavior will hopefully diminish after a little bit. What would you do if you continued to have this problem on a regular basis with the same student? Would you continue to try to use a timeout or find a different method to try?
ReplyDeleteThank you Alice, I agree with ignoring this behavior at the time because as you stated, the student is trying to gain more attention and more control of the classroom. If he/she can drag the teacher into an argument it will actually cause the rest of the class to lose some respect for the teacher. BUT, if this behavior happens more then one time I feel the student has earned some one-on-one time with the teacher and potentially stronger discipline.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a problem that could be solved with a proximity solution. The teacher should be walking around the room, especially near the student(s) that cause the most disruptions, to limit the amount of behavior problems. I agree with the author, though, in that it is not fair to disrupt all of the other student's learning just to call out the disruptor.
ReplyDeleteHi Sterling, found your review interesting and informative since I did my first article review on a similar atricle. I do not however agree with the teacher ignoring the behavior totally since it can lead to the disruption of the classroom and loss of teaching time. There has to come a point when the theacher needs to intercede, stop the disruption, and redirect the student. By redirecting the student to a time-out it is not always a negititive consequence. Many time the inclusive time-outs can be used for a calming down period so the student can gather their thoughts and redirect to another activity. I beleive a proactive approach combining different elements including time-outs can help students learn to control their behaviors.
ReplyDeleteBut what if you ignore the behavior and it escalates? I would use proximity, as Doug said, and I would address the issue right then and there. I feel that if I ignore the behavior it shows that I do not care that the behavior is going on.
ReplyDeleteSterling, I tend to agree with Kayla and Doug. I think that as a teacher you will know to what point a student has crossed the line and there has to be an intervention. What plan of action would you take when the behavior has started to affect the learning environment?
ReplyDeleteI would like to address all the comments about ignoring the student to the point of loosing control of the classroom, this seems to be the general concern of the comments.
ReplyDeleteI may not have made the point intended by the author of the article or myself. The point of ignoring is simply to not give into the students struggle for power, conflict and attention. I never intended to give the impression that the student should be ignored as he/she runs around the classroom screaming and calling the teacher names and in general creating an environment where no one is able to learn. The point is that if the student is being "obedient" by going to the timeout area, but is simply looking for a "rise" from the teacher or an opportunity to argue or engage the teacher further. As long as the student is going to timeout and is not engaging, hopefully they will realize they are getting no attention and will be still. If this happens and the student's actions are dealt with later, I believe it is safe to say; "mission accomplished". If on the other hand the student becomes more disruptive and does not calm, further action would be taken to remove the student promptly from the environment!
Thank you all for your comments.