Picture this: you’re an elementary-aged student learning about sentence structure. Today’s lesson is on compound and complex sentences, but staying focused feels impossible. Behind you, a group of classmates is whispering, laughing, and tossing items back and forth.
Not only do these disruptions make it difficult to hear your lecture, but they also make your teacher pause to redirect your peers repeatedly. Throughout the class period, your teacher has spent ten minutes correcting their behavior.
If those ten minutes had been spent as planned, you might have had an easier time finishing your “compound vs complex” sentence worksheet later that afternoon. You might have mastered the material instead of having it continue to fluster you.
This scenario is all too common in today’s classroom. On average, educators report losing 2.4 hours of teaching time each week to disruptive behaviors, which adds up to 3 full weeks over the course of the school year.
Why are problem behaviors worsening? Disruptions peaked during the pandemic when stressors like health anxiety, financial instability, and isolation from peers were at an all-time high. The pandemic has subsided, but its ripple effects persist. Fortunately, there are proactive steps educators, administrators, and caregivers can take to address this challenge.
We applaud those who are working tirelessly to create structured, supportive classrooms where all students can thrive, and we hope these behavioral strategies can assist in your efforts to reduce classroom disruptions and help students regain valuable learning time.
Understanding the Connection Between Behavior and Learning Loss
The impact of disruptive behavior on academic progress is clear: it takes away from time students would otherwise spend learning. This applies to both the students displaying challenging behaviors and those distracted by them.
To address these behaviors effectively, it’s important to identify their root causes. Addressing surface-level behavior alone often leads to escalation rather than resolution. Some common causes of poor behavior in school include:
- Attention seeking
- Boredom/Academic frustration
- Unmet needs (hunger or lack of sleep)
- Low levels of confidence and self-esteem
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Behavioral disorders (ADHD, OCD, ODD, SPD, Autism, etc.)
- Learning disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, etc.)
- Caregiver abuse or neglect
- Substance abuse
No matter the cause, classroom disruptions result in fewer minutes of teaching and learning time. The consequences extend beyond the school day. Research shows that students in disruptive classrooms often experience:
- Lower high school test scores
- Lower rates of college admission and enrollment
- Lower early-adulthood earnings
These effects impact not only the students exhibiting disruptive behavior but also their peers.
Five Proactive Classroom Management Strategies to Try
The more time we spend understanding disruptive behavior, the clearer it becomes that prevention is key. Here are five strategies educators and administrators can use to minimize disruptions and maximize learning:
1. Offer Individualized Support for At-Risk Students
Students who struggle the most with behavior often need the most support. Early identification is critical; universal screening tools can help pinpoint at-risk students. Collaboration with special education and mental health providers is also essential. If your school has counselors, refer students to them as needed.
For schools without counselors or student needs that exceed the service capacity of existing counselors, online services like eLuma can provide virtual support.
2. Integrate Social and Emotional Learning Strategies
SEL is an incredible tool for proactive classroom management, helping all students build essential skills like self-regulation, resilience, and empathy. Incorporating SEL into daily lesson plans and activities can foster a more positive classroom environment. Examples include:
- Starting the day with an SEL journal prompt
- Increasing partner and group projects to improve social skills
- Providing a regulation space, like a calm-down corner, for students who are struggling
- Implementing an online SEL tool or curriculum
3. Leverage Technology to Support School Staff
Virtual tools can support behavior management when in-person interventions aren’t feasible, or school resources are stretched thin.
Consider teletherapy or virtual counseling for students facing significant behavioral challenges or in schools where student needs exceed the existing support team’s service capacity. Additionally, school leaders can offer professional development to help teachers navigate these challenges effectively.
4. Partner with Families and Caregivers
Try to communicate regularly with families about current behaviors and classroom expectations. Don’t forget to highlight the good moments by sending messages about the children’s progress. When appropriate, share resources and strategies for behavior support with caregivers or provide additional caregiver training. This could look like:
- Activities and exercises that caregivers can do at home with their child
- Referrals to outside programs like pediatricians
- Local resources that provide emergency assistance (food shelves, housing authorities, government assistance programs, etc.)
Encourage families to be deeply involved in their child’s behavior intervention plan. Throughout every correspondence, make sure they know you share a common goal: watching the student improve and succeed.
5. Partner with a Provider to Bolster Support
Addressing classroom behavior at its root cause can be challenging, especially with limited time, staff, and resources. Partnering with a provider like eLuma can help schools develop comprehensive behavioral support plans. Providers can offer:
- Student behavior support
- Psychoeducational evaluations
- Student assessments and universal screeners
- Staffing for school counselors, psychologists, and social workers
- Staff professional development and caregiver training
- MTSS consulting services
By collaborating with a trusted provider, schools can access tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of their students and staff. These partnerships empower educators to create healthier classrooms where all students can succeed.
Is your district ready to support student behavioral and mental health? Get a clear picture of your school’s current mental health support capacity with a free Mental Health Readiness Assessment.
Take the free Mental Health Readiness Assessment today for personalized strategies to improve student behavioral health and engagement.