Pinpointing the Behavior

Teachers wear many hats and one of the most important is being a detective. At times, student behavior can be frustrating, challenging,  and difficult to not take personally. But, there can be many underlying reasons a student is acting out. For example, a student has been assigned a math page to complete. You notice the student is not working on their assignment and is actively distracting others. After a few observations and a review of the student work, you realize that the student is not on task because they don't feel confident and are unsure of how to answer the questions. With a few minor adjustments, you can structure this time to better meet the needs of the student by giving them the support they need. Once the student feels confident in the material, they are less likely to distract others and be off task. This is just one example of underlying factors that can contribute to a student's negative behavior. Others may include; 

• Lack of social/emotional skills
• Poor structure classroom environment
• Teacher student relationships
• Peer relationships 
• Outside factors such as poverty and trauma