Misbehaviour

What is Misbehaviour?

Along with everyone else I also agree that classifying problem behaviour (misbehaviour) depends on the dynamics of the students and the teacher. Every teacher conducts their classroom differently; therefore what one teacher considers unacceptable behaviour another may deem appropriate.

As many have already said, teachers must establish clear expectations and consequences in their classroom – which should be done first thing in September. Teachers should avoid pointing out students who often misbehave because this will make them feel embarrassed and singled out. When I read to the grade 1's during my practicum I often said comments like: “Thank you Ashley for sitting nicely on your bottom so everyone can see the pictures in the book!” Meanwhile there would be another student sitting up on their knees blocking other students view. I would make eye contact with the “misbehaving” student to make sure he/she corrected their behaviour. I believe it is important to redirect the attention of the misbehaving student to another student who is modeling appropriate behaviour.

At my practicum school I also learned the importance of establishing a target behaviour goal every month for the students. The target behaviour was outlined and placed in every classroom where the teacher was expected to explain it to their class. When I was at the school the current month’s target behaviour was empathy. It was obvious the grade 1’s would not understand what empathy meant so the teacher provided examples of what it looked like so they could learn to recognize it in their own behaviour. I thought it was a good idea to have the entire school focus on a target behaviour together because it established a sense of community among the students and teachers.