One of the scariest issues for teachers is dealing with confrontational studentsin the classroom. While confrontations do not occur everyday in every classroom, most if not all secondary school teachers will have to deal with a student who is acting belligerant and speaking in out in their classroom. Following are some ideas and tips to help diffuse the situation instead of allowing it to escalate even further.•Do Not Lose Your TemperThis can be harder than it sounds. However, it is imperative that you remain calm. You have a classroom full of students watching you. If you lose your temper and start shouting at a confrontational student, you have given up your position of authority and lowered yourself to the students level. Instead, take a deep breath and remember that you are the authority figure in the situation.•Do Not Raise Your VoiceThis goes hand in hand with not losing your temper. Raising your voice will simply escalate the situation. Instead, a better tack is to talk quieter as the student gets louder. This will help you keep control and appear less confrontational to the student, thereby helping to calm the situation.•Do Not Get Other Students InvolvedIt is counterproductive to get other students involved in the confrontation. For example, if the student is making anaccusation about something you did or did not say, do not turn to the rest of theclass to ask them what you said right atthat moment. The confrontational student might feel backed into a corner and lash out even further. A better response would be that you will be happy to speak with them about the situation once they calm down.Continue Reading Below•Privately Speak to the StudentYou might consider calling a hall conference with the student. Ask them to step outside to speak with you. By removing the audience, you can talk with the student about their issues and try to come to some sort of resolution before the situation gets out of hand. Make sure that during this time, you recognize that you understand they are upset and then talk with them calmly to determine the best resolution to the problem. Useactive listening techniquesas you talk with the student.If you are able to get the student to calm down and return to class, then make sure that you integrate the student back into the classroom environment. Other students will be watching how you deal with the situation and how you treat the returning student.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 14:02:21 +0000
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