4 Goals of Misbehavior and Strategies to Help

1-Attention

     For a child seeking attention I believe that the best strategy is one that was offered by Jones & Jones (2021) which is scan the class frequently in order to notice and respond to potential problems or minor disruptions.  The reason I believe that this is an effective and easy strategy for students seeking attention is because if the teacher is aware of a student that seeks extra attention, they can be aware of the cues and hints that the child is about to display an attention seeking behavior.  When aware of this, the educator can go to the student and offer them individual attention, or even offer a word of praise or encouragement to them so the whole class can hear.  In my own experience I've had at least one student like this every year and my best strategy was being proactive and offering the attention before the behavior could occur.  When the teachers correctly selected the student to redirect, students complied 86 percent of the time (Johnston, 1995).  Knowing your students plays a crucial role in choosing the most effective strategy and either redirecting the behavior or preventing it altogether.  

2-Power

     For a child seeking power there can be several reasons for this behavior and it's important that the teacher not just assume that the student is being defiant and needs to be brought into submission.  In my experience the majority of my students who have displayed this type of behavior have an out-of-control home life or chaotic circumstances happening at that time.  They are seeking control of something in their life.  The strategy that I have used most in this situation is to empower them and give them control of something in the classroom.  Let them have monitored and limited control over something (Holiday, 2020).  When the student is given this power, it can deter the power seeking behavior and allow them control of a tiny piece of their life.  I think the struggle with this behavior is that it pushes against us and our authority.  We may need to try several strategies to find what will work and how to keep this student engaged and not looking for ways they can have control or power in the classroom.  

3-Revenge

     A student seeking revenge is often doing so for either perceived or imagined hurts or real hurts.  Their perception of what they've experienced is real to them and they are seeking revenge for the way they were treated.  The way a teacher responds to this type of behavior can truly make a lasting impact on both the student and the teacher.  The strategy that I would first try in this situation is to teach appropriate self-expression when hurt or frustrated.  Dr. Linda Albert's (2003) suggestion that students usually don't get to see hurt feelings or anger expressed in positive ways, challenges the classroom teacher to consider and accept the validity of the responsibility of having to teach our students how to demonstrate self-efficacy in managing themselves and their emotions.  This is a strategy that can be used daily by the teacher.  Modeling and practicing how to express hurt and disappointment will help the student not only with classroom behavior but also their behavior outside the classroom.  This is an ongoing effort by the teacher and isn't a quick fix.  Students come to us with history and experiences that we don't have any knowledge of and to assume they just know how to express themselves correctly is a disservice to both the student and the teacher.  

4-Avoidance of failure

     As a parent of a child who sets unrealistic expectations for herself this one hits home the most for me.  In order to avoid failure that might be due to lack of ability, students who try to avoid failure do things such as make excuses (the dog ate my homework), procrastinate, don't participate, and choose near-impossible tasks (Zakrzewski, 2013).  The strategy that I have used most in my classroom and in my home with this type of student is to emphasize effort over ability.  Carol Dweck's research on mindset, has allowed many teachers to give more importance to students' efforts rather than their "innate" ability.  By encouraging and praising effort, the teacher is creating a safe environment for the student to try and put forth effort and not feel that if they don't accomplish the goal they have failed.  As a teacher I believe that modeling this behavior can have a huge impact.  When we are vulnerable and allow students to see that we might not succeed at something but we're going to put forth an effort they are able to see the concept in action.  For me, this meant being personal with the students and allowing them to see me outside the classroom.  One example was a few years ago, I was traveling to Maine on fall break, and I wanted to hike Mt. Katahdin.  I am active and fairly athletic but also in my 40's so I knew I might not succeed but I wanted to try.  My students were aware and when we came back from fall break, I had a picture of me on the summit up on my whiteboard.  This was such an opportunity for me to share the importance of effort.  It can be modeled in the classroom as well and not just in our personal lives.  

     When it comes to implementing any of these strategies, I do think we need to remember how we speak and the way our words have an impact on our students.  A strategy can be effective but if the delivery is harsh or not spoken with love, it can prove futile.  I am reminded of the verse in Ecclesiastes (2017) that tells us the quiet words of a wise man are worth more than the shouts of a ruler.  While we may be the teacher and the authority, our words need to come from a place of love and wisdom. 

 

References

Albert, L. (2003).  Cooperative discipline.  Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service. 

Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset. Ballantine Books.

Holiday, M. (2020).  Strategies for power and control behavior.  Feed Their Needs. Strategies for Power & Control Behaviors - Feed Their NeedsLinks to an external site.

Johnston, B. (1995). "Withitness": Real or fictional? The Physical Educator 51:22-28.

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Zakrzewski, V. (2013).  How to help kids overcome fear of failure. Greater Good Magazine.

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