LDL Students and Alumni
New Learning
Jennie J. JonesEmily Moore’s Updates
Update #2: Behavior and Self-Regulation
Handling unwanted student behavior can be challenging, but there are ways to approach the situation that do not include corporal punishment.
Behavior tends to be a form of communication even if it is disruptive. As an educator, it seems easier to yell at the student when their behavior overstimulates us. If we immediately resort to yelling at the student, it is bound to cause future problems in our relationship with that student. These behaviors are a cry for help, and it is important for us to self-regulate our emotions in order to handle the situation and respond to the behavior in a calm manner.
According to research, self-regulation is a way teachers can appropriately handle misbehavior. The research claimed that teachers who practiced self-regulation held positive self-reactions, adapted to their instructions easily, and allocated the effectiveness of their performance to controllable factors like teaching strategies (Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci et al., 2017). The research also claimed that teachers with self-regulation were able to control their emotions and anxiety when dealing with a misbehaving student (Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci et al., 2017).
The image below presents us with what our self-regulation controls.
Simply taking the time to ask the student if they would like to take a break, asking them if there is something bothering them, or taking the time to understand the misbehavior can generate a positive relationship with that student to limit the misbehavior.
Self-regulation is a great starting point to practice.
References
Admin. (2021, May 3). Self-regulation – what it is & why it matters? Best School in Noida. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from http://sapphireschool.in/blog/self-regulation-what-it-is-why-it-matters/
Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci, E., Demirdöğen, B., Akın, F. N., Tarkin, A., & Aydın-Günbatar, S. (2017). Exploring the complexity of teaching: The interaction between teacher self-regulation and pedagogical content knowledge. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 18(1), 250–270. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6rp00223d
This is something that I have always had an issue with. I have had my own issues with anger as a young man, and I have found a past that I could have used exactly what you are talking about. I would have loved to have someone that talked to me instead of yelling and punishing me.
I am now dealing with this with my granddaughter that is having her own behavioral issues, and thank goodness for the pandemic because we found that she does so much better with at least partially online. She also was able to be with me and we found a local teacher that gave her the time she did not get in the big schools in Indy.
I hope to bring this understanding to my future endeavors and practice just what you have to eloquently stated above. Thanks for sharing.