Dr Bill Rogers - Students who just say "NO"

Summary

In this educational scenario, a teacher faces the challenge of a student refusing to comply with classroom rules. The transcript details an incident where a student, Harmony, initially resists putting away her phone during a lesson. The teacher, using a combination of clear communication, patience, and adherence to school policy, navigates the situation. The teacher emphasizes the importance of addressing primary behaviors over secondary reactions and offers the student a choice to comply with the rules. If the student continues to refuse, the teacher makes the consequences clear, choosing to follow up after class rather than escalating the situation. The narrative highlights the teacher's strategy of ignoring secondary behaviors and focusing on resolving the primary issue, which is a common approach in managing challenging student interactions.

Takeaways

• 📚 When a student refuses to follow instructions, it's crucial for a teacher to address the primary behavior rather than secondary reactions like sighing or eye-rolling.
• 👉 In a classroom management situation, providing a student with a directed choice can be an effective strategy, such as offering to put a mobile phone away or leave it on a teacher's table until break time.
• 📱 It's important for teachers to be consistent with school rules, such as mobile phone policies, and not to be swayed by a student's claim that 'other teachers allow it'.
• 🕒 Teachers should give students 'take-up time' to consider their choices and actions, which can lead to the student complying with the request.
• 🤔 Ignoring secondary behaviors like flouncing or huffing and puffing is a tactical approach to maintain control and focus on the primary issue at hand.
• 👀 A confident teacher learns to discriminate between what is primary and secondary in an exchange, especially during a conflict with a student.
• 🔄 If a student still refuses to comply after being given time and clear consequences, it's important to follow up and enforce the rules at an appropriate time.
• 🚫 Teachers should avoid immediate confrontations and instead leave students with the consequences of their choices, unless it's a safety issue that requires immediate action.
• 👶 The approach of leaving students with the consequences of their choices is more suitable for older students rather than younger ones, like 5-year-olds.
• 🏫 The transcript highlights the importance of maintaining respect and confidence in the classroom, even when dealing with challenging students.

Q & A

What is a common challenge teachers face when a student refuses to follow instructions?

A common challenge is when a student says 'no' or refuses to move or comply with a teacher's request, as illustrated by the situation with Harmony in the transcript.

What was the situation described in the transcript involving a student named Harmony?

Harmony was talking loudly on her phone during a group activity, and when asked to put the phone away, she initially refused and claimed it was a job placement call.

How did the teacher initially handle Harmony's refusal to put her phone away?

The teacher gave Harmony a brief statement about the school's rule regarding mobile phones and allowed her some time to respond, rather than immediately insisting on compliance.

What does the transcript suggest about the importance of addressing primary behavior over secondary reactions?

The transcript suggests that teachers should focus on the primary behavior that is causing the issue, such as using a phone in class, rather than getting distracted by secondary reactions like eye-rolling or sighing.

What is the concept of 'tactically ignoring' as mentioned in the transcript?

Tactically ignoring refers to the strategy of not responding to secondary behaviors like flouncing or being overly dramatic, in order to maintain focus on the primary issue at hand.

Why did Harmony claim that the teacher Lindsay didn't care about the phone rule?

Harmony claimed that Lindsay didn't care about the rule as a way to challenge the authority of the teacher who was trying to enforce it, which is a common tactic used by some students.

What is a 'directed choice' as used in the context of the transcript?

A 'directed choice' is a clear option given to a student to resolve a situation, such as putting a phone in a bag or leaving it on a teacher's table until break time.

How does the transcript describe the importance of following up with consequences for student behavior?

The transcript emphasizes that if a student continues to refuse to comply, the teacher should make the consequence clear and follow up on it, reinforcing the importance of rules and expectations.

What is the significance of 'take-up time' mentioned in the transcript?

Take-up time refers to the period a teacher gives a student to process the situation and make a decision, which can be an effective strategy in managing classroom behavior.

How does the transcript differentiate between handling behavior in younger versus older students?

The transcript suggests that while immediate consequences might be appropriate for younger students, older students, such as those in upper primary and secondary levels, can be given deferred consequences to teach them about the outcomes of their choices.

What does the transcript imply about the importance of consistency among teachers in enforcing rules?

The transcript implies that consistency among teachers in enforcing rules is crucial, as students may use leniency from one teacher as leverage against another.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Classroom Management: Addressing Disruptive Behavior

The paragraph discusses a challenging situation in teaching where a student named Harmony refuses to follow the teacher's instructions to stop using her mobile phone during class. The teacher attempts to address the behavior by reminding Harmony of the school's policy on mobile phones, but she resists, claiming it's a job placement call. The teacher gives her time to comply but also prepares to enforce the consequence if she does not. The narrative highlights the importance of focusing on the primary behavior issue rather than secondary reactions like sighing or eye-rolling. It also emphasizes the strategy of providing a directed choice and following up with consequences if the student does not comply, which is a common approach in managing classroom behavior.

05:01

🛠 Implementing Deferred Consequences for Classroom Management

This paragraph continues the discussion on managing classroom behavior by introducing the concept of deferred consequences. It explains that while immediate consequences are used for safety issues, most classroom consequences are deferred, meaning they are given after the fact within a directed choice framework. The paragraph suggests that most students will eventually comply with the rules, but if they do not, the teacher should follow up with the consequences in the student's own time, such as after the lesson. This approach is designed to give students the opportunity to reflect on their choices and understand the implications of their actions.

Keywords

💡Panic moment

A 'panic moment' in the context of teaching refers to a challenging or unexpected situation that causes anxiety or stress for the educator. In the video, it is exemplified by a student's refusal to follow instructions, which can be a common source of concern for teachers. The term is integral to the theme as it highlights the difficulties teachers face and the need for effective strategies to manage classroom behavior.

💡Micro teaching

Micro teaching is a method of teaching in which a teacher practices and refines their skills with small groups of students, often observed by peers or mentors. In the script, the speaker mentions working with a group in a micro teaching scenario, which is a key setting for the events described. This concept is central to the video's theme as it provides the backdrop for the teaching challenges discussed.

💡Behavior management

Behavior management involves strategies and techniques used by educators to guide and control student behavior in the classroom. The video script discusses various tactics for addressing a student's refusal to comply with rules, such as focusing on primary behaviors and ignoring secondary reactions. This concept is crucial to the video's message, which centers on effective classroom management.

💡Directed choice

A 'directed choice' is a strategy where the teacher offers a student a limited set of options to encourage compliance with a rule or request. In the script, the teacher is about to offer Harmony a directed choice regarding her mobile phone. This concept is a key part of the video's narrative, illustrating a specific technique for managing student behavior.

💡Take-up time

Take-up time refers to the pause a teacher intentionally creates to allow a student to process and respond to a request or instruction. In the video, the teacher uses take-up time to give Harmony a chance to put away her phone voluntarily. This concept is important to the video's theme as it demonstrates a patient and strategic approach to behavior management.

💡Deferred consequence

A deferred consequence is a consequence that is not immediate but will occur later if a student does not comply with a request or rule. The video script mentions this concept when discussing the potential follow-up actions if a student refuses to put away their phone. This concept is relevant to the video's theme as it shows a method of reinforcing classroom rules without immediate confrontation.

💡Non-uniform school

A non-uniform school is an educational institution where students are not required to wear a specific school uniform. The script mentions a 'first name, school by the way non-uniform first name school,' which suggests a more casual and perhaps less formal educational environment. This concept is part of the video's setting and may influence the dynamics of teacher-student interactions.

💡Socially insecure adolescents

Socially insecure adolescents are young people who may exhibit certain behaviors due to their discomfort or lack of confidence in social settings. The script describes 'flouncy behavior' as common among such adolescents. This concept is related to the video's theme as it helps explain why some students might act out in the classroom and how teachers can respond appropriately.

💡Tactically ignore

To 'tactically ignore' refers to the deliberate choice by a teacher to not react to certain behaviors, focusing instead on the primary issue at hand. In the script, the teacher tactically ignores secondary behaviors like eye rolling and sighing. This concept is central to the video's message about maintaining control and addressing the core issue in classroom conflicts.

💡Consequence

In the context of education, a 'consequence' is the outcome or result that follows an action or behavior, particularly when it involves a rule being broken. The video script discusses making consequences clear to students who do not follow classroom rules. This concept is key to the video's theme, emphasizing the importance of consistency and follow-through in behavior management.

Highlights

Handling a child's refusal to move during teaching

Micro teaching scenario with a year 11 class in Australia

Student's refusal to join the group due to being on a phone call

Addressing primary behavior over secondary reactions in challenging situations

The importance of ignoring secondary behaviors like sighing and eye rolling

Providing a directed choice to a student as a method of discipline

Dealing with a student's claim that another teacher doesn't enforce rules

Tactically ignoring flouncy adolescent behavior

Making consequences clear for not following classroom rules

Using deferred consequences to manage student behavior

The difference in approach between younger and older students

Immediate consequences for safety issues versus deferred consequences

Disciplining students by leaving them with the consequences of their choices

The role of a confidently respectful teacher in managing classroom conflict

Strategies for handling students who refuse to comply with instructions

The impact of a teacher's approach on student behavior and compliance

Transcripts

another panic moment in teaching can be

if you ask a child to move and they just

say no what would you recommend a

teacher do or any situation where a

child says no I mean I was talking to a

a girl in a year um 11 class back in

Australia she I was working with the

group doing some micro teaching she

dragged her chair away quickly I thought

might have been something I'd said but

she turned around and started talking

loudly to another table and I called her

back to join the group I said Harmony

you know come on just to call her back

and she said I'm on the

phone and I didn't see her white iPhone

because it was tucked up behind her hair

she had kind of very bleach blonde hair

and and then she continued to talk on

the phone and I simply said Harmony come

on we got a schore roll for mobile

phones a brief statement we got a score

R for mobile

phones and she said it's a job placement

call so she was quite bushy in the way

that she was responding to me so I left

her alone for a little while carried on

talking to the group I was micro

teaching with and several of them rais

her eyes as if to say don't worry Bill

we got to put up with Harmony first name

school by the way non-uniform first name

school year 11 class and

um after about 2 minutes she she turned

around her chair and looked at me and

she said yes as if to say okay I'll talk

to you now and in in those transactions

we have frequently with ch more

challenging

kids the task the challenge is to

address the behavior that's Primary in

the exchange rather than secondary like

the sighing the eyes to the ceiling the

pouting the 7030 eye contact and I said

I repeated what I'd said before Harmony

we got a score R not me but we've got a

score rle for mobile

phones and I was about to say off and in

your bag and give her a directed choice

you know in your bag or if you like

leave it on your teacher table till

break time I was about to give her a

directed Choice CU I'd never take it off

her she's 17 for crying out that um I

was about to give her the director

choice and she said Lindsay doesn't care

pointing to the teacher I was mentoring

a young newly qualified teacher he said

Lindsay doesn't care and I frequently

get this that other teachers allow them

to chew gum wear hats dance on the

tables or whatever the other teachers

allow them to do and she said Lindsay

doesn't care I said I'll check that with

lindsy the sco rolls clear not I don't

care what Lindsay does I'll check that

with Lindsay the score rolls clear often

in your bag or if you like leave it on

Lindsay's table till break time and at

that point I turned aside to give her

some take up time you know I took my

eyes offer and carried on talking to the

group and then she said loudly she said

put put it away then if it makes you

happy and when she said all of that

stuff you know just a couple of meters

away from me that's what we tactically

ignore and she huffed and puffed she put

the phone away and dragged a chair back

and started to sit down like that and

all that all that flouncy behavior which

is quite common in some adolescents who

are more insecure in Social settings

that kind of behavior we tactically

ignore and if you watch a respectfully

confident

teacher they learn to discriminate in

the immediate emotional moment when

there's conflict between what is primary

in the exchange and what is secondary in

the exchange and it's often things like

I the way eyes are used and you know the

sighing the rolling of the eyes and the

you know the the non-directional eye

contact and so on if if after giving her

takeup time she still refuses to put it

away and I've had lots of kids refuse to

put mobile phones

toys obj away you know that they're

mucking around with we need to make the

consequence clear so if I have to take

up time she's still faffing around with

the phone or the iPod or whatever she's

playing with now vanish or or whatever

we say I I go back and make the

consequence clear if you choose not to

put it away if you choose not to put the

phone away now in your bag of and in

your bag I will have to follow this up

in your own time at the end of the

lesson now some kids at that point okay

put it away then gee big deal and again

you leave them to sulk their way through

the putting the phone away but if they

don't put it away and some kids won't

I'll say no put it away I'm not moving

or whatever the direction

is I'll say well I'll have to follow

this up in your own time and as I walk

away I get kids saying don't care

instead of saying you bloody well will

care instead of fighting that we leave

them with the consequences of their

choice I wouldn't do this with

5-year-old but upper primary and

secondary we leave them with the

consequences of that deferred

consequence unless it's a safety issue

then the consequence will be immediate

and may occasion some kind of time out

but most the most common consequences we

use are a third but they're given within

the framework of a directed choice now

most kids will come on board suly but

they'll come on

board

than