To monitor responses to a classroom crisis

Aim

To monitor responses to a classroom crisis.

Evidence and reflection

After a crisis has arisen, a diary-type account of it and of how it was handled could be written. This might describe the event, and also reflect the feelings which were experienced as the events unfolded. It might be valuable to encourage students to record and talk about a similar account and reflection after the event, so that you can gain an insight into why they behaved as they did.

The following questions might be asked:

• Did you minimise disturbance?
• Did you maximise reassurance?
• Did you make appropriate judgements on how to act?

Extension

Having examined your actions and the students' responses to the crisis it would probably be helpful to discuss the event and the accounts with a friend or colleague. An interesting reading would be David Tripp (1993) on ‘critical incidents’.

More in this chapter

• To understand student behaviour in our classroom circumstances
• To explore and understand a school's policies and practices with regard to behaviour management
• To review the repertoire of strategies for managing behaviour which we typically use
• To consider strategies appropriate to managing different behavioural challenges
• To investigate one's classroom management skills
• To pre-empt general misbehaviour and to reduce incidents of inappropriate behaviour
• To evaluate the beginning of a session and to consider areas for improvement
• To monitor periods of transition in your own teaching
• To review the end of a session and identify areas for improvement
• To consider your view of disruptive behaviour
• To record incidents of ongoing 'problem' behaviour
• To analyse and reflect on your management of specific behaviour
• To consider the range of sanctions operating in your school
• To reflect on classroom management and discipline