Dr. Donna Velliaris examines the behaviors that pose challenges to the learning environment in classrooms and evaluates optimal strategies for effective classroom management.
Disruptive practices within the realm of teaching and learning represent a form of academic misconduct that poses substantial challenges to the integrity of educational institutions. While educators are well-acquainted with conventional forms of academic misconduct, such as blatant cheating, plagiarism, and collusion, disruptive practices may encompass unconventional and disorderly behaviours that impede the smooth functioning of teaching and learning environments.
Behaviours that are considered disruptive may vary from culture to culture, over time, or even from classroom to classroom within the same school.
Disruptive behaviours have the potential to cultivate a toxic school environment, eroding trust, and compromising the educational experience for all. The perpetual challenge of managing disruptive behaviours can significantly impact a teacher’s wellbeing and job satisfaction. To effectively address these challenges and mitigate the risk of teacher burnout, it is imperative for schools to prioritise the wellbeing of their staff.
This may involve initiatives such as offering professional development (PD) opportunities focused on classroom management strategies, providing teachers with access to resources/support services, and/or ensuring a collective and supportive school culture. Additionally, open communication among administrators, teachers, and parents can facilitate an approach that better manages and prevents the prevalence of disruptive behaviours, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and positive school environment.
In a broader context, disruptive practices manifest when students deliberately engage in actions designed to impede the teacher’s ability to teach and another student’s or students’ ability to learn. This can include excessive disruptions during class, intentional obstruction of educational activities, and/or unauthorised use of technology. It is crucial to acknowledge, however, that disruptive behaviours may stem from various factors, such as underlying socioeconomic issues or learning differences. Such factors underscore the need for a nuanced and comprehensive approach to addressing a student’s behavioural challenges.
Although different types of disruptive behaviours may have their own specific causes, there are some general conditions that make disruptive behaviours more likely to occur, which can include poor teaching and poor parenting.
In more specific terms, disruptive practices may occur in a number of forms, including but not limited to:
- accessing electronic devices for non-educational purposes
- acting with intimidation
- annoying or distracting others
- communicating inappropriate language or gestures
- consistently arriving late
- contaminating laboratory samples or altering indicators during a practical examination
- disrespecting a teacher and/or another student in class or online
- distributing, either for money or for free, a test before it is administered
- doodling, passing notes, or engaging in activities that divert attention away from instruction
- encouraging others to obtain a copy of a test before a test is administered
- failing to comply with the instructions or directives of the course instructor
- forgetting to silence one’s mobile phone
- listening to music at a volume disruptive to others
- making disruptive noises, such as tapping, banging, or other distracting sounds
- phoning in falsified bomb threats
- posting inappropriate and/or unrelated course material(s) on discussion boards
- providing false information to peers, teachers, and/or administrators
- refusing to partake in class activities, discussions, and/or group work
- sabotaging or stealing another person’s school equipment
- skipping class(es) without a valid reason
- sleeping and/or snoring during lesson time
- talking loudly or engaging in off-topic conversations during instruction
- texting or viewing unrelated course materials during instruction
- turning minor conflicts into major disruptions or confrontations
- unnecessarily activating fire alarms
- using digital platforms to engage in harassment or cyberbullying
Essentially, intentional disruptions aim to give one student an unfair advantage to the detriment of other member(s) of the academic community.
To address these issues, educational institutions do/should implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL), or codes of conduct/honour systems. While these two concepts may seem unrelated, there is a connection in the sense that a commitment to the principles of equity, inclusivity, and fairness, as emphasised in UDL, aligns with the values that honour codes often seek to instil. For example, nurturing an inclusive learning environment through UDL may contribute to a culture of mutual respect and trust, which are foundational to the success of honour codes.
Effectively addressing disruptive practices requires a multifaceted approach as the ripple effect can be significant; potentially affecting an entire classroom or festering wider to an educational setting. By consuming precious instructional time and creating an environment where incivility/chaos is present, these behaviours hinder the collective progress of learners and diminish happy and healthy academic achievement.
In summary, addressing and curbing disruptive practices is essential not only for maintaining the integrity of the educational process, but also for ensuring that every student has the opportunity to flourish academically.
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