Trying to keep calm when things are not going well in the classroom can be such a struggle. It is overwhelming to try and support students with their emotions and behaviours – as well as our own.
Susan Gavin, course author of EPV Summer Course “Supporting Students with Challenging Behaviour” has put a comprehensive course together to help us pre-empt issues and creating systems and ways of working that stop things escalating negatively. We have shared some of these below.
Here are 5 tips on how to support students with challenging behaviour:
1. Have clear rules and procedures in the classroom
This ensures that there is consistency and structure that supports everyone. Here are some pointers for making rules with students.
- Involve the children
- Keep the rules to 5 or 6
- Use positive language
- Model the rules
2. Draw on pupils’ interests
When planning a lesson, think about how to include childrens’ interests and present it in an engaging way. Providing lessons that aspire to promote intrinsic motivation can help to deter a teacher from overusing rewards systems and becoming reliant on them as the sole means of motivating children.
3. Use of different methodologies
Try and avoid relying on the same activities during every lesson, as the children becoming overfamiliar with them and may become less engaged.
For example, when using the KISS, 4 Phase Lesson Plan – there are 4 parts to a lesson which allows the teacher to plan 4 learning activities. It’s easy to follow and ensures that there can be different methodologies in each section, for example independent work and then group work or teacher-led questioning. By following a structure but mixing up the methodologies it helps with good learning ‘flow’ and scaffolding of learning.
You can learn more about the 4 phase lesson plan on our EPV Summer Course “Effective Lesson Planning”.
4. Differentiation
Work within a child’s ability, and ensure you are differentiating for all the children in the class. If an activity is too easy the children will lose motivation, but also if it is too hard it is unattainable to the child! Try and find the right level of challenge so that they feel a sense of achievement. We share more on this, including how to support students with EAL on our EPV Summer Course “Differentiation”.
Psst… Read “How to Differentiate Effectively – 10 Tips for Teachers” HERE!
5. Promote Inquiry, Play & Discovery
Thompson (2013) suggests a number of techniques that can be used in the classroom to promote positive performance and behaviour. These are centred around teaching creatively and also encourage creativity among the children themselves.
These may include:
- Asking the children to master a topic so they can create a quiz or worksheet for their classmates.
- Watching short videos as a means of learning.
- Writing on anything other than lined paper.
- Listening to music that matches the content being taught.
- Working against a clock.
- Making a video or audio recording.
- Role-playing.
- Competing against another class.
How Irish Schools Can Fix WIFI Issues
Struggling with WIFI in your school? Many Irish schools face IP address limits causing connectivity issues. Learn how a low-cost NAT box can expand capacity, improve stability, and keep classrooms online.
Back to School Tips for Teachers: 10 Ways to Start the Year Strong
Discover 10 practical back to school tips for teachers to boost classroom management, wellbeing, and organisation. Perfect for primary and secondary teachers in Ireland.
Teachers for Gaza 2025
What we can go to help with what is happening in Gaza.
What 20+ years of research can tell us about test anxiety
As we approach the summer, we sit down with School Health Pulse to delve into what decades of research can tell us about test anxiety, how it affects primary learners, and what strategies are actually effective in calming young students and boosting their performance.
3 New Online Summer Courses for Teachers
Our EPV Special Offer!
Course groups fill up quickly as we have limited capacity.
Please book your place ASAP to avoid disappointment!
Top 5 Tech Tips for a More Inclusive Classroom
Creating an inclusive classroom is all about making sure every student feels supported, engaged, and confident in their learning. Luckily, technology can make this so much easier! Whether you’re a tech whiz or just starting out, here are five simple (but super effective) ways to use digital tools to make learning more accessible for everyone.