McCoy,+Problem+Students

=  "Problem" Students =

I chose the topic of Problem Students for my Wiki research because I believe all students need an equal opportunity at learning,. Many times in elementary school classes, problem students take away from learning time for other students as well as themselves. Often times, students act out in class for much larger reasons than what shows in the classroom. It is important for teachers to understand this so they can work with the problem students, and help them behave in a classroom.

The Top 5 Things I learned:
1. Having an organized classroom will help keep students focused, and make it less likely for them to act out. 2. A "problem student" may be acting out as a result of a bigger problem, such as problems at home. 3. It is important to establish authority in the classroom, and not allow students to test that authority. 4. A friendly, compassionate teacher is more likely to have a better behaving, more cooperative class than a hard, demanding teacher. 5. Using "I-messages" when speaking to a problem student will make them understand who has the authority, and will help calm a heated situation.

Resources:
1. This video is about power struggles between students and teachers. In a teaching career, it is inevitable that we will face students who for good reason or not, will want to fight our authority. This video has good tips about how to maintain your power as a teacher, and keep students under control. I give this video a "5 out of 5" because it has very useful information! At 2:02 it gives a 4 step strategy on how to effectively deal with problem students, that I feel would be very helpful in the classroom. media type="youtube" key="PkY1IJMzJkk?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

2. More about power struggles: This video goes a little deeper into the power struggle battle than the last. It shows us that "I-messages" are a powerful way to communicate with students so they are less likely to respond in a way that questions your authority as a teacher. I give this video a "5 out of 5" for also having very useful information. media type="youtube" key="Fpgb6-pX1DU?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

3. This is a video about understanding behavior in children. The woman in the video tells us that having an organized classroom will help keep students on task and focused. When kids are on task and focused, they are less likely to act out. I give this video a "4 out of 5", because it had useful information, but more detail would have been helpful. media type="youtube" key="6l3BUtf4hhE?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

4. This video is about challenging behavior in children. Children naturally will question authority, and try to push the boundaries to find out what they can get away with. Challenging behavior can be brought on by many different factors, including life changes, and that young children haven't developed their language to a point that they can explain themselves in hard situations. It is very common in pre-school aged kids to act out and throw temper tantrums for what they want, but as they grow older, they should out grow this behavior. I give this video a "4 out of 5" because it has good information on why children act out, but doesn't say much about how to deal with it. <span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="8eCfnrGu5xo?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

<span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">5. This is a narrated power-point about disruptive students. I give this video a "5 out of 5" because it is full of good information by an experienced doctor, teacher, and youth parole officer. It has lots of different views of disruptive students that personally, I never would have thought of. <span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="JL3lTK38Xww?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

<span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">6. (skip to 0:35) Although this video is very short, it has 5 useful tips on how to keep students on task, focused, and on your side rather than fighting your authority. I give this video a "5 out of 5" for having useful information, but keeping it short and sweet. <span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="CwaxMZDsc6Q?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

<span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">7. This video is about productive learning systems. It is important for teachers to be prepared for a days plan. Having lots of in-between time in a days lesson give opportunity for disruptive, or "problem" students to act out. The third grade teacher in this video tells us that by keeping materials organized and ready to use reduces stress and gets students ready to learn. I give this video a "5 out of 5" because not only does it tell us how to stay organized, but it shows us real classroom examples of how this is effective. <span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="GkIR7p3DfxU?rel=0" height="349" width="425"

<span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">8. This video focuses on the problem of students refusing to work. The teacher in this video suggests talking to students individually and keeping emotions out of the conversation. He also suggests that teachers make a contract with problem students; not only as a way to "cover your own butt", but to show the student how serious the matter is. I rate this video a "5 out of 5" for content. <span style="color: #43d643; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="Nc2Co_ptifI?rel=0" height="349" width="425"