Think about behavior management in a new way with AIT Consultant Alex Craighead, M.A.T. This video offers strategies for educators to address challenging student behavior, fostering a productive learning environment. Gain insights into practical approaches for engaging students and maintaining classroom harmony.
Transcript:
Beneath The Behavior: Staying Curious
"You know, often when we're in education, a young person will come into our classroom or to the gym or whatever space we might be, and they might be demonstrating behavior that is really agitating. Maybe they're yelling, maybe they're being disrespectful, maybe they're not engaging in our class or in our environment in the way that we, as the adults are educators want. And so often what I notice is educators may raise their voice or tell them to sit down or show them the expected behavior, when in reality, I think the first thing we need to do is ask ourselves, what's underneath this behavior? What need is not being met? Because more often than not, when a young person is demonstrating those disruptive behaviors, there's something going on behind the scenes, maybe at home, maybe in their life, on the street, maybe after school, who knows? But there's something behind that behavior, an unmet need. Maybe they're not getting love at home, maybe they're not having their needs met socially. Maybe they're being isolated or feeling rejected or alone. And so if we, as the educators can stay curious and be calm in the face of those disruptive patterns and that that anger or that pushback that we might often get from our students and hold space for that and stay curious and wonder like what might be needed here, that can really help, I think, diffuse the situation and then allow us to move forward in a way that we're gonna be able to find a solution and work together."
-Alex Craighead