Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom: 5 whole-person tools
In my article last month, I wrote about teaching to and viewing the child as a “whole person.” For the next two articles, I want to dig deeper into the philosophy of the whole person and how it relates to dealing with tantrums and meltdowns. In this article I will address five key tools to help handle meltdowns in the classroom from the perspective of the whole person. These tools can be used both as preventative measures and strategies for in-the-moment occurrences. Then, next month I will explore the cycle of a tantrum and when to incorporate these and other tools and when to avoid them.
Find the Reason
Every child has a reason for their behavior, even if they cannot verbalize it. Tiredness, anger, frustration, confusion, boredom, anxiety, and over and under-stimulation can all lead to meltdowns. Our response as adults should be to try to identify the underlying cause of the behavior and use that reason in how we approach and help them. For example, a child who becomes over-stimulated by noise would need different treatment than a child who is under-stimulated or a child who is frustrated by not being able to finish their puzzle. There is not a one-size fits all solution to every meltdown, even with the same child.
To find the reason for a child’s behavior, especially a meltdown, talking with the child should always be the first step. Ask the child to tell you how they are feeling and why. The child’s input is very important as it shows respect for the child and helps to validate their emotions in the moment. However, it should not be the only step. Seeking out clues from parents and the environment are also important.
Emotional Literacy
After the reason has been identified, work to help the child verbalize and/or express how they are feeling in a healthy manner. This is called emotional literacy. Education behavioral specialist, Scott Sylvester (Tantrums, Meltdowns and Kids Acting Out: What to do?) says that children often act out when they don’t know how else to express themselves. They want to communicate, but do not know how. This relates to the big push that Raising Cain’s authors Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson make when they write that helping children, especially boys, gain emotional literacy is one of the most important things we can do to help our students succeed in life. When children can identify their emotions and others’ emotions, they can better regulate their behavior, form attachments, and gain resiliency.
Full-Body Action
Encouraging children to use their whole body to understand the situation causing their distress is a great way of processing and retaining information. Formal lecturing of a child who is escalating is rarely helpful to either the child or the teacher. However, allowing the child to role-play the situation (or a similar one) in a safe environment gives the child a chance to practice what they can do or say to help themselves. I often used role-play when I had a child that had trouble talking and asking for what they needed. After a couple of practice tries in private, the child was ready to ask a friend to use a toy or join in a game. Other options would be to let them turn their situation into a story. This approach is one that I first heard from Janet Allison of Boys Alive! For stories, I find using animals is a great way to capture attention and get the point across, but any character will work if the story is entertaining. My class loved Sammy the squirrel and all the situations he found himself in. As I told the story, I allowed students to offer suggestions about what should happen next or how Sammy could solve his problems. Afterwards, I offered opportunities for the child or class to use puppets or their bodies to act out the story. Other methods of incorporating action is to use physical activity to help de-stress and re-direct students. A good, quick walk or run, a game of hockey, a climb up and down the stairs, or even a dance can help get students out of the environment and mind-frame that caused the issue.
Reflection
Reflection is a strategy that I began to incorporate on a daily basis last year for both individual students, the class as a group, and my staff. Each day, as my students sat in their circle, I was amazed by the activities they were able to recall, their analysis of th