When it comes time for parent-teachers interviews there’s a large number of facets of your child’s learning and behaviour that will be discussed. As a parent, it’s never a nice experience to be told that your child is disruptive during class time. If your child has been labeled as “disruptive”, take some time to understand why – it might not be because they are “naughty”. It’s possible that something else is causing the distractions.
First, let’s consider what is classed as “disruptive behaviour”. Most commonly in the class room, children will be disruptive through:
- Talking: Talking to other students while the teacher is talking, talking out of turn and talking over the top of others are all considered disruptive to the functioning of the classroom.
- Regularly arriving late: Often when children arrive late, the teacher will need to stop the class to discuss with or accommodate the late student. As this stops and delays teaching time, it is also seen as disruptive behaviour.
- Making Noises: This is more commonly seen in primary-aged children but can be incredibly disruptive and annoying in any classroom.
- Phones/iPads/Devices: In today’s classroom, many children will carry mobile phones or other electronic devices. Using these in the classroom when they are not required is a disruptive behaviour
- And more: There are a multitude of behaviours that are considered disruptive to the teaching environment. Other common cases might include passing notes, sleeping, eating, cheating and reading inappropriate material. .
Now let’s take a look at some common causes of disruptive behaviour, and what you can do to help fix the problem:
- Boredom / Uninterested / Inattentive
How many times have you heard your child say, “I’m Bored!”. Well, this is also common in the classroom. Children need to be engaged in their learning! If your child is bored in the classroom, it may either be because they are just not interested in the teaching style or topic, or its because they have already learned the concept being taught and are not interested in going over the same thing again.
If your child is advanced academically beyond their year level, you may require additional tuition to help extend your child and keep their mind active.
- Confused or Lost
Another common cause for disruptive behaviour is confusion. This is when your child does not understand the explanations or demonstrations made by the teacher, and is unclear what is expected of them next. They end up confused and/or lost and take to adopting other disruptive activities to “make-up” for their confusion towards their school work.
Confusion can be dealt with in a number of ways. Firstly, speak to your teacher about your child’s progress. They should be able to provide guidance on any misunderstanding your child has around any topic or concept learned in the classroom. If they are not sure, or you would like a second opinion, seek external advice. Lynn’s Learning provides a free initial assessment which allows you to understand any gaps in your child’s knowledge before you enrol.
- Annoyed / Resentful
This is less commonly seen but when it does occur can quickly make a child disruptive or alternatively shut them down (where they become increasingly introverted and prefer not to share their opinion or thoughts). This is usually caused by them perceiving the teacher to have “favourites” in the classroom, and feel they are not asked for their opinion and feel their thoughts aren’t valued.
In this blog, we have only covered a few common classroom causes for disruption. There are many reasons why children may become disruptive including personal issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other emotional problems, or learning or behavioural issues. In these cases, we recommend speaking with a trained professional to ensure your child is provided with the care needed to successfully overcome the condition, or minimize its effect on their day-to-day life.
Lynn’s Learning provides individualised Maths and English tuition for children from Kinder to Year 10. We cater for children of all capabilities and also provide a free, honest assessment of your child’s capabilities and knowledge gaps, allowing you to understand your child’s academic performance before deciding whether to enrol them in our tuition. If your child has been demonstrating disruptive behaviour in the classroom, you may discuss this with our trained tutors either before you visit or during your child’s assessment. Having worked with a number of children, our tutors have experience managing and overcoming disruptive behaviour in the classroom. If you’d like to find out more about how Lynn’s Learning could benefit your child, contact us today.
