Gut reaction or rational problem-solving? Teachers’ considerations when coping with classroom disruptions

ABSTRACT

Classroom management and coping with disruptions are a primary source of stress for teachers. However, very little is known about teachers’ considerations when facing daily disruptions in their classes. To bridge this gap, seventy-one K-12 teachers were asked to recall such an incident and describe five alternate responses they considered. Did they respond emotionally or were they able to stay calm and adopt a problem-focused approach? Did they focus on the individual, the group, or both? Did they consider immediate or medium-to-long-term actions? Despite their stress, most teachers were able to adopt a problem-focused approach and refrain from expressing their anger towards disruptive students. They mostly directed their actions towards the interfering student and preferred short-term measures. An algorithm is proposed to illustrate their decision-making process and discuss its benefits for adhering to practical and social considerations.

KEYWORDS:

• Decision-making
• teacher’s considerations
• inclusion
• classroom management
• classroom disruptions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ronen Kasperski

Ronen Kasperski is a Lecturer and Pedagogic Instructor in the field of Special Education at Gordon and Shaanan Colleges of Education. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Haifa and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of Education and Psychology at the Open University of Israel. His research interests include Learning Disabilities, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Teacher Training, and Educational Technology.

Eliezer Yariv

Prof. Eliezer Yariv is the head of the M.Ed. program for Inclusive Education at the Givat Washington Academic College of Education, Israel. His expertise focuses on teachers’ professional difficulties, classroom management, and school discipline. His four books: ‘Discipline and Dialogue’ (1996), ‘Silence in Class’ (1999), ‘I’ve Got Eyes in the Back of my Head (2010), and ‘Classroom Management’ (2017) are taught in departments of education at Israeli colleges and universities.