Restorative Justice Model | Responding to Misbehavior

Responding to misbehavior is one of the most intimidating factors of moving into student
teaching. This because I simply have the least experience with it so far in my training. I can write
lesson plan after lesson plan about how to set up norms and expectations in a classroom, but I
cannot predict what any one student will do in response. What can I do to get them back on track
and keep the class moving when expectations are violated?

My priorities in the classroom are safety, comfort, and productivity, so I will need to respond
quickly and consistently to things that jeopardize those things. My responses to misbehavior will
be sectioned into minor, repeated, and serious misbehavior, with steps and rationales for each
response I will take. While I list responses in an order, I will not hold myself to following a
particular sequence of steps. Rather, I will use the approach the fits each specific instance
appropriately. I will make this clear to students in the following ways:

Minor Misbehavior:

Nonverbal Cues: There are no consequences attached to these specific actions, but they are
“Cues” to students that something is amiss and they need to reevaluate their behavior and get
back on task.

Teacher Look:
This will likely be my first step in most situations because, ideally, it will be able to get students
back on track without interrupting class or drawing attention to the issue. If a student is off task,
talking with a friend, using technology inappropriately, or visibly zoning out in class, I will pull
out my “Teacher Look” to let them know that I see them, what they are doing in inappropriate,
and they need to reset and get back on task to avoid further consequences. Lamov’s idea to “be
seen looking” is one I will employ on a regular basis (388). I want students to know that I am
tuned into what they are doing in my classroom. Paired with the expectation that we respect one
another, this look will remind students of what that expectation looks, sounds, and feels like.

Proximity:
This tactic will be used consistently throughout class time, often after the teacher look has failed
to get students back on track. As I walk around the room while I give instruction, I will
physically position myself next to the student or students that are violating expectations or
norms. This is especially effective with stamping out off task computer use because I’ll be able
to see the screen they are on. If my presence is not enough to let them know they need to rethink
their behavior, I will give them a light tap on the shoulder. This will be established at the
beginning of the year as a signal that something is off and what they are doing is not appropriate.
This is something I have tried in my 4882 placement. I have 28 students that sit in pods of desks
and are often chatting with one another during instruction. I have found proximity to be effective
as a first and second step in getting students to focus. It is useful as a follow up to “the look,” but
it can often be difficult to catch a student’s eye when they are not paying attention or looking at a
computer screen, so proximity also works well as an initial warning. Though a useful tool for
minor misbehavior, if the problem persists after these nonverbal warnings, more serious
intervention becomes necessary.

Verbal Cues:
Similar to nonverbal cues, these serve as warnings for students that are more overt in their
specific request for compliance. Consistency is key here in order to maintain and uphold
behavior expectations (Management 297). They become necessary when the situation does not
lend itself to a teacher look or use of proximity, or when students have failed to respond to the
nonverbal cues. It is particularly important when using verbal cues that I remain conscious of
certain biases I may have—I should not be calling out the same student all the time when others
are also involved. I must hold myself accountable for remaining equitable and fair in moments of
frustration, and use these cues purely as explicit reminders to behave appropriately in class.

Use Their Name:

This is a simple strategy that can be employed without drawing too much attention to the
misbehavior. It can be disguised as a little check in, but also functions to grab the student’s
attention and let them know that you see what they are doing and that it needs to stop. This is as
simple as tacking their name on to the end of a statement with a little question that asks them to
acknowledge you. For example, “So in order to avoid accidental plagiarism, we need to make
sure to cite each source we pull from, right Amy?” In this situation, Amy is called to affirm what
we’ve just been discussion and join back in the conversation. A simple “Amy, eyes up here
please” is also a casual tool that let’s her know you need her attention without explicitly
acknowledging the behavior—she will know; the whole class does not need to get involved. This
should get her focused back on me and hold off further misbehavior. However, if it does not,
more explicit verbal cues will be employed.

Redirection:
In the event that the nonverbal and subtle verbal cues do not work, I will combine a few of them
for another attempt. Using proximity to get close enough to the student so as not to distract
others, I will make a clear statement of redirection. This is useful as an overt way of telling a
student that not only is their behavior inappropriate, but their refusal to respond to less intrusive
warnings is moving in a more serious direction. This might sound like, “David, please close your
computer and get started on the assignment. This is a warning.” Here I give a clear instruction
for how he can redirect his behavior and I let him know that his behavior was problematic. If
things escalate from here, he knows he’s already received one warning and cannot complain
about overly harsh consequences if he gets in trouble for continued misbehavior.

Final Warning:
The goal of these nonverbal and verbal cues and warnings is to avoid a situation that removes a
student from the instructional environment. If they can get themselves back on track with a look
or a mention of their name, they will not lose out on valuable instructional time. However, if they
have not responded to my previous attempts and warnings, I will provide another verbal cue, but
this time with “This is your final warning” attached to it. Students will know what follows from
this, as we will establish it at the beginning of the year when we discuss consequences of
violating norms and expectations. If misbehavior continues after the final warning, students will
be asked to step out into the hallway with me to have a conversation. My rationale for this is that
I will be able to directly address the issue in private without drawing more attention to it in the
classroom. I will use the time in the hallways to ask the student if they feel their behavior is
appropriate, why or why not, and remind them of the class norms. If misbehavior continues after
this hallway meeting, I will send students to the office or to a neighboring teacher’s room to reset
and I will make a call home. Though it is always a shame to remove students from a learning
environment, when their behavior impedes on the learning capacity of themselves and their
peers, they need to have the opportunity to reset in a different space.

Student Engagement with Management:

I’ve outlined in Entrée 3 the norms and expectations that I will set for my classroom. As students
engage with the implementation and expansion of our classroom norms, we will also discuss the
system of warnings and consequences that will ensue from violation of norms and expectations.

Implementation of initial verbal/nonverbal cues will not necessarily need to be overt to students,
as the nature of them allows for subtle engagement with the student in the form of a small
interaction with me. What I mean by this is that I will not tell students “When I make eye contact
with you in class or stand closer to your chair, you need to get back on task” because there will
be many instances when I make eye contact with students and move closer to their chairs just by
the nature of my instruction. What I will make explicit to them, however, is the idea of warnings
and examples of what those warnings are. The sternness of the Teacher Look and the tangible
shoulder pat will be clear warnings for students to respond to, and they will likely be aware that
what they are doing is inappropriate before they receive the initial warning. I will help them
understand that warnings are in place for them to monitor their own behavior and take
responsibility for their actions in the classroom. If it gets to the point of a serious consequence,
they will know how their actions got them there and they will know what to expect as a result.

These responses are in place for addressing day-to-day off task behavior and disruption. They are
fairly relaxed and non-confrontational (until the final warning) and students will be familiar with
this process. I address intervention and strategies for dealing with more serious or repeated
offenses in the following sections.

Repeated Misbehavior:
Inevitably there will be students in my classroom who display inappropriate behavior on a more
consistent basis than others. In situations like this, I will not simply keep sending a student to the
office for not responding to a system that clearly does not work for them. I will schedule a
meeting after school, during lunch, or during study hall to meet with the student and a guidance
counselor to use the dialogue approach of restorative justice and address the repeated issue from
a problem-solving point of view. This approaches uses 6 steps to help the student and I get on the
same page about how to best move forward and address the problem (Management 315).

Step 1: Define the problem

When misbehavior is repeated consistently, there is likely and underlying problem for why the
regular management system isn’t working and why a student chooses to continue inappropriate
behavior. In order to find a solution, we need to be on the same page about what that problem is.

Step 2: Brainstorm Possible Solutions

With complex behavioral patterns and problems, it can be tricky to figure out the best solution.
This step involves all of us (student, teacher, counselor, possibly parent) coming up with all the
solutions we can think of that might help monitor and control behavior in the classroom. These
could include a system for self-monitoring, and plan on how to exit a situation that is likely to
trigger misbehavior, a change in seating arrangement, or a system of communication with me to
let me know that something is wrong before misbehavior happens.

Step 3: Evaluate Solutions

Once we have a big pool of solutions, we can weigh the pros and cons of each one, talking
through elements that we think would work well and elements that may cause further issue or
perpetuate the behavior. This will be an opportunity for me to state my opinions about the
options, get rid of any that are unacceptable to me, and then invite the student to share their
feelings and preferences about what they think would work best for them. This way they are
directly involved in their own plan to change their behavior and will be more invested in holding
themselves accountable.

Step 4: Decide on a Solution

After weighing the options, we will decide on a solution to implement. There is no voting
involved here, as I don’t want students to feel there is any winning or losing in situations of
behavioral improvement—we merely want the solution that will work best for everyone.

Step 5: Determine Implementation

This involves spelling out the steps that need to be taken in terms of who will be doing what and
and when. This applies to both the student and myself, as we are both agreeing to try something
new and we need to have clear expectation of each other in order for things to work. We will set
specific goals and a timeline on which to reach them by.

Step 6: Evaluate Solution

This will occur after the implementation of the solution and will be built into the established
timeline. We hope the solution will work well, but we have to remain open to tweaking things
here and there and making sure that what we’ve laid out is actually addressing the problem and
behavior we defined in step 1.

By following these steps, I hope to engage students in taking responsibility for their own
behavior while preserving their dignity and the relationship I have with them. This will make it
clear that I am not out to get them with warnings and consequences, but that my goal is truly to
help them manage their behavior in a safe and productive way. I paired this strategy presented by
Weinstein and Novodvorsky with the Discipline with Dignity philosophy of Curwin, Mendler &
Mendler to help students better themselves through flexible and dignified approaches.

Serious Misbehavior:
The term serious misbehavior says to me that a student has violated my norms and expectations
to an extent that puts the safety, comfort, and productivity of the classroom in danger for both
themselves and their peers. In the long run, these behaviors will likely be addressed using the
problem-solving approach described above, but the initial response will need to be more
immediate.
I will explain to students during our discussion about consequences at the beginning of the year
that there are some behaviors that will not receive warnings. Any sort of physical, verbal, or
emotional abuse will be grounds for immediate removal from the classroom and a visit to the
office. Offenses of this kind will also be followed by a call or contact home. If serious behaviors
are repeated, a meeting with parents will be called and they will be included in the creation of a
solution or approach.

Is it Working?
I believe this system will work well in addressing misbehavior in my classroom and complement
the norms and expectations I set at the beginning of the year, fostering autonomy and
responsibility in students. The simple way to evaluate the success of this system will be to note
how often these responses lead to resolution and how often they lead to students leaving my
classroom. If I have a few students consistently misbehaving, but the implementation of a
collaboratively constructed plan helps to control it, I will not be too worried. However, if I find
myself sending multiple students to the office every day, there is likely an issue either with how I
explained my expectations or how I am responding to students in the moment.

During my first few years of teaching, there will likely be many tweaks made to my systems to
best fit the dynamic of each classroom environment. I want to get feedback from my students on
how well the classroom is functioning, so I will do periodic anonymous check-ins with them
about how things are going. These will be more frequent in the beginning of the year, but I will
continue them throughout so that I can make sure to stay on top of things as routines shift and
settle over the course of the year. This way, I will be able to hear their honest opinions without
them worrying about being tied to their responses. By getting this feedback from my students
and consistently reflecting on my implementation of this system, I will be able to create and
sustain the positive and healthy classroom community I strive for.

Lemov, Doug. "Chapter 11." Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques That Put

Students on the Path to College. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2015. Print.

Weinstein, Carol Simon and Ingrid Novodvorsky. "Chapter 12." Middle and Secondary

Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice, 5th edition. New

York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. Print.

Curwin, Mendler, and Mendler