Difficult students can make any ESL class a nightmare. When I finished my CELTA years ago none of my classmates wanted to teach young learners. They didn’t want to deal with “bad” students and behavior management. I’ll agree that it’s not always easy, but a couple years after my training I met a little four year-old boy who taught me a lot about how to manage difficult students and also about ESL classroom management. I’ll call him “Bob” and he was an Attention Seeker.
Related: ESL Classroom Management is a Holistic Effort
Bob’s Story:
I met Bob in a small private Vietnamese preschool. He was in class with about 15 other classmates and a local TA who didn’t speak any English.
Class always started out fine. The students sat down for circle time, sang the opening song and happily went through our opening routine. Within a few minutes, though, Bob would start to act up. He made noises and talked to get his classmates to laugh while I was introducing new vocabulary or giving instructions. Sometimes he got up and just walked around in the circle. Eventually he’d also poke and prod his neighbors to distract them.
At the time my experience was limited and my responses typically included pointing to the rules such as “be quiet” or “sit down.” I avoided yelling but I glared and repeated the rules to him. Soon enough I would be frustrated enough that the TA would scoop Bob up and take him to the corner for a scolding. Sometimes she even gave him a sharp smack on his hands. Inevitably he’d cry until she’d soothe him and even play with him a little to calm him down. Then he would quietly come back to the circle. After a few moments of cooperation he’d soon start acting out again and the cycle would repeat.
What was Bob’s problem?
Basically, he was looking attention. He needed positive attention but he wasn’t getting any so he was seeking out any form of attention he could get. Every child needs love, attention and affirmation. They need to feel safe and important, but unfortunately not every child gets this. Some parents or teachers are too busy, distracted, or are otherwise unable to give their children everything they need for healthy emotional development. On top of that, very young children are too young to understand or express how they feel – but they can suffer the consequences.
These children often discover that normal positive behavior doesn’t get them the attention they need. Instead, they find that misbehaving – becoming difficult students – does get them attention from both their peers and adults. They get to be the center of attention; either by making others laugh or yell at them. In both cases they have some power to once again be important and get the attention they need.
Bob didn’t get any special attention from me as a normal student. Instead he got lots of attention as a “naughty” student from me and especially from the TA. Our reactions fed into the cycle of his attention seeking behavior; we gave him exactly what he was looking for – though not what he actually needed.
Related: ESL Classroom Management – Catch Them Being Good!
Helping Difficult Students: Attention Seekers
Remember to Be Proactive, Not Reactive. Don’t feed into the cycle and don’t wait for the student to misbehave. Instead, create early opportunities to give the student positive attention. In addition, temporarily give the student extra eye contact, smiles, and chances to participate in class. Here’s what I did with Bob:
I made him my Number 1 Student. I mastered his Vietnamese name with the TA’s help and used it often. Every lesson when I entered the room I always made a beeline straight for Bob. I’d then smile and say “Hi, (Bob)! I’m so happy to see you!” Then I asked him to come with me and sit down on his chair. Once he sat down I then gave him a smile, a high-five and said “Thanks (Bob)!” Afterwards, while I was setting up my materials, I’d also occasionally look up, lock eyes, and smile at Bob.
Throughout the lesson I made sure to make frequent eye contact with Bob during every stage, song, game or activity. For my convenience he always had a seat that put him directly in front of me. If he wasn’t misbehaving then he got a quick smile. Small acts of misbehavior from him were met with a neutral face – but not angry, though.
Bob also got called on to participate early in each activity and he also was chosen to pass out papers to his classmates. I also asked him to help demonstrate a new activity. Afterwards he always got another smile and “thank you (Bob).”
Finally, I also shared with the TA what I was doing with the help of a coworker. She agreed to help me during class and also try the same during her own time with him.
Related: Four Common ESL Teaching Mistakes That Undermine Lessons
Results
Within the first lesson Bob started to behave significantly better. A few lessons later he behaved almost like a normal student and I was able to reduce the frequency of my special praise and attention. I always made sure to check in with him before lessons and give extra eye contact & smiles, but within a month I was otherwise able to treat him like a normal student.
Since then I’ve encountered many other difficult students of varying ages with the same problem, as well as teachers who had their own Attention Seekers. In each case the students showed improvements, and many times an “impossible” student became a “star.” Not every difficult student is an Attention Seeker, but in my experience many of them are. What kinds of difficult students have you met? How have you handled them successfully in the past? Share in the comments below!
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