Everyone has a need to survive. And, while it seems obvious, students absolutely can’t learn effectively if they don’t feel safe and secure. This need for survival is one of the Five Basic Needs outlined in Choice theory. When we understand this need and how to meet it then we can reduce the times students misbehave in EFL class.
Understanding the Need for Survival
The need for survival, or security, includes the most basic elements needed to stay healthy and alive.
Everyone needs sufficient food, water, sleep, and shelter in order to survive. We want to avoid being too hot or too cold. And we also need to feel that our bodies will be safe from harm; we aren’t going to get hurt, injured, or killed at any moment. Also, and importantly, the need for security includes the sense that we’ll have enough of these things in the future.
If we know that one or more of these isn’t or won’t be available then everything else quickly becomes secondary. It’s hard to focus on other concerns when we’re hungry, thirsty, or afraid of getting hurt.
If you’ve ever been seriously hungry then you know how hard it can be to focus on having fun, working, or enjoying time with your friends and family.
The need for survival also includes a need for predictability and routine. It’s too stressful to always have to find new sources and ways of getting food, water or other necessities. We need to know where, when, and how we can get these things without serious effort. We need to know where the fridge is, where our bed is, and where the toilet is. If they aren’t available immediately then we need to know that they’ll be ready at some point when we need them.
How a Lack of Security Affects Classroom Management
If your students are having problems with their survival needs it should become quickly apparent. Children don’t stay happy for long without food, water, etc. When they are like this they will behave in a way that, from their perspective at that moment, is effective in dealing with or solving their needs. Here are some common ways students misbehave in EFL class when their survival needs aren’t take care of.
Distracted : Students who are hungry, thirsty, tired, or in need of a bathroom break really struggle to focus on your lessons. In general, the younger they are the less they are able to cope with any issues in this area. Young preschool students aren’t great at holding “it” when they need to use the bathroom.
Lethargic: Sleepy or hungry kids don’t participate like their classmates. They slouch or droop over their desks. They rest their head on a hand and look at you with glazed eyes.
Sudden Mood/Behavior Changes: These kids also can quickly go from happy & productive to cranky and disruptive. This will sometimes seem to come out of nowhere.
Resistant to Instructions: These students can seem irrational and uncooperative. They refuse to do anything.
Complaining and Shouting: Oftentimes these students will let you know what they think the problem is – even over and over and over.
Frozen: Students who aren’t sure what is safe or correct to do will often choose to not do anything but wait and see. They’ll sit or stand silently while looking at you nervously.
In many cases you won’t know why a student is having problems that day.
For example, you won’t know that your student was running late and missed their breakfast, or they had a late night and didn’t get enough sleep until the misbehavior starts. You’ll then need to observe and think fast.
When Students Misbehave in EFL Class: Survival Issues
A Painful Shock: Years ago I was teaching a class of 3 year-old children at a public preschool. I arrived extra early that day to set up for a special lesson. As I was walking towards the room I saw through the open door as the local teacher smacked one of the girls on the face in anger.
I was shocked and so were all the students in the class. I’m not sure why it happened, but it definitely affected the students in my lesson. Everyone was quiet, subdued, and distracted afterwards.
I tried my best with the lesson, but the students’ minds were elsewhere for at least half of it. Had I not shown up early I would have had no idea why.
Overloaded: Back in Korea I was teaching in an after-school academy. I had a class that was filled with great students, including a stellar girl. She always liked to speak English in class (and out in the halls), she did all of her work, and she got along with all of her classmates.
Then, one day, it was like she’d been replaced with an evil twin. She slouched on her desk, refused to work, and grumbled in Korean. She was almost completely uncooperative.
After a couple lessons like this I finally got a chance to speak with her one-on-one outside of class. She told me her parents had decided she didn’t have enough work, so they had signed her up for even more academy classes.
The poor girl went from having some free-time and a healthy bedtime to studying late into the night and not getting enough sleep. She was simply exhausted.
Scared & Confused: I observed a Grade 1 class with a new teacher a few years back. The teacher was struggling to get students to participate so they asked me to watch their class.
About twenty minutes in, while the teacher was reviewing flashcards with the class, a boy waved the TA over and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and then the boy got up and walked to the front of the class where a tank of drinking water was located. As he poured some water the teacher exploded. The teacher angrily demanded, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
The poor student stood still, looking at the teacher and not knowing what to do. After a few long seconds the TA clarified that he’d asked for water and she said it was OK. The teacher said that it was NOT OK. He then told the boy to sit right back down. There were no water breaks allowed during class time.
After that, I had an idea why students might not be willing to participate in class activities. They felt insecure about getting what they needed, and they were scared of the teacher.
How to Build Security into EFL Classes
A lot of issues outside the classroom can affect your students’ survival needs. They can miss breakfast, get a bad night’s sleep, or not get a needed bathroom break. That said, however, there’s a lot you can do to improve the learning environment for your students.
Build Information Networks: Due to age, language, or other barriers you might not be able to ask a student what’s wrong. That’s why it’s important to build relationships with your TA or school staff.
Local staff members can gather information to see if anything is going on at home or outside of the school when students misbehave in EFL class. They can also pass on recommendations such as eating a snack before class.
Be Aware of School Routines: The more predictable the environment, the more comfortable and confident children feel. You and your school should think carefully about what needs to happen each day and how to make things as routine and clear for children as possible.
- How and when do children get snacks and lunch?
- Where are the bathrooms and when do children get to use them?
- When is nap-time or recess?
As an EFL teacher you probably won’t have control over much of these, but you should be aware of them. They can greatly affect your lessons.
Especially in preschools, the rhythms of the day great affect students. They can be anxious and distracted right before lunch time. They’re often still drowsy after nap-time. They’re easily distracted and restless at the end of the day when parents are coming to pick them up.
Knowing these outside influences will help you set your expectations and adjust lessons to better fit their moods.
Organize Outside Class time: Sometimes schools don’t have all the routines needed to support effective lessons.
If, for example, you have a lot of students regularly needing to use the bathroom or get water during class it might be time to talk to your teaching assistant or manager. They can lead students to the bathroom & water fountain during breaks or before classtime to reduce this issue.
On a similar note, sometimes rooms are arranged so an air conditioner is blowing directly on one or two students who will spend the class complaining about being cold. If it’s within your control, arrange chairs to avoid that as much as possible.
Establish Consistent Class Routines: Within your class you can do a lot to create a secure learning environment. Again, think carefully about what needs to happen each day.
- How do students enter the room?
- Will someone greet them?
- What do they do with their things?
- How does the lesson start and finish every day?
- Is there a predictable flow to the lesson?
- What should they do to get in lines or pass out papers?
- How can they ask for water or to use the bathroom?
- How do we respond to misbehavior?
- When is lunch or nap-time?
After you think these through practice them with students and use them consistently. Doing this reduces the chances for you to get upset and for students to get scary shocks.
They’ll also feel in control because they know what will happen or what to do to meet their needs. If your school already has its own standards then follow those to reinforce the school culture.
Related Post: ESL Classroom Management is a Holistic Effort
Keep Your Cool: One of the most disturbing things for children is when their teacher loses control and yells at their students – or worse.
When their students misbehave in EFL class I’ve heard teachers say that a “good yelling” can keep kids in line & obedient. Sadly, though, quiet compliance to orders isn’t the same as a productive learning environment. Students can’t focus on learning when the teacher scares them.
Make sure to plan and use calm, productive responses to student misbehavior when it occurs. Telling students in a controlled voice that their behavior isn’t acceptable is much less destructive than blowing your top.
The Five Basic Needs and Misbehavior
The need for survival, or security, is the first of Five Basic Needs that every student and person needs to be healthy and happy. The others are Love & Belonging, Power, Freedom, and Fun.
What experiences do you have with how the need for survival affected your students’ learning or behavior? Share in the comments below. Don’t forget to like, share, and follow us on Facebook!
