Teachers face the challenging job of differentiating instruction for the diverse needs of their students. This task is difficult enough with happy students who are eager to learn; unfortunately students often enter the classroom in a bad mood because of events that happened outside the classroom walls. These events--called setting events--can…

Exams, tight deadlines and interpersonal conflicts are just a few examples of the many events that may result in high levels of stress in both students and teachers. Research over the past two decades identified stress and the hormones and neurotransmitters released during and after a stressful event as major modulators of human learning and…

Disruptive behaviors are some of the most commonly presented concerns in the classroom. Without intervention, such difficulties may lead to higher teacher frustration and a higher rate of negative teacher feedback, and they may interfere with students' learning opportunities and result in poorer academic and life adjustment outcomes (Landrum,…

Instructors may benefit from the framework for understanding student incivility. The framework considers stages of adolescent brain development and behaviors that were adaptive in the context of high school but are counter to collegiate success. Several activities presented here challenge instructors to be purposeful about classroom civility. When…

Peer-related social competencies can have a major impact on classroom success. While some students can learn these social competencies through observation and imitation of others, other students require intensive intervention in social skills to be able to interact appropriately with others. This article presents social narratives as a behavioral…

The shift to competency-based education expands the role of the teacher from that of a provider of information and into a shaper of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These roles are facilitated by establishing a social contract between the instructor and learner, a contract that clearly defines the rights and duties of each. Adopting greater…

Good teachers are lifelong learners and want to meet the needs of all of the students in the classroom. Yet, they never have all the answers. Many teachers have found themselves in a predicament of uncertainty and have become apprehensive about their own practices. They can benefit from professional development and supports. Through collaborative…

There is growing interest in coaching as a means of promoting professional development and the use of evidence-based practices in schools. This article describes the PBIS"plus" coaching model used to provide technical assistance for classroom- and school-wide behavior management to elementary schools over the course of 3 years. This Tier…

There is no definitive research on how many students display sexualized behavior in schools. Sexually inappropriate behavior includes using sexual language, gestures, or noises, engaging in pretend play that simulates sex, making sexual invitations to others, inappropriately touching another person, or masturbating in the classroom. These…

Hobson's choice is a "no-choice" choice that gives general and special educators the traditional impetus to do what they want in classrooms. While there is some "goodness" in having this power and audacity to control whatever happens in classrooms, it does not allow for creativity, flexibility, adaptability, modification, especially in behavior…

Challenging behaviors and poor student performance are often attributed to many of society's ills. As a result of the presence of such factors in some students' lives, changing these students' behavior in the classroom is seen as futile unless one can change their nonschool environment. To facilitate the reader's capability to develop intervention…

Building bonds of respect is difficult with students who present disruptive and intimidating behavior in the classroom. The author describes how RAP principles were used over a period of a school year to create positive connections with such a student. (Contains 1 note.)

This article explains how cooperative-learning behaviors can be taught systematically and directly to students with behavior disorders using a four-step procedure in conjunction with an enhanced cooperative-learning environment to encourage generalization. Application with five primary grade students is reported. (DB)

The literature on elementary school classroom management is reviewed. Topics include student characteristics and individual differences, preparing the classroom as a learning environment, organizing instruction and support activities to maximize student engagement in productive tasks, developing workable housekeeping procedures and conduct rules,…

The consequences of gender social and learning interactions in the classroom are of interest to parents, policy makers, and researchers. However, little is known about gender peer effects in schools and their operational channels. In this paper, we estimate the effects of classroom gender composition on scholastic achievements of boys and girls in…