How to Discipline Disruptive Students: A Psycho-educational Approach

In today's schools, habitually disruptive students are placed almost in every classroom, and the behavioral and emotional issues that students bring to school seem to come in all shades and colors —acting out behaviors, attention deficits, hyperactivity, aggressive behaviors, non-compliance, defiance, low motivation, etc. For the teacher or staff member dealing with a disruptive student, the theories learned from textbooks rarely give any assistance or help in how to interact with the child to defuse the disruptive episode. When we have to deal with a disruptive student, a psycho-educational approach has more to offer to both the teacher and the student than any other form of intervention. Teachers have multiple options to deal with a disruptive event, and the more psycho-educational theories we understand and apply, the broader our understanding of our role in the incident, the less helpless we feel, and the bigger our chances of succeeding in managing it.

In the school setting, psycho-education, or psychological theory applied to the classroom, is a method of teaching teachers and students about children behavioral and emotional difficulties. Psycho-education aims at training teachers in helping the behavioral disordered and emotionally troubled student gain emotional and behavioral self-control.

A psycho-educational approach acknowledges the fact that, to be effective, any intervention attempted must respond to the exceedingly complex and multifaceted dimensions of the habitually disruptive student. The psycho-educational teacher shows a concern for both the student’s emotions and external behavior, recognizing the powerful role of emotions in the student’s ability to learn, and on her behavior. Using what is offered from both psychology and education, psycho-education recognizes that a therapeutic relationship with a caring and well-trained adult improves the student’s social behavior, and helps him or her develop skills in coping to troublesome events, improved decision making, and in social problem solving. In psycho-education, therapeutic change happens when the student understands the role of her emotions in her school difficulties. Ultimately, it is the student who must act upon and take personal responsibility for her own behavior. Psycho-education then is therapeutic and insight oriented; the psycho-educational teacher reflects on what the student says and does, and does not give unsolicited advice or dictates what the student must do, but rather tries to bring up the student to a deeper level of understanding of her feelings and the behaviors that they trigger.

A trained teacher helps the student develop insight in (a) becoming aware of her deep feelings (e.g. “I didn’t know I was jealous because Mandy seems to like Stephanie more than me,”) and in learning to be vigilant about specific behaviors. (E.g. “I was not aware that I want to be the leader every time we work in groups.”) The therapeutic teacher does not blame the child for her feelings or behavior; the focus is on how the student can overcome the obstacles, or negative and self-defeating thoughts and feelings, to achieve positive classroom behavior and improved relationships. Although the teacher is the expert in the area of content, the student is the expert in knowledge of herself and her behavior. The therapeutic teacher uses the student’s “expertise” to enhance his or her ability to make better decisions and to cope effectively. The student’s own strengths and current coping resources to conflictive events are analyzed, refined, or reinforced, so that the child becomes the main contributor on her own improvement. The coping strategies taught or strengthened include cognitive (thoughts), emotional (feelings), and behavioral aspects, incorporating perspectives and techniques from sister disciplines like psychology, social work, and counseling.

Psycho-education is currently accepted as a major conceptual model for special education, being used in school settings like inclusive classes (team teaching), self-contained classes for behaviorally disordered students, special schools for the emotionally disturbed, residential settings, and juvenile justice systems. A comprehensive psycho-educational approach includes coping skills, self-management of behavior, basic thinking skills, anger and impulse control, social problem-solving, choice making, and relationships.

About the Author

Carmen Y. Reyes has a vast experience as a special education teacher and educational diagnostician. With more than twenty years in the classroom, Carmen has taught at all levels, from elementary to post secondary. With a B.S. in Psychology, and a Masters Degree in Special Education with a specialization in emotional disorders, Carmen is considered an expert in the application of behavior management strategies and alternative teaching techniques for learning challenged students. Carmen is the author of ESSENTIAL PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL SKILLS FOR TEACHERS: Enhanced Interventions for Managing Anger-Fixed, Acting Out, and Difficult Students, an in-depth child guidance guide to manage habitually disruptive students. (ISBN: 978-0-557-06439-7/Paperback/163 pgs/6*9/Amazon.com.)



To learn more about psycho-education, click on the author’s name at the top of this article.