There are lots of language tools any teacher can use to help eliminate low-level disruption.

Here are four to get you started:

Talking in terms of ‘we’

Doing this helps reinforce the idea that you and your learners are part of the same team, working towards the same goal.

This might lead us to say:

• ‘We’re going to re-focus on the task immediately, thanks.’

Rather than:

• ‘You need to re-focus on the task immediately, thanks.’

The first formulation can feel somewhat contrived, however, repeatedly talking in terms of ‘we’ helps to habituate learners into thinking about the class as a unit pursuing a shared objective (which, in turn, raises the perceived costs of unwanted behaviour).

Outlining a proposed future

This is where we say something like:

• ‘In the remainder of the lesson we’re going to focus all our energies on our learning. This means no talking about other things and no slipping into bad habits.’

Here, we present learners with an articulation of what we want the future to be like.

This implants the idea in learners’ minds and gives something concrete against which they can judge their own behaviour.

It also directs learners by giving them a clear expectation to live up to.

And it means we have an automatic point of reference if learners fail to deliver the behaviour we want. (We simply remind them of what we outlined and use this to redirect them.)

Reframing learner expectations

For example:

• ‘This isn’t the kind of behaviour I know you’re capable of,’
• ‘You know that you can keep focussed for a good deal longer. Show me what you can do.’
• ‘Didn’t you tell me yesterday that you wanted to win a house point today? I think you know what you need to do.’

This is where we use our language to reset learners’ expectations of themselves.

Turning matters around like this helps encourage better behaviour.

It gives learners a different way of thinking about themselves and what is happening in the lesson.

Unanswerable questions

This tactic can backfire, so use it with care.

It involves asking learners questions that simply can’t be answered except through a change of behaviour.

For example:

• Is that how an excellent learner should behave?
• Wouldn’t you prefer it if I could see you behaving excellently?
• I thought you could be a role model for us today. You can be, can’t you?

I’m sure you can see how these could go wrong.

They aim to make learners think about the consequences of their actions at the same time as positing a preferable alternative for which praise would undoubtedly be forthcoming.

If used in the right circumstances, they can lead to swift alterations in behaviour.

But you will need to judge your moment.

Making Learning Everybody’s Business

Another way to use language to eliminate low-level disruption is by making learning everyone’s business.

By doing this, we encourage all learners to see the learning that happens in the classroom as partly contingent on what they do.

This means we make them feel responsible for the learning – that in some way it belongs to them and is tied to their behaviour.

Creating this sense of responsibility gives learners a reason not to engage in low-level disruption.

It also makes it less likely they will fall into unwanted behaviour patterns without first thinking about the consequences of what they are about to do.

This is because the idea that they are responsible for what happens in the classroom will be lodged in their minds, acting as a ballast against negative behaviour.

Here are three simple strategies you can use to achieve this.

Strategy One

At the start of the lesson, introduce the learning objective and ask learners to copy it down.

Next, invite learners to discuss with their partner what three things they could do to help everyone in the class achieve the objective.

Then, ask them to make a note of their three points.

Finally, choose a couple of pairs to share their ideas with the rest of the class.

This process helps learners to see meeting the learning objective as the goal of the lesson.

It also reinforces the idea that their behaviour has an influence on everyone’s chances of being successful.

And it involves learners making a commitment about what they will do to support learning through the course of the lesson.

Strategy Two

Before your lesson, identify one of the values that underpins the classroom culture you are trying to create.

Start the lesson by reminding learners of this value and explaining why it is important.

Then, challenge learners to work with a partner to list five different things they could do in the lesson to live up to this value.

Next, ask learners to swap their answers with another pair.

Finally, ask three pairs to share one idea each with the whole class.

This strategy is like the previous one except here your values are the focus.

It concentrates learners’ minds on the idea that learning is their business and asks them to socially commit to this idea through the discussion and sharing of ideas.

Strategy Three

Develop a reward scheme that benefits the whole class, but which relies on every learner contributing.

For example, you might say that you will include a (relevant and exciting) video in the next lesson if learners can refrain from engaging in any low-level disruptive behaviour.

Specify what you mean by this behaviour and then indicate that the whole class have three strikes.

If the three strikes are used up, the reward does not happen.

This can go one of two ways.

On the on hand, learners buy into the idea and start to watch each other’s behaviour as well as their own.

On the other hand, one or two learners choose not to engage and quickly use up the strikes, leading to disappointment all round.

Whether you use the method depends on the type of characters you have in your class and the extent to which you feel they will work positively with the approach.

Always Provide a Choice

Low-level disruption can be frustrating for the teacher.

When we find ourselves frustrated, our emotions can take over the decision-making process.

One common example is when we find ourselves issuing an ultimatum to those learners who have caused us to lose our cool (usually at the point when we feel most frazzled, and their behaviour seems like a provocation).

While such reactions are understandable, it is not in our best interests to act this way.

With that said, when the heat is on, it can be hard to remember that the frustration you are feeling is an emotional reaction that you have the power to temper.

An excellent language strategy you can get into the habit of using is to always provide a choice for learners whose behaviour is not at the level you want.

Doing this has a few benefits:

• First, it helps you avoid reacting emotionally, because you need to stop and think, albeit briefly, to define the choice you intend to present.
• Second, it gives learners a way out, offering them a positive alternative to carrying on with any negative behaviour.
• Third, it avoids ultimatums that raise the stakes between teacher and learner (‘Who will break?’ is the question always implicit in an ultimatum), making it more likely that the behavioural problem will be quickly and positively resolved.

Here’s an example of what always giving a choice looks like:

• ‘You have two choices, Sara. You can continue to call out while I am talking, in which case I will have to speak to you after the lesson, or you can choose to be respectful and let me speak without being interrupted.’

Or:

• ‘Sam, it’s up to you here. Either you choose to start your work when I ask, or you’re choosing to go against my instructions and putting the learning second. What do you think is the best thing to do?’

In these examples we see how the learner is being empowered through the provision of choice.

This gives them a way out, gives them the opportunity to show you they can do the right thing (and receive praise as a result), and stresses the fact that actions have consequences that are a result of the decisions we make.

Habituating yourself into the process of always giving choices will help avoid unconstructive interactions with learners over low-level disruption.

It will also allow you to stay in the driving seat and retain your equanimity when challenging this kind of behaviour.