Make Like a Goat: The Art of Distracting Unruly Students
By Ben Johnson
8/5/08
I have 17 acres in south Texas, and half of the acreage is wooded. Particularly in the northern part of my property, there is an obnoxious vine in the lily family, called greenbrier, that grows everywhere.
The leaves are a beautiful vibrant, glossy green, but the vine is a tough, thorny monstrosity that never stops growing, and catches on your clothes, scratches you, and climbs trees, forming an impenetrable barrier that eventually kills them. You know how Bermuda and Johnson grass spread through underground tubers? So does this horrible plant. And I thought barbed wire was bad.
But, as usual, as I battled this evil force, I learned some things about education. Smilax bona-nox L. hides in the shadows and spreads itself beneath the soft forest floor with seemingly sinister persistence. When it is ready, it shoots up tendrils that grow three feet in one week. Soon, the tendrils turn into a tough, woody vine with vicious thorns that would do a rosebush proud. When I saw the tendrils, I would cut them down, but in a few days others would replace them. Chopping the runners beneath the soil only multiplied the problem -- literally.
I investigated and found out that the only way to get rid of greenbrier entirely is to use a systemic approach and go for the heart of the problem. The experts offer several alternatives: I could spray the runners with a broad-spectrum herbicide like Roundup, I could trace them back to the main tuber and dig it out, or I could let loose the most formidably destructive beast known to man: a goat. It turns out that this horrendous plant is edible.
How does all this chatter about plants relate to what happens in the classroom? Learning stops when students' attention meanders like greenbrier, and misbehavior pops up like little tendrils all over the place. If these tendrils are not taken care of promptly, they become tough, thorny problems that can make a teacher want to quit.
Attacking such problems head on is tiresome and frustrating for the teacher and creates an antagonistic atmosphere in the classroom. What a teacher needs to do is to turn the tables and take advantage of the situation. Just as a goat is able to use greenbrier to meet its needs, a teacher must channel the misbehavior to meet his or her needs. It is not about control. It is about the most powerful tool a teacher has: the art of distraction.
Experienced teachers know that it is essential to start a lesson with the students' attention. That is why they prepare some sort of hook -- or, as influential educator Madeline Hunter called it, an anticipatory set that draws the students into the subject to be taught. As a foreign language teacher, I liked to start my classes off with a story or a joke. I spoke in Spanish and I acted out the story, pointed, and did whatever I could to help the students understand. Then I had them help me tell the story or joke. Once we had gone over it, I could get into the lesson that related to the story or joke.
But once we got started in the learning process, how did I keep the students on task? A number of cardinal rules helped me:
- Never sit down behind your desk while there are students in the classroom.
- While students are practicing, be a goat and nibble around the room, never stopping too long in any one place.
- Always give the students a reason to be engaged -- a time limit, a competition, a reward, a project, a case study, or a real-life problem to solve.
- Make sure that the standards for performance are clear and that the students know that they will have to perform.
- Keep the pace up by chunking the learning into smaller activities that last no more than five to ten minutes.
What did I do with students set on disruption? I ate them. To put it more diplomatically, I channeled their energy by distracting them long enough to get them on task again. Younger students are easier to distract and refocus than older ones, but the same principle applies: You ask a question they aren't expecting.
For example, let's say a boy is bouncing a hard rubber ball in class. Rather than yell at him to stop, I could ask him if he can do it with his left hand, then behind his back and under his leg. Then I could tell him that if he has such skill with a ball, the current assignment should be a snap. You see, he knew that the activity would irritate me. That was his motivation to begin a conflict. But distracting and redirecting take the conflict away and build rather destroy relationships. Often, you'll find that the more goofy and obtuse the distraction, the better.
A masterful distracter can catch a student off guard with humor, personal interest, and engagement. He or she can then skillfully assimilate the unwanted behavior and rechannel the energy of the student in productive ways without the student ever catching on about what happened.
What masterful ways have you found to distract and redirect student behavior? Please share your thoughts.
Humor as distraction
Submitted by Stephamie M (not verified) on November 26, 2008 - 17:11.
I was just browsing through when this post caught my eye. I am a fourth grade teacher in my second year. This has been a challenging year to say the least. I have several behavioural issues in class that have been frustrating me on a daily basis. You have given me som great ideas. I really think looking at the issues with more humor is going to change the dynamic in my classroom.
Thank you!
Goat humor
Submitted by Lori (not verified) on October 4, 2008 - 14:25.
I really enjoyed your metaphor. I too have had those students who "just want to see what the teacher will do". I usually shock them by laughing or asking them a totally random question. I teach fourth grade in central NY. Yesterday I had a student who was having difficulties getting to school. (anxiety) She actually showed up at my door crying and huddled in a corner saying she was NOT coming in and I couldn't make her. I told her she was right. I also stated she must be exhausted from all the crying. She shook her head yes. I thought she probably used up all of her breakfast energy and needed to eat. I told her I had granola bars for this ocassion ans she was welcomed to come in and eat one. I told her this wasn't room service and she would need to come into my room for it. I turned around and walked into my classroom of 20 other students. She got up and came right in and ate three. It turned out to be a wonderful day. Thanks for the goat idea and the laughter we must always bring to our profession.
goats!
Submitted by Dawn Scheidt (not verified) on September 30, 2008 - 19:42.
I loved your analogy in the goat/weed story. Even as a very veteran teacher of 24 years, I had one of those days where the weeds seem to get the best of you. ( I am sure kindergarten students have a radar and can tell when we are not feeling our best... an open door so to speak for misbehavior. ) At the end of the day I reflected on what I could have done differently, and I definitely needed more energy to be the "nibbling goat" early on to avoid bigger problems cropping up. I appreciated your reminder that it is not power, but distraction that "tames" at these times when kids are acting up.
I was searching for a topic
Submitted by Sabrina Burkett (not verified) on September 30, 2008 - 18:42.
I was searching for a topic that related to my current situation. Your title caught my attention. I thought your article was great. I loved the metaphor, and I'm definitely going to keep your cardinal rules in mind. My "goat" will be out in full force tomorrow. Thanks so much!!
Great Metaphor
Submitted by Michele Snyder (not verified) on September 30, 2008 - 18:04.
Today, I had a rough afternoon with one particular student who is plucking every last nerve of mine. I have group of students this year where many are special needs, this being said a lot of my patience is used up during the day. Stumbling across this blog helped remind me to have a sense of humor. I need to "take charge" of the situation and interact with the student, rather than react to his behavior. Thank you for this! We'll have a fresh start tomorrow!
Humor as a Distraction
Submitted by Rachel (not verified) on September 30, 2008 - 17:54.
I am currently teaching 2nd grade for the second year in a row (I've taught for 10 years now), and what I was amazed with, was how easily distracted my students could get. No amount of yelling, hand clapping, staring them down would keep their focus in the first 3 weeks of school. Suddenly though, I found myself smiling at something random, and was amazed at what that simple reaction got out of my students. They wanted to know what was so funny ( I couldn't tell you what is was now). Since we have overcome the hurdles of settling into a routine, these kids seem especially eager to learn when I am at my silliness. Thank you for reminding us that children love to be with adults who know how to be firm, and set clear guidelines, but who also know how to let down their "teacher" persona, and truly laugh with them.
Information Very Useful
Submitted by Farena (not verified) on September 30, 2008 - 16:08.
Ben,
This was a great article. I can remember my first year as a teacher, I did exactly what you said not to do, I yelled at the students who were misbehaving and said, "stop!" All it did was startled the class and made the situation worse. I thought I was doing the right thing, because I saw my student teacher do the same in her class. Over the years, I have realized that yelling doesn't solve the problem. Thanks for the metaphor. I will also keep your cardinal rules in mind too. Thanks!
Oh the goats
Submitted by Denise Pogy (not verified) on September 29, 2008 - 19:37.
Oh, to have a few more goat-like qualities. The ability to redirect is definitely a key factor in getting kids to buy-in and stay in. I will definitely put some more of this into use. I think I had forgotten that this is in my bag of tools. I'm pulling out the goat tomorrow. Thank you.
-Denise
Glendale, CA
HS Science teacher
Great Comparison
Submitted by Amanda (not verified) on September 22, 2008 - 14:44.
As a special educator, I really enjoyed reading this. It is so true that students with attentional concerns need to regain focus before learning can occur. I love to teach students when they don't realize that they are "learning". For example, I taught problem solving by acting like I lost my glasses. The kids thought that we were going to spend the entire class just looking for my glasses; rather, we learned and applied problem solving skills. For other students who are distracted easily, I find having them restate given directions or what they learned very successful. This teaches accountability. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful way of looking at attentional concerns and redirection.
Refocused my Attention
Submitted by Sarah Sparks (not verified) on September 26, 2008 - 14:59.
I really enjoyed this article also. There is always one student (or more) that wants to be the center of attention. Taking control of my class and determining that the anticipatory set will be the center of attention makes the lesson engaging, and more learning is bound to occur! I know that my most successful lessons are the ones that have extremely interesting anticipatory sets. Also, I like how you explained that humor is one of the most effective ways to get students to learn more. I have seen so many students "shut down" because a teacher yells at them. Then a confrontation ensues, and the student refuses to participate in the entire lesson. The goal of the student who misbehaves is to annoy you and get your attention in a negative way. If a teacher makes a joke out of the misbehavior, the student will be so thrown off by your reaction that they will probably not be able to come up with another off task behavior anytime soon. That is my experience anyway.
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