SURFACE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

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Planned Ignoring: This occurs when the teacher intentionally ignores a

behavior, believing that it will decrease. Ignoring is especially potent with
students who are tying to bug the teacher or gain attention. One problem
with this technique is that while the teacher may be able to ignore the
behavior, the rest of the class may not. Ignoring others inappropriate
behavior may, therefore, be a good topic for class discussions and should
be reinforced by the teacher when students ore able to ignore. Aggressive
behavior may be difficult to ignore in that it falls in the reality dangers
category and the teacher may have to select another technique which is
more protective of the student and others.
Proximity Control: The close physical presence of the teacher is sometimes
sufficient to enable to a student to regain control. Nothing needs to be said
at this time and the teacher does not necessarily need to look at the student.
Teacher mobility in the classroom can go a long way toward classroom
management. Many teachers have found that they cannot rune classroom
sitting at their desks.
Signal Interference: These are cues or signals from the teacher that
communicate disapproval to the student. These signals include coughing,
clearing your throat, frowns, or staring. The technique is best used during
the initial stages of the misbehavior and is most effective with students with
whom the teacher has developed a positive relationship. These cues or
signals must be taught first.
Interest boosting: Many aggressive incidences have occurred when a
students interest in his/her work has declined and restlessness and boredom
set in. When a teacher spots this happening, he/she can engage the
students in a conversation about something the student is interested in
(such as sports). It is felt that doing this breaks into the cycle of
boredom/restlessness, leading to acting out and enables the student to
settle back into work. Another variation of this technique is for the teacher to
go over to the student and display an interest in the current work itself.
Tension decontamination through humor: A well-placed joke at a tense time
can do a lot to relieve a tense situation. This shows that the teacher is
human and also feels secure enough in his/her role to joke at a time when
many teachers get as uptight as the students. 5arcasm should be avoided
as it usually contains negative connotations about an individual.
Hurdle Lessons: As was mentioned earlier, aggressive behavior occurs
frequently due to the student experiencing difficulty with classroom
assignments. Many students exhibit appropriate behavior at this point by
asking for help or skipping over to the next problem. Unfortunately, some
students do neither and their frustration, turns into pestering behavior or

outright explosions. The teacher can be helpful in getting this student back
on task by solving the problem with the student. The teacher must notice the
early signs of frustration in order for the approach to work.