Help my Students are Angry! How can Positive Support Practices Improve Student Aggression?
Presentation Abstract
Everyone with a stake in educating children wants to create schools where students thrive. We want our classrooms to be places that encourage curiosity and learning, where students can challenge themselves, develop their social and emotional skills, and feel supported and safe. Even before schools shut down in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, educators noted a rise in disruptive, aggressive, and even violent student behavior that can undermine children’s learning and the safety of the school community. Teachers everywhere report physical and verbal outbursts directed at them and other students. Unfortunately, these eruptions have become alarmingly common, upsetting classmates and teachers and at worst, rendering classroom learning impossible.
As we have attempted to return to normalcy in education, it has brought a cascade of mental health crises and a surge in aggressive behaviors. These outbursts are becoming more prevalent and teachers and administrators feel ill-prepared to handle them. Many school personnel are exhausted and depleted, struggling to meet academic goals while managing pandemic-related safety protocols and helping dysregulated students settle into school routines. Staffing shortages further exacerbate the problem. There is a consensus that classroom aggression is an escalating problem. What’s less clear-cut is what exactly is behind the increase. When educators encounter defiant, angry, or aggressive students, the impulse to label the child as “oppositional” or simply “a problem kid” is common. However, there is always a root cause that underlies problematic behavior.
In this presentation, participants will explore why students are so angry and what can be done to address this concern with PBIS implementation, Restorative Practices, Trauma-informed care, and other positive behavior support practices. Participants will leave with resources, strategies, and interventions to effectively address aggressive behaviors.
Conference Program Description
School aggression is an escalating problem. What’s less clear-cut is what exactly is behind it. Participants will leave with strategies and interventions to impact school climate, culture, and student aggression.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Flowers, Dr. Michele F., "Help my Students are Angry! How can Positive Support Practices Improve Student Aggression?" (2023). Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference. 32.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gapbs/2023/2023/32
Help my Students are Angry! How can Positive Support Practices Improve Student Aggression?
Everyone with a stake in educating children wants to create schools where students thrive. We want our classrooms to be places that encourage curiosity and learning, where students can challenge themselves, develop their social and emotional skills, and feel supported and safe. Even before schools shut down in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, educators noted a rise in disruptive, aggressive, and even violent student behavior that can undermine children’s learning and the safety of the school community. Teachers everywhere report physical and verbal outbursts directed at them and other students. Unfortunately, these eruptions have become alarmingly common, upsetting classmates and teachers and at worst, rendering classroom learning impossible.
As we have attempted to return to normalcy in education, it has brought a cascade of mental health crises and a surge in aggressive behaviors. These outbursts are becoming more prevalent and teachers and administrators feel ill-prepared to handle them. Many school personnel are exhausted and depleted, struggling to meet academic goals while managing pandemic-related safety protocols and helping dysregulated students settle into school routines. Staffing shortages further exacerbate the problem. There is a consensus that classroom aggression is an escalating problem. What’s less clear-cut is what exactly is behind the increase. When educators encounter defiant, angry, or aggressive students, the impulse to label the child as “oppositional” or simply “a problem kid” is common. However, there is always a root cause that underlies problematic behavior.
In this presentation, participants will explore why students are so angry and what can be done to address this concern with PBIS implementation, Restorative Practices, Trauma-informed care, and other positive behavior support practices. Participants will leave with resources, strategies, and interventions to effectively address aggressive behaviors.
