How Do You Control a Rowdy Middle School Class?

Finding it difficult to control a rowdy class? You wouldn’t be alone. Research has uncovered that classroom management is one of the biggest challenges teachers face – especially in middle school, where you’ll be working with students who are going through physical and psychological changes. So, what can be done to control a rowdy middle school class?

You can control a rowdy middle school class by setting rules for appropriate behavior and carrying out predetermined consequences when these rules are not followed. Behavior-management techniques like attention-getters and nonverbal warnings can create calm without interrupting learning.

All teachers can learn how to take charge of their classroom and create a safe and orderly environment. This article gives you must-know techniques, tools, and tips for controlling rowdy students.

Table of Contents

How To Control a Rowdy Middle School Class

Following are three basics for encouraging positive behavior in your classroom.

1. Set Clear Expectations

Right from the beginning, you must define your expectations to ensure that all students are on the same page about the specific behavior you’ll allow in your classroom.

Some students lack structure in their home lives and genuinely don’t understand what is expected of them. So, devise classroom rules to guide your students’ behavior and tell them when they’re out of line. Then, think of consequences for going against the rules and rewards for following them.

These tips will help you create rules students are more likely to observe:

Invite students’ suggestions. Work together as a class to think up rules and what will happen if they’re ignored.
Be positive. The rules must tell students what they should do rather than what they shouldn’t.

Keep it simple. Short rules using everyday words are easier to remember.
Stick to a maximum of five rules. Too many rules create a hostile environment and risk being forgotten.
Use specifics. Be precise about the behavior you want to encourage. Don’t leave wiggle room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the rules.

Be realistic. Set rules that are achievable and consequences that you’ll follow through on.

An example of a rule to tackle rowdiness could be: to quietly listen when someone speaks.

Once you’ve decided on your classroom rules, refer to them regularly to keep them in your students’ minds. It helps to have visual reminders, so write out the rules and post them where students will see them throughout the day.

Setting rules is the easy part; enforcing them is trickier. But rules only work if their consequences are carried out for every student, every time. Consistency will bring results.

2. Address the Rowdy Behavior

Letting students know how to behave is the first step in tackling disruptive behavior. But it would be naïve to think that only having clear expectations is enough to guarantee a quiet and orderly classroom.

Students will get rowdy at times, even with rules in place. And when they do, there are actions you can take to address unruly behavior. Here are some strategies you can implement:

Track Disruptions

Consider introducing a tally system to monitor rowdy behavior. That way, you’ll get a better idea of when and why disruptions occur, as well as those who are most responsible.

There are numerous ways to track behavior. A simple method is to mark a tally on the board for every 30 seconds to a minute you wait for students’ attention. Each mark may represent a proportionate consequence, e.g., the number of minutes the student loses of their recess.

Another way to keep track of behavior in the classroom is through Class Dojo. This is an online platform where students can receive – and lose – dojo points for a number of reasons set by the teacher.

It can be a positive reinforcement tool where students who meet your classroom expectations are acknowledged and rewarded.

The only potential downside with Class Dojo is that middle schoolers may find the idea too juvenile and not take it seriously. But you never know; the playful nature of the platform might be just what a group of rowdy pre-teens need to settle them down.

Let Students Talk

If a talkative class knows they’ll get a chance to speak during your lesson, they’ll be more likely to hold back the disruptive chatter. So, fit talking time into every lesson and let students know it’s coming if they’re quiet when they need to be.

Here are some lesson ideas that vocal students will love:

Have class discussions and debates.
Plan group activities where learners can brainstorm together.

Give each learner a turn to present in front of the class.
Make time to go around the class and hear what individual students have to say.
Give students a few minutes to chat at the end of the lesson as a reward for staying focused.

Tip: Specify the appropriate noise level for different activities, and use an online noise-monitoring tool to keep talking volume under control.

Grab Students’ Attention

Use a verbal signal to quiet the class when the noise level is too high.

Call-and-responses work well to get students’ attention. This tool has the teacher calling a set phrase and the students responding with a matching set phrase. Change your phrase regularly to keep students’ interest, or switch things up by sometimes clapping a pattern for the class to repeat.

Here are attention-getters Playworks have found effective:

Suppose an individual student is causing most, if not all, of the commotion. In this case, follow these guidelines to help calm the rowdy student.

Act Quickly

Ignoring rowdiness can tell students they can get away with misconduct in your class. Nip it in the bud to show you won’t tolerate disrespectful behavior.

Don’t be worried about being seen as too strict, as teachers who implement discipline create a safer learning environment for students that often equates to better academic outcomes.

Stay Low-Key

Keep your behavior-changing intervention subtle so you don’t embarrass the student, disrupt your lesson, or give attention to the behavior you want to avoid.

Here are ways to correct the behavior without making a scene:

Use proximity (move closer) and body language (a stern look) to warn the student to evaluate and alter their behavior. These silent warnings can be done without interrupting the flow of the lesson.
Refocus the student by using their name in an example to illustrate a concept you’re currently teaching.

Don’t Let the Misbehavior Continue

If the student still won’t stop disrupting the class, try a different tactic. Here are a few more subtle interventions you can employ:

Use an “I” message to tackle the misbehavior without being confrontational with the student. Include this information: the student’s specific behavior, what effect the behavior has on the lesson, and how this makes you feel. Then, follow up with your expectations for the student’s behavior.
Give the student a task or additional responsibility to channel their energy into something more productive. My favorite task to assign to a rowdy student is the role of teacher’s assistant, whose responsibility is to keep a close eye on the rest of the class to ensure everyone follows the expectations. This is a surefire way of getting the student in charge to lead by example in front of their classmates.
Ask the student to go on a “time out.” This can be a quiet place inside or just outside the classroom where the student can take some time to calm down and reflect on their actions. Avoid using this option too frequently.

If you remove the student from the lesson, give them five minutes to cool off. Then offer them the choice of displaying positive behavior and returning to the lesson or continuing to act out and staying where they are. Giving students this option helps them realize they’re responsible for their choices and the consequences.

Have a private chat with the student after the lesson with the aim of understanding what might be causing their disorderly conduct. Keep a written record of the behavior and speak to your department head. Lastly, inform the student’s parents if the misconduct persists.

Rowdiness may come in different forms. Here’s a cheat sheet of management techniques for different types of rowdy behavior:

Type of Rowdy Behavior	Management Technique
Boastfulness and attention-seeking	Play a game to help students practice waiting their turn to speak. Separate the class into two teams and ask about something they’ve recently learned. The student who puts up their hand first answers. If they’re correct, their team gets a point. A point is subtracted if anyone yells the answer without raising their hand. Encourage students to keep a pen and pad on their desks to write down things to remember so they don’t feel urged to blurt them out.
Calling out	Play a game to help students practice waiting their turn to speak. Separate the class into two teams and ask about something they’ve recently learned. The student who puts up their hand first answers. If they’re correct, their team gets a point. A point is subtracted if anyone yells the answer without raising their hand.Encourage students to keep a pen and pad on their desks to write down things to remember so they don’t feel urged to blurt them out.
For Amusement and Entertainment	Find constructive ways for students to be in the limelight, such as inviting them to lead study groups. Provide opportunities for more light-hearted interactions, e.g., allow them to tell a joke or role-play something related to the learning.

3. Reflect on Your Own Behavior

You might unintentionally be fueling your students’ rowdiness.

These common mistakes can encourage negative behavior:

Trying to be too friendly with students so the teacher-student boundaries become distorted.

Overreacting to minor disturbances.
Punishing the whole class for a few students’ actions.
Interrupting your lesson to discipline and lecture a student at length.

Repeating instructions again and again. And again.
Having preconceptions of students before getting to know them.
Labeling students as troublemakers.

On the flip side, you can help create a calm, orderly classroom by:

Exuding confidence.
Staying calm and collected (especially under pressure).

Balancing discipline with humor.
Being fair.
Modeling respectful behavior toward others – especially students.

Showing empathy and understanding.
Using positive body language (gestures, posture, and tone of voice).
Walking around your class and engaging with students.

Not taking things personally (often, students’ misbehavior is not a sign of malice directed at you).

Final Thoughts

Disruptive behavior is common in middle school, with many teachers admitting that it is one of the biggest challenges they face in the classroom.

When trying to control a rowdy class, first make sure that your expectations and the potential consequences for not meeting these expectations are clearly set out.

Then, when disruptive behavior occurs, act quickly but subtly to address it using various strategies like a call and response or providing opportunities for discussion during the lesson.

Finally, it is always worth reflecting on your behavior and actions to ensure you are not fueling the problem rather than diffusing it.

Sources

TeacherVision: Classroom Management Techniques For Student Behavior