In my previous article I wrote about how a warning should be your first consequence.

This week I’m going to explain how to give a warning so it will have the greatest impact on student behavior.

Here we go.

The Purpose Of A Warning

A warning is just a warning—and nothing more. So when you give one to a student for breaking a rule, leave it at that. You ruin the effectiveness of a warning by adding a lecture, a scolding, or anything that shows your displeasure.

That may sound counterintuitive, but a warning only works when its purpose is to allow students to fix their mistakes on their own.

A warning is another way of saying:

You broke a class rule, but I trust that you will check yourself and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

When students are given the freedom to make the right choice, rather than having it forced upon them, it says loud and clear that you believe in them and their capacity to control their behavior.

And this makes all the difference.

But so many teachers mess it up by giving a warning and then adding, “I don’t want to see you do that again. Do you understand me?” or something vaguely threatening like that.

You have to give trust before students will show you they’re worthy of it.

When a student first breaks a classroom rule, give them the opportunity to show you they can get themselves back on track by letting your warning be a warning. Keep your personal feelings out of it.

Again, and I’ve written this before, we want students to look inward when they break a rule. The last thing you want is for them to get mad at you for their mistakes.

If your students get angry with you or blame you when they break a rule, then classroom management will be infinitely more difficult.

Finger-wagging lectures, added reminders, scolding, sighing, threatening. They’re all self-sabotage.

How To Give A Warning

There is only one way I recommend giving a warning:

Quickly, dispassionately, and with as few words as possible.

However, there are two variations depending on the situation. We’ll go over both so you can begin using them tomorrow.

First Variation:

If a student breaks a rule, and you’re sure the student knows what rule was broken, then you simply write his or her name on the board, place a yellow card in the student’s designated pocket, or do whatever you do to signify a warning.

(The mode by which you indicate a warning is irrelevant.)

And that’s it. You never speak to the student. The student sees the yellow card turned over and knows that a warning has been issued. The onus, then, is on the student to do what he or she needs to do to avoid further consequence.

This is how you’ll give a warning about 75% of the time.

Second Variation:

The other 25% goes like this:

If a student breaks a rule, but you’re not sure the student is aware of it, then approach the student and say, “You have a warning because you broke rule number two.”

Say it matter-of-factly and then immediately walk away.

At your first opportunity, write the student’s name on the board—or however you prefer to indicate a warning.

Make Sure You Do This

To make your warning most effective, make sure you do the following:

Include everyone.

Even the most well-behaved students make mistakes once in a while. Resist the urge to look the other way when they break a rule. In fact, when your top student breaks a rule, it’s a great opportunity to show the entire class your consistency and integrity.

Back it up.

A warning is only effective when backed by a consequence your students don’t like. They need to know that if they break a second rule, you will hold them accountable.

Use Enduring Classroom Management Strategies

The classroom management strategies and methods you’ll find on this site are enduring; no tricks or trends that weaken over time.

This “hit and run” method of giving warnings is a good example. The longer you consistently use it, the more effective it becomes.

The reason is simple.

When your students begin to grasp that the responsibility for breaking rules in your classroom falls firmly—and solely—in their laps, behavior will improve.

And this kind of improvement is permanent.

Note: This past week Dream Class was announced as a finalist for the sixteenth annual San Diego Book Awards. The winners will be announced in a ceremony on June 5th. I’ll let you know if it wins.

Thanks so much for reading.

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

I’m frequently asked whether I recommend giving a warning as a first consequence.

My answer is an emphatic yes.

Giving a warning eliminates the need for three commonly used strategies that make classroom management more difficult.

Teachers who struggle with classroom management tend to lean on one or more of them.

What about you? Do you do any of the following?

Reminding

The teacher reminds students when they don’t follow classroom rules.

Example: Mrs. Fowler asks a question during a lesson. Eric calls out an answer. Mrs. Fowler says, “Good answer, Eric, but next time raise your hand.”

Mrs. Fowler often reminds her students to follow classroom rules. Predictably, they break them often.

Glaring

The teacher glares at students when they don’t follow classroom rules.

Example: Mr. Penn sees Michelle and Elsa giggling during writers’ workshop. He positions himself where they can see him and then, with arms crossed and eyebrows raised, gives them “the look” until they get back to work.

Mr. Penn is proud of his ability to stop misbehavior in its tracks with his well-practiced “look” but has grown tired of the constant battles to get students to follow his rules and focus on their work.

Correcting

The teacher corrects students when they don’t follow classroom rules.

Example: The class is lined up for lunch. But one boy, Terrence, is out of line and acting up. Frustrated, Mr. Stallings barks, “Terrence, close your mouth and get in line!”

Mr. Stallings is a ball of stress at the end of each day. The burden of having to command students to do this and don’t do that is causing him to reevaluate his career choice.

Giving A Simple Warning Is Easy

Instead of the stress and frustration of reminding, glaring, and correcting, all three teachers could save themselves a lot of trouble by giving a simple warning.

A warning works best as a first consequence because…

It’s easy to be consistent.

When you have a classroom management plan that includes a warning, it takes the guesswork out of handling initial misbehavior. Student breaks rule…teacher gives warning. It’s as easy as that.

It’s not personal.

By consistently giving a warning whenever a student breaks a rule (for the first violation), you avoid the drama that can result from a direct and personal confrontation.

It builds trust.

Doing exactly what you say you will do builds your students’ trust in you, which makes it easier to influence behavior.

It’s quick and easy.

There is no interruption when giving a warning. You just give it and move on without a second thought.

It’s stress free.

You don’t have to rely on persuasion or intimidation to stop misbehavior. You don’t have to yell, remind, glare, or use any of the other stress inducing methods so many teachers feel trapped into using.

It makes sense to students.

When you follow your classroom management plan exactly as stated—which includes a warning—there is no confusion for students. They know exactly what to expect, which gives them a sense of safety and frees them to be their best selves.

Note: A warning is only effective when backed by a strong, take-action consequence.

Next week we are going to continue with the same theme. The topic will be how to give a warning so it has the greatest effect on student behavior.

Thanks for reading.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Let’s begin this weeks article by looking at a common scenario.

You’re leading your students to class after visiting the library one day, and you notice Andrew kicking the heels of the student in front of him.

He is clearly doing it on purpose.

You stop the line, walk over to Andrew, and say, “Andrew, please stop kicking Karla.”

Andrew replies, “I wasn’t kicking anyone.”

“Yes, you were. I saw you.”

“I wasn’t doing anything. I was just walking.”

You are now officially in an argument.

And you don’t want to give in and lose the argument because, you think, it will encourage more bad behavior from Andrew, as well as from the rest of the class.

So you become determined to prove Andrew wrong and make him admit that he was indeed kicking Karla.

You go back and forth for several minutes until he takes responsibility for his behavior and apologizes to Karla.

But while you’re battling it out with Andrew, your students are waiting and growing bored, your upcoming lesson is on hold, and the smooth momentum of your day is lost.

If you feel like you have to prove to misbehaving students that (a) they did what you saw them do or (b) that their behavior was wrong, you’re going to find yourself in these situations a lot.

Why You Should Never Argue With Students

Here are the biggest reasons why you should never argue with students:

• It’s stressful.

• It can make you lose your cool.

• It can cause you to behave in a manner you’ll regret.

• It wastes time.

• It creates friction between you and your students.

• It weakens your relationship with students.

• It makes you less likable.

• It encourages students to challenge your authority.

Some students will try to goad you into an argument because it puts you on the same level. In other words, it becomes just two people disagreeing.

But is it really just two people disagreeing?

Of course not. You know Andrew is guilty and he knows he is guilty. So what is there to argue about?

How To Avoid Arguments With Students

I’ve had teachers tell me that you can’t avoid arguments with students altogether unless you’re willing to give in or let some things go. Based on how often I see teachers arguing with students, I think this is a common belief.

But with the right strategy, avoiding arguments with students isn’t difficult. It can even be a means of strengthening your classroom management effectiveness.

Here are the five steps to avoiding arguments with students.

1. Follow Your Classroom Management Plan – Arguments begin when the teacher asks a student to stop doing something rather than enforcing a consequence. Your classroom rules should cover every possible misbehavior. So when a student breaks a rule, simply follow your plan.

2. Give A Warning – Your classroom management plan should include a warning for the first offense. For example, when you see Andrew kicking the heels of the girl in front of him, make eye contact and say, “Andrew, you have a warning because you’re not keeping your hands and feet to yourself.”

3. Move On – After giving a warning, or a time-out if it’s a second offense, turn away from the student immediately and continue with whatever you were doing. Don’t give your students an opportunity to argue or explain their behavior. There is no need.

4. Pause/Repeat – If you find yourself in a situation where a student is determined to stand in front of you to plead his or her case, maintain eye contact, pause several seconds, and then repeat, “You have a warning because you are not keeping your hands to yourself.”

5. Enforce A Consequence For Arguing – If the student continues to argue, enforce the second consequence. “Andrew, you’re being disrespectful to me, which breaks rule number three. I’ll walk you to time-out.”

Following these steps will garner respect from students and dissuade them from attempting to goad you into any more arguments.

And the best part is you’ll never again have to prove to your students what you—and they—already know to be the truth.

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.