Of course, disruption in a classroom is not necessarily a bad thing. Some would argue that disruptive people are essential to the creative process – they stir things up, they shake the box, they push thinking to the edges. And such creativity is essential to learning and growth.

Still, there’s a line crossed where disruption becomes destruction, and that we can’t allow as effective educators. 

A few primary tips for dealing with classroom disruptions are:

Address problems while they’re small: recognize the trouble signs, such as incrementally escalating conflicts.

Work as a control rod: absorb the radioactivity in a classroom when necessary.

Seek ways to turn conflict into learning: assign a research project, perhaps having them work in a team.

Help the students feel connected: "I hear you" can be three very powerful words.

Set limits: once people know where the walls are, they'll often stop pushing. Know when to lower the boom. We have a duty to protect the learning environment of our students.

Turn to your support team: mentors, department heads, deans.  

In the video clip below, I share a presentation from a seminar on dealing with disruptive students prepared for online instructors, but the concepts apply to teachers on-ground as well. 

The presentation proposes three levels of intervention with disruptive students, including the educator mode, the counselor mode, and the corrective mode.

Dealing with Disruptive Students