5-Min Pro · Dealing with Disruptive Learners: Three Strategies

The idea — Most classroom disruption is unmet need: boredom (task too easy), confusion (task too hard), or social need (task not engaging enough). The behaviour is the message. Read it before responding to it.

In practice — Strategy 1: proximity — move near the learner without stopping the lesson. Strategy 2: task adjustment — increase challenge or add a collaborative element. Strategy 3: private conversation — after class, not in front of peers.

One-minute task — Next time a learner disrupts, pause for two seconds and ask yourself: is this boredom, confusion, or social need? Your response changes depending on the answer.