Managing Behaviour in Small Student Groups

Author: Bella Thorburn

Bella has recently begun her gap year Yipiyap, and currently tutors Maths at a local school!

Starting work as an educator can be daunting, especially when it comes to managing student behaviour.

This guide shares real experiences and practical strategies from one of our gap year tutors, Bella, who has recently started working at a school supporting students from Year 7 to Year 11.

Managing small group dynamics

At my school, I mostly hold 2:1 sessions with students, both Year 7- Year 9, and Year 11’s. As a result of this, most of the behaviour I have to manage in these sessions involves encouraging students to bring their attention back to the task and continue working, and occasionally re-explaining that just because we're not in a classroom doesn't mean that it isn't a lesson.

I’m sometimes presented with the challenge of how to get students to engage with what I'm saying; their struggle tends to be due to a lack of understanding or lack of interest, rather than being directly argumentative. It’s usually not appropriate for tutors to handle really challenging behaviour themselves, so make sure you’re familiar with your school or colleges disciplinary procedures and who to contact if you need support. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have your part to play. Here are my top tips for how tutors can make sure small group sessions stay focused.

Building trust and respect

As a tutor or member of support staff, you're there to help and explain, so don't feel like you need to be in charge. Sometimes a student might disagree with you and be right, or sometimes you misunderstand a situation. That’s completely okay! You want to foster an environment where students are comfortable with correcting your mistakes, as it is a sign that they trust you not to be upset with them. Let your students know you welcome corrections, that you'll handle their mistakes positively, and show this through your actions.

Being firm is not the same as being rude - remember to be polite to your students even if they've been challenging your patience or if you've had a really stressful day. If someone isn’t acting responsibly, it’s because they’re still learning. Help them along by modelling respectful behaviour towards them, and they’ll likely respond in time. And, if that doesn't do it, then it's not a problem that's within your ability to solve. You’re only human too!

Techniques for passive misbehaviour

When it comes to more passive misbehaviour, I have picked up a few little tricks to nudge students into following instructions without having to be strict or invite any argument.

For example, instead of saying "Write the date and title now" or "You need to start on those questions", I say "Do you know what the date/title is?" and "Do you know how to do the first question?". This way students, particularly those who don't like following demands, have the opportunity to show off their ability in front of you, which gets them to actually start a task they might have been given the worksheet for five minutes ago. Questions invite discussion, while commands invite conflicts.

Creative attention-grabbing strategies

One final bonus trick for getting attention from students, particularly younger ones; when they just won't stop talking amongst themselves - ask them to do something extremely low-effort, out of nowhere, and once they've answered correctly, nod and move on without acknowledging why.

Like holding up your hand and asking "How many fingers am I holding up?" or "What does it say on that sign?" or, if you happen to be sat near a window, ask "What's that over there?" - even if nothing is outside! It seems silly, but confusing people into paying attention to you works very well in most situations.

If you're in a group and most students are paying attention to you but a few keep chatting, stop talking, and watch them. Don't tell them off, just be silent. Again, this confuses them, and everybody in the group turns to see what you're looking at - once you've regained attention, just nod or say "Thank you" before beginning your original sentence again and move on. It works, trust me!

I hope this helps - good luck!