This is an excerpt from my blog post, “Classroom Management: 23 Psycho-Educational Tips for Correcting and Redirecting Behavior.” You can read the complete article, plus 50+ articles in psycho-education and in alternative teaching techniques for students with low academic skills on my blog, “The Psycho-Educational Teacher.”

1. Disapprove the behavior, not the child. Avoid using messages that refer to the child’s character, for example, “You are always messing up” or “You never listen to anyone!” In these kinds of messages, words like “always” and “never” imply the notion that the child’s behavior is an inherent trait, like having brown eyes, and it is not going to change.
2. Use eye contact, say the child’s name, and use pleasant words.
3. Stay cool, do not display emotion, and remain calm and business-like.
4. Stay close to the child (at a desk’s length), avoiding giving reprimands across the room.
5. Begin on a positive note. Before correcting the child, let her know what she did that you like. For example, “Wow, you worked hard to wipe your desk clean. All that you need to do now is to remove these small spots here.”
6. Avoid vague or global statements like “This is sloppily written” or “Be nice to Justin.” The child needs to know exactly what he is doing poorly.
7. Avoid using negative directions that tell the student what not to do, for example, “Do not make noises” or “Do not hit other children.”
8. Describe what you want the child to do in positive terms. Use positive wording, that is, telling the child what he should do rather than what not to do. For example, “Raise your hand to talk” instead of “Do not call out the answers.”
9. Use positive direction by guiding the child towards a more appropriate behavior. Tell the child the alternative behavior, for example, rather than saying, “Do not color on your desk,” say, “You can color on this paper, not on your desk.”

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