I always ask students during our first class session to inform me of any special needs. Every so often I will have a student that is willing to share their IEP and from that we can talk about how I can best support the student in learning the course content. This prevents a situation where the student falls behind or loses confidence in his/her abilities.

I try to encourage activities that include groups that are focused on discussing vocabulary terms, applications and definitions. Students have an opportunity to utilize the new terms and increase their comfort zone. I also recite the vocabulary terms and have the entire class repeat it after me. They enjoy it more when we play games with voice fluctuations.

When forming groups I try to develop a diverse group by combining students of various learning styles, social skills and knowledge levels. I try to encourage participation of all members by facilitating discussion through checking in with the group while they are coming together to plan. At that point I can determine if there is a back seat driver and if I need to increase motivators for full participation.

I like to circulate around the classroom during lecture. It allows me to reach areas where students may be engaging in cell phone or internet activity. If I consistently move around the room, students will be comfortable and more alert during instruction. They also feel encouraged to ask questions when I am in close proximity.

I like to use a grading rubric for assessments. This gives students a foundation to work from. They know how they will be graded and what to expect.

I like to have students make mini crossword puzzles and word searches of vocabulary words. Puzzles reinforce word definitions and word searches reinforce spelling. They enjoy the activities and seem to demonstrate better retention.

I like to use powerpoints accompanied with a lecture outline with lines for note-taking. After a few slides I might perform a quick check by giving a pop quiz on the main points. This keeps students focused when they know there will be an assessment during instruction.

At the end of each class, I like to go over the schedule for the upcoming class session/week with the students. This helps prepare the students ahead of time and clarifies any confusion. It also reinforces the syllabus and lets the students know that we are right on target with meeting the course expectations. It is also a time for me to start thinking about my instructional support needs for class preparation as well.

Students need to know that the instructor has ethical boundaries. Trying to keep the conversation academic based will reinforce the instructors intentions to maintain a professional classroom experience. Some students may try to focus attention on personal situations, so I think it is up to the instructor to keep the conversation curriculum based and on topic. Some students need a bit more redirection from the instructor, but if the instructor knows the content well, it will be much easier to redirect students.

Instructors have multiple strategies to manage disruptive behavior. I find that by applying psycho-social theories to classroom teaching I am able to build rapport and gain the trust of potentially disruptive students. Some of my students have career related PTSD and I use a hand signal system that gives them an opportunity to alert me that their stress level is going up. This allows me to manage potentially disruptive situations before they erupt and gives the student a chance to self-monitor.