Classroom Jobs to Support Classroom Behaviors

When parents, teachers, or school support staff see children “misbehaving”, moving around, or distracting from a group activity or classroom lesson, they may just see challenging behaviors BUT it’s so important to look beyond those behaviors to see what’s happening underneath.

Many times when kids begin to disengage or act out in the classroom, it’s telling us that there’s an unmet need under the surface.

One proactive support to try out is implementing classroom jobs. It’s a two birds, one stone kind of situation: meeting a child’s need for movement, autonomy, independence and contributing to the classroom culture. The trick to making this work for you, and not against you, is to make sure that you have a good understanding of the underlying need the behavior is communicating.

How do we know what’s underneath a behavior?

Behaviors can have a variety of different meanings so it’s important to try to unpack the behaviors of each child individually through a combination of observation, parent or therapist consultation, and connecting directly with the child to ask them curious questions (if possible).

• A child who leaves circle time to walk around the classroom could be bored with the lesson, need more sensory input, or be overwhelmed by the sensory input.
  
  
• A child who keeps interrupting during a group lesson may genuinely be trying to help out by sharing what they already know, or have executive functioning challenges that make impulse control difficult.
  
  
• A child who melts down when working on group projects may be struggling with emotional regulation or experiencing sensory overload from the bustling sound of the classroom and constant chatter.
  

Observation and noticing behavioral patterns will be helpful in determining the underlying reason behind a behavior, but sometimes you need to call in some support. Occupational therapists are the perfect people for this job. They can take a sensory profile inventory on the student, which will help you better identify some potential triggers for behaviors. Once you understand what’s happening underneath the behaviors, it opens up so many possibilities for you to support their self-regulation and engagement in the classroom.

Ideas for classroom jobs

Other things to consider

Classroom jobs can benefit all students, not just those with neurodivergence or sensory needs. Providing jobs that any student can engage in can also avoid further feelings of isolation or being singled out which many neurodivergent students may already be experiencing in the classroom.

So, if you create a paper shredding corner for a student who sometimes needs that heavy work, allow other students to do it too. Or if you allow a gifted student the opportunity to be the teacher’s assistant, let other kids try it out too in low stakes situations that meet their strengths.

Ultimately, we want to make the classroom work for all of the students which is no small feat (shoutout to our teachers!) and one way we can create an inclusive, empowering spaces is by letting our kids see firsthand that we all have different strengths, different challenges, and different needs and then allowing that to be embraced and celebrated in these spaces. This is one way to practice differentiation in the classroom which benefits ALL students (not just neurodivergent students).

Want To Learn More From Me?

If you want to learn more about classroom jobs, differentiation in the classroom, and supporting gifted children in the classroom, this month’s case study is for you. And I have even more amazing case studies coming! These weekly newsletters breakdown real-life case studies with the consent of clients I have worked with so I can offer actionable insights and strategies you can implement today!