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Welcome to the Unconventional Strategies page! Here you will get weekly ideas and strategies that can really enhance your effectiveness with your most difficult students. Most difficult students do not care enough about traditional disciplinary techniques like rules and consequences so they are often unaffected by these. That does not mean we should abandon important strategies that provide structure, direction and predictability for all students.
But it does mean that we need to have a number of unconventional strategies that you might not want to use with all students, but you will often need to use with those who are more challenging. There are always reasons NOT to use unconventional strategies because at first they might feel awkward to you. It takes guts and courage as well as commitment to do what is best for all of your students to try them anyway. Enjoy and Good Luck!
Acronyms can help students remember important things!
Acronyms are great ways to help students easily remember certain tips or techniques associated with proper behavior. Below are a few of our favorites:
Quit
Taking
It
Personally
T
ell someone what is bothering you
Ask them to stop
Go find an adult that can help if the person doesn't stop
Stop before you do anything.
Think about your options.
Options (what are the consequences of each choice?
Move on it (make a choice).
Praise yourself (for not losing control and for doing your best!)
The Power of Velcro?
Place a piece of Velcro (female side up) underneath the chair of your students who have ADHD. Tell the student to rub this Velcro when they start getting antsy. This will help to soothe them and hopefully prevent them from turning to other means of displacing some of their energy such as pencil tapping.
Music Stands and ADHD?
This is a great idea. Go down to the music room and ask if you can have 4 or 5 music stands. Spread them around your room and let your students know they can do their work at their desk or standing. Whichever they choose. The stands can be raised or lowered to meet any height.
You won't find music stands in most regular classrooms. Which is why we call such an idea "Unconventional!"
Swimming Noodles Anyone?
I recently met a teacher that uses the styrophome swimming noodles to help kids with ADHD. She cuts the noodle into three pieces (used for three separate students) and places them at the feet of the ADHD student. The student then is able to move the noodle while sitting at his desk. Remember, often times these kids just need a little bit of movement. The noodle is completely silent as it rolls back and forth!
Have any Pen Tappers?
This strategy works for 50% of pen tappers. The kind that is not intentionally tapping. In fact, when you ask them to stop they usually do, and then 30 seconds later they are tapping again.
For this student, cut small pieces of carpet and tape them to each desk. Ask the kids to tap on the carpet instead of the desk. After all, is it the pen tapping that's driving you crazy, or the noise from the pen tapping?
"50/50" and "Ask a friend" in the classroom?
At the end of every multiple choice test or quiz give your students two lifelines. The first is a 50/50. A student approaches he teacher and tells him they want to use their 50/50 on number 17. The teacher then eliminates two of the choices, leaving the student to guess between the remaining two answers.
The student then selects one other question they were struggling with. They are then allowed to "ask a friend" for help on this one question. This is done in the presence of the teacher so it is clear the student is not given more than one answer.
Deal or No Deal
This game can be used as a motivator to get students to complete their homework. The example we are using is for math homework, however this concept can be applied to other subjects as well. Show all the students 10 homework problems. Then place pictures of brief cases (like the game show) up on the chalkboard with numbers on them. The numbers should not match the math problem numbers. Have all the students at the same time write down 5 case numbers. Then reveal what math problem is behind the case number. Those are the problems that the students are expected to do for their assignment. Have fun with this and have behind one case a free homework pass for the night!
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