Difficult Students and Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom

Vance Austin, PhD, is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education at Manhattanville College and also teachers part-time in a special high school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. He has formerly worked full time as a special education teacher in both public and private schools where he accumulated over 25 years of teaching experience and has also taught at several colleges and universities. He has authored many articles and book chapters, and presented at numerous national and international conferences on the topics of effective teaching and behavior management. He lives in Port Chester, NY. Daniel Sciarra, PhD, LCMHC, NCC, is a psychologist, former school counselor, and Professor of Counselor Education and Director of Counseling programs at Hofstra University. Fluently bilingual in Spanish, he maintains a clinical practice with Latino children, adolescents, and families through the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut. His research interests include multicultural counseling, racial identity development, and the role of the school counselor in the promotion of academic achievement and educational attainment among students of color. He lives in Hempstead, NY.

"It's true... good teachers are not just born that way-they can be made! If you've ever struggled or worried about challenging students in your classroom, this book will surely provide the insight, knowledge, and tools you need to be successful. It's packed with useful information for educators at all levels of experience. Real and relevant, with vignettes of actual student-teacher scenarios, it has reshaped how I view and approach the most challenging students, helped me develop a greater sense of empathy, and inspired me to use a research-based framework to proficiently handle a wide variety of common classroom issues. Equipped with these tools, a willingness to self reflect, and the desire to meet students where they are, we can all rediscover what it really means to be a special educator!" -- Sara Sadoff, Senior Adjunct Professor, Manhattanville College "As a college professor of more than 20 years, I very highly recommend it to all educators who wish to promote positive interactions when working with difficult students and disruptive behavior in the classroom. Drs. Austin and Sciarra provide a fantastically clear understanding of the framework of good teaching. Their emphasis on the quality of the teacher-student relationship and the development of a sound pedagogical schema is easy to understand and rich with current research, real-world examples, and practical strategies for educators. This is a very impressive, accessible, and extremely well-written book-an outstanding read." -- George Giuliani, JD, PsyD, Associate Professor, Hofstra University "This commanding book frames working with students who have difficult and disruptive characteristics in a relational model. Building on the theoretical work of Bowlby and Ainsworth, the authors make a strong argument for the premise that a powerful tool in building effective learning environments is the positive relationships teachers create with students. From this "attachment-like" perspective, Drs. Austin and Sciarra use a topical approach to address how to connect and teach all students. The authors explore how positive interaction "will make all the difference in the world." This is exactly what we need right now: teachers who can make a difference in their students' lives." -- Micheline Malow, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Special Education, Manhattanville College