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It is the culture of the school that provides for opportunities like this to go outside the classroom and then to return and resettle and focus.  This climate of the school comes from only one place and that is the principal! He/she encourages this and establishes an enforced cause/effect for individuals who abuse any privilege.

I am a math coach and working on principalship cert so I am biased.  I believe the principal is the answer.  I also find myself saying "is isn't about math" too much.  A excellent poem was provided to explain density.  I guess we could have read the poem out loud, but why are these students not seeking extra help to learn math literacy and reading/writing literacy?  I spent about a third of my time tracking students down because they did not show up for pull-out sessions and they never show up before school, after school, or during their lunch period.  This was the same story for the reading/writing literacy coach.  We can provide the opportunities, but I cannot figure out how to force anyone to learn or force anyone to want to learn.   I hear you, but I do not have an answer.  If we did I guess their would be less problems with most schools.

There will be disruptive students regardless of the lesson, regardless of the teacher, regardless of the space, regardless of he didactics, regardless of the multiple intelligences utilized or modalities employed.  It is the teacher and moreso the principal who deals with these few habitual disruptive students and sets the tone of decency, citizenship, and respect in providing a safe learning environment that is least invasive for all students.  Why are we constantly dealing with these repetitive disruptive individuls who do not want to be students?  It typically is the same offending individua across many subjects across many teachers.  I do believe most kids do want to learn and become students.  It is the disruptive individuals who can eaily ruin a class and a school ... if permitted.