Behaviour Management

Behaviour Management Mark Jenkins

Thinking About TeachingAre You Concerned About Behaviour? • With a partner • Discuss your feelings about the issue of behaviour in school • Draw on your own experiences • What worries you and what encourages you when you consider your experience and expectations when dealing with children’s inappropriate behaviour • Let us share pleasures and anxieties

Remaining the Professional Adult • Look after your own self esteem • Learn that attacks are not personal • Access your skills of behaviour management • Make your responses consistent with the shared aims of the class and school • Reduce the child’s stress and anxiety • Help them to gain control of their feelings

QTS Standards [2007]1.Professional Attributes • Q1: Have high expectations of children and young people including a commitment to ensuring that they can achieve their full educational potential and to establishing fair, respectful, trusting, supportive and constructive relationships with them • Q2: Demonstrate the positive values, attitudes and behaviour they expect from children and young people • Q4: Communicate effectively with children, young people, colleagues, parents and carers • Q5: Recognise and respect the contribution that colleagues, parents and carers can make to the development and well-being of children and young people and to raising their level of attainment

QTS Standards2. Professional Knowledge and Understanding • Q10: Have a knowledge and understanding of a range of teaching, learning and behaviour management strategies and know how to use and adapt them, including how to personalise learning and provide opportunities for all learners to achieve their potential • Q21(b): Know how to identify and support children and young people whose progress, development or well-being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances, and when to refer them to a colleague for specialist support.

QTS Standards3. Professional Skills • Q31:Establish a clear framework for classroom discipline to manage learner’s behaviour constructively and promote their self-control and independence • Q32: Work as a team member and identify opportunities for working with colleagues, sharing the development of effective practice with them

The Reality of the Role Gerard • Unless you’re prepared to deal with children in all their glory don’t become a teacher. • Prospective teachers need to know that children will always test the limits. They should know children will invariably talk out of turn, run rather than walk, daydream rather than listen, test your authority rather than acquiesce meekly… and generally question your every utterance.

Health Warning There are no easy answers, quick fixes or foolproof methods which lead to successful behaviour management. Getting it right has more to do with your ability to plan and deliver effectively, and with a whole school approach to developing self-esteem, than it has to do with children's personalities.

Poor Behaviour? • What can constitute poor behaviour? • What could be the reasons behind each type of behaviour you have identified? • Share with a partner.

Difficult Behaviour Might Be • Attention seeking disruption • Simple non-compliance • Talking out of turn • Non co-operation in a group or pair • Overt rudeness and disrespect to adults and peers • Physical abuse • Truancy

What Children Need in Order to Behave Well • Self respect, high self esteem • Respect for others and from others • Clear boundaries and expectations • Clear rewards and sanctions • Consistent responses from adults • The chance to redeem themselves

Pupils like teachers who.. • Keep order • Are fair and consistent • Have no favourites • Can explain clearly and give help • Are friendly and patient London Borough of Waltham Forest, Behaviour Support Pack

Language, Behaviour and Self-esteem • It is often difficult, when we are stressed or annoyed, not to criticise a child. However, with a little practice it is possible to achieve the effect we want in a more positive way. • Always try and separate the behaviour from the person. • Use the class rules as a reference point consistently when discussing a child’s behaviour with her/him.

Work to Repair and Restore Relationships • Catch them being good • Give children the chance to redeem themselves • Be positive about the future • Don’t bear grudges and don’t take poor behaviour personally

Managing a Positive Response Turn each of these ‘don’t’ rules in to a ‘do’ rule that has a more universal effect: • Don’t talk in class • Don’t push when standing in lines • Don’t hit, punch or kick others • Don’t steal from your classmates • Don’t call your classmates names

Work Within a Framework Why is this important? • It enables you to provide clear boundaries and expectations • It allows the adult to correct behaviour from the perspective of protecting rights rather than criticising the child personally • It supports children in taking responsibility for their own behaviour

Ground Rules for Classroom Rules Docking Classroom rules serve three purposes: • To ensure safety and personal welfare • To provide effective conditions for teaching and learning • To help children develop considerate behaviour and respect for property

Clear Boundaries and Expectations - Classroom Rules Mosley, J. Do be gentle, don’t hurt anybody Do be kind and helpful, don’t hurt people’s feelings Do be honest, don’t cover up the truth Do work hard, don’t waste time Do look after property, don’t waste or damage things Do listen to people, don’t interrupt

Charters - An Alternative Approach …Reminder • Classroom charters based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child • (The Rights, Respect and Responsibility (RRR) approach)

The Essential Parameters • All children need routines. Pupils in difficult schools need them even more urgently because their behaviour is so extreme that they need to know that there are reassuring parameters to contain them. • Therefore, stick to the basic routines you can enforce. They are vital because they are the symbols of your control in the classroom. • By obtaining what you demand in terms of simple procedures you’ll create a situation in which you can do some teaching. • Paul Blum

Within school – Key times and places • Early morning • Children who are late • Getting ready for assembly • Lining up for assembly • Moving around the school • Lunchtime/playtimes • Wet playtimes • Visitors arriving • Home time • Getting ready for practical activities; changing for P.E., preparing for Art, DT.

Classroom Routines Video with Sue Cowley Author of ‘Getting the Buggers to Behave’ http://www.schoolsworld.tv/videos/classroom-routines

Reward Systems • What have you used or seen in school • Did they work? • Were there any pitfalls? • Were any more appropriate for a particular age group? • At what stage should the child be able to complete the activity for the satisfaction and pleasure of doing it rather than a tangible reward?

Rewards and Sanctions • A clear system • A system that separates rewards from sanctions • A system that rewards all children • A system that children understand and have invested in • A system that is reviewed regularly

Warnings and Sanctions • Name the negative behaviour • Draw attention to the positive behaviour of others – “Show me how you can…” • Offer a choices reminder • Use visual warnings after verbal e.g. name on the board followed by a cross

Video Clip • Watch the following clip and identify the strategies used by both teachers. • How effective do you think they are in dealing with their children? • What would you do to improve the behaviour in these classes? http://www.schoolsworld.tv/videos/managing-behaviour Discuss and be prepared to share your ideas with the group

Improving Schools Research implies that misbehaviour in schools has determinants at three levels: • Some individuals are more likely to misbehave • Some teachers are more likely to produce higher levels of misconduct • Some schools are less able to control student behaviour than others What can the school and teacher do to enable behaviour to be managed? Discuss

Where Schools Manage Behaviour Well • Proactive schools which pre-empt and prevent difficulties arising • Schools with a strong sense of community • Schools with collaborative teachers who share information about pupils • Schools that promote pupil autonomy Watkins, C. & Wagner, P. (2000) Improving School Behaviour. London:Chapman

Bill Rogers Ensure you read the article by Bill Rogers in the reading pack before you go out on school experience

Behaviour Management