Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide To Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management And Colleague Support

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In my last placement, as much as I hate to admit it, there were several times when I found myself being outclassed in a behavioural debate with a student. School wide positive behaviour support (SW-PBS) is a systematic individualised strategy that is commonly implemented in schools to achieve social and emotional learning outcomes while avoiding negative behaviours (Kwang-Sun et al. 20ll). SW-PBS is split up into three separate categories, including primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary includes strategies that are designed for all student behaviours. Secondary extends deeper, focusing on strategies, which are designed for specific groups of students, classes and individuals at risk of negative behaviours. The tertiary level, are specific strategies, which are, implemented for specific individuals with severe behaviour issues. Sainato (1990) describes this strategy as a strategy that aims to increase positive behaviours and adaptive skills, whilst significantly decreasing negative behaviours that occur.

I notice you’re playing football in the infant area.” This descriptive cue raises the students’ behaviour awareness. In his distinctive accessible and entertaining style, he offers practical suggestions to support teachers as they face the pressures of accountability, assessment and rising concerns about student behaviour. Imagine that a pair of students were talking to each other when they should have been working silently. You directthem to work in silence, but they respond with a whining complaint, but we’re not the only ones talking. You refuse to enter the side argument, restate your directionand move away.

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So, those routines are essential and the other area that’s crucial is to establish an agreement with the students – a student behaviour agreement, an understanding about the way that we behave in this learning space. Most teachers cover three crucial areas: the right to feel safe, not just physically but psychologically safe, and what that means; the right to fundamental respect and fair treatment of one another; and obviously the right to learn without undue and unreasonable distraction from other students, so what a learning community ought to feel like. Most teachers call that something like a ‘student behaviour agreement’ or ‘rights and responsibilities’ or even ‘positive classroom rules’, but the terms cover those understandings of safety, respect and learning. This exciting new edition of the best-selling and beloved teacher's companion looks at the everyday behaviour issues facing teachers working in today's classrooms. Describing real situations and dilemmas, Bill Rogers provides theoretically sound strategies and best practices to support you in meeting the challenges of the job, as well as building up a rapport with both students and colleagues to enable positive and productive learning environments. Bill suggests we ignore secondary behaviour (muttering under breath, rolling eyes, indulgent sighs), and instead focus on primary behaviour such whether the student is doing work, on their phone, calling out, or actively directing inappropriate language or actions towards yourself or another student. Following the full day program, school leaders also report that their staff group are taking their own initiative in staff meetings to support each other in adopting common language and strategies, and for revisiting and reviewing their own practice against the recommendations they all heard together from Dr Rogers. Ragnar Purje is a relatively new theorist in the world of behaviour management models, creating his book Responsibility Theoryin 2014. Under his belt he has 11 Academic qualifications and is currently sitting for number 12. Responsibility Theoryis not Ragnar Purje's first books, with ANRME ( Advanced Neurological Restructuring and Muscular Enhancement) in 2011, which reports on a unique applied movement therapy which he initiated first in 1993 (Purje. R, 2014).

Written jargon-free in Bill′s accessible and empathetic voice it includes in-depth strategies, practical examples, case studies and pragmatic hints and tips to put in to practice. This will make for informative and inspiring reading to all those involved in educating our children and young people.If the student refuses to co-operate with the fair direction, reminder, or directed choice and his behaviour is clearly affecting the learning and safety of others, we will need to be more intrusive and apply clear, firm and calm time-out measures. If a student hasn’t got a pen in the first few lessons, I provide him with what he needs. If after several lessons it’s clear this is more than forgetfulness, we will need to work with the student on a one-to-one plan to enable his responsibility (see Rogers, 2011). In the classroom itself we never argue about why a student hasn’t got the necessary equipment.

It really is important not to hold things in and think that you’re the only one that’s struggling – because there are natural struggles in our profession, particularly if we’re in more challenging schools. So, it’s crucial in those first few weeks, if things are not working out as well as you’d hoped and you know that there are issues with individual students or even the whole class that are not working well, it’s absolutely crucial to ask your colleagues for support – both that moral support but also that practical support and guidance. Sometimes that might even mean teachers working together sometimes with more difficult classes. Do you want to come and take the lesson?” (This to a group of chatty girls in the instructional phase of the lesson.) JE: If you go into a staffroom and ask for advice on what tone you need to set with a new class – in relation to discipline – I’d guarantee probably you’ll hear somebody say ‘you need to start hard and ease off later if you need to’. What would you say to that kind of advice? We always distinguish between our characteristic use of language in discipline and bad day syndrome. We all have bad days, as do our students. We’re obviously fallible. What our students remember is our characteristic language as a key feature of our relationship with them. Dr Bill Rogers is a regular visitor to the UK conducting in-service programmes in schools and universities. He is also Fellow of the Australian College of Education; an Honorary Life Fellow at Trinity College (Leeds) and an Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne University Graduate School of Education. 20% OFF!As you reflect on the following language examples it is also crucial to be aware of the effect of tone of voice and the way we convey intent by our body language and manner. 1. Giving directions The when-then structure offers you an easy way to use conditional permission. When you have finished your notes, then you can search for suitable images for your assignment. When you have eaten your fruit, then you may go to play. These understandings come from a core base that’s non-negotiable. The right to feel safe and the right to respect and the right to learn are the basis on which teachers build this agreement. We wouldn’t really call it a ‘contract’ but we would use phrases like a ‘student behaviour agreement’ or ‘an understanding of rights and responsibilities’, depending on the age of the children. And most teachers publish that in a user-friendly form with say some large posters at the front of the room ‘We all have a right to respect. If we’re going to enjoy this respect we understand that we …’ and then list down the behaviours that we’ve discussed together. The same with the right to learn ‘To learn well here and enjoy that right we: get to class on time, we have relevant materials, during class discussion we put our hand up and wait our turn, if we disagree we disagree respectfully …’ You ask a question to the class, hoping that they'll all have thinking time to mull over the concept, then one kid blurts out the answer. What do you do? During the last inter-term break, a group of over 200 educators from four different schools (Australian Christian College Marsden Park, Australian Christian College Singleton, Medowie Christian School, and Brightwaters Christian School), each operated in NSW by Christian Education Ministries, gathered at the Waterview Conference Centre at Homebush to learn together the 'why' and the 'how' of leading for behaviour management from the world-recognised expert, Dr Bill Rogers.

The language of discipline needs to be based on the core rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, and these should be discussed during our critical first meeting with a new class. It is essential that our students understand what we mean when we talk about: Bill Rogers has a strong line on teachers being able to model the behaviour they expect. This includes not wanting the last word. Partial Agreement is an essential strategy for avoiding or resolving conflict. It means teachers not trying to have the last word, or asserting their power in a situation when a student disputes their judgement. Contrast the above with the following: Several students are calling out in whole-class teaching time (it is a Y6 class). The teacher briefly, tactically pauses as she scans the faces of her class. “A number of students are calling out.” Sometimes the directional cue is enough to raise behaviour awareness. We may need to add the directional cue or rule reminder, e.g. “Hands up, thanks.” or “Remember our class rule for discussion, thanks.” We find that ‘thanks’, said confidently and respectfully, is more effective than ‘please’. After all, it’s not a request. Challenging behaviour refers to the behaviours that are considered as unacceptable in the environment they occur in. Within an educational environment, challenging behaviour is commonly considered to be the actions of an individual or group that endanger or harm the students or others and interfere with the students' academic success (Hyde, Carpenter & Conway, 2010). This exciting new edition of the best-selling and beloved teacher′s companion looks at the everyday behaviour issues facing teachers working in today′s classrooms. Describing real situations and dilemmas, Bill Rogers provides theoretically sound strategies and best practices to support you in meeting the challenges of the job, as well as building up a rapport with both students and colleagues to enable positive and productive learning environments.When we give a direction to a student it is important to focus our language on the expected behaviour. For example, consider a scenario in which several students are calling out in whole-class teaching time and the teacher says, “Don’t call out please!” This only tells the class/individual what we don’t want them to do. Some teachers will also use the pointless interrogative, such as “Why are you calling out?” Or, equally unhelpful, “Are you calling out, Travis?!” If we spot a student who is task-avoiding, it’s far better to greet him as we draw alongside his desk and then refocus his efforts. A brief descriptive cue can raise his awareness. “Travis, (always use the student’s first name) I notice you’re not working. How can I help?” It can also help to use a quiet, calm, direct question such as, “What are you supposed to be doing now?” rather than the unhelpful, “Why aren’t you working?” JE: That’s fantastic, it’s been brilliant speaking to you today – thank you for your time and have a successful 2017. It would be great to catch up with you again at some point during the year, but in the meantime, Bill Rogers thanks very much for sharing your expertise with Teacher.