Behaviour for Learning

Task 1 – reflecting on your recent school experiences…

1. List some of the strategies you have already used to manage learning behaviour in the classroom.

· Positive praise to model positive behaviour (CS)

· Hard worker of the day throne (RS)

· Traffic light system for sanctions (PS)

· Giving ‘special stickers’ for hard working children (RS)

· ‘Tryasaurus’ awards for reading at home and homework completion. (RS)

Task 2: Read the ‘Discussion’ section of the article, beginning on p.1265. The authors identify three main approaches to managing classroom behaviour among pre-service teachers – low-level corrective strategies (CS), preventative strategies (PS), reward strategies (RS) or perhaps Support Strategies aimed at rebuilding relationships (SS).

1. Go back to the list you made in Task 1, above. Try to identify which are CS, which are PS, and which are RS. Note these abbreviations alongside.

2. Do you notice any patterns in your approach?

I very much try to reward positive behaviour and enjoy doing so. However, I have recognised the significance of corrective strategies to model positive behaviour but also by doing things like saying the child’s name to warn them as a part of my positive praise side by side.

3. Reflect on one or two things you would like to develop within your own practice.

· I would consistently like to develop more uses of praising good behaviour and rewards to hopefully then model this to those children who may not be showing good behaviour. This will then help those negative behaviour children to understand how they can be a part of reward strategies and not constantly be receiving sanctions. I do feel at times in my practice I was looking more for negative behaviour rather than positive and how this can help to impact better behaviour when it is modelled by other children. I found it very interesting that I was challenged by my mentor in phase 1 not to use and sanctions or highlight negative behaviour but instead praise those children around the negative behaviour to see if it had an impact. I was surprised to see that the negative behaviour decreased, and I found myself praising positive behaviour from children I rarely would do normally. From this point I used this strategy as often as I could, still using sanctions where necessary, but with more focus on praise

Task 3 – Drawing on the statements above identify which would be your top five for a well-managed class:

1. Misbehaviour is handled quickly and calmly so that the pace of a lesson is not lost and further disruption is minimized.

2. Seating arrangements are suitable. These will often be dictated by the activity, but particular attention should be paid to the location of the more troublesome pupils and those easily distracted.

3. Work requirements of pupils are clearly set out, and progress is monitored carefully.

4. Teachers have developed good listening skills and react appropriately to pupils’ responses.

5. Work set is appropriate to pupils’ abilities.

Think about your top five for a few minutes. What do they say about you and your approach to managing learning behaviour? Some may be authoritarian, some may show a regard for democracy, or for building independence. Some may indicate something about your own level of confidence. Write three or four words which sum up your approach to managing learning behaviour.

Authroitarian, Democratic, Experimental, high-expectations, understanding.

Task 4: Building on the work above, Ellis and Tod (2018) take the second of the Desirable Learning Behaviours (Collaboration) and suggest five behaviour indicators.

Behaviour Indicators for collaboration:

1. The child takes turns using equipment

2. She/He volunteers own ideas in a small group

3. …waits to speak while others are talking

4. …self-­ monitors his/her contribution and adjusts if necessary (e.g. recognises if s/he is dominating a discussion or talking too much)

5. …accepts ideas offered by others, even when different to his/her own.

Choose a different Desirable Learning Behaviour from the list in Fig.1 above, and imagine what four or five possible behaviour indicators might be:

Behaviour indicators for engagement

1. The child is facing forward either looking at the teacher or whiteboard

2. He/She responds to questions by raising their hand

3. … waits to be asked to respond rather than shouting out or complaining

4. … listens to other ideas and make relevant comments

5. Understands the task at hand and asks any questions if they lack understanding by raising their hand.

Task 5

Dear future trainee,

I am writing to you to discuss the importance of behaviour management and the variety of different strategies used to manage behaviour in the classroom. Myself, fellow students and experienced teachers will I’m sure agree that behaviour management is arguably the most important part of your teaching practice as once you are able to get this right, the pupils in your class will be able to learn freely with the understanding of your expectations. I feel that it is important to have high expectations of your pupils and be able to be fair and have mutual respect. I want to discuss with you some strategies I have learnt and developed through my own experiences as well as the theory and literature available that highlights this area.

The first area to think about is managing low level disruption. This can be looked at as early interference. Preventative strategies are something I chose to develop early in my practice by focusing on praising those around negative behaviour and exemplifying it so that those trying to disrupt understand and are reminded of expectations. This can lead to reward strategies such as stickers, certificates, merit points that are given as recognition for positive behaviour. Both can be used in conjunction with one another; however, one may be useful with your class more so than the other. It is important to recognise that no one class can be managed the same which is why it is important to observe what is already in place and adapt it according to your strengths. It is important to think about desirable behaviours such as engagement, communication, motivation etc see Powell & Tod (2004). This can help set your expectations by thinking about what you would expect in these different areas. How would your perfect behaviour look in each of these desirable behaviours? Behaviour for learning is a theory that is widely acknowledged in the education sector. Its core value is that with positive behaviour comes positive learning. It is important to create a positive ambience in your classroom that promotes a love of learning, this can often come from motivating children and giving them a purpose or incentive to learn. This is where your strategies can come into place, knowing that if they work, children will have the mutual respect to learn through positive behaviour strategies. As I started this letter it is imperative that you understand managing behaviour is at the core of a well-oiled classroom. Good luck in your PGCE, Kind Regards, Liam Greechan.