The first three behaviour Management Tips come from Paul Dix at Pivotal Education. Based in the UK Pivotal are a team of specialist education trainers in the field of Behaviour, Motivation and Learning Management.
At this time of the year when both teachers and students can be tired and tetchy, the tips are a reminder of some ways that we can best deal with problem behaviour.
Get in and get out quickly with your dignity in tact
We know that to effectively deliver sanctions the message needs to be simple, clear and not negotiable; in practice it is easy to get caught up in a lengthy argument or confrontation. Focus on moving in, delivering your sanction as discreetly as possible and then moving out quickly. Choose a phrase that you will withdraw on 'I need to see you working as well as you were in yesterday's written task, thank you for listening' or 'I will come back and give you feedback on your work in five minutes'. Avoid waiting around for the student to change their behaviour immediately; they may need some time and space to make a better choice. Engage another student in a positive conversation or move across the room to answer a question and only check back once the dust has settled. No one likes receiving sanctions and the longer the interaction the more chance of a defensive reaction or escalation. Get in, deliver the message and get out with dignity; quickly, efficiently and without lingering.
Dealing with Behaviour
Secondary behaviours are those that occur during your intervention or as you leave a conversation with a student. They are 'chase me' behaviours designed to push your buttons and gain a furious response. When you have exhausted all of your positive reinforcement, redirection techniques, warnings and sanctions and need Lily to leave the room, the secondary behaviours are the chair being thrown back, or door being slammed, or the infuriating smile that slowly cracks across her face or the loud sigh and groan. She may want to divert the conversation away from the original behaviour or encourage an adrenalin fuelled confrontation in the corridor. Don't allow her to take control of your behaviour. Resist the temptation to address the secondary behaviours in the moment. Instead record them and deal with them later on. The fact that Lily has left the room means that she has followed your instructions; the dramatic trail of disruption that she has left in her wake can be dealt with when she is calm. Your calm and considered response will be closely observed by the rest of the class and they will be impressed by your confidence even in those emotionally fuelled moments. Lily may slowly begin to realise that her usual pattern of behaviour will not work with you.
Another strategy for managing learning that has been shared before is:
Countdown
A good technique for getting the attention of the whole class is to use a 'countdown' from 5 or 10 to allow students the time to finish their conversations (or work) and listen to the next instruction. Explain to the class that you are using countdown to give them fair warning that they need to listen and that it is far more polite than calling for immediate silence. Embellish your countdown with clear instructions so that students know what is expected and be prepared to modify it for different groups:
'Five, you should be finishing the sentence that you are writing
Three, excellent Marcus, a merit for being the first to give me your full attention
Two, quickly back to your places
One, all pens and pencils down now
Half, all looking this way
Zero, thank you.'
Some students may join in the countdown with you at first, some will not be quiet by the time you get to zero at first but persevere, use praise and rewards to reinforce its importance and it can become an extremely efficient tool for those times when you need everyone's attention. You may already have a technique for getting everyone's attention, e.g. hands up. The countdown technique is more effective as it is time related and does not rely on students seeing you.
Other ideas:
Clock Timers
Don't forget the clock timers which can be accessed on our T Drive at T:\Teacher Learning Network\clock timers. These are a very effective tool to manage learning and give students impetus to work quickly and efficiently.
Random Name Generator
In the same place as the clock timers you can access a powerpoint which works as a random name generator. All you need to do is type onto the powerpoint slides the names of the students in your class (over the top of the students from my Y13 English class) and click on view show. When you hit the space bar the powerpoint will stop on a student name. Fantastic for those classes where the same students dominate discussion.
