Behaviour management

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• Behaviour management
• micro skills
• Stephen Smith

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Some thoughts

• Inappropriate behaviour arises as a consequence
  of a relationship breakdown
• Building positive relationships should reduce
  inappropriate behaviour
• Behaviour management implies sustainable,
  permanent behaviour modification
• The emphasis on classroom management might be on
  managing good behaviour not bad
• Consider If I say or do this now, will it bring
  us closer together or will we end up further
  apart?
• William Glasser

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Destructive habits for an effective
relationshipJohn Boulton

• Criticising
• Blaming
• Complaining
• Nagging
• Threatening
• Punishing
• Bribing

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BM considerations

• The decision to behave lies with the student
• Teachers influence the conditions to behave
• No BM strategy works well for all students all
  the time
• Idle minds are prone to misbehave
• Sarcasm rarely works and will often inflame the
  situation
• Its much easier to be firm at the start and
  relax later than vice versa

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BM considerations (cont)

• Try to get to know your students and names ASAP
• Vary your methods, manner and teaching style but
  not your expectations
• Discipline and self-discipline is established
  outside the classroom
• Dont blow things out of proportion
• Dont fight a pig in the mud
• Try to fight fire with water
• Be hard on the problem but soft on the person

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BM considerations (cont)

• Show students you have a sense of humour and you
  are human
• Vary your T/L methods and manner
• When modifying student behaviour identify the
  specific issue eg lift your chairs quietly
• Ask your supervising teacher for ideas which have
  been successful with the class/student
• Consider What are kids out to achieve when they
  misbehave?

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Effective Classroom management micro-skillsEducat
ion Queensland

• Establish clear expectations
• Give clear instructions
• Use waiting and scanning
• Acknowledge students on task
• Demonstrates encouraging body language

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Effective Classroom management micro-skillsEducat
ion Queensland

• Demonstrate descriptive encouraging
• Uses tactical ignoring
• Gives clear choices
• Follows through with logical consequences
• Defuse problem situations

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1. Establish clear expectations why?

• It is important to have clear boundaries for
  social behaviour so that everyone is clear about
  what is, and what is not, regarded as responsible
  and safe behaviour

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1. Establish clear expectations how?

• a) Work out rules in a class meeting if possible.
  If the class is too chaotic at this point, impose
  a small number of rules you believe are fair.
• b) Publish the rules where students can see them
• c) Keep the rules short, simple and phrased in
  observable terms
• Eg Arrive prepared
• Keep hands and feet to yourself
• Use a respectful voice

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1. Establish clear expectations how?

• d) Make the rules positive. They have more impact
  if they describe what students can do
• e) Refer to the rules frequently
• f) Model, model, model

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2. Give clear instructions why?

• Clear, short instructions help students
  understand what you expect them to do
• Instructions help students organize what they are
  required to do

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2. Give clear instructions how?

• a) Give effective instructions by starting with a
  verb and keeping them short
• Eg Move to your group areas now
• b) Chain the instruction to a short pause and
  scan class
• c) Use instructions only for have to do tasks.
  Give choices for optional tasks
• d) Phrase the instruction as a direction rather
  than a question or invitation

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2. Give clear instructions how?

• e) Use thanks rather than please at the end of
  an instruction for a crisper, less invitational
  tone
• f) Use now if the group or student is
  escalating
• g) Give the instruction in calm voice
• Eg Come here John
• Stop what you are doing and look here

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3. Wait and Scan why?

• Wait 5 -10 seconds after you give an instruction
• It gives students time to process the direction.
• You avoid filling all the available time with
  excess talk which can inadvertently train the
  class to stop listening to your voice

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3. Wait and Scan how?

• When working with a group, use the time to
  reinforce stillness with assertive body language,
  by standing still facing the group
• Use the time to work on your self control if
  needed!
• Scan the group, link to a descriptive encourager
  or a redirection

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4. Cueing with parallel acknowledgement why?

• To acknowledge students on task behaviour with
  the intention of promoting another to follow
• It cues other students to match the behaviour
  that is being acknowledged
• It is an alternative to redirection, so can help
  you avoid nagging or becoming too directive
• This is especially effective with younger students

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4. Cueing with parallel acknowledgement how?

• Scan the group regularly. When students are off
  task, choose to acknowledge someone in close
  proximity who is on task
• Acknowledge that person with a descriptive
  encourager in a loud enough voice for others to
  hear
• Follow up with a low-key acknowledgement to the
  student as soon as they choose to go on task. For
  example, use body language encouraging, smiling,
  finger signing, proximity or touching of student
  material

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5. Body language encouraging why?

• To intentionally use your body language to
  encourage students to remain on-task
• It takes no time to do
• It promotes a positive tone in the classroom
• Between 70 90 of our communication is
  affected by body language messages

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Body language encouraging how?

• A) Walk near students who are on task
• B) Touch the work of students who are on task
• C) Smile and make eye contact. These are positive
  signals that help the student feel welcome and
  noticed. This intentional use of body language
  encouragers does not describe, or preclude, all
  of the spontaneous body language messages that
  you send

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Body language encouraging how?

• Avoid the following
• Standing too close to a student. This can be
  intimidating and cue hostility
• Holding eye contact, since it can become a stare
  out challenge
• Standing near to a student indicating that you
  are waiting after youve given a direction. Walk
  away and scan back
• Showing irritation through foot tapping, pursing
  of lips or pointed frowning. If someone

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Effective Classroom management micro-skillsEducat
ion Queensland

• Demonstrate descriptive encouraging
• Uses tactical ignoring
• Gives clear choices
• Follows through with logical consequences
• Defuse problem situations

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6. Descriptive encouraging

• To encourage students to become more aware of
  their competence by commenting on their behaviour

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Descriptive encouraging why?

• It describes back to students the behaviour that
  you know will help them learn
• It reinforces the rules
• It promotes a positive, supportive learning
  environment
• It focuses on strength and is esteem building
• They become more able to display the courage it
  takes to tackle difficult work, or practice
  self-control

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Descriptive encouraging why?

• It gives students information about their
  competences
• It directs attention to strategies that are
  useful for problem solving
• It strengthens your relationship with students

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Descriptive encouraging how?

• A) Describe exactly what you see or hear that you
  want to see or hear more frequently, in other
  words, state the obvious eg
• Steven has started his work
• This group is on task
• Melissa, you followed a class instruction

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Descriptive encouraging how?

• b) Use in a respectful rather than flamboyant
  tone
• c) Use in a genuine fashion, but dont wait until
  you feel like giving it. Look for opportunities
• d) Use privately to individual students
• e) Use collectively to groups
• f) Use frequently

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Descriptive encouraging

• Avoid the following
• Giving conditional praise. Eg Good, why didnt
  you do it like this the first time? The student
  will probably resent it and the teacher/student
  relationship will suffer
• Replacing descriptive encouraging with warm
  fuzzies Eg Good, great, terrific, thats beaut
  etc These terms must be used as add ons Eg Well
  done Nikki, I liked the way you spread you
  fingers to catch the ball

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7. Selective attending

• To intentionally give minimal attention to
  off-task behaviour.

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Selective attending why?

• It avoids unintentionally reinforcing off-task or
  disruptive behaviour. It decreases the likelihood
  that this behaviour will be repeated
• It gives you time to think of how to handle the
  students behaviour in way that is positive
• It gives you time to attend to other students who
  are on-task

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Selective attending why?

• It sends a message to all students about your
  expectations
• It is a powerful modelling device saying I can
  stay focussed on my work despite the disruption
• It is a deliberate process used within a discrete
  time-frame, it has a beginning and an end

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Selective attending how?

• a) Do it when student is choosing off-task
  behaviour that is not seriously disturbing others
• b) Keep the student who is concerned in your
  peripheral eye sight. Avoid turning your back at
  this point, you might miss a training opportunity
  to use a descriptive encourager as the student
  starts work

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Selective attending how?

• c) Stop this process when the student
• Starts work
• Begins to seriously disturb others
• If this occurs give choice or follow
  through
• d) Slide you eyes away if you discover youre
  maintaining eye contact

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8. Giving a choice

• To respectively confront the student who is
  disrupting others with the available choices and
  their natural consequences

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Giving a choice why?

• It provides the student, or group with
  information about your expectations and the
  likely consequences of their choice
• It puts the responsibility for decision-making
  onto the student

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Giving a choice how?

• a) Do it when the student has remained, (despite
  redirection) off-task and is disturbing other
  students. The student may engage in secondary
  behaviour ie sulking accompanied by paper
  tearing, spitting, chair ricking etc in order to
  deflect the original focus of your concern.

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Giving a choice how?

• b) Do it when the student is overly hostile to
  you and is challenging your management
• c) Do it when you cant think of anything else to
  do!
• d) Do it as soon as it is escalating by saying
• Steven, the choices are move to the place
  near the window and you will be able to join us
  or stay here on your own. Make your choice now.
• e) Use a firm, calm and measured tone in close
  proximity to the student

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Giving a choice how?

• f) Walk away straight afterwards and scan back
  intermittently
• g) Chain to the most logical management skill
• Descriptive encouragement if they return to
  work
• Selective attention if they de-escalate
• Follow through if they escalate
• AVOID making the choice sound like a threat.

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9. Follow through

• Resolute, planned action in the face of on-going
  disruptive behaviour that is seriously disturbing
  the learning environment

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Follow through why?

• It clearly establishes that you mean what you say
• It models assertive behaviours in the face of a
  threat
• It models morally courageous behaviour
• NB Behave as if you are confident even though you
  may be feeling nervous, uncertain, terrified or
  any other debilitating emotion!

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Follow through how?

• Fake confidence by working on your body language
• Do what you planned and said you would. MAKE IT
  HAPPEN NOW
• Avoid letting your embarrassment about what
  others may think erode your confidence
• Consider removing the class from the problem
  situation
• In a crisis event send for help immediately and
  put the school crisis plan into action

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Follow through how?

• f) Make an anecdotal note of what has happened
• g) Re-assure the class and work on your
  self-control
• h) Following through looks and feels messy. Do
  it anyway as it establishes and reinforces the
  boundaries. ALL students know you mean what you
  say. They will feel safer and build their trust
  and respect in you as a teacher

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Follow through reflection

• Reflect on the event later with a colleague
• Defuse
• Critique your action
• What did I do that helped?
• What did I do that didnt help?

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10. Defusing

• To provide an opportunity for people who have
  participated in, or witnessed, a potentially
  traumatic classroom or playground event to talk
  it through

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Defusing why?

• It helps prevent an escalation of the original
  problem
• It helps people calm down and get perspective on
  the problem

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Defusing how?

• Do it as soon as possible after potentially
  traumatic event, but its never too late
• Process
• Ask what happened
• Ask where, what, who, how, when
• Reassure that the victim survived and reflecting
  HOW they did.
• AVOID
• Telling a similar story that happened to you
• Asking WHY questions
• Commiserating and maintaining a scandalised
  position

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Defusing how?

• B) Help young people defuse by asking them to
  draw a picture of the event and then explain
• C) Older students might use a round robin meeting
  to say how they feel/felt. Teacher can join in as
  participant (NB students can elect to pass)