Well the first post went down well, so I thought I would turn these reflections into a mini series of posts. This one reflects on behaviour management (I can feel the shivers run down my spine). A hot topic of worry for many trainees, but something in my opinion that shouldn’t be feared (at least not too much!). So here goes, a few tips that I would offer on promoting a positive behaviour for learning…
Consistent expectations
You’ll hear this one lots (it’ll be a reoccurring theme throughout this post!). Almost every teacher that you look to for guidance on promoting a positive behavioural environment will tell you to set your expectations high and ensure you stick to them from the word go.
If you want your students (or a whole school policy) to underline their date and title, be relentless in your drive from the very first lesson, to ensure all students have done this before you go any further. DO NOT move on with the lesson until all students have presented their neatly underlined date and title. From lesson to lesson, ensure they have maintained this same standard you set in lesson one. Overtime, the task will become autonomous, and the students will know exactly what is expected of them in your lesson, without any need for you to prompt them (most of the time anyway).
This works for anything. Do you want the students to reply with a Yes Miss/Yes Sir to the register? Set the standard. Ensure every student responds with this from lesson one. The register might take 10 minutes to complete, but why does it matter? Give it four or five lessons and the register will be impeccably responded to, and completed within a minute. Do you want the students silent when you speak? Well that leads me to point two.
DO NOT allow the students to speak over you
This one could be awkward (well at least you might think this on the first few attempts). DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT allow students to speak over you as you lead whole class discussion/learning. Even the slightest murmur should be challenged. YOU are in control of YOUR class. The information you are delivering is IMPORTANT, and therefore the students should be listening. To help, imbed some form of cue for students to understand that their conversations need to finish, and that you are about to speak. I personally tend to find myself using the 3,2,1 countdown cue, though often with some extras. Mine will tend to go something like this…
- Position myself in a commanding position, perhaps at the front of the classroom, perhaps near to a table of students that I know might try their best to continue talking.
- “Lets finish our conversations, place our pens down and be focused on me in…”
- “THREE”
- “TWO, I can still see people writing, Josh lets end your conversation now”
- “And ONE, conversations completed and eyes on me ready to listen”
I will then be prepared and ready to sanction those that have not followed my command. By setting clear expectations as to what I expect students to do leaves no excuse. I can then legitimately sanction anyone for not following instructions.
So, you have the class quiet (for now). You begin to talk and explain whatever it is you now need to say. BUT…
A quiet murmur breaks out on the table at the back.
You think its fine, they’ll be quiet in a second and refocus. WRONG.
STOP. NOW. Do not say another word until that table is completely quiet and focused. Stop speaking, stand in silence and look. Use a cue such as “are we listening?”, “do you mind?”, “Is there any reason you are speaking over me?”. Be assertive. The students are not following expectations that you have set in YOUR classroom.
I know when starting out that this can be daunting. Challenging students in an assertive manner can be tricky early on, but do it. Be brave, and challenge those students that are not fully focused.
You don’t need to shout
Many teachers will shout. Many teachers will raise their voice, and at times this may be needed. But you don’t HAVE to shout to be commanding and assertive. Your voice is an essential part of your teacher toolkit. But use it effectively, and don’t waste your ‘teacher voice’ in situations where it is not necessary. It will lose its effectiveness very quickly. We can all remember a teacher that might “shout” too much at school. Were they the most effective at promoting effective behaviour for learning? My guess would be perhaps not. The BEST would be those teachers that use their voice effectively and with purpose.
YOU DO have other tools. Your body language. The schools behavioural policy. Positive behaviour management. Modelling. The list is endless. Raising your voice to control behaviour is just one of many techniques that could be used.
Following on from this…
Remain calm and collected
Patience is a virtue. Be calm. Be collected. There will be testing situations within most classrooms, where you may (even within your ‘rights’ at times) lose your cool, and flip. Try your upmost not to respond. DO NOT get into a shouting match across a classroom. DO NOT be over confrontational with a student. Remain calm, speak in a controlled and comforting manner, and deal with the situation in a respectful way.
YOU ARE AN ADULT. They are children. They will make mistakes, and it is our responsibility to demonstrate the behaviour that you want reciprocated in your classroom. This wont be the response the student anticipated. They may well have wanted a challenge. They may well have wanted an argument in front of the class (potentially for many a reason).
Do your upmost to remain calm. Follow school/classroom behaviour policies. Deal with the situation in a respectful manner, and move on. Don’t hold a grudge. Move on next lesson, treating every student as equal.
There is so much to discuss on behaviour management, and therefore plenty I have not spoken about here. If there is anything specific you would like me to discuss from the perspective of a trainee, leave a comment and I will do my best to respond to you!