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

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note the use of ‘Thank you' rather than ‘Please'. This signals compliance. I mentioned this in a previous post based on a behaviour management PD I attended run by Glen Pearsall) This refers to the establishment phase with a new class. Right from the start, anything you allow becomes established as allowed; and anything you challenge is established as unacceptable. The classic is noise level and off-task talking. If you do not challenge students who talk while others talk, you establish that this OK; it is no good getting bothered about it later… Similarly with noise level. If you ask for ‘silence’ and then accept a general hubbub – then your message is ‘silence means general hubbub’. If you want silence – you have to insist on it. Bill Rogers is great on this whole area of planning for behaviour; investing time in setting up routines – a signal for attention, how you come in and out of the classroom, the noise level. Talk about it explicitly and reinforce it regularly. The start of a new term is a good time.

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. 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. 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. In The Art and Science of Teaching, these questions are broken up to chapters of the book to provide the most knowledge in each of the sections and further enhance knowledge.One of his books, The Art and Science of Teaching, focuses on the balance of science and art to create sound behaviour management strategies. It is stated by the Marzano Institute Australia (2014) that "though classroom instructional strategies should clearly be based on sound science and research, knowing when to use them, and with whom, is more of an art." It is through this rationale that Marzano presents a framework that ensures quality teaching that balances the necessity of research-based data with the need to understand strengths and weaknesses of individual students. Marzano presents this framework in the form of 10 questions to assist planning of a successful instructional design (Marzano Institute Australia, 2014). The focus is on the primary behaviour, giving students take up time and a choice about consequences. Expecting compliance is key but we should not regard ‘giving in’ as a sign of weakness. Communicating to students that you may be wrong is an important part of building relationships whilst maintaining your authority. My pet hate is a teacher who wants his pound of flesh; is uncompromising and moans about kids ‘getting away with it’. It never ever helps. (This is where I find the concept of Emotional Intelligence helpful…some teachers simply cannot bear it when asked to give ground; it is a problem they need help to recognise.) The use of time-out is a necessary option where repeated distracting or disruptive behaviour is affecting the learning or safety of other students. It enables the student to calm down and refocus. A clear, staged policy and practice is required and there should be several ways in which a student can be directed to a time-out area in the classroom. Teachers should be able to call on a nearby colleague to assist a pupil, or a senior teacher if necessary. Robert Marzano is one of the leading theorists that will be discussed in more depth in this section. He is a leading researcher in education and is author of over 30 books and more than 150 articles on topics such as instruction, assessment, writing and implementing standards (Marzano Research, 2015).

BR: I remember years ago when I first started teaching there used to be a phrase teachers would sometimes hear ‘don’t smile until Easter’, which is absurd really. We have to build a relationship, teaching is a relational dynamic journey with your students, it’s not simply a little learning factory. Whether we like it or not, the relationship we build will be there whatever – for good, bad or worse. We have to establish a relationship with our children. 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. Bill Rogers understands the demanding nature of the job, and offers wise words and inspirational encouragement to all those involved in educating our children and young people.State what you want the student to do, rather than asking them to stop them from doing what they are currently doing When a teacher establishes these arrangements and understandings, within about three to four weeks most teachers have got a reasonably expectant group of students and certainly by halfway through Term 1 there is that sense of emerging cohesion that’s been built and established by the teacher’s conscious planning in those critical first few weeks. I notice you’re playing football in the infant area.” This descriptive cue raises the students’ behaviour awareness. They whinged again, “I told you other teachers…”“You did,” I partially agreed. “What’s the school rule about football?” I wanted to keep the focus on the primary behaviour / issue, i.e. the fair, school-wide rule.

As with all these things, it is a question of assimilating the philosophy, practicing the strategies and changing habits over time. It takes time. But I wish I’d met Bill a lot sooner than I did! James, you can go next door to work with Mr Anderson or you can work sensibly with Andy as I’ve asked. Sounds like you know the fair rule fellas. Enjoy the rest of playtime.” They walked off muttering, eyes raised and frowning. We tactically ignored this natural frustration. Dr Bill Rogers has worked in many challenging schools in Australia and the UK as a mentor teacher, teaching alongside colleagues and encouraging shared peer reflection on teacher leadership.Don’t be an Indecisive teacher: hoping for compliance but not insisting; being timid in the face of a challenge; pleading not directing. So, we begin with the right and then look at the basic behaviours that ought to express that right in an age appropriate way. 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. Consequences: have a clear structure that students understand and use to inform the choices they make. Tactically ignoring could well be the final necessary ingredient to effectively leading the above scenario. Perhaps you've already described to Fred what his behaviour is, directed him to appropriate behaviour, and partially agreed with your ‘even if…' statement. You've been doing pretty well but you're feeling a little bit stressed out. Then, just as you begin to walk away to give Fred some TuT, you hear him mutter something under his breath something to the tune of ‘Move to the front of the class my ass!'

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). He has written a number of books on behaviour management, discipline, colleague support, and teacher stress. The temptation could be to pivot and unleash upon Fred a tirade about class rules, respect, how it's supposed to be silent time, how this is the fifth time this week that you've reprimanded him…etc. But here Bill would introduce to us to an important distinction, that of the difference between primary and secondary behaviour. My guest for this first episode of our new series on Behaviour Management is teacher, education consultant and author Dr Bill Rogers. An Honorary Fellow of Melbourne University, he shares his expertise on behaviour management, effective teaching, stress management, colleague support and teacher welfare around the globe through lectures, seminars, professional development courses and, of course, with teachers in the classroom. This is probably the Bill-based-belief that many teachers find it hardest to embody. From our own school days we are used to getting pulled up for these such transgressions ourselves, so it seems only natural to try to clamp down on ‘disrespectful' behaviour in our own classrooms. It has helped me to consider the fact that, just as it's hard for us to implement these new behaviour leadership techniques (as we are trying to overwrite our natural impulses much of the time), so is it difficult for our teenage students to overcome their conditioned response of an eye roll or huff and puff. These behaviour leadership techniques could be thought of as similar to a martial art, something that we need to practice the fundamentals of over and over again so as to ensure that the above techniques become reactions that are embodied and ingrained to the point of automaticity (a process that Josh Waitzkin writes inspiringly about).

Watch Bill Rogers’ behaviour-management video workshop

As with parenting, the art is getting the balance: not overused or generated from real anger – thus de-sensitising children OR under-used and ineffectual. In both of these cases the boundaries are hit constantly because there is uncertainty about where the boundaries are. With good ‘controlled severity’ the boundary is not hit so often –because the kids know exactly what will happen. Like a low voltage electric fence! You know where it is, without nagging or constant negotiation, and you know exactly what happens if you touch it – so you don’t go there. The key is that the consequence is certain to happen – not the level of severity. Teachers who can never sound cross often struggle. Similarly, teachers who allow genuine anger to build up – also struggle; these are the shouters (note to younger self.) Worst of all are teachers who shout but then don’t follow up with the consequences. All these groups need to seek help and get help. Bill Rogers is all too aware that managing behaviour is a daily struggle for many teachers; he remembers the challenges well from when he was a teacher himself. 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? Positive correction refers to the on-the-spot techniques you use to manage students while teaching. It assumes you have already established things such as rules, routines and relationships with your students. However, you use it before having to use formal consequences (or in some school’s – being sent to the Responsible Thinking Classroom). In short, it is a set of strategies that help you nip small problems in the bud and keep everyone’s focus on the lesson at hand.