BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT
Essential skills for classroom management
1. Establishing expectations
To clearly articulate and demonstrate the boundaries of pro-social behaviour
2. Giving instructions
To give a clear direction about what students are to do
3. Waiting and scanning
To wait for 5-10 seconds after you give an instruction
4. Cueing with Parallel Acknowledgment
To acknowledge students’ on-task behaviour with the intention of prompting another to follow suit
5. Body Language Encouraging
To intentionally use your body language to encourage students to remain on-task
6. Descriptive encouraging
To encourage students to become more aware of their competence by commenting on their behaviour
7. Selective attending
To intentionally give minimal attention to off-task behaviour
8. Verbal & Non-Verbal Redirecting to the Learning
To redirect student behaviour using positive non-confrontational methods
9. Giving a Choice
To respectfully confront the student who is disrupting others with the available choices and their natural consequences
10. Following Through
Resolute, planned action in the face of on-going disruptive behaviour that is seriously disturbing the learning environment
Mark Davidson
My rationale:
"Better behaviour, better learning"
Behaviour management should not be a battle of power. Students should enjoy their time in the classroom, and so should the teacher. If a proactive approach - in stead of a reactive approach - is adopted, behaviour becomes a personal choice: students need to determine what kind of behaviour is most appropriate and relevant for them, whilst having regard for the needs and rights of others. Behaviour management is therefore based on mutual trust and respect between teacher and learners (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing, and Le Cornu, 2009). Furthermore, students’ behaviour and engagement are intertwined. When students are actively engaged in their own learning, they find pride in their achievements. Researchers have shown that teachers that focus on an interactive program, fostering inner curiosity and self-confidence, register an increase in intrinsic motivation — thus better performances and better behaviour — in their students. In fact, a high number of quality learning conversations corresponds to a low number of managing conversations (Davidson, 1996).
According to a recent study, students prefer an authoritative teaching style, compared with authoritarian or permissive styles (Dever & Karabenick, 2011). Students seem to perceive authoritative teachers as the most effective and competent. An authoritative teacher gently guides the students, making them feel safe and supported. To manage a classroom successfully, teachers should be just and collected, model positive behaviour and encourage self-control. My objective is to be proactive in setting expectations, preparing the environment, planning lessons, activities and behaviour management strategies. From my perspective, it is crucial to know the students and what motivates them, learning to decode their behaviour. As a matter of fact, children often use extreme behaviour to communicate, so we should not focus on the behaviour itself, but on the underlying problems (Churchill et al., 2011). In dealing with disruptive behaviour in the classroom, consistency is more important than severity. Indeed, overreacting is usually counterproductive and can cause an escalation of the negative behaviour. I hope to give consistent and authentic messages to the students.
References
Churchill, R., Ferguson, P., Godinho, S., Johnson, N. F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., . . . Vick, M. (2011). Teaching: Making a difference. Milton, Australia: Wiley & Sons.
Dever, B. V., & Karabenick, S. A. (2011). Is authoritative teaching beneficial for all students? A multi-level model of the effects of teaching style on interest and achievement. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 131-144. doi: 10.1037/a0022985.
Davidson, Mark. (1996). Essential skills for classroom management booklet. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au .
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., Le Cornu, R. (2006). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas. South Melbourne, Australia: Thomson.
Queensland Government (n.d.). Constructing a classroom behaviour management plan. Better behaviour better learning. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au .
According to a recent study, students prefer an authoritative teaching style, compared with authoritarian or permissive styles (Dever & Karabenick, 2011). Students seem to perceive authoritative teachers as the most effective and competent. An authoritative teacher gently guides the students, making them feel safe and supported. To manage a classroom successfully, teachers should be just and collected, model positive behaviour and encourage self-control. My objective is to be proactive in setting expectations, preparing the environment, planning lessons, activities and behaviour management strategies. From my perspective, it is crucial to know the students and what motivates them, learning to decode their behaviour. As a matter of fact, children often use extreme behaviour to communicate, so we should not focus on the behaviour itself, but on the underlying problems (Churchill et al., 2011). In dealing with disruptive behaviour in the classroom, consistency is more important than severity. Indeed, overreacting is usually counterproductive and can cause an escalation of the negative behaviour. I hope to give consistent and authentic messages to the students.
References
Churchill, R., Ferguson, P., Godinho, S., Johnson, N. F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., . . . Vick, M. (2011). Teaching: Making a difference. Milton, Australia: Wiley & Sons.
Dever, B. V., & Karabenick, S. A. (2011). Is authoritative teaching beneficial for all students? A multi-level model of the effects of teaching style on interest and achievement. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 131-144. doi: 10.1037/a0022985.
Davidson, Mark. (1996). Essential skills for classroom management booklet. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au .
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., Le Cornu, R. (2006). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas. South Melbourne, Australia: Thomson.
Queensland Government (n.d.). Constructing a classroom behaviour management plan. Better behaviour better learning. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au .