Behaviour Management

Managing pupil behaviour is not simply about responding to inappropriate behaviour, but about creating conditions which will encourage positive behaviour.

Points Arising from Research

Factors contributing to good behaviour in schools include:
- a whole-school approach
- high expectations
- warm teacher-pupil relationships
- a high-profile head-teacher
- class teachers taking key responsibility
- good communication with the local community
Persistent low-level disruption is reported as the most serious cause of stress to teachers
A 1999-2000 Scottish survey showed that 82% of pupils excluded were boys (see Toolkit on Gender
Looked-after children are 13 times more likely to be excluded than others
Excluded pupils tend to show characteristics such as:
- poor basic skills
- limited aspirations
- poor interpersonal relationships
- susceptibility to negative peer pressure
- parents/carers who are unable to control them
- having been victims of physical/sexual abuse
- experience of racism.

Key Elements of Behaviour Management

Understanding behaviour:

Teachers can get to know pupils’ backgrounds to make personal connections with them
Emotional Intelligence is important (see Toolkit section on Emotional Intelligence). Highland uses the “Lessons for Living” programme for upper Primary and lower Secondary pupils
Teachers can benefit from seeing a discipline situation from different perspectives
Audits of behaviour patterns can be used to identify key problems
“Framework For Intervention” (developed in Highland as the “Structured Intervention Approach”) involves auditing the learning and teaching environment to try to understand what might be contributing to inappropriate behaviour
Pupils, parents and teachers need to be aware of individuals’ rights and responsibilities
Positive behaviour can be coached, as can strategies to work on challenging behaviour
Use of Restorative Practices can help defuse situations and allow teachers and pupils to understand each other better. (See references below.)

Learning and teaching:

Teaching should be interesting and varied and offer pupils a degree of choice
Account should be taken of pupils’ preferred learning styles (see Toolkit on Learning Styles)
Pupils should feel involved in the learning and teaching process
Well organised, purposeful cooperative learning activities can improve behaviour (mixed sex groups can be good)
Expectations should be regularly reinforced and should be realistic but challenging
Teaching should encourage an accurate match between aspirations and ability
When pupils feel that they are succeeding they are less likely to be disaffected
Celebration of success of all kinds should be a part of classroom and school life
Lack of challenge in S1/2 can lead to boredom, which can contribute to poor behaviour
Effective use of ICT can contribute towards good behaviour

Teacher behaviour:

The teacher’s every word and action should be based on the assumption that all pupils can achieve whatever is to be learned
Teachers should be alert and show that they know what is going on in the classroom
Work should be organised in a smooth but brisk way with clear appropriate deadlines
Inattentive pupils can be questioned to bring them back on track
Physical proximity to unsettled pupils can help (but avoid approaching from behind)
Involving pupils in aspects of classroom management can help
Using humour has been shown to have a beneficial effect on pupil attitudes
Praise and reinforcement of effort/strategies/success are important, but should be dependent on performance and used with discrimination, so that pupils value them
Simple non-verbal encouragement (smile, thumbs-up etc) is effective
Teachers should model good behaviour patterns and be aware of their own stress control techniques
When pupils arrive in the classroom, initial contacts should be positive
Behaviour can be discussed with whole class and those meriting rewards identified
An instruction forbidding something should be phrased positively and constructively
Certain behaviours might be ignored if they will not damage the work of the class
Accusations should be avoided
It is not necessary to punish for inappropriate behaviour immediately
The certainty of consequences is more important than their severity

Assertive discipline (Favoured by many, but not universally accepted):

Pupils learn to choose responsible behaviour, to raise self esteem and improve academic success
Teachers ‘lead’ their classes in a calm, assertive, consistent and supportive manner
A classroom discipline plan is taught and frequently referred to
Rewards/sanctions are clearly explained and used
Pupils enjoy stability in their everyday working environment
There is close home contact, of a positive nature, not just negative
The Assertive Discipline system gives concrete suggestions for managing behaviour

Whole-school issues:

Discipline paper-work should be easily managed
It should also be constructed in a positive way, and not simply be about negatives
Buddy, mentoring and “peer-mediation” have been successful
Rules, rewards and sanctions should be: stated positively; clear and specific; few and comprehensive; understood by all pupils; frequently reinforced in a positive way; devised in consultation with pupils (and parents?)
It is important to have good contacts with the home, children’s centres and carers
Parents/carers can be involved through behaviour contracts and regular arranged communications
All teachers should be aware of the work of the school’s pupil support systems, including the roles of those who have not traditionally been part of school life
Providing more flexibility in the curriculum (especially related to pupils’ goals/aspirations) can improve behaviour
Problems of reduced motivation in S1/2 need to be addressed
Effective bullying policies are important - pupils need to feel safe
Schools may become involved in schemes to teach parenting (see references below)
Teachers should maintain a high profile outside the classroom in monitoring behaviour
When sanctions are applied they should be seen to be appropriate to the misbehaviour, effective and should be accompanied by support for future improvement
Absenteeism is a key area to tackle in promoting positive attitudes
Teachers should be supported in a non-judgemental way

Reflection and Discussion

To what extent do you recognise the above principles in your own work?

Are there areas which you might address in your class or in whole-school context?

Some Activities Relating to the Issue of Behaviour Management

Key element	Objective	Action
Some examples and suggestions
Understanding behaviour	Framework for Intervention	Find out about the FFI system. *Better Behaviour – Better Learning* (see references below) contains information on this, along with a case study. Does this strategy have any potential for the individual class teacher? Is there scope for following this up on a whole-school basis? Secondary teachers can find out about Circle Time and Golden Rules in Primaries.
Learning and teaching	When pupils feel that they are succeeding….	Take time to consider how each of the pupils in a class may regard their achievements. A questionnaire can be used for this. Can you reinforce the successes that individuals have had – even, perhaps, out-of-school success? What do you know about pupils’ out-of-school achievements?
Teacher behaviour	Initial contacts should be positive	Make a point of speaking to individuals as they enter the classroom, making a positive comment. Try to make such contact with all pupils at some point, based on some personal feature of their lives/work.
Assertive discipline	Assertive discipline is a structured approach	Find out more about how Assertive Discipline works, perhaps following up some of the suggestions in the references below. Evaluate this approach, considering particularly the rewards element and whether/how this might be implemented.
Whole-school issues	Good home contacts are important	Consider the extent to which your pupils’ parents/carers are involved in proactive behavioural support. Is there scope for sending home more positive news about pupils’ behaviour, in terms both of individuals’ situations and of school policies/strategies. What concrete role can parents/carers play in prevention of bad behaviour?