Transcript Curriculum and pedagogy 2 PRI 2211 USQ

USQ GRAD DIP
Behaviour management micro
skills
Stephen Smith
Some thoughts
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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
Destructive habits for an effective
relationship
John Boulton
Criticising
 Blaming
 Complaining
 Nagging
 Threatening
 Punishing
 Bribing
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BM considerations
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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’
BM considerations (cont)
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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
Don’t blow things out of proportion
‘Don’t fight a pig in the mud’
‘Try to fight fire with water’
‘Be hard on the problem but soft on the
person’
BM considerations (cont)
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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?
Effective Classroom management
micro-skills
Education 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-skills
Education 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
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
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
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
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
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”
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
3. Wait and Scan: how?
a)
b)
c)
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
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
4. Cueing with parallel
acknowledgement: how?
a)
b)
c)
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
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
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 you’ve given a direction. Walk away
and scan back
Showing irritation through foot tapping, pursing of
lips or pointed frowning. If someone
Review
Effective Classroom management
micro-skills
Education Queensland
Establish clear expectations
 Give clear instructions
 Use waiting and scanning
 Acknowledge students on task
 Demonstrates encouraging body language
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So you want to be teacher?
Courtesy of Steve Taylor
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We were all sitting around the dinner table discussing life
and the man across from me decided to show his
brilliance. He says the problem with teachers is, "What's
a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best
option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminds the
other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers: Those who can, do; those who can't, teach. I
decide to bite my tongue and resist the temptation to
remind the dinner guests that it's also true what they say
about lawyers. Because we're eating, after all, and this is
polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says. "Be
honest. What do you make?" And I wish he hadn't
done that (asked me to be honest) because, you
see, I have a policy about honesty and ***-kicking: if
you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
"You want to know what I make? I make kids work
harder than they ever thought they could. I can
make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of
Honour, and an A- feel like a slap in the face. How
dare you waste my time with anything less than
your very best?
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home: I hope I
haven't called at a bad time, I just wanted to talk to you
about something Billy said today. Billy said, 'Leave the kid
alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?' And it was the
noblest act of courage I have ever seen. I make parents
see their children for who they are and what they can be.
You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder, I
make them question.
I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I
make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make
them spell 'definitely beautiful', 'definitely beautiful',
'definitely beautiful' over and over and over again until they
will never misspell either one of those words again. I make
them show all their work in math. And hide it on their final
drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you have
brains then you follow your heart and if
someone ever tries to judge you by what you
make, you pay them no attention.
Let me break it down for you, so you know
what I say is true: I make a difference in the
lives of hundreds of children.
Now what about you? What do you make?"
Effective Classroom management
micro-skills
Education 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
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To encourage students to become more
aware of their competence by commenting
on their behaviour
Descriptive encouraging: why?
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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 selfcontrol
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?
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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’
Descriptive encouraging: how?
b) Use in a respectful rather than flamboyant
tone
c) Use in a genuine fashion, but don’t wait
until you feel like giving it. Look for
opportunities
d) Use privately to individual students
e) Use collectively to groups
f) Use frequently
Descriptive encouraging
Avoid the following:
Giving conditional praise. Eg: ‘Good, why didn’t
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, that’s 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’
7. Selective attending
To intentionally give minimal attention to offtask behaviour.
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 student’s 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
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
you’re maintaining eye contact
8. Giving a choice
To respectively confront the student who is
disrupting others with the available
choices and their natural consequences
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 decisionmaking 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.
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 can’t 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
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.
9. Follow through
Resolute, planned action in the face of ongoing disruptive behaviour that is seriously
disturbing the learning environment
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!
Follow through: how?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
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
Follow through: how?
f) Make an anecdotal note of what has happened
g) Re-assure the class and work on your selfcontrol
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
Follow through: reflection
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Reflect on the event later with a colleague:
‘Defuse’
Critique your action
What did I do that helped?
What did I do that didn’t help?
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
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 it’s 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
A)
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’)