Transcript Scenario 13 â** Identifying behaviour hotspots

Classroom management
Resources to support Charlie Taylor’s Improving Teacher Training for Behaviour
Behaviour Scenarios
Scenario 13: Identifying behaviour hotspots
This Scenario has been developed for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) to enable trainees to
demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding of behaviour management
Classroom management
Introduction
Behaviour2Learn has developed 17 Scenarios focusing on the 8 areas highlighted in the
Teaching Agency's document Improving teacher training for behaviour. These are:
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Personal Style
Self-management
Reflection
School Systems
Relationships
Classroom Management
More Challenging Behaviour
Theoretical Knowledge
Improving teacher training for behaviour has been developed by Charlie Taylor, the
Government’s expert adviser on behaviour, to complement the new Teachers’
Standards that all teachers have to demonstrate from September 2012.
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Classroom management
Scenario 13
Identifying behaviour hotspots
You have a storage area in your classroom and every time the
pupils go there to collect materials they argue, pushing and
shoving each other and taking a long time to settle back to work.
You want to avoid this and explore ways of changing classroom
layout to improve learning behaviour.
What do you do?
Classroom management
Key Learning Outcomes
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Recognition of the ways in which classroom layout can affect learning
behaviour.
Planning to maximise the use of classroom space to encourage
learning and improve learning behaviour.
Practice in developing and teaching routines to pupils so that time is
used efficiently.
Increased ability to manage behaviour in a range of different
situations.
Classroom management
What do you do?
Consider these responses and choose the best one(s):
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Ban pupils from going to the storage area without permission.
Only allow one pupil at a time to go there.
Set up a rota for monitors to supervise the area.
Shout out and stop the class, tell them to behave and give a
detention to anyone who continues to misbehave.
5. Plan for movement and agree ground rules and routines that help
pupils to use the storage area properly.
6. Ask your Teaching Assistant to supervise the storage area.
7. Have the materials you need for the lesson more accessible and
where you can see them.
Classroom management
What may be the best choice?
5. Plan for movement and agree ground rules and routines that help pupils
to use the storage area properly.
You need to consider the available space and how to use it efficiently .
Agreeing clear rules and routines with pupils helps them to take responsibility
for their learning behaviour. Even when a routine is well established you
should follow up with regular praise for those who behave considerately. This
could be a learning behaviour objective for a lesson from time to time.
7. Have the materials you need for the lesson more accessible and where
you can see them.
This may be a necessary solution if it proves impossible to arrange the
effective use the storage area. You will still need to address the underlying
learning behaviour issues and agree how the pupils will collect what they
need without wasting time or disturbing one another.
Classroom management
How might you prevent a recurrence?
When establishing classroom routines:
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Arrange furniture to make any necessary movement into, out of and around the room
as easy as possible.
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Ensure you have clear sight-lines and frequently look around the room to anticipate and
avoid problems.
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Check that all pupils can see you, boards, screens, displays etc. without straining.
4.
Move around the classroom from time to time so that you cover all areas, your
presence is felt, and you can see what pupils can see.
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Pay attention to features which affect behaviour including seating plans, positioning of
resources and storage areas, location of screens and boards, access (for you and the
pupils) and storage of belongings. Experiment to find the best solution to any problems.
6.
Rearrange the room to suit the activity. If you share the room, come to an agreement
with colleagues about a basic layout which you return to at the end of the lesson.
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Enlist the help of pupils and/or Teaching Assistants in organising resources and
movement.
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Choose organised and disciplined movement around the classroom as a learning
behaviour objective for the lesson from time to time.
Classroom management
Underlying Principles
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Behaviour problems often have triggers, one of which can be the learning
environment where there may be “hotspots” - areas that cause the most
problems
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Transitions within a lesson and between lessons are the key times for behaviour
hotspots to arise . Improved organisation of transition will improve behaviour in
general.
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In particular, arranging pupil movement into, out of, or around the classroom in an
orderly and safe way is an important way of maintaining positive learning
behaviour.
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Few classrooms are perfect. You have to consider how to make the best use of the
available space for your purposes.
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It is necessary to treat classroom layout flexibly and adapt it according to the
activity. You should plan layout and change it where necessary– but respect the
needs of other users of the room
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The special needs of some pupils must be accommodated in any classroom layout
and particular attention should be paid to this need.
Classroom management
Rights and Responsibilities
• Pupils have the right to learn in a safe and secure environment
• Teachers are responsible for the organization of their classrooms,
and also for taking into account school policies, the need for
effective use of space by everyone in the building as a whole, and
the needs of others who use the classroom.
• Pupils should be helped to take responsibility for their learning
behaviour and taught how to exercise their responsibility to behave
with consideration for others.
• The school should audit the environment from time to time to
identify behaviour hotspots and to put in place arrangement that
will improve pupil welfare in these areas. Teachers should do the
same in their teaching area.
Classroom management
Activities to try
1. Observe some lessons with a particular eye on how the classroom
layout affects learning behaviour. Ask other teachers for any tips
and ideas.
2. Decide on the organisation of a classroom for two different
activities. Draw up a seating plan for each and practise how to
change from one to the other with minimal disruption to the
lesson. Ask a colleague to give feedback on your effectiveness
3. Spend time at break and lunchtime observing the way pupils
behave as they move unsupervised around the school and in the
play areas. Can you identify any “behaviour hotspots” where antisocial behaviour is more common? What do you notice that will
help you plan routines and organisation of movement in the
classroom?
Classroom management
Conclusions
Planning to make the best use of the space in a classroom may require imagination and ingenuity but
it is worth spending time on it and experimenting to see how different arrangements help (or hinder)
learning. Features such as:
• space for moving into, out of and around the room;
• seating plans;
• accessibility of resources;
• visibility of screens etc.;
• acoustics of the room;
• displays, including those of pupils’ work;
can have a profound effect on learning behaviour and you need always to be aware of them and use
them to advantage.
Transitions within a lesson and between lessons are the key times for behaviour hotspots to arise .
Improved organisation of transition will improve behaviour in general. In particular, arranging pupil
movement into, out of, or around the classroom in an orderly and safe way is an important way of
maintaining positive learning behaviour. The special needs of some pupils must be accommodated in
any classroom layout and particular attention should be paid to this need.
Classroom management
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