Behaviour Management - some tips to help you!

What you can do:

There is nothing to be gained from confrontation. Don’t get cross – you are the adult! Remember this when a 14-year-old boy or girl irritates you!

Quiet, calm responses to their behaviour will work far better than shouting and ‘losing it’!

​    Firstly – match your response to the type of behaviour you see.

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​1. If they are constantly chatting: ​

1. ​Walk across to them and quietly remind them to focus on the task.

Walk away.

2. If they continue, go back and remind them you have already told them once. Tell them you are giving them one more chance. Walk away.

3. If they continue – go to them and tell them they have an option – either they will stay where they are and settle to work immediately – or they can move to sit elsewhere. Tell them that this is the last chance (it will be their third warning and most of us work in 3s).

4. If they continue – tell them to move.

​2. If they are messing around and causing problems for others:

TRY THIS:

Put names on the board of students who are not behaving. This gives them a chance to have their name rubbed off if they settle to work.

​If they don’t, it means you will talk to them after the lesson and there may be a sanction (check school policies)

​It may be that in some cases the above doesn’t work.   

​Maybe they are distracted by other things around school, maybe they just can’t settle to working generally.

Maybe they are difficult to manage for others too.
 
1. Send them to stand outside for a cooling off period. (5 mins. max)
           
NB: Check school processes – there may be a call-out system to follow

Make plans with your mentor for what to do next time

DO NOT ever leave students unattended – you are responsible for the safety of the other students and they should never be left on their own, even for a minute.

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DO NOT accept poor behaviour – it will come back and bite you on the bum if you do!

3. If they are rude to you or swear...

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​​There will be a school process for this.

Check out what this is. 

​DO NOT accept this behaviour. The other students need to see when someone has really over-stepped the mark.

​Follow up:

​Speak to the student after the lesson – or before the next lesson – and remind them of your expectations. If they are emotionally fraught – or you are – don’t have the conversation at that time. Wait until both are calm. Your aim is to make sure you can work together in the next lesson.

Remember – you are the adult. Don’t let your inner child come out!

If their behaviour is consistently causing a problem, there will need to be parental contact. Initially you should shadow your mentor when he/she does this so you can learn about the best way to manage parents! (Future blog post on this).
 
Make sure you talk to your mentor about how to manage this next time. 

TOP TEN TIPS:

1. Make your expectations clear
2. Uphold your expectations at all times
3. Offer options – eg settle to work here - or move
4. Quiet, calm warnings
5. Names on board
6. Three warnings
7. Remember you are the adult – breathe!
8. Use the school processes!
9. Ask for advice and support
10. Smile and start afresh each lesson

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EVIDENCE - good evidence for your portfolio would be:

• Reflection of the behaviour and what you did about it
• Suggestions for next lesson from your mentor
• Print out this log and annotate what you are making use of for next time
• A reflection of next lesson showing how things have improved!

Next blog post: Preventing poor behaviour through careful lesson planning