4.3 Manage challenging behaviour

 

Manage challenging behaviour by establishing and negotiating clear expectations with students and address discipline issues promptly, fairly and respectfully.

 

Maintain an inclusive and learning centered working environment is difficult at times with so many personalities in play and adolescence is an intense and changing time which can distract from the learning. I have found during my placements that managing difficult behaviour is important to keeping students on task; ways I find it most effective to develop a set of rules that must be followed otherwise there will be consequences. Following through on the consequences is very important as well to set a standard and maintain authority. While teaching a year 7 English class of boys, I made it clear that before they left my class at the end of the day they had to have their shirts tucked in, ties straight and blazers on and a student could not be dismissed until they had. This was very effective.

 

This also followed two clear points of discipline that I find very important; firstly, I don't believe in punishing a group for the sins of an individual and thus discipline is more of a private action while maintaining authority is the constant. Secondly, reinforcing good behaviour rather than jumping on negative behaviour is a practice which for me is more effective as students tend to seek praise and positive re-enforcement.

 

These practices are supported by the Australian Curriculum's ideas on behaviour management:

 

“Creating three or four classroom rules will also help improve behaviour. Rules should be worded positively. Starting a dialogue with students about how they would like the classroom to be is another effective behaviour management strategy. Teachers need to focus on what they want students to do, not on what they don’t want them to do.” (Crawford & Beaman, 2006)