managing student behaviour: a whole school … interests/msb/managing... · managing student...

MANAGING STUDENT BEHAVIOUR : A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH

ANALYSING DISRUPTIVE INCIDENTS

There are many alternative ways of viewing and understandinghuman behaviour . The approach reflected in this programmederives from the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler andis based on the assumption that all people have a basicneed to belong and be accepted .

Adler states, that in order to understand behaviour, we needto see it as attempts by the individual to reach thefundamental goal of belonging . Therefore, it is only by

P

considering the social context that we can understand thebehaviour of the individual . In the course of their develop-ment children initially learn about belonging throughinteractions within the family . Children try a range ofbehaviours, some of which are responded to in such a way thatthey successfully achieve a sense of belonging . Consequently,these behaviours are continued and form a characteristic wayof behaving for that child .

In the school situation these characteristic pattern ; ofbehaviour may be considered acceptable or unacceptak~le byteachers . If students engage in behaviours which areunacceptable to teachers or disrupt classes they are indicatingtheir faulty belief that this is the way to belong to a group .They have not learned from their previous experiences that theycan belong through constructive, useful behaviour . The taskof the teacher then becomes that of understanding the purposethe misbehaviour serves and altering the consequences orpay-offs so that the student learns that he or she can belongin the group without engaging in misbehaviour .

Rudolf Dreikurs listed four possible goals of misbehaviour asfollows :

If teachers can understand a student's misbehaviour in termsthe goal or purpose it serves then they are in a position toalter their own and other students reactions and by doing socommunicate to the student that he or she does not need tocontinue misbehaving in order to belong . For example, a teacherwho identifies a student's purpose as seeking power may chooseto avoid situations of confrontation and assist the student totake on more responsibility, say, by enlisting his or her

Suggested Reading : Balson, M, Understanding ClassroomBehaviour , ACER, 1982,Chapters 2 - 4

of

he lp .

Student's Goal Teacher's Feeling Teacher's Reaction

attention annoyed, irritated remind, coaxpower angry, provoked fight, give inrevenge hurt retaliatedisplaying despair give up

inadequacy

MANAGING STUDENT BEHAVIOUR :

A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH

ANALYSING DISRUPTIVE INCIDENTS

During the week select a student whose behaviour is not acceptableto you . Choose one specific act of misbehaviour and record thefollowing :

From this sequence identify the goal or purpose of the student'smisbehaviour .

Goal :

Did he/she achieve that goal?

Why?

General context in whichmisbehaviour took place

Antecedent - anythingrelevant immediatelypreceding the incident

Student's behaviour

Teacher's immediate orinitial feelings

The behaviour of thestudent's peer group

Teacher's behaviour inresponse to misbehaviour

Students behaviour followingthis


A FRAMEWORK FOR DEALING WITH DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR IN SCHOOLS

SESSION 2 : BEING POSITIVE IN THE CLASSROOM

OBJECTIVES


Group members will be able to :

__1 .____ Review the effectiveness of being positive asa means of managing behaviour

2 .

Identify the difficulties of being positivein the classroom

3 .

Practise the skills of encouragement

4 .

Apply the skills of encouragement in theirclassroom .


ENCOURAGEMENT

Encouragement is a central concept in improving teacher-student relationships . Adler (1930) stated that aneducator's most important task is to see that no childis discouraged'at school, and that children who enterschool already discouraged regain their self-confidencethrough their school and their teachers . Encouragementimplies much more than simply complimenting studentson their work, distributing gold stars or letting themknow how pleased you are with them . It is a processwhich communicates respect and self-worth to childrenaccepting them as they are and separating their workfrom their worth .

Many teachers out of a concern for students' learningfocus on their errors and deficiencies in the belief thatchildren will not improve unless their mistakes, short-comings or slowness are pointed out to them for correction .Unfortunately, such mistake focused approaches imply alack of faith in a child's ability and willingness toacquire more adequate ways of behaving . In fact byemphasizing deficits we may undermine a child's confidence .

On the other hand teachers can encourage students bybuilding upon their assets and strengths and by emphasizingthe activity rather than the result . Encouragement is oftennon verbal, reflecting an attitude of teachers whichcommunicates trust, acceptance and confidence in thestudent's ability . There is, however, a language ofencouragement which can be practised by teachers .

The following examples are taken from Balson (1982, p 111)

"You do a good job of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

It is possible to point out some useful act orcontribution in each student . No matter howinsignificant this may appear to us, it may havegreat importance for the child .

"You have improved in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

Students will usually continue to try if they cansee some improvement .

"We like you, but we don't like what you did . . . . . . . ."

It is important to distinguish between the childand his behaviour, between the deed and the doer .

"You can help me by . . . . . . . . . . . ."

Giving students opportunities to be useful andhelpful is important .

"Let's try it together . . . . . . . . . . . . � "

Students who think they have to do things perfectlythe first time are often afraid to attemptsomething new for fear of making a mistake orfailing .

"So you made a mistake ; now, what can you learnfrom your mistake?"

Mistakes can teach people a great deal and we willlearn if we do not feel embarrassed for havingmade a mistake .

"I'm sure you can solve this problem but, if youneed any help, you know where to find me" .

It is important to express confidence that studentsare able to resolve their own problems if given achance .

"I can understand how you feel but I'm sure youwill be able to handle it" .

It is often helpful to acknowledge the difficulty(empathy) while expressing a belief in a child'sability to adjust to it .

The power of encouragement is greatly enhanced if it isgiven when not expected .

Suggest ed Reading :

Balson, M - Understanding Classroom Behaviour, ACER,1982 Chapter 5 .


SESSION 3 : COMMUNICATION - LISTENING

OBJECTIVES


l .

Discuss the role of listening in establishingpositive relationships with students

2 .

Discuss the role of listening in resolvingproblems with students

3 .

Identify factors contributing to effectivelistening

4 .

Identify factors which impede effectivelistening

5 .

Practise the skills of listening within thegroup

6 .

Practise and integrate listening skills intheir everyday interactions .


PERSONAL INTERFERENCE TO LISTENING

1

List as many as you can of the attentional barriers andfilters you have experienced interfering with yourcapacity to listen?

2

Are you aware of instances where your own and/or another'semotions have interfered with your capacity to listen?If so, give illustrative examples .

3

Are there certain categories of people to whom you findit difficult to listen? If so, please specify .

4

Are there any special words, phrases or attitudes fromothers that trigger off in you a resistance to listening?If so, please specify .

5

Are there any particular topic areas regarding whichyou find it difficult to listen accurately? If so, pleasespecify .

6

List any other sources of interference to your listeningthat you have not mentioned above .

(Taken from Richard Nelson-Jones, Overview of Human RelationshipSkills Training , Draft Copy) .


ATTITUDES TO LISTENING

For each statement write down whether you consider it to betrue (T) or false (F) . Answer every item .

T or F

1

People are brought up to be good listeners .

2

People's thoughts can interfere with theirlistening .

3

Listening is a natural activity .

4

To be able to listen to others, people needto be able to listen to themselves .'

5

People may resist listening to others whoblame and get angry with them .

6

Being a good listener never requires self-discipline .

7

People are more likely to talk to people withwhom they feel safe and accepted than withthose whom they do not .

8

It is always up to other people to communi-cate precisely what they want .

9

People who have something that they can'twait to say listen well .

10

Some people listen too much because they areafraid of revealing themselves .

11

An important aspect in developing trust islistening and then keeping confidences .

12

Talking is more important than listening .

13

The amount people reveal about themselvesis likely to influence the amount others tellthem about themselves .

14

Fatigue never affects the quality of people'slistening .

15

Effective listening entails making a series ofcorrect choices ih receiving what is beingsaid .

16

People who feel very emotional about issuesare good listeners .

17

Listening to others does not involve payingattention to their voice quality and bodylanguage as well as to what they say .

18

Not listening to and understanding someonecan be viewed as a form of psychologicalviolence .

19

People are more likely to hear messages whichcorrespond with their view of themselves thanmessages which challenge their view .

P

20

People who are very angry are rarely goodlisteners .

21

The way in which people listen is not affectedby their prior life experience .

22

People sometimes send mixed messages whichare difficult for the listener to understand .

(Taken from Richard Nelson-Jones, Overview of Human RelationshipSkills Training , Draft Copy)


EFFECTIVE LISTENING

The way in which you listen and respond to another personis crucial for building a positive relationship . You caneither listen and respond in ways that make the relation-ship more distant and impersonal or, you can listen andrespond in ways that bring you and the other person towarda closer

more personal relationship . When you listenaccurately and respond relevantly you communicate to theother person that you are interested in what they aresaying and wish to understand their point of view . Whenyou fail to listen and indicate this by respondingirrelevantly you communicate to the other person that youare not interested .

A common barrier to listening effectively is the naturaltendency to judge, evaluate, approve or disapprove ofwhat the other person has said . This is heightened insituations where strong feelings are involved . The strongerthe feelings the more likely it becomes that both peoplewill evaluate the other person from their own point of view .Sometimes we adopt roles which interfere with understandingthe other person's point of view . These include : TheMoralist - telling students how they should lead theirlives ; the critic - using sarcasm, ridicule and name calling ;the know-it-all - giving solutions, lecturing and advising ;the amateur psychologist - analysing and diagnosing ; and,the consoler - giving sympathy and reassurance .

An alternative to these common roles is to make a responsewhich reflects a desire to understand the other person andhis or her situation without judging . This requires thatthe listener suspends his or her own frame of referenceand responds from the frame of reference of the other person .The skills involved in this are :

1 The listener accurately perceives thefeelings of the other person (e .g . dejected,confused, helpless, sad, lonely) .

2 The listener makes a response whichcommunicates his or her understandingof the other person and theirsituation . This may mean that thelistener temporarily suspends theirown frame of reference .

3 The listener ensures that their ownverbal and non-verbal statements arecongruent .


SESSION 4 :

COMMUNICATION - SENDING CLEAR MESSAGES

OBJECTIVES


l .

Identify the purposes of giving feedback

2 .

Evaluate the effectiveness of examplesof feedback drawn from classroominteractions

3.

Recognise the difference between descriptivefeedback and evaluative feedback

4 .

Practise using descriptive feedback ineveryday interactions .


SENDING CLEAR MESSAGES

In situations where students' behaviour interferes withyou as a teacher you have a right to express yourdiscomfort to the students concerned . Naturally youwill want to do this in such a way that increases thelikelihood of the students adjusting their behaviour .

Often teachers report that students do not care aboutteachers' feelings and frequently actually provoke them .This may be due to the way in which teachers communicateto students . If we say negative things about studentsthey will act defensively, just as we do if we arecriticized . On the other hand, if we let the studentknow exactly what behaviour is unacceptable, and how itaffects us, then this leaves the student in a positionto do something about it . By expressing how we feelabout the behaviour we own the feelings, rather thanblaming the student for them .

Consider a situation in which two students are talkingwhile you are trying to explain something to the wholeclass . Rather than say, "Be quiet! I'm trying to saysomething to everyone and you don't even have the respectto listen", or a similar message, you could discloseyour feeling and describe the behaviour that is inter-fering with you and the effect it has . An example ofthis is, "When you talk while I'm speaking to the class,I feel annoyed because it distracts the others and I'llhave to repeat what I'm saying to you later" . This letsthe students know how you feel, without saying anythingnegative about them . It also leaves the studentsresponsible for .doing something about their behaviour .

It is quite possible that you may send a clear message toa student and get no co-operation . There are no guaranteesthat an acceptable response to your message will beforthcoming . There is, however, more likelihood of achange in behaviour using this approach than there is usingblaming and critical messages . Also, chances of futureco-operation are enhanced because the way you express yourdiscomfort or feelings to students has an important effecton your ongoing relationships with them .


SESSION 5 : A SCHOOL DISCIPLINE PACKAGE

OBJECTIVES


1 .

Describe an example of a discipline package(Glasser's 10 Steps)

2 .

Identify the principles involved in aneffective discipline system

3.

Relate Glasser's model to the approach todiscipline presented in the MSB programme

4 .

Identify the tasks which need to be addressedin developing a discipline system in theschool .


NOTES ON WILLIAM GLASSER'S FILM"TEN STEP DISCIPLINE PROGRAMME"

Good classroom discipline does not come easily ; a degree ofcommonsense and toughness is required but consistency ofprocedures is the key .

STEP l : Teachers need to analyse their present situation byasking themselves "What am I doing? How do I reactwhen students misbehave? Do I shout, threaten, ignore,exclude, refer to others etc?".

STEP 2 : As a second question, "Is what I am doing working?"If it is not working then you might as well stopdoing it . Don't spin your wheels!

STEP 3 : Give positive reinforcement to students when they arenot misbehaving - giving "the time of day" or someform of recognition to difficult students when theyare doing nothing out of the ordinary . Students willthen get the message that this teacher has the capacityto be nice as well as the capacity to be tough .

STEP 4 : If a pupil disrupts the class the teacher can respondby saying, "What are you doing?" quickly, sharply butnot angrily . This is instead of, "Stop it" or"Don't do that" .

STEP 5 : If disruption/misbehaviour continues repeat Step 4and add, "Is it against the rules?" . It is importantfor students to be taught to obey simple, reasonablerules . If still no response say, "This is what I sawyou doing and it is against the rules" .

STEP 6 : If disruption persists then the teacher states, "We'vegot to work it cut" . ie find a solution whereby thestudent follows reasonable rules and does not disruptthe learning of others . "This cannot continue, we'vegot to work it out" .

STEP 7 : If no solution is found then the student should bewithdrawn from the group and placed by him/herselfin the classroom until a solution for him/her beingpart of the group is worked out .

STEP 8 : If the student still disrupts then he/she should besent out of the classroom to some designated place inthe school . The student must "work it out" beforebeing allowed to return to the class .

STEP 9 : If the student disturbs others in Step 8, and refusesto work it out then he/she is sent home a.nd the parentsare told that their child cannot return until he/sheis willing to work out a way of fitting in with theschool rules .

STEP 10 : If the parents report that they are unable to handlethe student at home then referral to some communityagency should be made to get some help for the family .


SESSION 6 : SETTING CLEAR LIMITS : RULES

OBJECTIVES


l .

Discuss the rules they currently have intheir classroom and how they establishthese rules

2.

Develop principles of effective rule settingfrom a consideration of the research oneffective classroom managers

3 .

Develop procedures for setting rules inthe classroom

4 .

Develop strategies for teaching studentshow to follow classroom rules

5 .

Apply the above procedures and strategiesto their classes .

Reference :


EIGHT GOALS FOR A WELL-DISCIPLINED SCHOOL

The Phi Delta Kappa Commission on Discipline (1982) analysedschools in the USA with "exemplary discipline", and identifiedeight goals which such schools pursue .

1 To improve the way in which people in the school worktogether to solve problems .

2 To reduce authority and status differences among allpersons in the school .

3 To increase and widen studentsthe school .

sense of belonging in

4 To develop rules and disciplinary procedures which promoteself-discipline .

5 To improve curriculum and instructional practices in orderto reach more students .

6 To deal with personal problems which affect life withinthe school .

7 To strengthen interaction between the school and home .

8 To improve the physical facilities and organizationalstructure of the school to reinforce the other goals .

Handbook for Developing Schools with Good Discipline,PDK Commission on Discipline 1982 .


ELEMENTS OF A SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICY

A school discipline policy should include

1 . A rationale for the approach (e .g . a statement ofgeneral principles) .

2 . A systematic graded set of procedures to be followedby the school in cases of persistent disruptiveness(inside and outside the classroom) .

3 . A description of roles of staff .

4 . A description of structures and how they relate toprocedures (e .g . time out room, house system, caseconferences) .

5 . More than a statement of rules and sanctions - alsoan outline of how acceptable student behaviour isto be developed .

6 . Procedures for ongoing review and staff development(e .g . discipline committee for monitoring, inductionof new staff) .

A discipline policy should be consistent with the schoolgoals and should be connected to other aspects of schoolfunctioning .

The effectiveness of a school discipline policy in practicewill depend, among other things, on the opportunity thatstaff have for input and consultation in the developmentof the policy .


DISCIPLINE : RULES

A Phi Delta Kappa Commission on discipline produced a reportin 1982 entitled "Handbook for Developing Schools with GoodDiscipline" . The following is a checklist of procedures fordeveloping and implementing rules .

1

Rules and expectations are clearly defined, stated, andcommunicated sq that people know what to do .

2

Students are involved in rule making .

3

Rules are made by the people who must enforce them .

4

Disciplinary techniques are used to teach positive waysof behaving, not to punish or to teach blind obedience .

5

A few good rules are made and enforced rather thanhaving too many rules that are not enforced .

6

Rules are enforced in a way that will reinforce the behaviourthat is desired .

7

Unenforceable rules are eliminated .

8

Due process is applied before punishment .

9

Students and others are assumed to be innocent until provenguilty of infractions .

10

A complete description of what tr:~nspired during anydiscipline incident is expected from adults and students .

11

Teachers are not assumed to be "right" all the time .

12

Students are not punished if such punishment has no positiveeducational outcome .

13

Rules and disciplinary procedures are examined and revisedto prevent negative educational outcomes, such as lowerself-respect, dislike for school, lack of responsibilityfor one's own behaviour, sense of helplessness, etc .

14

Rules apply only to behaviour that has a direct effect onthe school or classroom, not to matters that are trivialor highly personal .


CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHOOLS WITH EXEMPLARY DISCIPLINE

In 1982 the Phi ;Delta Kappa Commission on Discipline publishedits work of identifying and describing schools in the US with"exemplary discipline" . While each school was different,certain patterns emerged which are exemplified in the followingcharacteristics .

1 Schools foster good discipline by creating a total schoolenvironment which is conducive to good discipline ratherthan adopting isolated practices to deal with disciplineproblems .

2 School staffs viewed their school as a place where staffand students come to work and experience the success ofdoing something well .

3 Schools are student-oriented .

4 These schools focus on causes of discipline problems withinthe school rather than symptoms .

5 Programmes in these schools emphasized positive behavioursand used preventative measures rather than punitive actionsto improve discipline .

6 These schools adapted practices to meet their own identifiedneeds and to reflect their own styles of operation .

7 These schools do many of the things which have been dor~e bygood schools and good teachers for a long time .

8 The Principal plays a key role in making these schools whatthey are .

9 The staffs in these schools believe in their school andwhat their students can do ; and they expend a great amountof energy to make that belief come true .

10 Teachers in these schools handle all or most of the routinediscipline problems themselves .

Reference :

Handbook for Developing Schools with Good Discipline,PDK Commission on Discipline 1982 .


SETTING CLEAR LIMITS : RULES

Wherever people are operating in a group, be it family, clubwork or school they will experience rules . Rules let peopleknow how they are expected to behave and what are the limitsof acceptable and unacceptable behaviour . Rules protect therights and safety of individuals and facilitate their workingtogether to achieve certain goals .

When rules are fair and clearly understood, group membersexperience security and feel more confident from knowing howto behave and how others around them will behave . This reductionin anxiety leaves people more able to get on with the task inhand .

In schools problems frequently arise when rules are not clearlyspelled out, there are too many to remember, the reasons forthe rules are not obvious or if they are not consistentlyenforced by the staff . Frequently students will engage in alot of guesswork and gameplaying to establish what limit isgoing to be enforced today .

Teachers can greatly increase the likelihood that students willfollow rules if they involve them in the formulation andestablishment of the rules . The rules themselves should bereasonable, positive, succinct observable, public and enforceable .Having established the rules, teachers will still need to teachthese rules and use them to teach appropriate behaviour . Theycan do this by use of encouragement, modelling, rewarding,advertising and other teaching strategies .

Some students will, of course, break the rules and when theydo it is important that teachers follow through and applyappropriate consequences . "Generally when rules are made bythe people involved and when expectations are clearly understood,there are fewer transgressions . The more nearly rules arederived from principles of learning and normai human behaviourthe more effective they are ." (C Charles 1985) .

Reference :

C Charles, Building Classroom Discipline, Longman Inc . , White Plains,NY, 1981 .

SESSION 7 :

SETTING CLEAR LIMITS : FOLLOWING THROUGH

OBJECTIVES



l . Review the sanctions currently used to deal withmisbehaviour

2 . Discuss the effectiveness of punishment as acontrol strategy

3 . Describe the difference between punishment andbehavioural consequences

4 . Be able to apply the principles of behaviouralconsequences in the classroom .


SANCTIONS

Discipline is an educational process which teaches responsibilityThe most effective discipline, like the best health care, ispreventative . Teachers who strive to involve students in theeducational programme in a positive way by encouraging andrecognising students' contributions will have less misbehaviourto deal with . However, preventative work alone will notentirely eliminate misbehaviour and teachers all require somesystem to deal with it .

Many teachers combine rewards and punishment as a controltechnique . By rewarding desired behaviour and punishing orignoring behaviour which is not desired, student behaviourcan be shaped to what is socially acceptable . However, manyteachers consider such a system unsatisfactory . Some of thedifficulties are as follows :

1

Teachers become responsible for their students'behaviour . That is, teachers make all the decisionsand threaten to use punishment as a method of obtainingcompliance .

2

Punishment is based on power and as such invitesretaliation . Students who are punished find variousways of getting even with those who hurt them .

3

Punishment has the effect of suppressing rather thaneliminating behaviour . Consequently it is not alwayssuccessful as a long term solution .

4

Many teachers are unwilling to ignore misbehaviour .

An alternative system, based on behavioural consequences, focuseson developing individual responsibility and self-control . Inthis approach students are given choices and are then allowedto experience the consequences of their choice . In this waystudents get feedback from the environment and can then adjusttheir behaviour in order to get more favourable results .

For example, a student who is making a loud noise in class maybe given a choice . The teacher informs the student in a calmand objective manner that he or she may either work quietlyand remain part of the class group, or alternatively, he orshe may leave the group . Continuing the noise indicates thestudent's choice to leave the group and he or she is informedof this consequence by the teacher . A further consequencemay be that work missed will need to be completed in the student'stime . In this way the consequence bears a logical relationshipto the student's misbehaviour .

The aspects of student choice and tie logical relationship ofthe consequence to the student's actions distinguishes behaviouralconsequences from punishment, which is decided on and enforcedby the teacher and may bear little or no logical relationshipto the misbehaviour .


SESSION 8 : CONFLICT RESOLUTION

OBJECTIVES


1 .

Review their current approaches to resolvingconf lict

2 .

Examine a systematic problem solving approach

3 .

Apply the problem solving approach to ateacher-student conflict situation .


SESSION 8 : CONFLICT RESOLUTION

OBJECTIVES


1 .

Review their current approaches to resolvingconflict

2 .

Examine a systematic problem solving approach

3 .

Apply the problem solving approach to ateacher-student conflict situation

4 .

Apply the problem solving approach to a wholeschool issue .


A SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING APPROACH

l .

Send Time Understanding and Clarifying the Problem

a solution that is acceptable to all parties . Whenan agreement has been reached, it is generally a goodidea to write down in clear, simple language a state-ment of the problem to be addressed .

2 .

Finding Solutions

Everyone involved is invited to contribute as manyalternative solutions as possible . All suggestionsare listed as no evaluation takes place at thisstage . It may be necessary to encourage someparticipants to contribute as some will not beused to having their suggestions seriously considered .Use your listening skills to clarify suggestions butdo not judge or censor them .

3 .

Evaluate the Proposed Alternatives

Examine the relevance to the problem of the varioussolutions and their likely consequences . Do notaccept solutions which are not totally acceptable .This may make it necessary to go back to stage 2and generate some new solutions .

4 .

Choose a Solution

State your own preferences clearly and listen to others'preferences . Select the preferred solution from thosewhich are mutually acceptable . It is important toreach consensus .

5 .

Plan to Implement the Solution in Detail

Be specific about when and how the solution will beimplemented and who will be responsible for what tasks .Write down the details of these decisions .

6 .

Plan for Evaluation and Review

Agree on the basis for evaluating the plan and set atime to discuss this . You may decide to continuewith the plan, modify it or look at alternatives .

State your perception of the issue or problemclearly as possible and listen to the viewpointsothers . This can be difficult and timeespecially Fin a group, but if done thoroughlyoften save work at subsequent stages . Your

asof

consuming,will

willing-ness to understand the problem from another perspectivewill communicate that you are interested in obtaining


STAGE TWO

In the sessions during stage one of this programme wehave been identifying those strategies and principlesof effective management of students' behaviour whichwe felt were appropriate for classroom teachers . Instage two the task is to look at how to integrate thesein a systematic way into the school as a whole .

The following tasks will need to be addressed .

1 . Writing a document .

i) Reviewing your current system . (e .g . What's not working)ii) Writing a policy - a rationale for this approach .

iii)

Developing a set of operating procedures to cover :- within class strategies- out of class support .

2 . Implementing the new system .

3 . Giving teachers access to skills - passing on informationgained in stage one .

4 . Maintaining the system .

i) Ongoing monitoring and review of system .ii) Ongoing inservice on skills .

iii) Induction of new staff .

5 . Involvement of rest of school staff .

6 . Involvement of rest of school community - students- parents .

SKILLS CHECKLIST

1 .

Am I able to describe the sequence of events in adisruptive incident?

2 .

Am I able to identify pay-offs for students'misbehaviour?

3 .

Do I know how to engage in positive interactionswith students and encourage them?

4 .

Do I know how to effectively listen to students inan accepting empathic way?

5 .

Do I know how to give students feedback about theirwork and behaviour without putting them down?

6 .

Do I know how to approach conflicts without beingdrawn into a winners and losers contest?

7 .

Do I have a way of clearly establishing classroomrules?

8 .

Do I apply appropriate sanctions consistently whenstudents break the rules?

CAN BEHAVE

DEVELOPING A SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY POLICY

Five Facts of Classroom Life

student can behave acceptably in school .ose their behavior . Teachers need make nothem . They can just as easily choose to behave well .

GOING TO MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL

not always angels . They will act up, misbehave,Some do it a little, others do it a lot . But

t of them have their bad moments . That is why weine .

D DISCIPLINE

to protect against self-destructive behavior .to protect against disruptions from others .as though they don't want it, even when they do .need it .

'T TEACH WELL WITHOUT DISCIPLINE

shown that some teachers spend 80 per cent ofrying to control students . Even good classes canper cent of the teaching time . Without disciplinenot fill their prime function, which is to teach .

5 . TEACHERS CAN LEARN TO DISCIPLINE WELL

Teachers used to say you either had it or you didn't . Theymeant that discipline was instinctive ; you could not learn it .We know now that discipline is a skill, a procedure, a set oftechniques that all teachers can develop .

1 : ALL STUDE~~TS

Every singleStudents chexcuses for

2 . STUDENTS ARE

Students areand disrupt .even the beneed discip

3 . STUDENTS NE

They need itThey need itThey may actBut they all

4 . TEACHERS CA

Research hasclass timewipe out 30teachers ca

1 . .THE RIGHT TO TEACH

4 . THE RIGHT TO DISCIPLINE

Six Rich±s or T~3CherS

Teachers exist to teach students . All their other duties,however necessary, are a distant second . They must have theright to teach, to organize and present material, to manageactivities, to concentrate on in king learning exciting andvaluable . Nothing must interfere with that right .

2 . THE RIGHT TO MEET LEARNING NEEDS

Teachers must be allowed to aim instruction at specific needsof students . Of course they can't meet all needs, social,emotional, and physical . They can meet needs in academiclearning, however, and self-concept, and good human relations .In those areas they must be allowed to direct their effortstoward maximum student growth .

3 . THE RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM DISRUPTION

If teachers are to teach toward specific student needs theymust be permitted freedom from disruption . Students must notdisrupt this teaching and learning process . Routine disruptionsfrom lunch counts, visitors, special programs, and so forth,should be kept to a minimum.

Teachers must realize that they have a right and a duty todiscipline students . Discipline is necessary for the well-beingof all, It must be applied firmly, consistently, and humanely .

5 . THE RIGHT TO HAVE SUPPORT

Teachers cannot go it alone in discipline . If they do not havethe support of their principal they are lost . If they do nothave the support of parents they are weakened . Teachers musthave strong support they can count on .

6 . THE RIGf~T TO DO IT YOUR WAY

Teachers are obliged to be humane . Inhumane treatment ofstudents is i:nr~oral, unethical, and often illegal . Withinconstraint of humaneness teachers have the right to use asystem of discipline that best meets their teaching needs andthe learning needs of students . The; " are responsible for planninga coherent system of discipline and communicating it to students,aaministrator, and parents .

'she

managing student behaviour: a whole school … interests/msb/managing... · managing student...

Documents