Behaviour
Managing classroom behaviour can always be an interesting adventure, depending upon the little (and big) characters you have in your room. I've always valued these tried and true sayings in developing behaviour strategies:
- Prevention is better than cure.
- Be calm, consistent, caring.
- Start as you mean to go on.
- Choose kindness.
- Kids are like icebergs - you never know what might be going on under the surface.
- Rights come with responsibilities.
- Rules should grow out of values we share.
I got these cards from Inyahead. Brilliant. I've used them in lots of ways - my favourite being to lay out the cards, get the kids to vote on the ones they think our class needs and make them our core guidelines for behaviour, displaying them and referring to them often.
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Recommendation: Another teacher and I went to a PD by Jo Lange jolange.com.au/ It was so fantastic we went back to our school and got our principal to have Jo do a PD day with our whole staff. Very effective, sensible and doable strategies.
Various and Sundry Strategies: (none of these are original - just ideas picked up over the years)
Relationship, relationship, relationship! Kids work for teachers that they like.
Know the kids – address the core need for relationship.
Connectedness. Invest in relationship first.
Let’s feed our kids:
Let’s feed them attention.
Let’s feed them relationship.
Let’s feed them connectedness.
Teacher: "1, 2, 3, eyes on me."
Kids: "1, 2, eyes on you."
Teacher: "Waterfall."
Kids: "Ssshhhhh" (with hands showing water falling down)
Teacher (with humour): "Don't make me use my cross, bossy voice."
I keep 4 mp3 songs on my computer desktop. Kids know when one of them plays they have 'til the end of the song to pack up and get down to the gathering space. The ones I use are the themes from "Mission Impossible", "Get Smart," "The Banana Splits," and "Batman".
Notice 3 positive behaviours for every 1 negative.
Create a 'time away' space instead of a 'time out' space. All students can use when they need a break. Equip with mindful colouring sheets, audio story with headphones, rubric's cube or similar tactile puzzle/toy. Needs to be a space where student doesn't feel like the other kids 'are looking at me!'
'Concentration cubicles' (see learning tools section).
Use positive power words
"You're being the the boss of your behaviour when..."
"Your're in charge of..."
"You've shown how you're in control of..."
"That was a smart choice when you..."
"You made a strong choice when you..."
‘Work the room’ - catch them being good before they have a chance to act up.
Advertise positive behaviour, celebrate
‘Great to see most of you...’
Stop advertising the misbehaviour in the room. Reinforce the good stuff big time
For the kids doing the right thing:
Giving misbehaving kids nothing!!
Relationship, relationship, relationship! Kids work for teachers that they like.
Know the kids – address the core need for relationship.
Connectedness. Invest in relationship first.
Let’s feed our kids:
Let’s feed them attention.
Let’s feed them relationship.
Let’s feed them connectedness.
Teacher: "1, 2, 3, eyes on me."
Kids: "1, 2, eyes on you."
Teacher: "Waterfall."
Kids: "Ssshhhhh" (with hands showing water falling down)
Teacher (with humour): "Don't make me use my cross, bossy voice."
I keep 4 mp3 songs on my computer desktop. Kids know when one of them plays they have 'til the end of the song to pack up and get down to the gathering space. The ones I use are the themes from "Mission Impossible", "Get Smart," "The Banana Splits," and "Batman".
Notice 3 positive behaviours for every 1 negative.
Create a 'time away' space instead of a 'time out' space. All students can use when they need a break. Equip with mindful colouring sheets, audio story with headphones, rubric's cube or similar tactile puzzle/toy. Needs to be a space where student doesn't feel like the other kids 'are looking at me!'
'Concentration cubicles' (see learning tools section).
Use positive power words
"You're being the the boss of your behaviour when..."
"Your're in charge of..."
"You've shown how you're in control of..."
"That was a smart choice when you..."
"You made a strong choice when you..."
‘Work the room’ - catch them being good before they have a chance to act up.
Advertise positive behaviour, celebrate
‘Great to see most of you...’
Stop advertising the misbehaviour in the room. Reinforce the good stuff big time
For the kids doing the right thing:
- Eye contact
- Walking toward
- Using people’s names
- Body language toward good kids
- Giving good kids tools to deal with other kids.
Giving misbehaving kids nothing!!