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| We've all had one - the class or the pupils we would rather avoid. It's normal. However, we can minimise the impact disruptive behaviour can have on our classrooms with sound pedagogy. |
When developing a culture of positive behaviour in your classroom it is important to focus on the key aspects that achieve the right climate for learning.
The fundamental skills required to develop successful behaviour management within your lessons should focus on the following points:
- Relentless routines
- Remaining calm and always being respectful
- Having clear boundaries and a mutual respect
- Building positive relationships
- Creating the right classroom environment
- High expectations… accept nothing less
- Scaffolding learning to help support all abilities to achieve
- Making sure every student in your lesson is appropriately challenged
- Appropriately challenge poor behaviour
- Acknowledging and recognising excellent learning
- Always follow up with concerns
- Never be afraid to ask for support or help
1. Relentless routines
By developing relentless routines within your lessons as a teacher it allows you to reinforce your expectations, raise standards and highlight to the pupils the importance of making a quick prompt start to your lesson. Some key points that should be focused on when developing relentless routines:
Establish a clear routine and run through it with your pupils to raise awareness.
Ask questions to check their understanding of the routine
Show them where the routine can be found and its purpose
Catch learners doing the right thing and acknowledge this
Celebrate the success of your class in following the routine
2. Calm and respectful manner
As professionals working with pupils it's really important to create a safe and calm teaching environment where mutual respect is given by both the teacher and pupils in the classroom. Teaching environments which are calm allow for pupils to develop confidence and also work independently when set challenging activities. As a teacher it is always important to reflect on your body language, facial expressions and also your tone and use of voice.
When in front of a class pupils are always observing the way teachers engage and interact with the pupils. As professionals it is critical that we model the calm approach needed for the relevant environment which we want the pupils to learn in. If the climate for learning becomes hostile, hectic and unorganised then the focus on learning is impacted and the calm situation soon turns into a classroom of drama.
3. Clear boundaries and mutual respect
As a successful teacher it is important to develop clear boundaries within your classroom. If clear boundaries are shared with pupils and regularly reinforced within the lesson then it allows the lesson to flow creating a healthy environment for learning. When teachers don’t set clear boundaries and high expectations pupils take advantage of the situation and can disrupt the lesson and learning of others. A simple boundary which can be created for pupils is to set a cold calling rule for questioning - students will know calling out is unnacceptable and also be aware that at any point they may be asked a question so need to remain engaged.
4. Building positive relationships
From my own personal experience, building positive relationships with pupils is one of the most important skills to develop as a teacher. When relationships are positive with pupils they respond better to challenging situations. One way to build positive relationships with pupils is to engage with them during break and lunchtimes. Another way to build positive relationships with pupils is to ask what they might do outside of school during their own time. By showing an interest beyond your classroom and subject area shows the pupils that you are human and do care. As a teacher we come into contact with pupils everyday and to develop a positive relationship with all pupils they need to see and know that you are more than just their teacher who they see twice a week. Pupils need to feel a sense of trust and loyalty towards staff before positive relationships can be built.
5. Creating the right classroom environment
Creating the right classroom environment for learning is key to engaging and motivating pupils. Positive classroom environments can be created through visual displays, room layouts, seating plans and also the energy a teacher gives off when the pupils first arrive at the start of the lesson. When meeting and greeting pupils at the start of the lessons it's important that you acknowledge their arrival, welcome them into the classroom and set the tone, expectation and pace for the lesson. As a teacher we stand at the front of the classroom looking to inspire, engage and motivate pupils through the subject topics and learning that we teach. One easy way to create a positive classroom environment is at the start of the lesson to smile and actively engage with the pupils as they enter.
6. High expectations…..accept nothing less
Teachers who reinforce high expectations will develop a stronger culture and climate for learning.. High expectations can be reinforced effectively with all pupils no matter what starting ability they are at. High expectations need to be communicated clearly to the pupils so they are aware of the common focus and goal that as a class you are trying to create and achieve. There will be times during your lessons when you will need to take a few minutes to reinforce your classroom expectations. The key to this process is not to focus on all the expectations but identify the key principles that you recognise might be missing from your lesson at that time. In some cases these expectations might only need to be reinforced to one or two pupils and this could take place individually with the pupil or pupils outside the lesson. There might be a time during the lesson when you might need to reinforce the expectations to pupils outside the room. Either way its important to recognise that one's behaviour should not play or have a detrimental impact on the learning of everyone in your lesson.
7. Scaffolding learning to help support all abilities to achieve
As teachers it's important that we pitch our lessons to pupils making sure that we are catering for all pupils and their abilities. Successful teachers will have a variety of adaptations that they can change, implement and reinforce if pupils are struggling in a lesson. If a pupil has missed a fundamental key aspect of knowledge or has a misconception then it’s important to rectify the issue so that learning can take place. As teachers we need to be aware of the pupils that we are teaching and during the lesson look to build on their confidence through a variety of different pedagogical approaches that best suits the pupils need and abilities
8. Making sure every student in your lesson is appropriately challenged
As teachers we are employed to provide pupils with appropriate challenges. It's important when planning lessons that we take in account the content of the learning that we are delivering to the pupils; making sure that it is challenging, engaging and also is made up of a variety of learning tasks that explores pupils creativity, resilience and focuses on independent learning.
Some common disruptive factors that can impact pupils learning in your classroom might relate to the following points:
Seating Plan (Wrong pupils sitting next to each other)
Not being able to see the board
Previous learning missed due to absence
Not understanding the task
Task too challenging
Task too easy
Outside influences on learning that you are not aware of
Other negative influences within the lesson.
When focusing on a pupil's learning in a lesson it is very important to identify the barrier that is impacting their learning. The only way to do this is watch the pupil and have a conversation with the pupil to see what barrier is affecting their learning. When the barrier is identified it is then important to act appropriately to support the pupil to get back on task.
9. Appropriately challenging poor behaviour
In situations where teachers need to address poor behaviour, it's important that you remain calm, don’t give the pupil public status and also take away from the situation the feeling that it’s the pupil versus you in front of the whole of the class.
One way to do this is to speak to the pupils separately when an independent activity is underway. Another way to do this is to ask the pupil to step aside the classroom for a few minutes to calm down. When speaking with a pupil it's important that you continue to reinforce the expectations and classroom boundaries. It is also important to reinforce to the pupil something positive that the pupil has done in your lesson or during previous lessons.
When allowing the pupil to re enter the classroom you have a few options at your disposal:
Changing the seating plan
Giving the pupil a warning (not in front of peers)
Offering the pupil a chance to stay behind at the end of the lesson if it continues
It’s really important before the pupil returns back into the lesson that they acknowledge the behaviour they are showing and that it needs to stop. The pupils need to be made aware of the next steps if their behaviour continues to disrupt learning. Reinforce to the pupil that if the behaviour doesn't improve then you will have to escalate the situation via steps to success, detention, contacting home or referring the incident to the Head of Department or their Head of Year.
10. Acknowledging and recognising excellent learning
As teachers we are always very quick to recognise problems or concerns within our lessons, however one of the most powerful tools in our armour is to acknowledge and reward pupils who are working hard and doing well. By shifting the focus from a negative to a positive creates a positive ethos and climate for learning within your lesson. It's important to recognise and acknowledge those pupils within your lesson who are consistently engaged, showing high levels of motivation and who are working independently. By celebrating success in your lessons it reinforces expectations and raises the standard of work within your classroom.
11. Always follow up with concerns
As a teacher it is always important to practice what we preach. If a pupil within your lesson has misbehaved then its important to action the sanction that you have given or explained to the pupil. If you show a lack of inconsistency with your approach and don’t do what you have stated to the pupil or even follow through with the sanction or contact with the parent then next time you teach the pupil you might struggle and have similar concerns with them. It is always important to make sure that a followup conversation with the pupil is had before the start of the next lesson so the pupil knows that the incident is in the past and the next lesson is a fresh start. If the above process is not implemented then you may experience hostility and a negative atmosphere from the pupil at the start of the next lesson and as professionals and the adult it is important that you address the situation in the appropriate manner.
12. Never be afraid to ask for support or help
As teachers working very closely with all pupils it is important to take time to reflect on your lessons and day to day practice. Every teacher in education can have an off day and by taking the time to reflect, share information with colleagues and also talking through your own teaching experiences and day to day practice can help improve your pedagogical approach.
As qualified professionals in teaching, every member of staff needs to be reflective on their own teaching. Not one teaching style suits all and it's important to recognise that teachers and pupils are very different. Taking time to reflect, sharing good practice and liaising effectively with colleagues might be all is needed to make a slight tweak to improve the quality of your lessons.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Further Reading:
- When the Adults Change, Everything Changes: Seismic shifts in school behaviour 29 Jun. 2017
- After The Adults Change: Achievable behaviour nirvana Paperback – 31 Mar. 2021.
- Behaviour management strategies for teachers: how to handle difficult students
Andrew Smith - Assistant Headteacher
You can follow Andrew on Twitter @Mr_SmithDenbigh
