Do we consciously seek to avoid unnecessary confrontation, embarrassment or sarcasm? Do we consciously seek to cue positive corrective language, “Do ...” rather than “Don’t ...”; “When… then” rather than “No you can’t… because ...” Do we seek to be least intrusive where possible? If we need to be more intrusive, are we able to speak assertively and decisively while communicating a sense of calmness? Necessary assertion and communicating calmness are not antithetical. You can also use the yes-whenstructure to answer students as they ask for permission. Yes, we can have the air-conditioner on, whenit’s hotter than 24°C.

My guest for this first episode of our new series on Behaviour Management is teacher, education consultant and author Dr Bill Rogers. An Honorary Fellow of Melbourne University, he shares his expertise on behaviour management, effective teaching, stress management, colleague support and teacher welfare around the globe through lectures, seminars, professional development courses and, of course, with teachers in the classroom. lining up and room entry procedures, outlining the distinction between "social time" (outside classroom time) and 'our' teaching and learning time.The theories and models for behaviour management that have been popular throughout the years and are effective in many different scenarios are: Pause after saying student's’ name, and then give them their instruction once they are looking at you. Written jargon-free in Bill′s accessible and empathetic voice it includes in-depth strategies, practical examples, case studies and pragmatic hints and tips to put in to practice. This will make for informative and inspiring reading to all those involved in educating our children and young people. James, you can go next door to work with Mr Anderson or you can work sensibly with Andy as I’ve asked.

Be an Assertive teacher: This teacher expects compliance but refuses to rely on power or role status to gain respect. The teacher plans for discipline, uses clear, firm direction and correction, but acts respectfully, keeping the aims of discipline clearly in mind.Students choose how they behave. The forced-choice technique is a way of highlighting this while clarifying what the choices are. You often use it after, or in combination with other strategies. There are at least three essential aspects of that establishment phase we have to get as right as we can. The first one is those core routines. They cover everything from the way we enter the class; coming from a restless, busy playground environment where there’s a lot of noise and movement into a quieter, calmer setting. Even that movement, that transition between if you like ‘social’ time and ‘class’ time is crucial. Teachers who establish positive routines in these areas will find a kind of a smooth running developing in those critical first weeks. And that includes issues like how we establish whole class focus and attention, seating arrangements, noise level in the room – the volume of noise with 25 students plus their teacher in a small space – right through to keeping the place reasonably tidy and organised and monitor systems, right through to lesson closure and the way we leave the room.

His strategies centre on the use of language cues to influence behaviour and the need to take a measured, collaborative approach to working with challenging students.the right to learn (without undue distraction and disruption). This implies our ability to lead, guide and encourage our students in their responsibilities Bill Rogers has a strong line on teachers being able to model the behaviour they expect. This includes not wanting the last word. Partial Agreement is an essential strategy for avoiding or resolving conflict. It means teachers not trying to have the last word, or asserting their power in a situation when a student disputes their judgement. They whinged again, “I told you other teachers…”“You did,” I partially agreed. “What’s the school rule about football?” I wanted to keep the focus on the primary behaviour / issue, i.e. the fair, school-wide rule. Imagine that a pair of students were talking to each other when they should have been working silently. You directthem to work in silence, but they respond with a whining complaint, but we’re not the only ones talking. You refuse to enter the side argument, restate your directionand move away. I notice you’re playing football in the infant area.” This descriptive cue raises the students’ behaviour awareness.

This approach raises a student's behavioural awareness but also makes your expectations clear and provides an opportunity to reinforce them. I originally thought a day on this topic would have been best held at the start of the year so I could put the ideas in place from then. But I found that hearing this now - I could relate so much more strongly to the things I recognised I needed to change after two terms of trying things my way. This will definitely make me a better teacher.” As with parenting, the art is getting the balance: not overused or generated from real anger – thus de-sensitising children OR under-used and ineffectual. In both of these cases the boundaries are hit constantly because there is uncertainty about where the boundaries are. With good ‘controlled severity’ the boundary is not hit so often –because the kids know exactly what will happen. Like a low voltage electric fence! You know where it is, without nagging or constant negotiation, and you know exactly what happens if you touch it – so you don’t go there. The key is that the consequence is certain to happen – not the level of severity. Teachers who can never sound cross often struggle. Similarly, teachers who allow genuine anger to build up – also struggle; these are the shouters (note to younger self.) Worst of all are teachers who shout but then don’t follow up with the consequences. All these groups need to seek help and get help. In my teacher training prior to my first placement I was told that the students would google me, but I wasn't told how much they'd drill me in person, even to the point of asking ‘What's your favourite football team?' when I'm trying to explain how to do some maths on the board! In this Third Edition of his bestselling book, Bill Rogers looks at the issues facing teachers working in today's classrooms. Describing real situations and dilemmas, he offers advice on dealing with the challenges of the job, and how building up a rapport with both students and colleagues can support good practice.BR: The establishment phase is basically the first meeting with a new class. Even if you knew some of those students from the previous years, there’s still a psychological readiness and a kind of developmental readiness in the students for us to make clear to them what this time will be like for them. They know that teachers establish routines and rules so they’re expecting that and they’re also getting to know their teacher as we get to know them of course, so we’re establishing not just our leadership but an emerging relationship with the students as well and that beginning of trust that’s essential for teachers working with students. When asking questions in discipline (and management) contexts it helps to use direct interrogative forms “What…?”, “When…?”, “How…?”, “Where…?” rather than “Why…?” or “Are you…?” This enables the student to focus on what they need to think about or do relative to the context of the question. The two most common questions asked in this regard - both in and out of class - are “What are you doing…?” or “What is our rule for…?”, followed by “What should you be doing?’ If a student whinges or argues we find it helpful to refocus to the main issue at that point, sometimes adding ‘partialagreement’, as in the playground incident. 5. Clarifying consequences Challenging behaviour refers to the behaviours that are considered as unacceptable in the environment they occur in. Within an educational environment, challenging behaviour is commonly considered to be the actions of an individual or group that endanger or harm the students or others and interfere with the students' academic success (Hyde, Carpenter & Conway, 2010). The focus is on the primary behaviour, giving students take up time and a choice about consequences. Expecting compliance is key but we should not regard ‘giving in’ as a sign of weakness. Communicating to students that you may be wrong is an important part of building relationships whilst maintaining your authority. My pet hate is a teacher who wants his pound of flesh; is uncompromising and moans about kids ‘getting away with it’. It never ever helps. (This is where I find the concept of Emotional Intelligence helpful…some teachers simply cannot bear it when asked to give ground; it is a problem they need help to recognise.) Hyde, et al., (2010) state that "challenging behaviours... are considered to be disruptive and aggressive behaviours that may include sexualised behaviour, self-harm, and physical and verbal behaviour such as hitting and threatening others. Another aspect... is the less intrusive but persistent behaviours, including off-task behaviours such as talking in class or being inattentive."