Behaviour for learning is a matter of relationships. It is about the child's relationship with themselves, with others and with the curriculum.
According to the East Sussex County Council the three main relationships experienced by the pupil relate to their:
Relationship with themselves- how they feel about themselves and their self-confidence as a learner.
Relationship with others- how they interact socially and academically with all others in their class and school.
Relationship with the curriculum- how accessible they feel a lesson is, how best they think they learn.
Questions to ask yourself
Are your pupils given opportunities to work positively with others?
Are you aware of their home lives and self confidence and how it can effect their behaviour in school?
Do you provide an inclusive curriculum that motivates and engages the children in their learning?
Relationship with themselves- how they feel about themselves and their self-confidence as a learner.
Relationship with others- how they interact socially and academically with all others in their class and school.
Relationship with the curriculum- how accessible they feel a lesson is, how best they think they learn.
Questions to ask yourself
Are your pupils given opportunities to work positively with others?
Are you aware of their home lives and self confidence and how it can effect their behaviour in school?
Do you provide an inclusive curriculum that motivates and engages the children in their learning?
Top Tips from the Elton ReportI believe the points made by the Elton Report (p71-72) can enhance the three relationships linked to BFL, they are practical, realistic and effective, why not give them a go?
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Charlie Taylor's ChecklistSimilar to the Elton report, Charlie Taylor's checklist is perhaps clearer and more likely to be put up in the classroom.
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Your first class...
As the class teacher, you will have a big responsibility to ensure the child's relationships with themselves, others and the curriculum are positive. However, fear not as there are plenty of things you can do to guarantee a happy and enjoyable NQT year.
Having a class of 30 pupils often means there will be a wide variety of needs and abilities; some children will come from supportive and caring home lives whereas others may have already had troubled lives. Creating a socially co-operative environment from the onset is therefore important. Simple procedures such as how they sit on the carpet, how they answer questions and seating arrangements, although they may seem trivial to you, are fundamental in a child's first few days in a new classroom, particularly if you have any autistic children in your class who need routine. If you are taking on a Reception class, gradually easing them into a more structured environment that requires them to be 'on-task' may take time and needs to be dealt with sensitively.
An important skill to have as a teacher is creating a calm environment. 'This 'calmness' is communicated by our physical and vocal presence' (Rogers, B. & McPherson, E, 2008:13). Thinking about your body language, tone of voice and type of language you use is important as the children will quickly pick up how confident, kind, fair and in control you are. Speaking clearly and simply with enthusiasm and a sense of humour will help you gain respect. When giving instructions to the class, it is important to gain the whole classes attention and wait if necessary.
Whilst teaching a lesson it is beneficial to regularly scan the whole class to ensure they are on-task. It also allows you to see if there are any children who may need some help or prompting. This is particularly important when you are working with a specific child or group of children as it is easy to become immersed in their learning and forget about what may be happening in the rest of the room.
The language you use in the classroom needs to be inclusive, especially when establishing classroom rules. Using words such as 'our', 'we' and 'us' is far more meaningful and collaborative than saying it is 'your' class with 'your' rules. During one of my placements the children all had to 'sign the contract' (the class rules) which they came up with together, this made the process more inclusive and gave the children a sense of ownership in their learning, making the rules more relevant and meaningful to them. However, children need 'guided and focussed discussion about rules, responsibilities and routines' (Rogers, B. & McPherson, E. 2008:46). Making the rules positive may need to be modelled and explained by yourself as children often see rules as negative. For example, instead of saying 'Do not run in the corridors!' you could change it to 'We always walk sensibly in the corridors'. Giving examples and scenarios can also be helpful such as 'what should happen if a pupil keeps calling out?'.
As an NQT you will be managing as well as learning from children's behaviour on a daily basis, much of the behaviour seen and dealt with in class may seem and probably is trivial. However, more serious
and disconcerting incidents must be followed up and reported to a more senior member of staff (Rogers & McPherson, 2008). Not only does telling someone else protect the child, it also protects yourself. Safeguarding is a crucial element in teaching and it is vital that you are aware of the school's safeguarding policy and routines. Unfortunately not all children come from loving, caring backgrounds and you may
have to deal with serious issues such as abuse and neglect. The child's relationship with themselves and others can therefore have a great affect on their behaviour in school.
Having a class of 30 pupils often means there will be a wide variety of needs and abilities; some children will come from supportive and caring home lives whereas others may have already had troubled lives. Creating a socially co-operative environment from the onset is therefore important. Simple procedures such as how they sit on the carpet, how they answer questions and seating arrangements, although they may seem trivial to you, are fundamental in a child's first few days in a new classroom, particularly if you have any autistic children in your class who need routine. If you are taking on a Reception class, gradually easing them into a more structured environment that requires them to be 'on-task' may take time and needs to be dealt with sensitively.
An important skill to have as a teacher is creating a calm environment. 'This 'calmness' is communicated by our physical and vocal presence' (Rogers, B. & McPherson, E, 2008:13). Thinking about your body language, tone of voice and type of language you use is important as the children will quickly pick up how confident, kind, fair and in control you are. Speaking clearly and simply with enthusiasm and a sense of humour will help you gain respect. When giving instructions to the class, it is important to gain the whole classes attention and wait if necessary.
Whilst teaching a lesson it is beneficial to regularly scan the whole class to ensure they are on-task. It also allows you to see if there are any children who may need some help or prompting. This is particularly important when you are working with a specific child or group of children as it is easy to become immersed in their learning and forget about what may be happening in the rest of the room.
The language you use in the classroom needs to be inclusive, especially when establishing classroom rules. Using words such as 'our', 'we' and 'us' is far more meaningful and collaborative than saying it is 'your' class with 'your' rules. During one of my placements the children all had to 'sign the contract' (the class rules) which they came up with together, this made the process more inclusive and gave the children a sense of ownership in their learning, making the rules more relevant and meaningful to them. However, children need 'guided and focussed discussion about rules, responsibilities and routines' (Rogers, B. & McPherson, E. 2008:46). Making the rules positive may need to be modelled and explained by yourself as children often see rules as negative. For example, instead of saying 'Do not run in the corridors!' you could change it to 'We always walk sensibly in the corridors'. Giving examples and scenarios can also be helpful such as 'what should happen if a pupil keeps calling out?'.
As an NQT you will be managing as well as learning from children's behaviour on a daily basis, much of the behaviour seen and dealt with in class may seem and probably is trivial. However, more serious
and disconcerting incidents must be followed up and reported to a more senior member of staff (Rogers & McPherson, 2008). Not only does telling someone else protect the child, it also protects yourself. Safeguarding is a crucial element in teaching and it is vital that you are aware of the school's safeguarding policy and routines. Unfortunately not all children come from loving, caring backgrounds and you may
have to deal with serious issues such as abuse and neglect. The child's relationship with themselves and others can therefore have a great affect on their behaviour in school.