Changing Behaviour in Schools

Promoting Positive Relationships and Wellbeing

Sue Roffey

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9781849200783, 9781849200776
• eBook ISBN: 9781446259535
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Good teachers know that positive relationships with students and school connectedness lead to both improved learning and better behaviour for all students, and this is backed up by research. This book will show you how to promote positive behaviour and wellbeing in your setting.

Taking an holistic approach to working with students, the author provides examples of effective strategies for encouraging pro-social and collaborative behaviour in the classroom, the school and the wider community. Chapters look at the importance of the social and emotional aspects of learning, and ways to facilitate change.

Issues covered include:

-developing a sense of belonging in the classroom
-teaching approaches that maximise engagement and participation
-how to respond effectively to challenging situations
-ways to re-engage with students who have become marginalized.

Each chapter has case studies from primary and secondary schools, activities, checklists and suggestions for further reading.

This is an essential textbook for trainee and newly-qualified teachers, and is also useful for more experienced teachers, as it offers advice to all on how to manage student relationships with confidence, respect and resilience.

1	INTRODUCTION

BEHAVIOUR IN PERSPECTIVE

Behaviour in schools receives a good deal of public attention, much of it negative. The Steer Report (DfES, 2005b) puts this into perspective:

Our experience as teachers, supported by evidence from Ofsted, is that the great majority of pupils work hard and behave well, and that most schools successfully manage behaviour to create an environment in which learners feel valued, cared for and safe. It is often the case that for pupils, school is a calm place in a disorderly world (p. 6).

The report goes on to say that most of the behaviours that teachers struggle with are minor disruptions and that major incidents are rare and perpetrated by a small number of students. There is evidence that in general pupil behaviour is improving. This suggests that teachers arrive in classrooms with predominantly positive expectations.

Any unacceptable behaviour, however, whether low level or extreme, can be very challenging as it both damages teacher confidence and undermines learning. Poor behaviour can be a trigger for teachers to leave the profession and can often restrict the life chances of pupils (NUT, 2005). Sharing, developing and actually doing what works is therefore essential for the current and future wellbeing of all involved.

The knowledge and skills of staff are the single most important factor in promoting good behaviour (Steer Report, p. 83).

WHAT THIS BOOK AIMS TO DO

• To go beyond behaviour management to develop more positive pupil behaviour
• To foster the relationships that will help keep vulnerable and challenging students connected with school and learning
• To promote the wellbeing of all, including teachers
• To share research evidence and effective practice.

Although much of what is included here will help in responding effectively to challenges, the aim is to go beyond behaviour management – to explore what schools and teachers can do to change pupil behaviour over the longer term.

Behaviour management often comprises the strategies employed when behaviour threatens to disrupt teaching. These primarily aim to meet the needs of teachers and the rest of the class. Management can also include how to pre-empt difficulties by paying attention to how the curriculum is delivered, the physical layout of the classroom, your teaching style and what Kounin (1977) calls ‘with-it-ness’. Although these are essential skills for an educator and will be addressed throughout the book, when behaviour management becomes an end in itself, there is little consideration about what this behaviour means for the student and how we can support behavioural change.

Some teachers believe fear is an effective management strategy and that if students are intimidated this will take care of any discipline problems. Although this might work in the short term – for that teacher – the longer-term costs of this approach are considerable.

When distress is not heard, a focus on sanctions alone can make things worse. Although it is vital to maintain high expectations for behaviour, when we say: ‘that will teach them!’ we need to think carefully about the lessons we really do want students to learn. How can we help children and young people choose to be considerate and cooperative? How can we motivate them to stay engaged with learning? How can we help them see school as a refuge and resource that helps them maintain a positive sense of self and learn to deal with adversity elsewhere in their lives? This is not being soft on difficult students; it is using both intelligence and research evidence to break a negative cycle.

Our challenging pupils are those most quickly marginalised by the system and most likely to be suspended and excluded from school. If you go into any prison you will find many inmates who had a negative and disconnected school experience. The same is true for others who are socially excluded. The research evidence is that a sense of belonging promotes pro-social behaviour, resilience and improved learning outcomes (Benard, 2004; Blum & Libbey, 2004). The second aim is therefore to help schools do everything they possibly can to keep children and young people connected. Promoting positive relationships and positive school experiences can intervene in a negative cycle of disadvantage.

Teacher wellbeing is symbiotic with student wellbeing. Keyes and Haidt (2005) say that many adults in society are ‘languishing’ rather than ‘flourishing’ – and some of these adults are in the classroom. The third aim is therefore to promote wellbeing and relational quality throughout the school and clarify what that means. Small consistent differences in the way people interact can lead to great changes over time. When teachers use emotional literacy and develop their own resilience they have a more satisfactory and effective working life. When teachers work together to build social capital in schools they feel supported, even under stress. This not only promotes wellbeing for teachers new to the profession, it can also revitalise experienced practitioners who have become jaded and cynical. Everyone benefits from a focus on wellbeing.

There is a discourse on ‘discipline’ in education that does not always help schools move towards more effective practice in improving behaviour. The word discipline has connotations of doing as you are told and conforming to rules laid down by those in authority. This element of external control can lead to students doing what they can get away with out of the sight of authority figures. The internalisation of pro-social values means changing behaviour from the inside out.

Questions for reflection and discussion

What are your aims as a teacher?

What are your aims for your students?

LEARNING TO BE: LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER

The report to the United Nations on education in the 21st century (Delors, 1996) identified four pillars of education:

• Learning to know
• Learning to do
• Learning to be
• Learning to live together.

Much of the focus of education in the 20th century has been on the first two pillars – knowledge and skills. There is now increasing evidence that the last two are not only just as important, but also underpin effectiveness for the first two (Zins et al., 2004).

Learning to be and learning to live together are the foundations for changing behaviour. This incorporates how we think and feel about ourselves, and our perceptions of the world and those with whom we share it. This is a very different approach from providing rewards for conforming to the rules, and consequences for breaking them.

The social and emotional dimensions of learning (SEL) are beginning to be acknowledged across the world. The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is an influential body of researchers and educators promoting the value of SEL in the United States. CASEL defines SEL as ‘a process for helping children and even adults develop the fundamental skills for life effectiveness. SEL teaches the skills we all need to handle ourselves, our relationships, and our work, effectively and ethically’ (CASEL, 2007). Payton et al. (2008) analysed three large-scale reviews of research on the impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes on elementary and middle school students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. These were divided into studies of SEL for all children (universal), those for targeted groups (early intervention) and after-school programmes. Collectively the three reviews included 317 studies and involved 324,303 children.

Their findings were:

• Universal, targeted and after school SEL programmes raised achievement test scores an average of 11, 17, and 16 percentile points, respectively.
• Universal and targeted programmes increased social-emotional skills in test situations.
• All three types of programmes improved social behaviour such as getting along and cooperating with others and decreased behavioural problems such as aggression and disruptiveness.
• All three types of programmes led to more positive feelings about self, others and school.
• Universal and targeted programmes reduced levels of emotional distress such as anxiety and depression.
• Positive outcomes were enhanced when classroom teachers delivered programmess rather than researchers and where attention was given to the quality of implementation.

In the UK the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme was introduced to primary schools in 2005 and secondary schools in 2007 (DfES, 2005a). It is estimated that the majority of primary schools and a significant proportion of secondary schools are now using the programme. Evaluation of SEAL in 84 primary schools in Sheffield between 2005 and 2007 indicated high levels of success (Pullinger, 2008), including improvements in behaviour and the way children were able to express feelings. Some pupils had learnt to sort out low-level conflict on their own and incidents of bullying were reduced.

Taking account of the social and emotional aspects of learning acknowledges the importance of teaching the whole child and maximising their potential in all domains of development. Where education systems emphasise individual success in academic outcomes they are not fully congruent with this approach. Although personalised learning is receiving greater attention, educational testing and government directives on academic targets risk undermining the work of many teachers who are concerned their students also learn the skills that will facilitate their lives. Academic achievements alone do not guarantee a fulfilling life. If you have not learnt to manage yourself well, or developed the personal qualities to overcome adversity, nor learnt how to establish and maintain supportive relationships you are unlikely to flourish and sustain wellbeing.

Case study

Mark was a straight ‘A’ student and is now doing very well in his career, earning a high salary and the status that comes with this. He is a good-looking young man and a keen tennis player, married to an intelligent and caring woman who has given him two young sons. You would have thought he had everything it takes to be happy and fulfilled, but Mark has not learnt to consider the needs of anyone but himself and in some ways has the maturity of a toddler. When things do not go exactly as he wants he explodes into uncontrollable rage and can be verbally abusive to anyone who gets in his way. His family life is now at risk as he has done this once too often at home and work colleagues are beginning to avoid him. Unless Mark can learn ‘how to be’ and ‘how to live together’ more effectively, he may lose much of what he has worked so hard to achieve.

Questions for reflection and discussion

What did you learn at school that has helped you with your work and personal life?

What else would have been valuable?

VULNERABLE AND CHALLENGING

Vulnerable children and young people often struggle with these important social and emotional elements of learning and development. They may not have had positive role models, experiences or guidance to help them learn to cope with difficulties or connect with others. Often they are overwhelmed by chronic or acute challenges and put their energies into trying to protect themselves from further threat and harm – perceived as well as real.

The behaviour of these students can be very difficult to manage in the classroom. This may lead teachers to give up a career in education and go off to find something less stressful. Teaching, however, can be an immensely rewarding career, despite – and sometimes because of – the challenges it presents. Teachers need to build both their confidence and resilience so they are not overwhelmed when the going gets tough.

The way we think about children and young people impacts on how we feel about them and also about ourselves. These thoughts and emotions determine the actions we take in relation to behaviour. In can be hard to appreciate in the stress of the moment that there are choices, some of which give everyone a better time in the classroom. It would seem sensible to choose what is effective and seek support to stick with it. This is not always the easiest option and can be personally challenging at times.

FOCUSING ON WHAT WORKS

This book tells you what works, not what people think works. Each chapter shows what has been proved to be effective over the longer term – avoiding the lurch from one challenging experience to the next, from one crisis to another.

The views expressed here are evidence-based. Although studies are not cited at every turn, very little appears here which is not rooted in scientific enquiry. The reference list at the end of each chapter is there to follow up if you wish. Also included are resources to extend your knowledge and skills and suggestions for materials that may be d...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• About the author
• Preface
• 1 Introduction
• SECTION ONE Being an effective teacher
• SECTION TWO Encouraging positive behaviour
• SECTION THREE Responding to challenging behaviour
• SECTION FOUR The role of the whole school
• Appendix 1 Assessment schedule
• Appendix 2 School wellbeing checklist
• Index