The Art of Peaceful Teaching in the Primary School

Improving Behaviour and Preserving Motivation

Michelle MacGrath

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781134117697
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

First Published in 2000. This book helps primary teachers improve behaviour, preserve motivation and foster cooperation by developing positive relationships with pupils and their parents, creating a calm environment for learning and using non-confrontational communication skills. It outlines an empathetic approach to understanding and managing disruptive behaviour that avoids conflict and demoralisation. As such, it is an ideal text for student teachers, newly qualified teachers and more experienced practitioners.

Chapter 1

Avoiding disaffection

For me it would be progress to live in a culture with less humiliation.

(Adam Phillips, psychotherapist, In Our Time, Radio 4, 18 November 1999)

What do children need in order to learn? As one primary teacher put it, ‘You can’t have progress unless a child is happy. Happiness and progress go hand in hand.’ This may seem a little excessive since it is obviously impossible to ensure the happiness of all the children in the class. Yet what the teacher said is also true: unless pupils are comfortable in the classroom, unless they have friends and are happy enough with the relationships in the class and unless they feel sufficiently at ease in the school they will not learn. In other words, unless their emotional well-being is considered progress will be severly hampered: children’s feelings count.

A teacher of English as an Additional Language found a startling difference in one pupil over the course of a few months. The first term she worked with her the girl had been uncooperative, surly and uncommunicative, even though her spoken English was more than adequate. During the second term, however, she changed dramatically, beginning to cooperate, working hard, being friendly towards the teacher and making good progess with her written English. When the teacher asked her what had changed and why she was now so different, the girl was very clear, saying, ‘The first term I was all alone in the world. I knew no one. Now I have my friend Shamsun. Now I have everything.’

Powerful emotions of any kind interfere with concentration as anyone who has sat an exam, been distracted after a fierce argument or just fallen in love would probably testify. It is sometimes easy as adults to underestimate how important relationships are to children who have neither the life experience to put disagreements or difficulties into perspective nor the same possibilities of moving freely into different groups seeking new friendships. Many lack the social and communication skills to sort out disagreements unaided. Time is never wasted by teachers when it is spent on developing relationships and cultivating the capacity of young people to manage them effectively.

The groundwork for any academic achievement is, therefore, the far more intangible task of helping children feel comfortable enough with themselves, the rest of the class and the teacher in order to be able to apply themselves to school work. Of course, they also need to be able to manage tasks set, contribute to discussions and feel successful as students in order to feel good about themselves. Emotional well-being and success at school are thus inextricably linked.

Tom Bentley (1998), refers to pupils as ‘intelligent agents’. In other words, children have to be active participants in their own learning and development rather than passive objects, ‘empty vessels’ to be filled with knowledge. Although there will always be a body of knowledge with which children need to become acquainted, this is best encompassed in an approach which encourages independence, decision-making and responsibility. The very meaning of the word ‘educate’, to lead out, suggests a journey in which young people are equipped with the necessary skills and supported in their development from the richness of their own inner world to the world at large. While the curriculum forms the content of this journey it is the form, the process through which that is assimilated which will help equip children with the skills they will need to flourish in the adult world. Process is crucial and is the subject of this book.

Certainly two things are today clear. Firstly, we live in an information society in which children have access to more data more easily than ever before. Many, for example, will not only have absorbed information about other countries from watching television, but will actually have travelled or even lived there. In other words, children come to school with not only opinions, preferences and aptitudes but sometimes also considerable knowledge: the world at large can now impinge on a child’s inner world at a very young age. Secondly, young people themselves are very aware that they are responsible for their own learning and that no one can make them learn. In a recent MORI survey in Britain it was found that 67 per cent of 11–16-year-olds agreed with the statement that ‘No one can make you learn, you have to want to learn’.

Consequently, unless, as teachers, we truly acknowledge the children’s role as active participants through the approach we take and the kinds of activities we use we will run the risk of demotivating some children and simply appearing irrelevant to others, thereby creating conditions which will lead to behaviour difficulties now or in the future. Schooling in the West has to compete with the excitement of virtual reality games, the immediacy of the internet the shifting colours and sounds of television and the constant bombardment of advertising. Paper and pencil, flip chart and blackboard are, perhaps, less immediately appealing to many than these accompaniments to modern life. That is probably true without the element of the teacher since, ultimately, it is the human element, the fun and support of relationships, feeling liked, valued and accepted, the opportunity of choosing and being creative, the sense of growing independence and responsibility, the security of belonging to a group and the satisfaction of achievement which are the most sustaining motivators of all. The question for the teacher is how to do all this? What is required to sustain motivation and enable children to perceive themselves as and to become able, willing and independent students? What can extend their depth of understanding, widen their scope of interests and add to and refine their skills? A place to start is for the teacher to:

• find ways into learning which will engage every child;

• help children develop their own strategies for learning and reflection;

• develop sustaining relationships;

• help children feel good about themselves and happy enough in school in order to learn.

This book aims to suggest ways of thinking and practical strategies which will enable teachers to achieve this more of the time. One place to start is to consider how to establish the kind of environment which will promote learning.

1. Establishing a calm and purposeful environment

It is no contradiction that, in order to allow pupils as much independence and responsibility as possible regarding their work, it is usually helpful to develop a structure which is ordered and routine. This is particularly useful for those pupils who are most insecure, for whatever reason, and who, therefore, are most likely to disrupt the activities of the class. Even though they will have choice and independence in some areas of their work they will thus feel contained by the structure you have established and, consequently, more at ease in the classroom. The more children know what to expect regarding the order and procedures of the day, the more relaxed they will feel and the more emotional energy they will have to channel towards work. You will also be less troubled with questions about what is to happen in the future. It is usually useful to remember that what may seem obvious to an adult probably will not to a child, so often it is necessary to state details very clearly, checking the children have understood and writing up important information.

In order for pupils to work independently and effectively they will also need help in developing essential skills such as resolving conflict, working collaboratively, reflecting on work, discriminating, listening to others, sitting quietly and so on. Most of these skills will be developed through the process in which the content of the curriculum is conveyed.

As the teacher you are in charge: it is up to you to minimise opportunities for disaffection in your class. One way of doing so is through providing relevant, accessible, engaging and interesting activities for the children and this is considered in the following chapter. Another way is to organise your classroom procedures in such a way that there are few chances for children to start chatting, playing, fighting or behaving in a way you do not wish them to. Such a strategy will instantly avoid a considerable amount of ‘telling off’ which can lead to resentment and disaffection. Useful techniques include:

• Routine procedures, for example:

– a procedure for entering the school building and classroom and sitting down

– a strategy for giving things out and packing away

– an ordered procedure for leaving the class, by table, by row, etc.

– efficient personal organisation;

• a seating plan;

• a quick start to activities;

• only purposeful to-ing and fro-ing during activities;

• clear expectations;

• rewards for good behaviour;

• consistent consequences for poor behaviour;

• training in how to sit quietly, listen, etc.

Let us consider some of these in more detail. Further relevant information can be found in the section ‘Helping a whole class to change’ towards the end of Chapter 5.

Entering the building and the classroom

In the playground children will be involved in a range of activities: walking, talking loudly, running, shouting, playing a game, playing football, fighting, and so on. These are activities which are obviously inappropriate inside the school building. If the children are allowed to enter the building from the playground unsupervised and in a disorderly fashion it can cause difficulties later on. Cloakrooms are an area where there can be considerable jostling and confusion. There may be shoving and pushing in corridors or on stairs which can lead to arguments or fights. These are sometimes taken into the classroom and set the tone for the day. Order established early on avoids these unnecessary tussles. The doorway marks the divide between free play and more purposeful activity. Another way of looking at it is that, when the children take off their coats, they leave any vestiges of playground behaviour in the cloakroom or on the hook. It can wait for them there until they go outside again to play or go home.

If the teacher leads the children in from outside he or she can help them to quieten and calm down before leaving the playground. This is usually easier if the children are made aware of standing differently: straight and still, looking ahead. A change in body posture can often help children alter behaviour more quickly than if they are given an order to stop talking, stop fidgeting, etc. Another way of creating a change of mood quickly is to engage the children’s interest and imagination about the forthcoming tasks by setting them a puzzle or question to think about on their way to class.

It can also be very helpful if the pupils know exactly what to do when they enter the classroom. That is to say, they know where to go and sit and they have something they can do straight away. For example, they may put their folders in a box, and sit in their seats reading their ongoing class reader. Or, having put away their folders, they may sit on the mat quietly working out a puzzle the teacher has put on the board. Without such a strategy, unwanted behaviour is more likely. Those children who are most insecure tend to find unstructured times like these periods of transition most difficult to handle and, consequently, often start some unwanted behaviour. This might lead to the teacher intervening and telling them off and the pattern for the day is set. With these children in particular it is generally helpful if the first contact each day is a welcome from you rather than a comment in response to some inappropriate behaviour.

There are other advantages to having a routine activity for pupils on entering in a morning. One of these is that the children start off the day independently, that is to say, they come in knowing what to do and are able to take responsibility for doing so without instructions or with very little comment from the teacher. If a parent needs to speak with the teacher urgently at this time the children are not left waiting. Latecomers can also be absorbed without disruption to others. The first coming together, sharing and instructions for the rest of the day may come after five or ten minutes of quiet, independent activity. If such a start is impractical first thing it could be employed on returning to class after lunch and used as a way to help pupils calm down and refocus on work.

Ending a session and leaving the class

The end of each session is, in a sense, the beginning of the next one since it often gives the pupil an impression he or she will remember. In other words, if the ending is slightly chaotic with children wandering out of class chatting, this is likely to feed their expectations of how they can behave with you at your next meeting. Similarly, if the ending is one characterised by conflict or criticism pupils may well be a little unwilling to return for more of the same. It is, therefore, usually helpful to end each day and each week on a positive note, even when things have been difficult, by emphasising what has been achieved, and maybe even enjoyed, and looking forward to working together next time. If the children generally leave your class feeling good about themselves, good about what they have achieved and optimistic for the future they will usually be keen to come back.

Efficient personal organisation

The primary day is filled with a multitude of small demands and difficulties which can easily upset the smooth running of an activity and take up teacher time: broken pencils, for example, lost books, paper not available, biros running out, arguments about whose turn it is to go on the computer or to take the register to the office, and so on. Therefore, the more a teacher can streamline his or her personal organ-isation, the more energy and time he or she will have for helping children learn. Such detailed strategies as careful record-keeping, a rota for turns on the computer and for class jobs, a tray of pencil sharpeners into which children sharpen their pencils and which is cleaned out by pencil monitors who also care for pots of coloured pencils for each table, a treasure box into which precious items brought to show the class are kept safe during the day, a notebook for jotting down urgent tasks for the day, things to remember and good ideas for the future can all ease the practicalities of a busy day.

It is usually helpful to decide on a policy for allowing children to go to the toilet since requests for this can cause confusion. Not to allow children to go at all is unwise since accidents may happen and if children are concerned about this they will be unable to concentrate on their work. Some ground rules are, therefore, helpful. One teacher employs the following policy and finds that it works well. The children write their names on a small piece of card and pin this onto a red board. When they wish to go to the toilet they take their name and place it on the green board which is beside the red one. Only two children are allowed out of the room at any one time. When they return, they replace their name on the red board. This system means that, at any time, the teacher can see who is out of the room and can, therefore notice any patterns which may form, for example, a pupil always going to the toilet directly after a break, or two children frequently being out of the class at the same time. If such patterns occur the teacher can then talk to the pupils involved. Mostly, however, the system makes no particular demands on the teacher at all. It also gives the children a degree of responsibility and autonomy which ensures that most of them will respect the system most of the time.

A seating plan

A well-devised seating plan can avoid difficulties almost more than any other single strategy. There are several point to consider.

• How and where do you want the desks?

• What is best for small group work?

• What also allows pupils to see the board?

• Who works well with whom?

• Who might chatter or otherwise distract others?

• Who might need extra help with language, numeracy or literacy?

• Where is ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• ‘Children learn what they live’
• Dedication
• Introduction
• 1 Avoiding disaffection
• 2 Preserving motivation
• 3 Working at relationships: making relationships work
• 4 Managing and resolving conflict and anger
• 5 Managing troublesome behaviour
• 6 Finding your way
• Appendices A–F
• Bibliography
• Index