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In order to effectively manage

classroom behaviour, teachers


should extend on effective
strategies through gaining
extra support. Discuss.
Students can misbehaviour within the classroom in a range of ways,
this can be in the form of a small disturbance to a potentially unsafe
disruptive manner. The teacher must choose appropriate strategies to
manage this disruptive behaviour, to ensure the remainder of the
class is not interrupted and safety is ensured. The behaviour can be a
result of personal or school related issues, but as the behaviour is
disturbing the classroom environment therefore the teacher must
choose a strategy to manage this behaviour. Choosing appropriate
strategies can be difficult as there are a variety to select and each
student can react differently, resulting in unpredictable behaviour that
can have positive or negative effects. This paper will identify a variety
of strategies that teachers can choose from while discussing potential
positive and negative reactions from the strategy, and that teachers
require ongoing support from the school environment and colleagues
to the home environment.

There is not one specific technique or approach that can be identified


as children behaviour management, rather it is a number of elements

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that contribute to effectively managing classroom behaviour (Hart,


2010). As stated by Little and Akin-Little (2008) teachers must have
firm but fair rules, using positive, specific and simple language and
not having a long list of rules, a maximum of 5 is appropriate. Both
Hart (2010) and Landrum, Scott and Lingo (2011) state that based on
attachment theory, it is important to create and maintain positive
relationships with all students, where care and respect are important,
as students will respect and cooperate with teacher instruction, which
will improve behaviour. This idea links to psychodynamic approach,
where there is emphasis on secure and trusting relationships, which
provides consistency, positive expectations and a nurturing
disposition (Hart, 2010). Verbal reinforcement is an available tool to
all teachers and is one of the most powerful, by increasing the rate of
positive responses to appropriate behaviour it will improve the overall
classroom behaviour (Hart, 2010). When responding to undesirable
behaviour ensure that the students know that there are consequences
for their behaviour, identify the disruption and use subtle responses
such as deliberate ignoring or a long stare if possible, as well as
strategies such as a verbal warning (Hart, 2010). When inappropriate
behaviour persists or escalates the teacher must have a clear, agreed
procedure to deal with the misbehaviour, which is shared with
colleagues to ensure consistency (Hart, 2010). There are reports that
prove that when students attend a nurture group there is significant
improvement with emotional and behavioural management,
compared to a matched sample of primary school students who
attended a primary school without a nurture group (Hart, 2010).
Teachers must emphasis reinforcement and punishments but also
acknowledge that these strategies should be accompanied with
preventative strategies which include a positive environment, student
self-discipline and social problem-solving strategies (Hart, 2010).

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Hart (2010) continues by discussing strategies such as behaviour


approaches where using reinforcement to increase desirable
behaviour and using extinction (ignoring unwanted behaviour or using
time out) to decrease misbehaviour. Schools can adopt a school based
behaviour strategy such as raffles or games. School wide raffles can
be used to praise students appropriate behaviour using tickets
entered into a raffle and the winner receiving a prize (Hart, 2010).
Good behaviour games involve splitting pupils into teams and those
students who are behaving appropriately achieve points for their
team and those behaving inappropriately loose points, the winner
gains privileges or prizes for their team. Hart (2010) also discussed
systemic approaches which focus on the social interaction between
individual, school, family, community and wider society, this approach
emphasises a no blame technique where school staff, pupils and
others are supported and encouraged to collaborate and solve
problems with pupil behaviour. He also discussed a humanistic
approach which places importance on the relationship between the
teacher and student. This approach is where the teacher displays
empathy, positive regard, genuineness and encouragement of critical
thinking, meaning students motivation and behaviour is underpinned
by basic psychological needs, such as needs for knowledge,
relatedness and autonomy (Hart, 2010). Opdenakker and Van Damme
(2006) reinforce this approach by stating that they discovered that
teacher and student relationships are positively influenced by how the
teacher adopts to a learner-centred teaching style, which is
associated with increased opportunities to learn, better integration of
students within the class and increased participation from students.
Although rewards can be beneficial in encouraging positive behaviour
it can also lead to a reduction in motivation for a task and reduce the
students performance, they can also be potentially intimidating, they
can diminish student autonomy and can do little to encourage
appropriate social skills (Hart, 2010).

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Each student will behaviour in their own personal way, but when
misbehaving their behaviour can be categorised within four
categories, classified as category A, B, C, and D. These categories
range from a low behavioural response to an extreme reaction.
Category A students are able to complete the assigned task, with
teacher hints such as pausing, moving closer and inspecting work
when the child becomes distracted; Category B students are less
interested in the work and possibly less confident at completing the
task, these students can become distracted but their behaviour
improves with teacher recognition, rewards and punishments;
Category C students are distracted easily and the teacher needs to
help the student become aware of unreasonable behaviour, by
discussing the behaviour as a problem and developing a plan together
to avoid the repetition; Category D students repeat misbehaviour
despite teaching techniques (Ramon, 2008). Teacher wish for those
category D students to move through to category A, where students
act responsibly within the classroom. Being able to manage this
variety of behaviour, teachers must use group management skills to
monitor behaviour and keep consistency within the classroom (Hart,
2010). As stated by Hart (2010) teachers must individualise classroom
practice to improve student behaviour, through increasing motivation,
engagement and compliance teachers are able to shape and manage
the behaviour of children. Although there are a variety of strategies or
programs that have been proven to be effective, there is no
guarantee that that specific strategy will work on every student
(Landrum, Scott, & Lingo, 2011). Some students will respond well with
developing routines and arrangements, while others will require the
teacher to manipulate where he/she stands in the classroom or
rearranging the seating to separate antagonistic students (Landrum,
Scott, & Lingo, 2011).

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There is another behavioural management strategy called selfmanagement, which is defined as a persons ability to manage their
existence (Panagoopoulou-Stamatelatou, 1990). This technique can
be very beneficial to a teacher as they are able to spend more time
teaching students rather than controlling their behaviour, as well as
being more effective and cost efficient, with a chance for
generalisation, compared to other visible managing techniques
(Panagoopoulou-Stamatelatou, 1990). As discussed by
Panagoopoulou-Stamatelatou (1990) and extended on by Hart (2010)
this technique requires a natural teaching context where children are
encouraged to take initiative while teachers interact responsibly when
necessary. Continuing by stating that when children are taught this
strategy they are then better equipped to manage their academic and
social behaviour from an early age, which gives a greater degree of
control over their own learning and their behaviour (PanagoopoulouStamatelatou, 1990). It has been stated that
controlling young children hinders their development of selfesteem and self-identity. Controlling young children may also
reinforce the powerlessness they feel in adult environments and
could stunt their growth toward equality. The act of controlling
children is the act of oppressing children. (Lake, 2004, p. 571)
Therefore teachers must explain to students how to manage their own
behaviour. There are many strategies that can be chosen to teach
self-management such as the eleven steps designed by SMIC (Selfmanagement intervention checklist), self-instructional training
(Panagoopoulou-Stamatelatou, 1990), or through the four stage
model designed by Meichenbaum and Goodman (1971). The four
stage model includes cognitive modelling, overt guidance, faded selfguidance and finally self-instruction (Meichenbaum & Goodman,
1971). Self-management strategies have been proven to be effective

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in increasing childrens appropriate behaviour and has been found to


be beneficial in learning disabled children in special education
settings (Panagoopoulou-Stamatelatou, 1990).

Every day within classrooms are different to the next, as each student
interacts with different people and has different experiences. Some of
these experiences are exciting and have positive influences on the
student, while others are disappointing and have negative effects.
Some students dont view school as exciting opportunities for learning
or to show success, rather they come to school as an aversive
situation (Landrum, Scott, & Lingo, 2011). Landrum et al. (2011)
states that positive and negative behaviour generally occurs in
relation to objects or events in the environment, this behaviour may
come or go but how the student responds is predictable, and if
teachers can identify the predictors they can prevent the
inappropriate behaviour. Teachers can do this by avoiding disruption
and keeping the lesson flowing by coming prepared, informing
students of the aim and giving clear instructions at the beginning;
keeping students interested by varying tone, speed and volume of the
their voice, being enthusiastic and varying how they teach; keeping
students accountable for their learning by taking a number of answers
and not immediately stopping at the right answer, making eye
contact and asking students why they believe that is the answer; and
making students feel monitored through positioning themselves to
see all students and when talking to one student ensuring the teacher
scans the rest of the room (Ramon, 2008).

When dealing with concerning behaviour it is important for teachers


to feel supported, as teachers work collaboratively to support the
growth of their students motivation and self-control and to adapt

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teacher expectations to the specific needs of their students


(Gaudreau, Royer, Frenette, Beaumont, & Flanagan, 2013). The more
teachers feel supported by their colleagues and student family
members the more flexible teachers are with choosing strategies and
managing a variety of difficult behaviours (Gaudreau, Royer, Frenette,
Beaumont, & Flanagan, 2013). This support can be shown from
colleagues through working together, going to professional
development days, accessing information via professional learning
teams and communicating to past teachers about how they dealt with
the behaviour; resources by having a time out area, more time spent
with the student, and opportunities for relationship building;
curriculum support through curriculum committee approval; and also
parental support by having meetings with family members, discussing
if it is an ongoing issue and if there is anything different at home, but
also through developing a plan that is designed by the family, student
and teacher to approach misbehaviour (Ramon, 2008). School leaders
can also provide in-service training programs about positive
classroom behaviour management, which is designed for teachers to
share their experiences, experiment with different strategies and
reflect on activities on teaching practices (Gaudreau, Royer, Frenette,
Beaumont, & Flanagan, 2013).

Teachers have a wide variety of behavioural management strategies


accessible to them on a daily basis such as a long stare or deliberate
ignoring, but there are also a range of strategies that provide positive
reinforcement and decrease misbehaviour within the classroom such
as a systemic or humanistic approaches and self-management. These
strategies can be taught to children within the classroom or schools
can use a school based approach at managing misbehaviour by
introducing a school wide raffle or team games. These approaches to
misbehaviour allow students to realise they have behaved

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inappropriately and therefore they have a consequence, but there are


also preventative strategies that teachers can use. This strategy
allows teachers to see predictors and therefore prevent the
inappropriate behaviour before it occurs. Overall teachers require
support to be able to manage classroom behaviour, through
colleagues, professional development days and family interaction,
teachers are able to better manage strategies and prevent
misbehaviour in the classroom to ensure an uninterrupted and safety
environment.

[Words: 1962]

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References
Gaudreau, N., Royer, E., Frenette, E., Beaumont, C., & Flanagan, T. (2013).
Classroom behaviour management: The effects of in-service training
on elementary teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. McGill journal of
education, 48(2), 359 - 382.
Hart, R. (2010). Classroom behaviour management: educatiional
psychologists' views on effective practice. Emotional and behavioural
difficulties, 15(4), 353 - 371.
Lake, V. (2004). Ante up: Reconsidering classroom management
philosophies so every child is a winner. Early child development,
174(6), 565 - 674.
Landrum, T., Scott, T., & Lingo, A. (2011). Classroom misbehaviour is
predictable and preventable. Exceptionality and Peer Victimization
Involvement in Late Childhood: Subtypes, Stability, and Social
Marginalization, 30 - 34.
Little, S., & Akin-Little, A. (2008). Psychology's contributions to classroom
management. Psychology in the schools, 45(3), 227 - 234.
Meichenbaum, D., & Goodman, J. (1971). Training impulsive children to talk
to themselves: A means of developing self-control. Journal of
Abnormal psychology, 77, 115 - 126.
Opdenakker, M., & Van Damme, J. (2006). Teacher characteristics and
teaching styles as effectiveness enhancing factors of classroom
practice. Teaching and teacher education, 22, 1 - 21.
Panagoopoulou-Stamatelatou, A. (1990). The use of behavioural selfmanagement in primary school settings: A review. Educational
psychology: An international journal of experimental educational
psychology, 10(3), 201 - 224. doi:10.1080/0144341900100303
Ramon, L. (2008). The developmental management approach to classroom
behaviour: Responding to individual needs. Camberwell: ACER Press.

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