Starting Out Guide For Newly Qualified and Trainee Teachers

Managing behaviour

Managing student behaviour can be one of the most challenging aspects of the teacher’s role. The first thing to remember, however, is that most young people you meet want to learn and succeed at school. This is not to say you won’t encounter challenging students – even the most experienced teachers find particular pupils or classes more challenging than others – but your approach to behaviour management can have a big influence on how well you cope.

Tips for Positive Behaviour Management

• Try to be positive when you deal with pupils: offer praise and encouragement.
• Establish clearly the rights, rules and responsibilities within your classroom.
• Make students aware they have choices about behaviour and that there are consequences if they choose to misbehave.
• Greet students at the classroom door and issue a personal greeting where possible.
• Use a respectful tone of voice, speaking clearly and firmly.
• Avoid proximity - don’t get too close or be overbearing in your body language.
• Avoid unnecessary interruptions. If a student is late, acknowledge the lateness, direct him or sit down and follow up later.
• If a student is not co-operating, avoid arguing. Refer to the class rules, give the student a clear choice and follow up later.
• Always follow up and follow through punishments. Students respect clear boundaries.
• Make use of wider support structures, such as peers, senior management or the parents.
• Maintain a sense of humour.
• Don’t be afraid to call the parents of a student who is misbehaving, as long as this is in line with school procedures.
• Use the layout of your classroom to your advantage; sit the pupils where you want them to sit.
• Arrange the room so that you have eye contact with everyone
• Mix it up. Sometimes you might want to rearrange the classroom to reflect the differing teaching styles of each lesson, for example classes that are more interactive or make greater use of the whiteboard.
• Try to avoid losing your temper: it is much more likely to expose you, leave you more exasperated or unsettle the rest of the class than productively resolve the confrontation. It also ensures you expend your energy on the pupils concerned, to the detriment of the education of other pupils.
• Avoid being sarcastic. This could be misunderstood and therefore fail to achieve anything or provoke an angry retort.
• Don’t put pupils down. This makes it harder to re-establish positive relationships with pupils and undermines your sense of authority.

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This post is tagged classroom management, dealing with students, discipline, new teachers, parent teacher meetings, student behaviour