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After 2 years of professional practice and dealing with challenging behaviours in a classroom environment, attending a seminar on behaviour solidified my knowledge gained through this experience. It was interesting to see from first year how I identified what teaching style I would use to go into professional practice and what I have changed or kept the same. For example, at the start of first year I would have adopted a friendly attitude towards the children but with no clear boundaries in hopes that they would 'like me'. However, this was found to be less effective and towards the end of Year 2 professional practice I adopted 'The Benign Dictator' into my teaching style which meant that children were held accountable for their choices, were praised for their achievements and what they do well and given positive and negative consequences for their actions. I found this had a productive outcome as children respected the boundaries set for them and behaved to a reasonable standard.

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Attending a lecture in first year surrounding behaviour opened my eyes to the reasoning behind the behaviours displayed in a classroom For example, the external factors coming from their home life which play a part in their behaviour as well as different learning theories such as Bandura's social learning theory, Behaviourism and conditioning, Humanism, and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. I had previously heard about these in Sociology A level but it was interesting to link this into behaviours we see in the classroom and how we can manage them as an upcoming teacher.

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Year 1 Observation Further Development for Behaviour 

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During first year placement, managing behaviour was my focus as I personally found it the most challenging aspect of teaching. Receiving feedback from my observation helped with future lessons and gave me advice with how to manage challenging behaviours in the class. The feedback states that maintaining high expectations throughout the lesson can remind the class how they should be behaving. Additionally, by using dojo points as a form of positive reinforcement it can encourage those who are not behaving as expected to adapt their behaviour to match those who are being praised. In this lesson manipulatives such as counters were used to engage their learning. Clements (1999) stated that manipulatives are an effective tool to integrate their knowledge so they can gain a a

deep understanding of mathematical concepts. This ensured the lesson was effective in teaching place value however many of the children would mess around with the counters and were disruptive to other children.

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Year 3 Observation Further Development for Behaviour 

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I have found that during my KS1 placement positive reinforcement has been the most successful strategy in maintaining good behaviour in the class. Throughout my lesson, which was observed by my mentor, I had used positive reinforcement during transition times and during their performances of a poem, using actions they had created in groups. However, whilst circulating the class as they were practicing, it was pointed out that more positive reinforcement could have been used to remind the other children the required expectations whilst carrying out the task. I welcomed this constructive criticism and used it in my following lessons which proved effective in directing children towards the required behaviour.

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Year 2 Observation Further Development for Behaviour

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During a maths observation I had planned a trail of questions around the classroom where each questions answer would lead to the next. Children completed this in groups and due to building rapport and respect in the classroom this task was successful as they knew my expectations. Full instructions were necessary before the lesson so children were also aware of these expectations. One child found the task difficult and overwhelming and displayed challenging behaviour during the lesson. They had previously placed their name on the zones of regulation board in the red zone due to external factors from home. Checking this prior to the lesson and addressing this could have eliminated this during the lesson. The zones of regulation is used across the whole school and children are familiar with the process. It aims to help children self regulate their feelings and also make it aware to the teachers whether the children are in the right emotional state so they are ready to learn. We helped the child to regulate their feelings and they were given the questions to complete when they were ready to come back into the learning environment.

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During a WDS meeting, a discussion was made with my mentor surrounding behaviour management by looking at the schools behaviour policy. The behaviour policy is an approach which the whole school adopts so children moving up through the school are met with the same expectations. It explains how using non verbal strategies which focus on positive behaviour can help other children to do the same and make positive choices. Moreover, by creating a positive classroom environment children are more likely to make positive choices. This was something I tried during my first year placement even though I had a short time to implement this into the classroom. By using positive language and sharing students successes, this helped with gaining rapport with the children and their overall behaviour improved.

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During second year placement, behaviour was something I struggled with due to the array of complex needs shown in the class. Building a rapport with this class was difficult as and I had to adopt an approach of equity over equality. This meant that I provided different support, resources and strategies for individuals to help them succeed. By doing so, I found that the children respected me as I respected them and therefore their behaviour improved. OECD (2008) found that when schools provide resources tailored towards students different needs, the entire classroom environment improves.

Building a routine in the classroom worked well with this class as they required structure throughout the day. Creating things such as a visual timetable which I implemented in the classroom helped individuals understand what was happening throughout the day. This meant that children were calm as it eased anxiety and consequent behavioural issues.

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Setting Expectations and Managing Transitions 

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Setting Expectations and Managing Transitions 

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During this final placement, behaviour management was something I wanted to implement from an early stage and gather as much information and experience before starting in a class of my own. My class teacher exposed me to different strategies which probed me to take control of the transitional times. For example, when children are in the cloakroom before the lesson begins, using a counting strategy and praising those who are sat nicely on the carpet. These transitions were taught prior to my arrival however it was explained to me that in the beginning it would have involved: explicit instructions, modelling, and rehearsal of the expected behaviour when entering the class. This also worked when children were going to the bathroom before lunch and were expected to line up quietly waiting to be led down to the hall. Setting expectations has been a common theme in my professional practice therefore, will be something I implement early on in my own classroom.

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Using High Expectations and Zones of Regulation

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Using High Expectations and Zones of Regulation

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This placement school has recently introduced the Zones of Regulation for children to develop and regulate their own emotions using techniques and strategies so they are in the right headspace for learning. As a Year 1 class this is something we work on regularly to engrain it into them from an early age so they can take it up through the school and into their everyday lives. I taught a PSHE lesson involving the Zones of Regulation where we talked through strategies the children can use if they are in either the Red, Yellow or Blue Zone. This included breathing exercises, talking to a friend or trusted adult, going for a walk or squeeze a pillow with the hopes that they would eventually be in the green zone ready for learning. If children cannot self regulate or have the skills to do so when feeling overwhelmed this can lead to challenging behaviour which would disrupt their own and others learning (Yoo, 2023).

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Childwall Valley Primary Behaviour Policy

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Childwall Valley Primary Behaviour Policy

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Clements, D, H., 1999. Concrete Manipulatives, Concrete Ideas. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood [online]. 45 (1), p. 230. Available from: https://www.scirp.org/reference/ReferencesPapers?ReferenceID=1566085 [Accessed: 29 April 2024].

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OECD, 2008. Ten Steps to Equity in Education [online]. Available from: https://www.oecd.org/education/school/39989494.pdf [Accessed: 30 April 2024].

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Yoo, C., 2023. How to Support Self – Regulation Difficulties in Children [online]. Available from: https://www.foothillsacademy.org/community/articles/self-regulation-difficulties#:~:text=Frequent%20or%20intense%20challenging%20behaviour,thoughts%2C%20feelings%2C%20and%20behaviours. [Accessed: 30 April 2024].