Behaviour Management Tips

BRING EVERYONE ON BOARD

to get students to behave positively in your class get them involved in setting the rules and consequences of the class welcome all suggestions and then trim them down to the few that resonate with your classroom vision you should do this as soon as the term or session begins

BE EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT

even rules set and pasted for all to see so don't overstep the boundaries we set keeping this in mind it is important to work out your responses to transgressions even before they occur this way you will not be caught off guard and you will deal swiftly and calmly with any behaviour contrary to your classroom culture.

REITERATE CONSEQUENCES AND FOLLOW THROUGH ALWAYS.

Clearly explaining consequences which follow actions help students to understand what will happen if they go against the rules. Also ensure you always follow through on consequences. Failure to do this will make students pick up on it and use it against you don't be tempted to give in when a student tries to negotiate a consequence.

USE POSITIVE REFRAMING.

This means correcting what needs to be improved in a positive way. The meaning of a message changes completely depending on facial expression, body language and tone of delivery. To use positive reframing effectively we should assume the best of our learners. It is also helpful to correct learners anonymously and to explain the reason behind instructions.

PRAISE EFFORTS

Make it a point to identify things you can praise about your learners. For praise have an effect, it must be genuine and specific, it should be focused on something. You can use praise verbally or in a written form in their notes, which is a different way to communicate with your shy or quiet learners.

ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE

 What this means is thanking students for doing what is expected of them. You should do this by smiling, nodding your head, giving a thumbs-up and others. This is effective because it does not interrupt the flow of the lesson.

PLAN GREAT LESSONS.

Effective behaviour management stems from getting and keeping learners engaged and motivated throughout the lesson, keeping them occupied by utilising every minute of the lesson time.

ESTABLISH ROUTINES.

It is important to identify key tasks in your classroom and then design a strategy to make the most out of them. A great classroom is built on the foundation of procedures that becomes routines with repetition and consistency (daily actions that students do automatically with little-to-no prompting from the teacher)

MODEL ENTHUSIASM.

You are likely to get what you put in your classroom. When the teacher is enthusiastic, she is far more likely to get good behaviour from learners than a grumpy teacher.

MODEL MANNERS.

Using the words 'please' 'thank you' and 'sorry' should not be absent in the vocabulary of a teacher just as you expect them to be in the vocabulary of your learners. Sustaining good manners all the time sends a message to the learners on the expected behaviour.

WAIT FOR SILENCE

It is tempting to shout 'keep quiet' when your class gets rowdy. If you want silence, stand at a vantage point, ask for silence and then wait. It is also helpful to have a routine for asking for silence such as if the students see your hand raised, they raise their own hands and stop talking.

SET HIGH STANDARDS.

Learners tend to live up to our expectations. They will pick up expectations after the first couple of lessons so it is important to set high standards from inception.While the standard should be high, they shouldn't be so unrealistic that students get frustrated.

USE STRATEGIC SEATING ARRANGEMENTS.

Identifying students who are most likely to engage and off-topic conversations and off-task behaviour enables you to arrange their seating positions in a way that has everyone focused. You could also put learners who need more support close to you or in a place that is easy for you to access.

VARY THE PITCH OF YOUR VOICE

 Your voice is a powerful behaviour management tool and you can use this tool in five ways:

Speak slowly and calmly to bring down the energy levels of a rowdy class.

Infuse drama into your voice when introducing an activity to increase motivation and engagement.

Raise your voice (not shout) to show that a certain behaviour is unacceptable.

When class is silent, speak quietly to focus attention on your words.

Project your voice confidently to convey authority.

With these tips, you'll be able to maximize learning time.