Development of Behaviour Management Plan

Rationale:

This rationale will give an insight into the choices of preventive, corrective and supportive strategies within discipline that have been used in the Behaviour Management Plan and will be aligned to my own personal philosophy into dealing with classroom behaviour. These statements will be supported by research and literature by published behavioural theorists. The rationale will also look at how teachers can effectively link these strategies into the schools behavioural management plan and discuss how plans can include the whole school community and parents for more effective results.

Preventative Strategy:

The first tier of behavioural strategies or primary tier is focused at the whole school. To proactively reduce the chance of unwanted behaviour before it occurs it is important “to build trust between yourself and the students” as stated by Rudolf Drikurs in (Edwards and Watts 2008) p118.  It is critical to ensure the teacher can build trust with student so that engaging lesson can develop cognitive ability and a strong classroom rapport. This is further highlighted by (Rogers, 2015) as he cites “The ability to sustain attention depends on the teacher’s ability to engage the students in the teaching and keep the learning focus”p.53. Aligning these theorist and ideas with my personal philosophy I try to be a teacher the students can approach to share ideas and feel comfortable with which will in turn lead to good learning outcomes.

The (PBLM) Positive Behaviour Leadership Model by Bill Rogers discusses that by being clear and decisive in planning for situations that could arise by using set rules that have relationships to logical consequences can reduce the severity of misbehaviour. To prepare rules that are clear, fair and that are focused around observable behaviours can be used so the student can gain a clear understanding around what the teacher wants and expects in the classroom. Discussed by (Rogers, 2011) “by being decisive with decisions in a fair, positive and considerate way the students will be more aware of their own behaviour, which will help keep them on task in the classroom” p.49-50. I have linked these strategies to the Bremer State High School Responsible Behaviour Plan as I have attended professional experience placement and feel these strategies link well with this schools ethos around behaviour.

Corrective Strategy:

The second tier or the corrective strategies is based around students who continue to behave badly even though the first tier has been implemented. This is sometimes a small group of students in the class room who continue to be disruptive and this is where it can be beneficial to implement Corrective Strategies for particular students.

One of the corrective strategies used in the Behavioural Management Plan is to ensure that the discipline measures that have been incorporated have a logical consequence that will follow. This set the student up to become more responsible for their actions and can learn from the experience allowing them to change their behaviour. (Edward, 2011) talks about students having input into the consequences and the class rules as this can lead to positive learning outcomes not only for the rules around behaviour but also the learning expectations.

Stated in the Bremer State High School Responsible Behaviour Plan are Corrective Strategies for staff to engage in implementing behavioural management by using nonintrusive intervention styles. This Thomas Gordon preventative strategy means the teacher can adapt their approach or strategy on how they deal with misbehaviour in the classroom as cited by (Skiba, Ormiston, Martinez and Cummings, 2016) as they cite “instead of escalating the problem or situation with a student and teacher should work on healing practices such as problem solving rather than to punish the student”p.120-125.

Supportive Strategy:

The third tier is the Supportive Approach. After the Corrective Strategies have been implemented it is crucial to ensure that a positive relationship between teacher and students is upheld to avoid animosity. This helps maintain a harmonious classroom setting and ensures that classes can continue in a positive and productive manner for all parties involved. Ways to ensure this strategy works can be including parents into the behavioural management process. As cited by Edwards, Clifford H. (2008) “before teachers can be successful, they need to understand where the students are coming from – their past experiences, what is important to them and their families” p.361. These connections with   parents will assist in helping to ensure that parents feel involved directly in their child’s education. This is adhered to by the Bremer State High School Responsible Behaviour Plan and also is highlighted  by (McDonald 2013)“Effective teaching and prevention of student indiscipline are key ingredients to successful student engagement in learning”p.4.If the teacher has the best intentions for the students and are being supportive it shows that the correct strategies are being used. This element within the Bremer State High School Responsible Behaviour Plan has positive reinforcement components that highlight the importance of positive parent communications and relationships. Relating back to my personal philosophy statement providing additional supportive practices is to maintain a positive teacher student relationship after a behavioural or discipline event as cited by (Rogers, 2002) “that to maintain good discipline relies on establishing a strong relationship between the teacher and their pupils that is based on mutual respect”.

In concluding it is of the upmost importance that classroom behavioural management plans be considerate of all parties including parents, students, teachers, and the whole school community to be effective tools that strengthen a student’s ability to manage their own behaviour. It is also important for the focus to be around mutual respect as discipline measures need to be focused on preventing unwanted future incidents as these will detract from the classroom environment and culture. It is also of the upmost importance that any punishment requires a logical reasoning behind its implementation as this need to be enforced consistently and fairly to help the student understand why the unwanted behaviours are unwelcome.

References:

• Bremer State High School Responsible Behaviour Plan (2019) Retrieved from:https://bremershs.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/Admin/Responsible%20Behaviour%20Plan.pdf
• Edwards, C. (2008), Managing diverse cultures (in) Edwards, Clifford H., Watts, Vivienne Joy: Classroom discipline & management, John Wiley & Sons, (pp 369), Milton, Qld.
• Edwards, C. (2011). Democratic Discipline in Learning Communities: Theory and Practice (pp. 137-139). Plymouth: R&L Education.
• Rogers, B,. (2002). Teacher Leadership and Behaviour Management (pp. 43-52). London: SAGE.
• Rogers, B. (2015) New class, new year: the establishment phase of behaviour management (in) Rogers, Bill: Classroom behaviour : A practical guide to effective teaching, behaviour management and colleague support 4thed.,pp.53 Sage publications, London
• Rogers, B. (2011). You Know the Fair Rule: Strategies for Positive and Effective Behaviour Management and Discipline in Schools (3rd ed., pp. 49-50). Camberwell, Victoria: ACER.
• Skiba, R., Ormiston, H., Martinez, S., & Cummings, J. (2016). Teaching the Social Curriculum: Classroom Management as Behavioral Instruction. Theory Into Practice, 55(2), 120-125.
• McDonald, T, (2013). A positive learning framework for classroom management (pp.4) Oxford University Press, South Melbourne Victoria