Behaviour Management
Teacher standards 1 and 7
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Behaviour |
Strategy for Lesson |
Strategy for training from mentor |
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Lesson opening |
Stand at the entrance to the classroom so that students have to pass you as they enter |
Microscript the first five minutes of the teacher's lesson. Have the teacher carefully plan:
Role play the microscript until perfect. Start to introduce student misbehaviours. Give feedback on:
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Routine for gaining silence |
Set, share and REMIND the expectations for 3-2-1 SLANT. Always pause and check to see if all students have met these expectations. Use the language of Reminder, Warning, BIR for those who do not adhere. Praise those who do. |
Help the teacher to plan their routine, including scripting exactly what they will say, where they will stand and how they will stand as they deliver this. Give feedback on:
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High expectations for SLANT |
Expectations should be 100% observable i.e, pens down, hands together. |
Work with the teacher on the script for their routine, and role play this with them so that they are able to see whether or not the expectations are 100% observable. Don't engage fully (eg, don't put hands together) and see the language the teacher uses to remind etc.
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Maintaining positive spin on SLANT but keeping expectations |
Narrate positive progress in getting routine perfect: 'That time we were in SLANT really quickly; next time, I want to see hands together and pens out of hands straight away' |
Script phrases that the teacher could use to narrate the progress students make in perfecting the routine. Have the teacher practise saying these, ensuring they keep a warm, strict balance. |
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Your SLANT position |
As you deliver your SLANT routine to the students, adopt a position of power and authority: stand up straight with shoulders back, hands resting comfortably in front of you, with both shoulders set square and facing the students. |
Watch the teacher deliver an explanation from their lesson for that day. Film them on your phone/device. Watch it back with them and discuss posture. Give feedback and repeat. |
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Use positive verbal corrections to achieve the perfect SLANT |
Use positive verbal corrections to ensure compliance between 3 and 2: '3 Pens on the desk. 2 Hands together 1 tracking me.' |
Script this routine with the teacher. Have them memorise this and use it until they can deliver it confidently and under pressure. |
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Use non verbal corrections to achieve the perfect SLANT |
Use non-verbal corrections to ensure compliance between 2 and 1. e.g. Place imaginary pen on desk / clasp hands in front of you / point to eyes for tracking. |
Plan out the non-verbal signals that the teacher will use. Role play a student and switch areas of non-compliance so that the teacher can practise using them appropriately. |
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Check for silence |
After giving the instruction for silence, purposefully scan the room left to right resting your eyes momentarily on each student. |
Role play a student and have the teacher practise scanning from their SLANT spot. Ensure their eyes fix on every seat, and that this takes at least 5 seconds. Model non-compliant behaviours and ensure the teacher can identify these. |
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Self interrupt and non verbal cue when students are still talking |
If students are talking when you are, don't talk over: use a self interrupt. 'First I want y_'. Leave a pregnant pause to establish expectation of silence and raise eyebrows / stare at the non-compliant student. |
Microscript exactly what the teacher will do if interrupted, down to tiny gestures. Once the script has been created, practise this with the teacher. Raise the level of non-compliance and begin to add multiple students slowly. |
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Controlling the room |
Positively narrate 2-3 examples of student compliance: 'Abdul and Jennifer are standing in silence behind their desks.' |
Get the teacher to open up a lesson they will be teaching later that day / week. Script positive interventions for each task / stage of the lesson. |
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Controlling the room |
If you are working with one student in particular, kneel facing the room and look up to scan the room every few seconds. |
Practise scanning every row of the classroom while teaching; sit in the classroom away from the teacher and model off task behaviour for the teacher to identify when they scan. |
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Off task behaviour while another student speaks |
As a student is speaking to the class, avoid drift by moving away from that student and out into the room. Stand by students who struggle to focus and remind them non-verbally to track the speaker. |
Have the teacher pretend to call on an imaginary student. Then, while the student is responding, play the part of an off task student in another part of the room. Teacher needs to move around and issue non-verbal reminders. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Use proximity as a method of dealing with non-compliance: go and stand near a student who does not immediately comply with instructions. |
Identify behaviour hot spots of a room; plan a movement pathway to these spots; practise standing behind students likely to be non-compliant. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Level 1: Continue teaching while making a non-verbal intervention i.e., point to your eyes to remind students to track each other. |
Plan out the non-verbal signals that the teacher will use. Role play a student and switch areas of non-compliance so that the teacher can practise using them appropriately. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Level 2: Positively address the class to deal with non-compliance i.e., 'Make sure you are tracking the speaker.' |
Rewrite teachers' most frequent negative comments into positive statements. Role play keeping students on track through positive narration. Focus on a positive tone: practise tone until it feels authentic. Script out some positive interventions for times in the teachers lesson where this is non-compliance. Role play as a non-compliant student and have the teacher deliver these interventions to correct the behaviour. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Level 3: Anonymously correct non-compliant individuals i.e., 'I need two more pairs of eyes on me.' |
Script out some phrases to use for typical areas of repeated non-compliance in the teacher's classroom. Role play as a non-compliant student and have the teacher deliver these interventions to correct the behaviour. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Level 4: Privately correct the non-compliant individual by speaking quietly just to them while the rest of the group gets on with a task. |
Script the precise language of administering the consequence. Practise the tone and timing until the teacher has mastered a formal tone. Role play as a student with different types of off-task behaviour. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Level 5: Make an extremely quick public correction, watch for compliance, register when this has been done. 'Josh, tracking the speaker__ thank you.' |
Script out some phrases to use for typical areas of repeated non-compliance in the teacher's classroom. Role play as a non-compliant student and have the teacher deliver these interventions to correct the behaviour. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
When you issue a behavioural instruction, give students some take-up time (15-30 secs). Do not look right at them during this. Then, look for compliance and thank them (thumbs up / mouth thank you). |
Role play a non-compliant student. Have the teacher practise issuing an instruction. Give them feedback and repeat the practice until perfect. Begin to introduce areas of continued non-compliance to increase the challenge. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
When issuing a behavioural correction use the following formula: Name, behaviour, sanction. 'Josh, talking, warning /demerit.' |
Script exactly what the teacher will say in response to common issues. Role play a student and have the teacher practise these. Begin to introduce areas of continued non-compliance to increase the challenge. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
After correcting a student's behaviour, make a comeback statement to make future compliance easier: 'Let's get back to doing the same fantastic writing you did last week.' |
Script a set of "comeback statements" that the teacher can use after common areas of student misbehaviour. Role play these giving the teacher feedback until they have perfected a 'warm / strict' tone. |
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Dealing with non-compliant behaviour |
Name specific, observable actions when telling students what to do: 'Put your pencil down and track me.' |
Get the teacher to list common behavioural instructions they give, or film them. Re-script these into fully positive, observable instructions with the teacher. Ensure that they memorise and internalise these. |
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Motivating and keeping students on task |
Give instructions showing what you want to see, not what your students have failed to do: i.e., replace 'You are not tracking' with 'I need your eyes on me.' |
Get the teacher to list common behavioural instructions they give, or film them. Re-script these into fully positive, observable instructions with the teacher. Ensure that they memorise and internalise these. |
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Motivating and keeping students on task |
Assume your students' failure to comply was mistaken rather than intentional: 'Some people have forgotten that we enter the class in silence. Let's try that again.' |
Script generic things that a teacher can say in response to common compliance issues in their classroom. Role play these until the teacher is using them automatically. |
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Motivating and keeping students on task |
Build momentum with your instruction: 'I can see four students who are writing as fast as they can. Now that's nearly everyone. Great, we're all working hard.' |
Get the teacher to script phrases for an upcoming lesson that will build positive momentum. Role play these until the teacher is using them automatically. |
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Motivating and keeping students on task |
Give specific names to behavioural instructions and stick to these i.e., looking at the teacher as 'tracking'. |
Plan the central routines that will form the basis for the teacher's classroom culture i.e., "SLANT", "Tracking" etc., Rename these with catchy one-word titles. Script how the teacher will roll this out for their students. |
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Motivating and keeping students on task |
Avoid praising students for complying with behavioural instructions or meeting behavioural expectations. Don't say: 'well done for entering silently'. Instead, praise academic effort: 'you've really pushed yourself today.' |
With an upcoming lesson plan, script moments when the teacher could give precise academic praise that would reinforce student effort. Practise students giving a response and the teacher giving precise praise. |