An Introduction To Behaviour Management

Published: Wednesday November 09 2016 by justteachers

Effective behaviour or classroom management is intrinsic to successful learning and is one of the major concerns of schools and naturally of supply teachers. As a supply teacher, it may be challenging to walk into a new classroom, full of pupils you have never met before, and to manage successfully the behaviour, and therefore the learning, of those pupils.

There is no one way to ensure effective teaching and learning – no hard and fast rules or easy routes for you to follow. It does not matter if you are a teacher in Australia, Canada or in the UK every teacher has their own particular style, approach or ‘toolbag’ of skills and techniques that they deploy in the classroom, this will be largely the same at home or in the UK.

The DfE report ‘Effective Teaching and Learning for Pupils in Low Attaining Groups’ stated that as the teacher you are the manager of the classroom as a learning environment for pupils and, as such, are responsible for all that goes on within it. The teacher’s job is clearly defined as being responsible for managing the classroom, so that all the learners will absorb as much as possible in the time available. This sounds very straightforward but, as any teacher knows, there is much more to it than that!

The key to successful behaviour management is… you!

justteachers has developed 6 succinct tips that will support your own strategies for effective behaviour management in schools specifically for supply teachers:

  1. You will find that every school has different behavioural policies. Familiarise yourself with the policies and procedures of the schools where you are placed. Do not assume that all schools have the same behaviour policies, they do not.
  1. If for any reason you cannot familiarise yourself with the school’s individual policies and procedures, justteachers recommend that you adopt a strategy to encourage good behaviour.
  1. Please do not leave your class unattended for any reason either in or out of the classroom.
  1. Difficult children should be dealt with in a calm and firm manner. Please do not point at or shout at a child, or have any physical contact with them.
  1. If there are any incidents or accidents, however minor you think they are, please ensure that you report them to a member of school staff as well as to your assigned justteachers consultant, followed up with a written account.
  1. If you should encounter any extremely disruptive or violent behaviour whether directed at yourself or another child/adult, please send for another member of staff immediately.

You might want to read through a behaviour management book, such as Getting the Buggers to Behave by Sue Cowley or The Behaviour Management Pocketbook by Peter Hook and Andy Vass. The books will help you throughout your supply teaching career and beyond.

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