Frameworks for Classroom Behaviour
Behaviour tends to be one of those areas around which even the most experienced teachers can become anxious. That’s because they tend to think that they have to control challenging behaviour in order to maintain stability in their classroom.
But that doesn’t have to be the case. It might feel risky at first but the best results can come when you turn that thinking around – instead of trying to control challenging behaviour it’s possible to give students the tools and supports to make choices for themselves so that they engage more readily and in increasingly meaningful ways.
The answer then is to use a range of different scaffolds and supports, testing and trialling them to find the combinations that work best for particular students, in your school and your classroom. There are clear frameworks you can work within to help get this right. As outlined in Lewis and Sugai’s Positive Behaviour Support pyramid, they involve:
Remind yourself you already have the building blocks for success. Remember your Quality Teaching Framework. Focus on making adjustments for the two key dimensions – Quality Learning Environment and Significance. It’s by working on these that you will improve student engagement and increase student learning (Intellectual Quality).
