I was asked the question recently on Twitter; “Can you explain how a teacher who has a full timetable can have these therapeutic 1-1 conversations whilst teaching classes following each and every behaviour incident?“
This is an interesting question and makes some assumptions about behaviour that I think ned to be unpicked before we go into details;
Assumption 1: Behaviour is something that needs to be ‘managed’.
Whilst general behaviour norms in a classroom can be managed, this is the basis of your classroom culture and school standards and expectations and absolutely should be managed, there is an argument for saying this does not apply to individuals. An individuals behaviour is an expression of an unmet need, this does not necessarily need managing, it needs to be met in a more positive way than the behaviour presents. The reference to behaviour as an ‘incident’ also suggest that this is something negative that doesn’t require exploration and resolution so much as to be managed out of a learner.
Assumption 2: Behaviour and therapeutic (or pastoral) needs are not part of learning.
The assumption in the question is that 1-1 conversations and therapeutic practise is getting in the way of teaching, this is not necessarily true. There are many aspects of PSHE, FBV, SEMH and SEND curriculum and needs that can be addressed through 1-1 or therapeutic practise that can also be woven through a curriculum and form part of your pedagogy. This would mean these don’t need to be viewed as a distraction from teaching but could become an effective part of the teaching. This also goes some way to addressing the time issue inherent in the question.
So how do we actually go about answering the question?
If behaviour management is cultural, then starting with a whole school restorative approach is a good basis for this. There are well documented examples of using restorative practise and its positive effects on the initial reduction of behaviour incidents. Prevention is better than cure so this is a good place to start. Policy is strategic so addressing your behaviour approach at a school level is the best preventative measure. Some examples of restorative practise research are;
From the top is all very well, and let us say this has had an effect on behaviour incident frequency, but there will always be behaviour issues in schools and classrooms that need to be addressed, so how do we make this work with the full time schedule teachers have? Using the restorative practise approach we can see some examples of how this can be managed depending on the need that the behaviour is expressing;
- We can reduce social anxiety responses by asking learners to leave the room and following up with them in the corridor without an audience, this can be brief but effective and can help to support a learner where they are struggling and also struggling to show that they are struggling. When we talk with them we need to have strategies in mind for how we will support the need rather than how we will address the behaviour, for instance asking them to turn over an object on their desk when they need help instead of having to ask for help in front of the class
- We can address restorative practise as part of the lesson with the learner and other learners who have been effected by the behaviour. By taking the time to address the behaviour collectively as part of the lesson we reaffirm the importance of the behaviours in line with school culture and expectation for all as well as dealing with the specific incident. This has the added benefit of providing social justice for those impacted in the classroom
- Where we are able to we have an opportunity to address trends in behaviour through curriculum links, highlighting behaviour of characters throughout history for instance. This can be followed up with individuals presenting with the behaviour in question whilst the class is engaged and on topic.
Therapeutic conversations can also be used 1:1 as part of the ongoing behaviour management for individuals based on more in depth work done elsewhere; for instance where a learner has identified pastoral needs such as trauma or issues at home, you can make a point of having a brief 1-1 check in as they enter the classroom, find out where they are personally through pre established methods to help prevent behaviour escalating. Where this can be developed to avoid embarrassment or drawing attention it will be more effective, ie ‘what band are you listening to today?’ with a band linked to having a good or bad day will be more effective than ‘how are you feeling?’
I know a lot of this will come across as obvious and possibly patronising but the point isn’t to teach teachers their craft. What I am trying to get at here is that these techniques all treat the learners as human beings and treats behaviour as an unmet need. Where we are looking to impose behaviour management on learners there will always be an issue of conflict and the therapeutic work will always take longer and be less effective.
Ultimately if we are able to see behaviour as both a fundamental part of the learning journey and so inextricably linked to the teaching practise in classrooms, and see it as a needs based response rather than something to be stopped through sanctions we will reach a point where the therapeutic 1-1 approach can become a part of daily classroom practise rather than a distraction from what we are teaching.
The same person who asked the question also posted this comment in another tweet: “Forming good relationships with disruptive pupils will inevitably involve some conflict because you can’t just pander to the negative behaviours- you have to address them. So all the folks who say ‘wow, so much conflict, so many detentions etc- bad teacher! this teacher needs to form better relationships!’ – they might be on the path to those. True, real and lasting relationships often develop out of high expectations and hard graft over time”
This statement I feel answers the question really well; high expectations are important, putting in the work to build relationships is critical, working through conflict is essential. These things are the building blocks of improving relationships learning and appropriate behaviour, and the touching base, the 1-1 therapeutic touch points form part of your pastoral pedagogy, woven throughout your classroom practise across your day. In this way you can develop a restorative therapeutic approach that also gives the time to deliver curriculum in a busy school schedule.
I hope I’ve answered the question.
Shevek Pring 