My daughter asked me what I was going to write about this week and I struggled to answer her. She said, “As you talk a lot about challenging behaviour today and how we should respond to it, how about comparing it to when you were in school?”
So here we go…
As educators, we know that we must work in the best interest of all of our students. This may involve differentiated learning but also efforts to create positive learning environments. In recent years, research has led to a better understanding of triggers for challenging behaviour which has seen classrooms transformed from “cookie-cutter” displays of student work to decluttered spaces where the process of student learning can be seen. This is a result of many years of developed understanding and commitment to facilitating student success.
Generally, the decluttering of classrooms has positively impacted behaviour. Students can be seen to be calmer and less overstimulated by the environment which directly impacts their ability to focus and for learning to take place. Removing all of the proof that 20+ students have all completed the same piece of work has allowed students to bring their own personality to their work. Understanding of different learning styles and abilities can be explored by educators and creative differentiation techniques applied. This can facilitate a strong feeling of ownership with respect to learning for students which is powerful. It creates an opportunity for them to invest in the outcome which can increase their feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. This impacts behaviour in a positive way, as they can understand that they are working for themselves. It also allows teachers to create opportunities for their students to be accessing the learning at an appropriate level. We want to help them to fly!
My school experience was different. The focus was most definitely on conforming. Conforming to the classroom rules and school rules, doing what you were told. There was little or no room for finding deeper connections and few opportunities to explore different methods of learning information. Everyone was expected to complete the same tasks in the same way and there was no focus on sharing your thinking. My worst memory was when the whole class would be asked to either stand up or stand at the front of the classroom for a quick-fire round of maths questions. The goal was to be the first to answer and sit down. Imagine the constant humiliation of the students who were not able to answer quickly. They would end up time and time again the last one standing and the laughing stock of the class. What on earth did that teach us? Should we be surprised then that many students would end up acting out, being rude or causing problems?
Currently, I support a reflective approach to challenging behaviour where I look for triggers, observe the environment and work together with my students to understand why they are behaving in a challenging way. I listen to what they have to say and once calm we try to figure out how we might respond differently if a situation like this arose again. Allowing students to have a voice and feel valued relies on a positive relationship between the adult and the child. This relationship will be the foundation for the building of trust and the improvement in outcomes for the student. I do not believe that sanctions and punishment can achieve the same. It is up to us to enable change and to facilitate learning with respect to challenging behaviour.
Conversely when I was in school the approach to challenging behaviour was quite different. Emphasis was on school discipline and the need for consequences to show the boundaries of behaviour. Disciplinary action was seen as an opportunity to reflect and learn about the consequences of challenging behaviour. The goal was to instil the school values and this would occur through discipline, detention, suspension and exclusion. There was an extremely rigid definition of acceptable behaviour at school. Discipline came in the form of corporal punishment. Educators controlled the classroom through fear.
Sometimes I seem to be facing an uphill struggle to convince colleagues about alternative approaches to challenging behaviour. Educators are under immense pressure to have students cover vast areas of academic learning and less time is available for social-emotional learning. Until we have an equal balance of both together with the understanding required to support our most challenging students we must promote the change. Opportunities to highlight success stories where students have acquired the relevant skills to regulate their behaviour is a good place to start.
Do you have success stories to share?
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