Classroom Behaviour Management - artslive.education · Classroom behaviour management can be...

The Song Room Classroom Behaviour Management

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Classroom Behaviour

Management


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Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3

What is ‘classroom behaviour management?’ ..................................................................... 3

Theoretical frameworks and approaches ................................................................................................... 3

Rudolf Dreikurs ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Thomas Gordon ..................................................................................................................................... 4 William Glasser ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Lev Vygotsky ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Jacob Kounin ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Theory into practice .................................................................................................................................... 5

Pre – delivery planning .......................................................................................................... 5

Understand the classes you will be working with and their environment ................................................... 5 Know the Schools Behaviour Management Policy .................................................................................... 5 Find out what Behaviour Management Strategies each of your Class Teachers Use .............................. 6 Determine your boundaries and stick to them ........................................................................................... 6

Dealing with a difficult teacher.............................................................................................. 6

General Behaviour Management Strategies for Successful Workshop Delivery .............. 7

Build a Community by modelling positive values ....................................................................................... 7

Learn each student’s name ................................................................................................................... 7 Involve students in setting class rules ................................................................................................... 8 Use Positive Reinforcement .................................................................................................................. 8

Structure is essential .................................................................................................................................. 8

Structure Your Workshops .................................................................................................................... 8 Establish Routines ................................................................................................................................. 9 Always be Calm, Clear and Consistent: .............................................................................................. 10

Dealing with Individual Students .............................................................................................................. 10

Be firm with instructions ....................................................................................................................... 10 Turn the negative into a positive ......................................................................................................... 11 Give the student some responsibility ................................................................................................... 11 Refer to the whole school behaviour policy: ........................................................................................ 11

The Journey continues ............................................................................................................................. 11

References ........................................................................................................................... 12

Additional Websites ............................................................................................................. 13


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Behaviour Management for Song Room Programs

Introduction

Delivering a program for the Song Room is a unique experience. Typically a Teaching Artist will work one day per week at a primary school delivering workshops in their chosen art form to a range of different classes. They will work with highly disadvantaged students from diverse cultural backgrounds and needs, including refugees or new arrivals with little English, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, students from low socio-economic areas and those with special educational needs. Often these students are represented in a single class. How to manage classroom behaviour effectively, while teaching creative skills in your art form requires careful planning and well thought out behaviour management strategies. Often students at Song Room schools have had little creative arts exposure. They may struggle with positive social interaction and may lack the necessary concentration skills and self-management to stay on task.

This resource addresses classroom behaviour management for the primary years. It includes an outline of basic theoretical approaches, which support a range of practical strategies to help you gain the necessary skills to take control of your classes and deliver powerful, rewarding programs. The content is structured to assist with program planning and delivery, and includes appendices outlining strategies and activities used by specific Teaching Artists.

What is ‘classroom behaviour management?’

Classroom behaviour management can be defined as the structures and strategies that Teaching Artists use to keep classes focused and well managed, and that promote a positive, safe working environment for students.

Theoretical frameworks and approaches

Before delving into managing your classes, it’s important to consider some of the research that has been conducted in the area of classroom behaviour management. The following section highlights the core elements of several key theorists involved in behaviour management in education, and how they link with many of the strategies that Song Room Teaching Artists utilise in their teaching practice.


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Rudolf Dreikurs:

Dreikurs, a psychiatrist and educator developed the ‘Social Discipline’ model for teachers was based on

teachers successfully managing students in the classroom by creating and enabling relationships based on positive respect

Thomas Gordon:

Gordon, a behavioural psychologist, devoted his life to developing training systems to assist positive relationships.

Developed Teacher effectiveness training (TET) for building positive relationships with students.

Believed that students should take responsibility for their own behaviour, with teachers providing problem solving techniques, positive relationships and communication strategies.

William Glasser:

Glasser is a psychiatrist whose ideas focus on personal choice, personal responsibility, and personal transformation. He created the ‘Choice Theory’ which involved students:

taking ownership of their own learning and behaviour to connect behaviour with consequences.

setting their own and classroom rules and being responsible for choosing their own behaviour, using strategies such as class meetings, setting clear rules and making contracts.

Lev Vygotsky:

Vygotsky, a psychologist in the area of cognitive development, focused on the social aspect of learning and the need for support in the learning process. He developed the ‘zone of proximal development’ theory which involved:

keeping students challenged (in the zone) by creating a lesson or activity is neither too easy to master (getting bored) or too difficult (where they need the teacher’s/another’s help all the time).

having the challenges in place to encourage students to think and become more involved in their work to avoid them becoming bored and disruptive.

Jacob Kounin:

Kounin, an educational theorist, believed the technique used, not the teacher’s personality, is the most crucial aspect in classroom management of student behaviour. This included:

promoting flexibility in management styles and teaching to adjust for different learning styles between groups and individual students

creating an environment which motivates students


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Theory into practice

The ideas discussed in the preceding section are encouraged in all Song Room programs. While Teaching Artists focus on creativity and self-expression, they also provide students with opportunities to learn about and choose appropriate behaviour, make learning engaging in order to encourage positive behaviour, and create a safe environment that fosters involvement in decision making and problem solving.

Pre – delivery planning

When determining appropriate strategies for each class, it is helpful to think about pre-program and program delivery separately. The following are some general strategies to be aware of in the planning stage of your program.

Understand the classes you will be working with and their environment

The first week of a program includes a non-teaching day to plan, visit the school, learn about appropriate policies and procedures, meet the teachers and check out the room and equipment. During this time it is important to find out about the students and teachers who will be part of the program, and the way their environment and classes are organised and run.

Ask class teachers about each of the classes in order to build a picture of potential behaviour strategy requirements:

Make a note of any special needs children, students with particular behavioural issues, and determine if there are there any cultural sensitivities that you need to be aware of.

If possible, visit the classrooms to determine how the classroom is set up and how it is decorated with artworks and theme-based examples of students’ work – this will provide valuable clues about class activities, what types of learning the teacher emphasises and the inherent energy of the class itself.

Ask the teacher about any established class routines that you may be able to carry through into your workshop.

Obtain a class list to familiarise yourself with student’s names

Obtain a copy of the weekly class roster- this will tell you which students have specific jobs each week (for example, who is line leader or who is a message runner?).

Know the Schools Behaviour Management Policy

Find the school’s behaviour management policy, and read it. Each school will have one, and each will be slightly different. Have a discussion with the class teacher about how you would like to manage the class’s behaviour, and how they interpret the school’s behaviour policy. Decide how you are going to adapt this policy to your programs.


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Find out what Behaviour Management Strategies each of your Class Teachers Use

During the non-teaching day, have a conversation with each class teacher about behaviour management before the commencement of a program. Not only is it respectful to the teacher, it can also be very educational, providing an understanding of the teachers’ expectations, as well as valuable new strategies which can be of assistance in setting your own boundaries with the class.

All experienced teachers have their own strategies which are familiar to their students. By using familiar strategies, you are promoting consistency, and in general, making classroom management easier for yourself. However, each Teaching Artist has a different way of working with their class teachers - some prefer that teachers largely assists with behaviour management, while others prefer to manage classes on their own. Whatever the decision, you need to determine how to manage your own classes in a way that best suits, using strategies that are comfortable, and appropriate to the students, art form and activities.

Determine your boundaries and stick to them

Before planning the nitty gritty of a program, determine the boundaries you will set for student behaviour. For example, there may be some students with social and emotional difficulties, and others with very little English. When planning, match boundaries to the needs of those students, while taking into consideration other class members. This will help you decide the kinds of behaviour to ‘actively ignore’ for the sake of group harmony, and what kinds will require intervention.

In a Song Room setting ‘actively ignoring’ means choosing not to stop an activity or performance for the sake of low level poor behaviour – but discreetly following up the student at a later stage to discuss their behaviour. The following example provides insight into the importance of structuring behaviour boundaries in the management of creative activities:

“My first and most important rule (or boundary) in my drumming workshops is that no student is allowed to touch the drum until I have played the first note. This means that they have to be ready, listen, watch and use their awareness from the start of the lesson. It also stops me from having to raise my voice to be heard”. Odai Affotey, Song Room Teaching Artist.

Dealing with a difficult teacher

In a perfect scenario, all class teachers will be supportive of the Arts and The Song Room program; joining in actively in each session; motivating students without taking over the lesson, displaying endless positive regard for your work; actively promoting the program to the school. Realistically though, while class teaches are required to assist with classes, not all teachers do, and it is not uncommon to encounter a teacher who doesn’t help, won’t join in and who sees The Song Room lesson as their own time for completing other work.

If this situation occurs, the first step is to try the following strategies to encourage the teacher to participate:


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Find a time to speak privately with them and ask for their help - Let them know that their students benefit so much more from their class participation.

If a teacher appears to be fearful of joining in creative activities, such as singing or acting, avoid ‘pushing’ them into doing something that they makes them uncomfortable.

Instead, engage them in non-threatening tasks that assist with running the class - handing out instruments or helping to divide students into groups…..then gradually step up their participation in small ways by inviting them to assist in creative activities.

Always show positive regard for teachers in front of the class by thanking them for their help or asking for practical assistance.

If a student group has performed to the class, encourage the teacher to praise their work in front of the class – this helps both students and teachers make the leap from the teacher being a leader to a participant.

However, despite all of the positive intentions and interactions, there may still be a teacher who appears opposed to Song Room lessons, or your approach. If that’s the case, consult The Song Room Program Coordinator. While the Program Coordinator may be able to offer other solutions to try, the situation may require more strategic intervention, such as a friendly chat to the school principal, or a visit to liaise with the teacher on your behalf. Reminding a teacher how important they are to the creative process and how they can help is often all it takes to remedy the situation.

General Behaviour Management Strategies for Successful Workshop Delivery

Often Teaching Artists and teachers find it difficult strike the right balance with behaviour and creative learning in their programs. A little freedom of expression is required, often expected of students. However, how do you contain students once you have asked them to be free? The answer lies in building a sense of community, providing positive reinforcement, establishing structure, boundaries and routines, and dealing effectively with individual challenging students.

Build a Community by modelling positive values

Learn each student’s name

Make it a priority to learn each student’s name. If a student is starting to drift off task, addressing them by their name to bring them back on track is important. They will know your name, and being able to name your students is a significant behaviour management strategy -it models positive regard and respect. Not knowing individual names creates a distinct disadvantage, and can be perceived by students as a lack of regard.

As visiting Teaching Artists often work with 5-6 classes of 30 students during one day each week, learning names can be very challenging. To help with this task, consider the following suggestions:

Make name tags on sticky labels for your first few workshops

Play some name games as a warm up or starter activity during your first few weeks, see Appendix A for some name game ideas.


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Involve students in setting class rules

An effective way of clarifying expectations from the beginning of a program, is to set up some class rules and boundaries. By including students in devising rules for their Song Room class, they become responsible for choosing own their behaviour, as well as building a community spirit.

Engage students in an activity focused on writing a list of agreed rules. Ensure they are minimal, simple, explicit and achievable–and make them available in the space so they can be seen and referred to at all times. Also, consider the occasional ‘feature rules’ which apply to certain workshops only. For example if a class has been noisy one week introduce a ‘listening’ rule for the following week.

Use Positive Reinforcement

As a Teaching Artist, it is important to create a safe and respectful creative arts environment where students feel free to take the risk to express themselves without the threat of judgment or criticism.

Most students respond well to encouragement, recognition and praise, so always model positive regard for them. Noticing what they do, quickly managing behaviour before it escalates, and making positive comments about any steps in the right direction, can help a disruptive student stay on task, and prevent negative behaviour from taking over. For example; “I can see that you are impatient to start drumming but you have kept your hands off the drum and are waiting for me, well done”. Another powerful tool for positively managing behaviour is to set up a Positive Reward Scheme where students are rewarded for good behaviour (refer to the Appendices for examples).

Encourage students to show positive regard to each other as well. Stress the importance of building respectful relationships with class members, their space and their school community, and if you have to remind a student that they are not following the class behaviour contract, praise them if you see them making a move to change their behaviour.

Structure is essential

Structure Your Workshops

Effectively structuring a program is critical for successfully managing classroom behaviour. Rather than anchoring you to a set of activities, however, structure can actually be freeing – being clear about direction, and balancing and scaffolding activities to foster creative insights and learning, allows you to quickly respond to class dynamics.

The balancing aspect of structure is crucial for maintaining students’ interest and your control. Always vary high energy activities with quieter, more relaxing ones. Often Teaching Artists make the mistake of thinking that engagement is about keeping students in a high energy ‘fun’ state. However, ‘fun’ can also include deep learning, experiencing moments of insight, reflecting, preparing and observing others. It is also important to plan for contingencies – have some alternative activities that can be used to refocus the group if they are moving off task, and align these activities to the sessions learning objectives.

Because of the nature and content of creative arts subjects, students are given a lot more freedom to express themselves. Managing this successfully means monitoring how your


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students cope with this freedom and only moving them on from one activity to another when you are sure the class is under control, calm and ready for it. (Refer to Appendices for examples of concentration and focusing activities).

The following example underscores how nuanced and subtle managing behaviour can be when delivered as a structured activity during class:

“As soon as I notice a loss in concentration, I break the session and move onto a small game which involves the children moving and thinking on their feet. For example. Getting the children to climb an imaginary ladder (as I play notes climbing in semitones/tones) on the keyboard from the lower notes to the highest. When we reach the highest note I then slide back down.

The children pretend to slide down a slide. I do this about three times. Usually making the climb fast and slow. Stopping halfway up the ladder to have a rest and look around etc. Sometimes I use arpeggios (the children leap when hearing this). So basically they are developing their (behaviour as well as) listening skills, and are able to recognise the difference between tones, semitones (chromatics) and leaps (arpeggios). We then go back to the original activity” Nicole Thorne, Song Room Teaching Artist.

Establish Routines

Routines are a key behaviour management strategy and support all effectively run classes – particularly at primary level. Rather than being oppressive, though, routines should be clear and consistent, outlining how you expect students to behave. They should also provide a sense of order in the program, freeing both you and your students to focus on creative learning. In order to embed routines in your classes, establish them the beginning of the program, and stick to them. There are many simple routines that can be used, and the following outlines an approach for managing students’ talking in class:

“I was having trouble controlling the amount of talking in my sessions until the teacher showed me a trick of counting down silently with my fingers to get the students to stop talking. The students were used to this routine and responded well to it. I found it really helped my behaviour management. And now I’m able to run workshops with much less talking”. Biddy Connor Song Room Teaching Artist

As the start and end of a class creates different behaviour dynamics that can impact students, establish routines to assist them with the transition from ‘Class Time’ to ‘Song Room Time’ and vice versa.

One suggestion is to start each lesson with a warm up activity to focus students and prepare them for the transition from the lesson ahead, then end with an activity appropriate to lesson outcomes, or the energy levels of students. This could be an activity to calm down, consolidate learning or reflect on their own or the group’s learning. A final routine should determine how students are to line up at the door, ready to walk back to their class for their teacher. The following example is a good strategy for restoring a calm environment and transitioning students to their next class:


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“After working with a group of students in a drumming session I found that they

were quite hyper afterwards so I started to teach and play the African harp to calm

them down before they went back to their teachers. After I started doing this the

teachers noticed an improvement in the behaviour.” Roderick McLeod, Song Room

Teaching Artist

Always be Calm, Clear and Consistent

If you want students to adopt specific kinds of behaviours and adopt positive attitudes, including positive regard for you and each other, you must firstly model it. When delivering a Song Room program, make it your mantra to never raise your voice. There is no reason to. If you try to shout above a group of noisy students you risk losing their respect. Instead, think creatively – use a musical instrument or a listening command to gain their attention (refer to previous section.) Even though at times it may be difficult, try to always appear calm and speak clearly.

The best way to appear calm is to feel calm and you can achieve in two ways: by reminding yourself not to take students’ behaviour personally, and by managing the behaviour and not the child. There will always be students whose issues, both inside and outside the classroom, are huge and difficult for them to deal with, and you are not expected to solve these problems. Your role is to engage students by introducing alternative ways of relating, thinking and expressing to promote positive social and emotional outcomes – benefits that often extend beyond the classroom.

Dealing with Individual Students

How effectively you deal with negative behaviour rests on a range of issues, including your experience and confidence. For example, if you decide if it is worth ignoring negative behaviour for the good of the lesson flow – then do so. At times, pointedly ignoring a student displaying low level negative behaviour, such as calling out, and instead focusing on other students displaying positive behaviour, sends a powerful message to the class about the value of their positive behaviour. However, there are other times when poor behaviour does need to be dealt with immediately to nip it in the bud. The following are some strategies you can use:

Be firm with instructions

Calmly and quietly advise the student that they are off task and that you expect them to get back on task immediately. If necessary, remind them of the rule they are breaking according to the class contract, and point directly to it. Cleary re-state your expectations with a time limit, then walk away. This allows the student to process your instruction, take responsibility for their actions and rectify their behaviour. For example; “Andrew I can see that you having difficulty concentrating. I would like you to sit down and join in with the brainstorming. I am going to come back in two minutes to check that you are on task.”

Never stand over students or humiliate them by waiting for them to behave - this will further inflame a situation and could escalate into to a show down. Many disruptive students have reputations to keep and will enter into a power struggle with you if other students are watching. Simply deflect the situation, act calmly and praise them when they are back on track.


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Turn the negative into a positive

Don’t allow a student to ‘win’ by displaying negative behaviour, instead remind them of a time when they were on track and tell them you are sure they can rectify their behaviour. For example; “Julie remember last week when you listened so well to the group performances, I could see you were really being positive, so I know what a good listener you can be. Can you show me some of those listening skills now?” Once the student makes the slightest change towards positive behaviour praise them immediately; “Well done Julie I can see you are trying to listen now”.

Give the student some responsibility

If a student struggles to stay on task, give them a job to do that requires responsibility. This strategy has several positive outcomes:

Occupying the student, and keeping them away from potential distracting friendship group.

Sending a clear message to the student that you trust them enough to give them responsibility. This can be a real validation for some students.

Refer to the whole school behaviour policy:

Unfortunately there are times when students will continue with negative behaviour, despite all the strategies to keep them positively engaged. If this is the case, then enforce the school’s behaviour policy to the extent that you are able. Remember, you have the welfare of the entire class to consider, and it is important not to disrupt other students’ learning for the sake of one student’s poor behaviour. You may have to quietly ask the student to move away from the group, or move outside the room while the class teacher deals with them. Once the student is ready to re-join the group, invite them in, carry on with the activity, and provide positive reinforcement if they are back on track.

The Journey continues

Dealing effectively with behaviour in a creative environment is something that continues to develop while you grow as a practitioner. With each new class vary your approach to suit the needs of the students. Over the years the Song Room has engaged many Teaching Artists who have developed their behaviour management skills through trial and error, year after year.

The following appendices provide more practical examples of behaviour management strategies proven to work in a Song Room setting.


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References

Cal State LA. (2002). Dreikurs Abstract. Retrieved from

http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/jshindl/cm/Dreikurs%20abstract.htm

Department of Education & Training. (2015, April 16). Duty of Care. Retrieved from

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/safety/pages/dutyofcare.aspx

Dewey, J., Boydston, J. A., & Hickman, L. A. (1996). The Collected Works of John Dewey,

18821953 (2nd release). Charlottesville, VA: InteLex Corp.

Dreikurs, R. (1968). Psychology in the classroom: a manual for teachers (2nd ed.). Harper &

Row.

Fredric H. Jones & Assoc. Inc. (2014). Fred Jones Tools for Teaching. Retrieved from

http://www.fredjones.com/

Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York:

Harper Collins Publishers.

Gordon, T. (2011). Origins of the Gordon Model Gordon Training International. Retrieved

from http://www.gordontraining.com/thomasgordon/originsofthegordonmodel/

Kounin, J. S. (1970). Discipline and group management in classrooms. New York: Holt,

Rinehart and Winston.

McGrawHill Companies. (2008). Withitness in the Classroom | Education.com. Retrieved

from http://www.education.com/reference/article/usingxrayvisionsubstituteteacher/

McLeod, S. A. (2014). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

Montessori Australia. (2011). Approach. Retrieved from

http://montessori.org.au/montessori/approach.htm

Pragmatism Cybrary. (2010). John Dewey. Retrieved from http://dewey.pragmatism.org/

Shervin, A (2015), Strategies for Reaching Apathetic Students, Accessed 26 October 2015, http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/strategies-reaching-apathetic-students

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2015). AusVELS Home. Retrieved from

http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

Vygotskiĭ, L. S., Rieber, R. W., & Carton, A. S. (1987). The collected works of L.S. Vygotsky.

New York: Plenum Press.

William Glasser Institute. (2010). The Glasser Approach. Retrieved from

http://www.wglasser.com/theglasserapproach

http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/jshindl/cm/Dreikurs%20abstract.htm

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/safety/pages/dutyofcare.aspx

http://www.fredjones.com/

http://www.gordontraining.com/thomas-gordon/origins-of-the-gordon-model/

http://www.education.com/reference/article/using-xray-vision-substitute-teacher/

http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

http://montessori.org.au/montessori/approach.htm

http://dewey.pragmatism.org/

http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/strategies-reaching-apathetic-students

http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

http://www.wglasser.com/the-glasser-approach


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Additional Websites

If you google ‘Behaviour Management’ you will find many websites, forums and resources that may help you. To make it easier we have complied a list of some of our favourites:

http://www.edutopia.org ; and The Dos and Don'ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips

http://topnotchteaching.com/experts/behaviour-management-strategies/ The top 5 Behaviour Management Strategies

http://www.edutopia.org/

http://topnotchteaching.com/experts/behaviour-management-strategies/

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