Supporting Positive Behaviour in the Classroom

According to The Manitoba Ministry of Education (2011) these are the "key elements [that] are used to create positive, supportive, safe, and intellectually engaging classroom settings in which all students can be successful.”

 

Credit: www.gloscommunityofpractice.org

• Positive relationships are encouraged among students in the classroom, between teachers and individual students, among staff members, between staff and administration, and between teachers and parents.
• Classroom organization includes the physical environment, structures, and routines that foster learning and encourage positive behaviour throughout the school day.
• Differentiated instruction is used to consider the individual learning needs of students and create learning situations that match their current abilities, learning preferences, and specific needs, but also to stretch their abilities and encourage them to try new ways of learning.
• Classroom behavioural expectations are clearly articulated, aligned with school- wide expectations, and consistent throughout the school day.
• Social skills instruction helps to demonstrate and directly teach specific classroom behavioural expectations.
• Positive reinforcement is helpful for individual students and groups of students who demonstrate positive behaviours.
• Fair and predictable consequences are important for individual students who demonstrate negative behaviours that adversely affect them, others, and/or the classroom environment.
• Gathering data to understand student behaviour allows the teacher to use observation and analysis to identify students’ strengths and needs in order to identify the areas for improved classroom management and to measure progress over time.
• Planning for behavioural changes is a targeted goal-setting process to increase specific positive behaviours and/or reduce specific negative behaviours.