Behaviour

Being ready to learn

As teachers, we want our students to be able to acquire knowledge and skills, to share and participate at school, and to (hopefully) enjoy doing so - for this to happen, our learners need to be ready to learn. An average school day can be full of challenging and stressful situations for anyone, and there are many factors that can add 'to the load' - we often see these stresses expressed through escalating or unwanted behaviours, which can be challenging to manage for the students and those around them. A simple Google search for 'behaviour management' results in a plethora of websites, programmes, ideas and strategies.

In my experience, there is no 'one size fits all' approach to behaviour management as each learner, setting and teacher is different. However, there are some tools and strategies for positive behaviour support and building/protecting relationships (a key ingredient for successful behaviour support) I have found effective in my practice, and I want to introduce one of them here: Zones of Regulation.

Top Tips for Positive Behaviour Support at Allenvale School .pdf

Positive Behaviour Support Tips © Pītau Allenvale School

Zones of Regulation

One of the most important skills any student needs to have to become 'ready to learn' is the ability to self-regulate. Self-regulation is a person’s ability to recognise and manage thoughts, emotions and behaviours appropriately and effectively in a socially acceptable way. Helping students to be aware of their bodies, detect triggers, and consider how behaviours might affect others is something that can be practiced frequently to promote emotional and sensory regulation, and self-awareness/control.

A popular approach to teaching self-regulation is the "The Zones of Regulation" framework. It is based on work by of by Leah Kuypers, a US OT and autism resource specialist, and uses four colors—blue, green, yellow, and red—to help students identify their feelings. and learn strategies and tools to stay in a zone or move from one zone to another.

Image Source: www.michellefepuleai.blogspot.com/2017/10/

The green zone is the “goal”, where students are calm, happy, focused and ready to learn. When students are sad or tired, they are in the blue zone. When students are excited, frustrated or beginning to lose control of their emotions, they are in the yellow zone. If a student is mad, out of control and/or violent, they are in the red zone. What is important for students to know is that it is okay to be in different zones throughout the day and they will move through the zones depending on how they feel and the situations they are in. What teachers strive to do is to give students tools to help them move from one zone to another.

Check out this blog entry at "We are Teachers" for more information, activities and very useful links on 'Zones of regulation'.

Top Tips

Get to know your learners
Knowing your learners and building relationships with them is one of the most important things you can do. A strong, positive relationship built on mutual respect makes it easier for your learners to listen to you and trust your intentions, even when they are not at their best. Knowing and observing your learners means you can maybe work out and avoid triggers, and offer support early to prevent escalation. This takes time, and useful strategies here could be to listen actively and engage, be patient, and be kind and fair (same rules for everyone) so you can prevent rather than react to potential crises.
Be aware/cater for sensory processing needs & preferences
Sensory processing refers to how we register and regulate sensory input (visual, auditory, touch, taste, scent. proprioceptive and vestibular) from our sensory systems, which can be places on a avoidance/neutral/seeking scale. For example, some people work really well with background music, whereas others find it disturbs them.
Clear Communication
Students need to be able to understand you, and also have their own voice so we know what their needs are (see communication page) .
Clear expectations
Set clear expectations. It is not necessary (or helpful) to be overly rule-driven, but a clear and easily accessible set of rules that help us work together, and are ideally co-created by all participants can be a great support tool. Model and explicitly teach what you want to see.
Be self-aware
Just like our students, we as teachers are not always feeling the same. Make sure you are aware of your own triggers, and physical/mental/emotional state, especially when managing difficult situations. Take a break or ask someone else to support you where possible if you feel things are getting on top of you.
Collaborate with others
DOn't go it alone: make sure everyone in your setting is on the same page and uses similar strategies, tools and language for consistency. Consider investigating school-wide programmes such as PB4L or Team Teach.
Strength-based outlook
Be positive, have high expectations for your students, and let them know you believe in them. Don't just react to and focus on what went wrong, but acknowledge when things go well as much as you can: celebrate success, and also share it with their peers and whānau whenever you can.
Teach and practice self-regulation and management skills
Teach and model how to recognize our feelings, how to self regulate, and possible strategies for when things 'go wrong' (I especially like 'Zones of Regulation').
Reflective and restorative practice
Sometimes things do go wrong. Reflect on what happened, and where to next. Also, learn about and engage in restorative practices to protect and/or repair relationship .

“Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

― Rita Pierson

TED. (2013). Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson [Video]. YouTube.
www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Some resource examples

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