Class-wide, individual and personal strategies for improving behaviour

One of the keys to improving behaviour is having a clear picture of your current level of expertise. Once you know where you are, you can focus on the strategies that will move you to the next level. Here are some to consider, organised into three areas.

Class-wide strategies

• Visualising your behavioural expectations
• Establishing simple ground rules and explaining why they are needed
• Teaching simple routines
• Using class-wide rewards
• Being unemotional
• Behavioural narration — "Thanks for…"
• Using specific language for classroom routines
• Not wasting words
• Using a hierarchy of consequences
• Giving warnings and repeating instructions calmly

Individual pupil strategies

• Inserting name and pause before an instruction
• Proximity praise
• Reminding about rules rather than investigating incidents
• Contacting home with good news first
• Letting parents know you will ring with an update next week
• Being consistent with that individual

Personal strategies

• Reflecting on your successes, not just your difficulties
• Using a checklist
• Having reasonable and accurate expectations of how quickly things will improve — we often abandon exercise regimes and diets because we do not see results fast enough; do not make the same mistake with behaviour