The Crucial Four elements of behaviour management

I have narrowed down the essential elements of effective behaviour management into four areas. Get these right and everything else follows.

#1: The Two Reasons

There are just two reasons children do not follow instructions:

1. They do not know what the instructions are.
2. They choose not to follow them.

The eventual aim is not simply to produce children who follow instructions — that is just the starting point. But understanding these two reasons gives you a clear map of what to address first.

#2: Fair Process

Great teachers and great organisations involve everyone in decision-making. Fair process has three elements:

1. Engagement — people are involved.
2. Explanation — reasons are given.
3. Expectation clarity — everyone knows what is expected of them.

Notice the connection with The Two Reasons: if pupils do not know what the rules are, you have not completed step three.

#3: Nice and Strict

The teachers we really liked at school were genuinely nice and genuinely strict — in equal measure. Not one or the other. Both, at the same time. This is the secret.

#4: The Reasonableness Test

Before acting, ask yourself three questions:

• Is the expectation reasonable?
• Is the consequence or reaction reasonable?
• Is the consequence or reaction being delivered reasonably?

Asking these questions consistently helps you become both nicer and stricter — the combination that actually works.