Introduction to Behaviour Management

You have moved from being an experienced classroom practitioner to training prospective teachers. This section aims to support you when you address the subject of behaviour management with your trainees. Not only will you be able to pass on your own wealth of strategies to manage and avoid behavioural difficulties, you will find, in these pages, additional ideas and sources of information.

ICT raises behavioural issues that are not necessarily present in other lessons. These may be partly to do with the technology itself, although this is less likely to be the case with your trainees, as ICT specialists, than for, say, a geographer using the computer room two or three times a week, and partly to do with different organisation and working practices in ICT lessons. One problem that is frequently identified is the room layout – pupils may be working with their backs to the teacher, or alternatively if the room is laid out so that the pupils are facing the teacher, the teacher cannot easily see the monitors to check that pupils are on task. The inflexibility of room layout means that the teacher is unable to make the environmental changes that can very often lead to improvements in behaviour in a non-specialist classroom, and therefore needs to consider strategies to achieve improvement through other means.

Further issues concern the fact that pupils often need to share equipment which makes setting tasks that require individual assessment difficult to manage and the teacher has to have awareness of the greater impact of a dominant character in groupings when sharing computers than other resources such as a text book; programs with sound make the lesson noisy or require the use of headphones which then make getting the pupils’ attention difficult; pupils being reluctant to pay attention to the teacher if the activity is engaging.

This section covers the following:

Topics for discussions and activities with your trainees as a group
A list of four topics, together with research routes for your own preparation, activity worksheets and mini-case studies for use with your trainees

Heading off the problems before they start
Resources and discussion points on the importance of efficient and effective planning to avoid behavioural problems and disaffected pupils

Routes for researching room layouts and remote control software
Raising awareness of the impact of room layout on behaviour and links to commercial software for remotely controlling classroom computers

Published resources and websites relevant to the ICT teacher trainer

author: Margaret Hancock

Group activities

The following list suggests four activities for when you have the opportunity of working with your trainees as a group. The topics covered are:

Impact of classroom layout on pupil behaviour
Sources of help
Developing Strategies for Behaviour Management in the ICT room
Group working

These are supported with research routes for your own preparation, activity worksheets and mini-case studies. Each activity could be developed into a session lasting an hour to an hour and a half. The links with each activity lead to resources and/or web pages that the tutor may find useful in his/her own preparation and as working materials for trainees.

This complete page may be downloaded in MIcrosoft Word or pdf format.
Download Word document: traineegroupactivities.doc (73K)
Download Abrobat document: traineegroupactivities.pdf (72K)

Activity 1: Impact of classroom layout on pupil behaviour
Objective: For trainees to understand the need to adapt teaching styles not just to the characteristics of the class but also to their environment of the ICT room (Q31)

The resource for this activity comprises pages 10-15 from a BECTA Booklet giving guidance on room layout published in 2001. This booklet is no longer available in its full form, but these pages remain useful for generating discussion on room layout.

Download Acrobat document: BMgtActivity1.pdf (212K)

This activity is intended to focus trainees’ minds on how the classroom layout can impact on pupil behaviour, and more importantly the fact that very often the teacher in a computer room may have no control over that layout. The teacher accordingly has to devise strategies to deal with issues that they perceive arise from the inflexibility of the room layout.

You may find it useful to refer to the section in this website on classroom layout and management as part of your preparation for this seminar activity.

Activities
- Review and discussion of the 9 computer room layouts in the extract from the BECTA booklet
- Exchange of ideas linked to personal experiences
- Discussion on strategies for dealing with problems arising from room layout

Activity 2: Sources of help
Objective: To raise trainees’ awareness that poor behaviour can be the result of, and addressed through, factors not directly linked with the ICT environment. (Q10, Q31)

The resource for this activity comprises a list of websites that deal with generic behaviour management issues.

Download Word document: BMgtActivity2.doc (67K)
Download Acrobat document: BMgtActivity2.pdf (61K)

This list includes research and support for behaviour directly linked to ICT and of a generic nature. Many of the behavioural issues encountered in the ICT room may well arise as a result of issues not linked directly to the fact that the lesson happens to be in the ICT room, and in any event the trainees in any subject need to share ideas of good practice in behaviour and classroom management.

Activities
- Trainees to be assigned for review one or two websites from the list
- Feedback to the group
- Trainees to identify one new strategy that they will trial

Follow-up activity - trainees to feedback their experiences with individual or group review and evaluation

Activity 3: Developing Strategies for Behaviour Management in the ICT room
Objective: To enable trainees to develop strategies and set targets for achieving an improvement in classroom behaviour (Q19, Q26(b), Q30, Q31)

The resource for this activity comprises
- three short case studies of classroom situations
- strategies that the teachers in the case studies applied to improve the situation
- discussion points.

Download Word document: BMgtActivity3.doc (64K)
Download Acrobat document: BMgtActivity3.pdf (98K)

The very nature of classroom activities in the ICT room – the temptations for pupils to stray off task, the difficulties of giving one-to-one support in large classes, the occasional necessity to deal with technical problems, the problems of finding effective tasks that differentiate in order to be sufficiently challenging for the more able and yet are accessible to the weaker pupils – makes it extremely likely that all trainees at some stage will have encountered behavioural problems of different levels of severity.

Activities
- Review the case studies - tutors may find it useful first to present the case studies to trainees without the strategies eventually adopted by the classroom teachers
- Trainees to suggest strategies to improve the situation in each case study
- Group review and discussion on the behavioural issues raised in the case study and the strategies that the teachers actually employed
- Trainees to contribute own experiences, and solutions, if any
- Prepare a list of ten tips for good classroom and behavioural management
- Set personal targets

Follow-up - trainees to feedback on their progress towards their targets with individual or group review and evaluation

Activity 4: Group working
Objectives: to raise awareness in trainees
- of the need to plan group work carefully,
- that pupils may show different levels of competence from those in their other subjects
- of the impact that dominant personalities may have on groupings
(Q10, Q20, Q25(d))

The resource for this activity comprises a trainee worksheet.

Download Word document: BMgtActivity4.doc (58K)
Download Acrobat document: BMgtActivity4.pdf (48K)

Where computers need to be shared, or group activities are to take place, significant planning must be given as to how those groups or pairings should be made up. Ability groupings in ICT lessons is a particularly interesting area to explore as there may not always be correlation between academic and ICT ability in the pupils. Furthermore, the stronger pupil in terms of academic and/or ICT ability is likely to be the more dominant and want to manage the mouse which presents accessibility, understanding and teacher assessment problems for the partner(s).

Activities
- Group discussion to identify the appropriateness of the grouping models to ICT activities. The discussion should show awareness that consideration needs to be given to impact on pupils with special needs, including the gifted and talented. It should also consider whether the type of classroom task being undertaken has an impact on the grouping model. A snowball discussion technique could be used – 2/3 minutes formulating thoughts individually in silence, 2/3 minutes discussion with a partner exchanging ideas, then pairs join to make groups of four for further pooling of ideas and so on until the discussion involves the whole group.
- Trainees to develop one grouping model that they will trial at the next appropriate opportunity and evaluate its effectiveness. They should justify their decision for the grouping model they have chosen.

Follow-up - trainees to feedback on the grouping model they have trialled with individual or group review and evaluation.

author: Margaret Hancock

Heading off problems

Resources and discussion points on the importance of efficient and effective planning to avoid behavioural problems and disaffected pupils

The circumstances that the ICT teacher finds him/herself in are very different from any other class in the school. Although similar to other practical rooms, such as the science lab or the food technology rooms, it is probably the only subject where generally the whole lesson is dependent on the specialist equipment. Problems with the specialist equipment make it very likely that not only will the lesson objectives not be met, but that no meaningful activity has taken place.

A group of ICT teachers was questioned as to the behavioural challenges they face in the classroom. They all cited problems occurring from issues of a generic nature, not specifically ICT-linked, such as the task not being at the right level, not ensuring the class is listening before giving instructions, dealing with unacceptable interactive behaviour between pupils. However, as a group they also identified the following planning issues which, as experienced teachers, they have come to realise are essential to ensure that as few problems as possible arise during the lesson, which otherwise would lead to lack of engagement with the topic.

Where computers need to be shared, or group activities are to take place, significant planning must be given as to how those groups or pairings should be made up. Should they be through friendship, ability or computer competence? Who manages the mouse? Who keeps the written record of findings? This particular area for discussion is suggested as a group activity with your trainees.
The teacher researching, at home, websites for use in the classroom must check that they are accessible to the pupils via the school’s filtering system.
Checking that websites are current and live – these change frequently.
Ensuring that the correct software is in place to safeguard pupils' accessibility to websites (guidelinesat http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=32424&page=1835). Pupils arriving at inappropriate websites has the potential for huge levels of disruption.
Clear and achievable targets must be set for the pupils. These should have been trialled by the teacher. For example, if search engines are to be used for research, the teacher must have researched the routes in order to provide pupils with key words that are navigable to a known outcome.
A plentiful supply of relevant and engaging activities in the event of technical failure, or for assigning to the pupil who it is felt should be denied access to the computer, e.g. worksheets, discussion topics, planning tasks for next assignment.
Meticulous planning for the speedy keyboard operator and differentiation. This can be more of a challenge for the teacher than desk-based activities because the types of activities that take place in the computer suite may mean there is not the option to 'turn to the next chapter'. Extension tasks need to be meaningful, relevant and engaging.

There are other types of inappropriate behaviour which are specific to computer activities. While they may not be considered a problem from the point of view that they do not cause disruption to other pupils, behaviour which impedes the rate of production and the ability of individual pupils to achieve their expected outcomes from the lesson also needs to be addressed. These may include the following (with suggested approaches):

1 The pupil who spends unacceptable amount of time designing headings, searching for graphics, changing font sizes

Strategy suggestions:

create a template/writing frame for the activity which pre-determines font size, position of graphics etc
build up on the school network a library of graphics appropriate for the activity
set homework tasks ahead of the session for design, accessing graphics etc

2 End of lesson cry ‘Oh dear, miss, I’ve lost all my work. I did loads, honestly.’

Strategy suggestion

Every five-ten minutes a call for a whole class ‘save-break’ – everyone stops work, saves, with teacher observing those who may potentially experience a ‘problem’.

3 Students constantly needing help with software issues.

Strategy suggestion:

Teacher to consider whether students have the ICT skills to complete the task and investigate/provide workshops or introductory session for those less ICT literate
Differentiated activities – balance of ICT-based work and desk-based production
Working in groups/pairs

author: Margaret Hancock

Classroom layout and management

Issues
Reviewing Room Layouts for the Computer Suite
Managing the Wireless Classroom
Links to and Brief Reviews of Remote Control Software

Issues
Trainees need to be aware of the problems they are likely to face when working with different layouts, as well, of course, as features of the layout that they can use to their advantage.

As in all subjects, the layout of the room, the availability of resources and tools and effective classroom management can have a significant impact on pupil behaviour. Unfortunately, the ICT room, unlike a non-specialist classroom, cannot be re-arranged at the beginning of the lesson to suit an individual’s teaching style and preferences. Furthermore, trainee teachers are unlikely to be in the position of being able to introduce new software or make sweeping changes to the layout of an ICT room. Such changes generally involve huge technological planning, are normally very expensive and are likely to form part of a whole-school policy.

On the other hand, some trainees may find themselves in the fortunate position of training in a school that is undergoing upgrading with the trainee being given the opportunity to provide input to the planning discussions.

Increasingly too, of course, schools are introducing wireless networks and while these bring exciting opportunities, with some drawbacks which are reviewed later in this article, the flexibility they offer in determining classroom layout means the teacher will have control over the classroom layout and needs to give serious consideration to the potential impact on behaviour of different seating arrangements.

The core dilemma with room layouts almost invariably centres around:

- pupils sitting at computers with their backs to the teacher which facilitates frequent, easy and non-confrontational checking that pupils are on task
versus
- pupils sitting at computers facing the teacher which facilitates frequent eye contact and creates an improved environment for building pupil/teacher relationships

Reviewing Room Layouts for the Computer Suite
The BECTA website offers several pages covering the design of the ICT suite which covers issues additional to the basic layout.

How to plan ICT accommodation
How to design ICT suites and workstations
How to deploy ICT resources effectively

An abridged version of a BECTA booklet giving guidance on room layout published in 2001 is useful as a reference document for ideas on room layout. (This document is included as one of the activities in the trainee group activities).
The original BECTA booklet is no longer available.

Download Acrobat document: BMgtActivity1.pdf (212K)

The standards site – Classroom management in an ICT suite
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/respub/ictframework/teaching_and_learning/c
lassroom_management/

Commercial sites offering guidance on layout

http://comproom.ltd.uk/ourresearch.html - an interesting site which assesses seven different layout plans

http://www.creativeict.co.uk/ictsuite.html - case studies

http://www.limanetworks.co.uk/education/images/Gladesmore%20Case%20Study.pdf – case study

http://www.shambles.net/ict/design/index.htm - photos of designs

Managing the Wireless Classroom
As suggested above, the basic issues over classroom arrangement and the potential for impact on pupil behaviour will be the same whether the computers are fixed in the computer suite or pupils are using wireless laptops in the classroom. The main difference of course is that the teacher has flexibility and control over the arrangement. For example, laptops screens can be positioned facing several different directions depending on the attitude and behaviour of individual pupils.

Pupils can be arranged in a variety of groupings according perhaps to behaviour issues or simply for convenience for the work being undertaken or proximity to relevant classroom resources. Older trusted pupils, or younger pupils with teaching assistants, can even work in other rooms away from the main classroom, such as the library. All of this can make the environment and work more interesting and engaging for both pupils and teacher which in turn has the potential to impact significantly on behaviour.

However, managing a bank of laptops can also present challenges which if they not foreseen and addressed have the potential to disappoint pupils and provide some very interesting opportunities for misbehaviour!

These include:

Check in sufficient time ahead of your session that any necessary charging of batteries will have taken place.
Consider the physical location of your bank of laptops – does the time it takes for them to reach the classroom eat into an unacceptable amount of lesson time?
What is the procedure for setting up? Are the pupils involved? If yes, have they been given a clear and structured procedure to follow to avoid waste of time? If no and they are in the room what activity is organised to keep them meaningfully occupied without distraction?
Timing for closing computers down needs to be planned carefully; not enough time allowed and the next session is affected, or pupils become angry at lost break time or they rush the process with the potential for damage; too much time allowed and hands-on time is lost and pupils may be at a ‘loose end’.

In addition to the obvious benefits for behaviour management that laptops have in terms of teacher control over the classroom layout, teachers were asked about benefits that would not be available with the traditional fixed computer suite. Here are a few:

“I have a ‘lids down’ call – all pupils have to lower the lids of their computers. Means I have eye contact and they can’t be distracted by the screen.”
Maggie

“We took a couple of laptops onto the field to record our plant survey. The children felt very important!” Duncan

“Pupils feel a sense of ownership over a laptop that they carry to their own table. Low level vandalism of equipment has plummeted." Andy

“We allow our older pupils to move around the room with their laptops to share data in research projects. Previously in the computer suite they were shouting to each other to ‘come and see this’ or running back and forth across the room to look at each other’s findings. Somehow, carrying a laptop seemed to make them calmer and more responsible.” Lyn

Examples of Software to support Classroom and Behaviour Management
(in alphabetical order)

NetOp School
A wide range of interesting applications. Of particular interest for behavioural issues is the lock screen, keyboard and mouse facilty so the teacher can : get everybody's attention by locking a keyboard, mouse or student's screen.
www.netop.com
“It allows me to take control of all (or some) screens, send a ‘Hands Free and Look at Me’ message onto their monitors, locks the keyboard and mouse, and they have no alternative but to look at me and see the point of the lesson” - Paul

NetSupport School
http://www.netsupportsoftware.com/
provides teachers with the ability to instruct, monitor and interact with their students either individually, as a pre-defined group or to the overall class.
“Means I don’t have to move around the room so much so I can keep an overview and check no-one is messing around behind my back”.
Heidi

Ranger Remote Control
Designed specifically for education, Ranger Remote Control allows staff to remotely view and take control of students' PCs, so they can demonstrate work, interact with individuals or groups, provide support, assess progress and gather feedback (includes video demonstration)
http://www.rangersuite.com/products_designed_for_education/rrc/vid_clips2
“I can look at pupils’ work while they are working and then send them a message – if I try and call out a reminder while they are working I am usually just a noise in the background which they don’t really listen to.”
Oliver

RM Tutor
Allows you to monitor, demonstrate, and control a number of pupils' PCs within the classroom simultaneously
http://www.rm.com/Secondary/Products/Product.asp?cref=PD562690
“I can keep an eye on the ones I know go off task without seeming to be nagging them all the time. It also makes demonstrating so much easier”
Louise

Viglen Class link
Allows you to effectively control, monitor, interact, communicate and manage using ICT in the classroom environment
http://www.viglen.co.uk/viglen/Products_Services/software/classlink_info.aspx?GUID=19415935219
“locks their keyboards and mice when I need to talk to them - works a treat”
Lara

The case against remote control software
“I think it is important that pupils maintain eye contact with me when I am talking, so I can check understanding, rather than having their eyes glued to the screen all the time I am explaining something to them” – Steve

“Why should I turn the screen off for them when they need to develop self-discipline and turn their monitors off themselves when I ask them to?” - Kenny

“It creates panic – they start shouting that all their work’s lost” - Naomi

I prefer the personal touch - remote control software presents a real danger that I don't interact enough with individual pupils" - Faye

author: Margaret Hancock

Resources

Published resources and websites relevant to the ICT teacher trainer

These resources are not listed in any particular order.

Behaviour management is dealt with in depth on the behaviour4learning network, established by the Training & Development Agency for Schools to provide online resources on behavioural management issues for tutors and their trainees. The following sections on the behaviour4learning website are seen as particularly useful for training days or foci for discussion for ICT trainees.

Effective classroom teaching
http://www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk/attachments//0dbfc5ec-1253-42d8-b301-fec9fd17c423.pdf

Promoting Good Behaviour
http://www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk/browse.aspx?taggingType=1&categoryId=10073

A DVD produced by The Byrchall High School and the NW University Consortium Group has some excellent video clips in Section 3.3 – Teaching and Class Management. You could use the video clips of

trainees in the classroom as a focus for discussion with trainees
tutor feedback for your own professional development

Obtainable from: The Byrchall High School, Warrington Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9PQ. Cost: £10 per copy including VAT. The right to copy the CD can be purchased for £100.

Training, resources and free weekly behaviour management tips are available from www.pivotaleducation.com

The other subject resource networks are a potential source of support material on behaviour management.
http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/viewarticle2.aspx?contentId=12086
The site for Business and Economics has a specific section on managing behaviour.
http://www.ebea.org.uk/beginner_teachers/teaching_and_learning/managing_behaviour/

You may find it useful to discuss with your trainees the effective use of classroom assistants in managing difficult pupils or pupils with special needs. This is dealt with in detail on this website in Working with Adults

The following papers and books will also provide you with background reading for leading a discussion.

Working with teaching assistants in secondary schools – TeacherNet publication http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/3523/TA%20video_sec%20leaflet.pdf

An ‘Extra Pair of Hands’? Managing Classroom Assistants in Scottish Primary Schools - DFES paper
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/learning_support_staff/WedFeb181416312004/

Teaching Assistants , Practical Strategies for Effective Classroom Support , Maggie Balshaw and Peter Farrell , - 1-85346-828-2 - June 2002

Effective In-Class Support, The Management of Support Staff in Mainstream and Special Schools , Stephanie Lorenz, - 1-85346-505-4 - October 1998

The following websites give guidance on effective use of ICT:

Becta - http://www.becta.org.uk/schools/index.cfm

Becta on internet safety - http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=is

The virtual teacher centre has an on-line forum where your trainees can exchange views and ask for ideas to solve problems. http://forum.ngfl.gov.uk/

Planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/inclusion/63597/

Behaviour and Attendance Materials for Primary Initial Teacher Training Tutors
http://www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk/viewArticle.aspx?contentId=11296

Behaviour and Attendance Materials for Secondary Initial Teacher Training Tutors
http://www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?contentId=11946

Managing Challenging Behaviour – OFSTED publication
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=pubs.displayfile&id=3846&type=pdf

TES Discussion Forum – Behaviour
http://www.tes.co.uk/friday/Behaviour_Archive/

Teacher Training Resource Bank
http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/

author: Margaret Hancock