School News Australia website is reporting on a draft Student Behavior Strategy report recently released. The five main recommendations in the strategy are:
• The whole school must be involved - First, all schools should adopt a prevention mindset.
• Set positive expectations early - Teachers can create specific and clear behavioural expectations for all students early in the school year.
• Reward the positives - Teachers can identify specific positive or praiseworthy behaviours, such as helping others, completing work quietly and taking turns with items. When a teacher sees a student doing something positive, they can “catch them” by issuing the student with a hand-written note (or “caught you” card) that describes what they did well.
• Break down tasks - If your student struggles or shows challenging behaviours during certain activities, then the task may be too difficult. Break it down, practice the skill yourself, and write down each individual step toward the end goal.
• Find out why kids are acting out - Decades of research has shown the best way to help students with challenging behaviour is by understanding the reason behind this behaviour. And then, by altering the environment and teaching new skills that allow the student to have their needs met in a safer and more understandable way.
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