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Behaviour Management, help


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Can anybody either recommend a good book or share an in depth policy for Behaviour please.

Behaviour is getting a bit out of hand now and having sat back and observed I realise we don't have consistent messages coming from all staff; an example being if children are running around the room we should tell them to stop and then we walk in the hall, but not all staff do it.

We have all done Early years Behaviour management training, however to be honest whilst ok it was more about why children may behaving the way they do - not about promoting positive behaviour

So how do you ensure all staff are singing off the same hymn sheet so to speak?

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thumper - I would call and hold a staff meeting - I would make sure that I had written an agenda + crib notes for myself beforehand + be 'armed' with existing behaviour management policy

I would expect all staff to attend and participate in decision making process - I would minute this meeting + make any changes as needed to Behaviour Management Policy...

Then would fully expect all staff to implement

(You have to make allowances - I am a self-confessed control freak) :blink: xD :rolleyes:

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I think the most important thing is for a team to agree what constitutes unwanted or inappropriate behaviour as a baseline. Like your running indoors example, it is important that all staff implement the rules consistently otherwise children will be confused or may even be tempted to play one practitioner off against another. There's nothing worse than speaking to a child about their behaviour only to be faced with 'practitioner X doesn't mind!'

Also, if practitioners can reflect on how they feel about unwanted behaviour it goes a long way to enabling the team to identify those issues that need to be tackled and those that can be ignored. If they find themselves getting annoyed by children's behaviour it is possible that their responses might not always be 'on message'. If they recognise that much of children's unwanted behaviour is as a result of a social mistake or that the child is trying to communicate some need or other, then maybe that might help to reduce any annoyance felt, and will enable the practitioner to implement agreed procedures consistently and effectively.

Until the team gets to the point where there is a shared understanding of what constitutes unwanted behaviour and why children might be behaving inappropriately, any attempt to standardise the team's responses will come to nothing, I fear.

There is nothing wrong with taking a control freak's approach to things, if you think matters are getting out of hand. I too would want to make sure that every practitioner had read and understood the policy and procedure before trying to implement it - it is a signal that there this shared understanding is in place, and everyone understands their responsibilities to promote positive behaviour.

Sorry for the ramble, but I hope you get it sorted.

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Funnily enough we are having an INSET day next week about Behaviour Management because we are struggling too. The pre-school group of 35 children are so ready now for school they are just not listening and being extremely disruptive....a consistent approach is needed.

I have asked the staff to fill out this behaviour audit to see whether collectively we can identify the triggers... all staff are participating anonymously and all responses will be considered and discussed in an effort to review our policy. Their is a questionnaire for the children too.

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/sen-wipd-14.2.3-early-years-behaviour-environment-audit.pdf

I have recently tried to introduce "emotional coaching" after reading the articles on this website and that has had interesting results with staff and children.

We have visual displays of our golden rules including the behaviours we want...we are also going to add images of behaviours that we don't want to reinforce the message.

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Guest PeggyC

Yes, this time of the year you are aware that the children will be moving on and you need to ensure that they are 'sorted'.

Revisit a few positive rules in the setting....we use our walking feet.....we use our kind hands... we listen when someone is talking...

When a child demonstrates this in the setting you stop the group/whole class and praise them to the hilt

Well done ALFIE you are listening/ helping another child .....

 

ALL your staff need to be on message, otherwise the children will be confused and they will push the boundaries.

I have a student and I am noticing that children are trying to be awkward just because she is not completely in control.

Good Luck

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Funnily enough we are having an INSET day next week about Behaviour Management because we are struggling too. The pre-school group of 35 children are so ready now for school they are just not listening and being extremely disruptive....a consistent approach is needed.

I have asked the staff to fill out this behaviour audit to see whether collectively we can identify the triggers... all staff are participating anonymously and all responses will be considered and discussed in an effort to review our policy. Their is a questionnaire for the children too.

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/sen-wipd-14.2.3-early-years-behaviour-environment-audit.pdf

I have recently tried to introduce "emotional coaching" after reading the articles on this website and that has had interesting results with staff and children.

We have visual displays of our golden rules including the behaviours we want...we are also going to add images of behaviours that we don't want to reinforce the message.

thanks for the link - I think I will use this as a basis for a staff meeting re behaviour

As has been mentioned a few times on the forum recently its this 'schoolitus' that's causing most of it and of course the young 2 year olds just keep copying the older ones and everything then ends in chaos!!

As adults we need to be consistent

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thanks for the link - I think I will use this as a basis for a staff meeting re behaviour

As has been mentioned a few times on the forum recently its this 'schoolitus' that's causing most of it and of course the young 2 year olds just keep copying the older ones and everything then ends in chaos!!

As adults we need to be consistent

We should compare notes when the audits are complete!

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Also like the link, would like to give it a go with staff.

DebbieW...I thought the 'emotion coaching' articles really interesting, and have used it myself with a couple of children and find it really helps them control their feelings quicker, but yet to implement with staff, have told them about the process, how did you go about getting staff to take it on board ? Surprised there hasn't been any training around yet.

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Also like the link, would like to give it a go with staff.

DebbieW...I thought the 'emotion coaching' articles really interesting, and have used it myself with a couple of children and find it really helps them control their feelings quicker, but yet to implement with staff, have told them about the process, how did you go about getting staff to take it on board ? Surprised there hasn't been any training around yet.

Like you I started off by trying it out and modelling it for the team. I must confess the staff raised their eyes to heaven when I suggested the concept and were even a little bit sceptical. It has worked in most instances, as you say, to help children control their feelings more quickly. I have to say as far as training goes...I'm having to do it myself. It is now in Jennie Lindon's book about understanding behaviour so hopefully it will gather momentum.

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Children are not really 'too ready for school' if they are not listening and concentrating. Far from it. It is more likely that they have fear and anxieties about going to school which can also cause unwanted behaviour. If you are saying they are ready for school because they are bored with you, then actually you have answered your own question about how to address this.

Also, understanding why children behave the way they do is an enormous help in resolving their issues, even though it can take some time. It is a really worthwhile process and can highlight some very simple to fix causes. What is important is that every child is different, their behaviour is not a collective decision. Have you looked recently at your environment, routines, etc. If they are wanting to run indoors, is there somewhere they can run outside?

We too have had some cases of unwanted behaviour recently and have very much gone back to basics, looking at what we have learned over the years, but more importantly actually making sure we all put it into practice consistently.

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Some good answer and it's always a tricky situation when the staff don't agree - or just don't see the necessity - of being consistent!

 

We have just recovered a display, and then sat with the 'leavers' to discuss the rules and expectations of the group. I then printed these out and backed them with coloured card. Each one of our leavers then held up a 'rule' and I took a photograph, these pictures have then be displayed on the board.

 

Our leavers are now known as our 'experts' and are expected to know the rules, and show the other children how we do things - it is working really well!! They have embraced this new responsiblity and not only are generally following the rules but are telling the other children what they are doing 'wrong' when it happens. And the display is just gorgeous! The children look so proud to have been chosen to represent the good things about pre-school.

 

One of our more 'tricky' customers spent 20 minutes today tidying up, saying "I'm an expert and tidying, I know where everything goes" and she was just so delighted to be made to feel special.

 

It has had a very positive effect on all the children, but also the adults who have no excuse for forgetting what we should be doing.... and all the rules are positively phrased, so what we DO instead of what we DON'T DO.

 

Hope that helps.

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Some good answer and it's always a tricky situation when the staff don't agree - or just don't see the necessity - of being consistent!

 

We have just recovered a display, and then sat with the 'leavers' to discuss the rules and expectations of the group. I then printed these out and backed them with coloured card. Each one of our leavers then held up a 'rule' and I took a photograph, these pictures have then be displayed on the board.

 

Our leavers are now known as our 'experts' and are expected to know the rules, and show the other children how we do things - it is working really well!! They have embraced this new responsiblity and not only are generally following the rules but are telling the other children what they are doing 'wrong' when it happens. And the display is just gorgeous! The children look so proud to have been chosen to represent the good things about pre-school.

 

One of our more 'tricky' customers spent 20 minutes today tidying up, saying "I'm an expert and tidying, I know where everything goes" and she was just so delighted to be made to feel special.

 

It has had a very positive effect on all the children, but also the adults who have no excuse for forgetting what we should be doing.... and all the rules are positively phrased, so what we DO instead of what we DON'T DO.

 

Hope that helps.

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