NBSSStrategies for developing

positive behaviourNorth/South Conference

21st August 2008

NBSS

The NBSS is working with 63 secondary

schools identifying, developing and

disseminating current good practice and

assisting with behaviour issues which

impede teaching and learning.

NBSS Guiding Principles

• Respect for the on-going work of schools

• Belief that schools make a difference

• Recognition that behaviour is intrinsically linked to teaching and learning

• Awareness of inclusion as a core educational value

NBSS Team

Perspectives on Behaviour

1. Biological2. Behavioural3. Cognitive-Behavioural4. Social Learning5. Psychodynamic6. Ecological7. Humanistic8. Ecosystemic

National Behaviour Support Service

Model of Support

Whole School Support Customized SupportIntensive Supportincl. BSC

Present Reality

• The behaviour of a very large majority of pupils remains satisfactory or better

• Most schools are successful at managing behaviour and creating an environment in which pupils feel valued, cared for and safe

• The most common form of poor behaviour is persistent low-level disruption of lessons that wears down staff and interrupts learning.

Source: ‘School Matters’ 2006,Ofsted 2006

Present Reality

• A significant proportion of pupils with difficult behaviour have special education needs and face disadvantage and disturbance in their family lives. Many have poor language skills. Problems with reading and writing often begin early and continue into secondary school, limiting achievement in a range of subjects.

Source: Ofsted 2006

Most Successful Strategies for Improving Behaviour

• Schools recognised that behaviour issues would not be resolved by just updating discipline policies

• Behaviour was tackled as part of a wider school improvement strategy

• Schools promoted honesty, ownership, teamwork

Most Successful Strategies for Improving Behaviour (cont’d)

Source: Ofsted inspections of 35 schools in 2005 and 2006

• Schools identified behaviours that were most challenging and planned ?

• Schools used external support effectively

What is Behaviour?

• Behaviour is anything a person does which can be observed

• Behaviour has to be learned so is taught• Everyone can learn new behaviour• Behaviour which has been rewarded is more

likely to be repeated• Behaviour is influenced by what happens before

it and what happens after it.

Source: South Eastern Education Library Board 2006

First Principles of Behaviour Management

• Behaviour– communicates information about needs

– can result from tiredness, friendship hassles, hunger, sickness, loss etc

– can be changed

– is taughtSource: Andy Vass 2006

Purpose of Misbehaviour

1. Attention2. Power/control3. Revenge4. Display of inadequacy/task avoidance5. Frustration/boredom

Source: Rudolf Dreikurs

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…

...teach? …punish?”

“Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do

the others?”Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2

Cloward and Ohlin’s Strain Model

Anticipation of

failure

FavourableComparisonof Abilities

Visible BarriersTo

Opportunities

ExternalBlame

DelinquentPeers

Legitimacyof Alternative

Norms

DelinquentActivities

Battle Zone or Learning Zone

Tim O’Brien 1998

Why do young people seek to escalate?

• To escape• To use anger as a substitute emotion• To deflect• To entertain• To save face• Due to boredom• For fun• To entertain their friends• To heighten their status/kudos• Family modelling• Lack of other strategies• Lack of emotional self-management• Hostile attribution bias

Why do adults seek to escalate?• Control• As a means of establishing position• As a means of maintaining position• To exert power• To gain kudos• Fear• Revenge• To save face• Lack of other strategies• Colleague modelling• Lack of emotional self-management• Hostile attribution bias• To get rid of a pupil

Cycle of acting out

1. Calm

2. Trigger

3. Agitation

4. Acceleration

5. Peak

6. De-escalation

7. Recovery

Baseline behaviour

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Engage or Enrage

Intervention

Consistency

Preliminary findings from a survey conducted by the NBSS on Low Level Disruption found that only 5.8% of the 982 respondents agreed that school rules are “enforced consistently by all staff”, 47% stating that enforcement was “consistent most of the time”, with 43.2% reporting that consistency ranges from “some of the time” to “never”.

RE

Art

Home Ec

Wood Tech

Business

SPHE CSPE

Science

Geog

History

Maths

Irish

English

Student

Consistency

Inconsistency

RE

Art

Home Ec

Wood Tech

Business

SPHE CSPE

Science

Geog

History

Maths

Irish

English

Student

NBSS Preliminary Findings

• NBSS preliminary findings show that only 36.6% of 982 teachers surveyed stated that the Code of Behaviour and school rules are understood by all of the teaching staff, with only 17.6% indicating the same for members of non-teaching staff.

• Almost a third (32.7%) felt that school rules are not being taught to all students.

Encouraging Positive Behaviour

• Structure

• Predictability

• Consistency of approach

• Firm but fair management

RULES

and

ROUTINES

Rules should be:

• As few as possible

• As short as possible

• Positive – emphasis on “Do” rather than “Don’t”

• Clear, explicit, specific

• Associated with desirable behaviour

• Personalised

Student Engagement10 As

• A1 Atmosphere• A2 Attitude• A3 Adventure• A4 Activities• A5 Aspirations• A6 Assessment• A7 Awareness• A8 Agenda• A9 Acceptance• A10 Accessibility

Reconnect and repair

relationship

Follow on issues that

count

Model the behaviour you want Actively build

trust and support

Focus on primary

behaviour

Language of choice

Separate the behaviour

from student

Plan for good behaviour

8 principles

Literacy, Learning and Behaviour

• There is an extensive history of research studies internationally providing evidence that academic problems promote, or at least exacerbate behaviour problems

• Research demonstrates that strategies that address literacy early in a student’s educational experience may have significant positive effects on behaviour and achievement.

(Miles & Stipek, 2006; Nelson, Martela, Marchand-Martella, 2002; Verdugo & Schneider, 1999).

Other findings note:• Many students with poor literacy skills exhibit significant

behavioural and academic problems also. • Pupils entering secondary school in the UK, with very

poor literacy skills, were five times more likely to be excluded from school and four times more likely to truant than pupils without literacy difficulties

• Students who exhibit poor behaviour are more likely referred for special education supports than are their peers who function within behavioural expectations.

[Sources: (DfES Literacy Strategy (1997); Fleming, Harachi, Cortes, Abbott & Catalano, 2004; Larsen, Steele, & Sailor (2004); KPMG Foundation, (2006); Morrison, Anthony, Storino, & Dillon, 2001; Murdock, Anderman, and Hodge (2000); Nelson, Benner, Lane, & Smith, (2004) Roeser, Eccles & Sameroff, 2000; Tobin & Sugai, 1999).]

NBSS literacy support and development for schools

To date, findings reveal that amongst students (chronologically aged 12 to 15 years) exhibiting disruptive behaviours that significantly obstruct effective teaching and learning -

• 70.4% have reading ages of 10 years or less,• 84.5% have reading ages of 11 years or less • Of the 18.5% who are reading at age levels 12

to 15 years, only 5.2% of these are reading at their chronological age.

Positive Behaviour Support Programmes

• Framework for Intervention (FFI) – Birmingham, Scotland, Norway

• Restorative Approach – Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, North America, Sligo and Donegal

• Solution Oriented School Programme (SOS) – Scotland, Jersey, United Kingdom attendance and behaviour strategy

• School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) – North America, Canada, Australia

Positive Behaviour Support

Emotional Literacy

“the ability to understand, manage and express the social and emotional aspects of one’s life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems and adapting to the complex demands of growth and development.”

(Elias at al, 1997)

Emotional Literacy – The Five Domains

• Social skills

• Empathy

• Motivating oneself

• Self Understanding/awareness

• Managing feelings

Goleman, 1996 and DfES SEAL materials

The Six Week Strategy

Using the most severe sanction in the first instance leaves no room for properly planned intervention or fall back position.

Behaviour does not change overnight. All strategies should be followed through consistently for at least six weeks.

Sanctions/Procedures

Sanctions should:• be immediate and discrete• provide school with opportunities to make

low level response to pupil behaviour• have a hierarchy appropriate to behaviour• be fair• be consistent• be appropriate to meet individual needs

Some reasons why sanctions may not always be appropriate

• draws attention to bad behaviour• does not offer appropriate strategies• does not eliminate unacceptable

behaviour• can lead to avoidance behaviours e.g.

lying and truancy• can damage self-esteem• encourages emotional responses e.g. fear

and withdrawal