Misbehaviour and Consequences

Starter:

What are the expected behaviours in your classroom?

Why are these behaviours important?

Why do students misbehave?

What sorts of consequences can you/do you/should you use when misbehavour occurs?




Consider the classroom to the right. What sorts of misbehaviours would have been common at that time, and how do you suppose the school would have handled consequence delivery?

Detention! 

But what was the purpose of the detention?

Misbehaviour	Purpose of Detention (circa 1965)
Repetitive Late to School	Social exclusion as a punishment
Uniform	Social exclusion as a punishment
Homework unfinished (missed teacher detention)	Social exclusion as a punishment
Misbehaviour	Sit and think about what you have done
Defiance	We’ll show you who’s boss
Assumptions	·         Consequences deter repeat offenses ·         Students will fall in line ·         The teacher is the authority
Main Goals	Punishment Reinforce rules

Re-framing misbehaviours as obstacles to learning assists teachers' perception of students who
misbehave; an important first step in getting teachers to discuss of how they can become better equipped to prevent and respond to these behaviours in a way that prioritises student learning.

Obstacle to learning	Purpose of Intervention (2015) (Discussion or Detention or ???)
Repetitive Late to School	Discuss strategies to improve punctuality
Uniform	Discuss high expectations of preparedness
Homework unfinished (missed teacher detention)	Catch up on missed work or complete unfinished tasks
Misbehaviour	Identify reasons for disengagement Reinforce expectations
Defiance	Discuss the importance of respect Restore the relationship
Assumptions	·         Managing self is a key competency ·         New learning requires instruction ·         Teacher/student relationship is valued
Goals	Teaching and Learning PB4L Encourage pro-social behavior Lift Achievement

Have a discussion with staff around the shift in thinking necessary to view “consequences” in light of teaching and learning opportunities to encourage positive behaviour for learning.

Questions:

1)   Who is best to deliver the “consequence” when observed behaviours pose an obstacle to learning?

2)   How can we rethink teacher interventions and detentions (teacher, department, school wide) to minimize repeat offenders and set students up for success?

(Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Detentions can be used as a venue for important interventions. Incident reports and detention lists allow for the collection of data and initiate higher level communication.)