Behaviour Scenarios A specially commissioned set of resources for tutors, school mentors and trainee teachers Scenario 14: Giving Praise and Reward

Giving praise and reward A group of pupils misbehave continually and you want to find a way to motivate and encourage them. How can you praise pupils who rarely shine? Scenario 14

Key Learning Outcomes Developing understanding and knowledge of different approaches to praise and reward and developing a wide repertoire of skills and techniques to use in applying them. Modelling and practising confidence in creating a positive climate for learning.

4 What do you do? 1.Use a wide range of non-verbal methods to give positive feedback to all the pupils. Make sure that members of this group are given this positive feedback as soon as they get anything right. 2.Plan each lesson to find something positive to say to each of these pupils (by name). Keep a record to check you have done this. 3.Differentiate your praise system to support individuals according to their behaviour for learning needs. 4.Give misbehaving pupils a “restorative” sheet asking: What are you doing? Who is being affected? Are you making the right choice? What are you going to do now? 5.Meet the pupils individually or in small groups to find out what motivates them and develop a behaviour contract. The form/class teacher or a senior colleague might be asked to sit in/help. 6.Contact parents to express your concern and set up a joint system of praise so you can both “catch them being good”.

5 What may be the best choice? The importance of creating a positive classroom climate cannot be over-estimated. All six suggested approaches could be helpful. Start with the first one, it may be enough Pupils often respond far better to quick, positive signals, such as nods, smiles, thumbs up (and/or cards saying “Good listener” etc. put next to them) than to long-term rewards. You might find the other approaches work well too. It could be useful to work your way through the list. It can also prove very helpful to include parents if the problems are not solved by the other methods.

6 How might you prevent a recurrence? 1.Keep giving positive feedback – don’t forget! 2.Ensure that your lessons are well planned, interesting and at the right level. 3.If you do not solve the problems with one method, use another - this may need to be a long term plan. Be prepared to be flexible. 4.If you get to the stage of holding a meeting with the pupil(s) or parents, it is useful to plan a follow-up date to check progress. Set short term targets for further improvement and praise success. 5.Keep other staff and parents informed of good work and behaviour, not just of problems.

7 Underlying principles Creating a positive climate in the classroom will help you to achieve good work and behaviour from all pupils. Praise motivates. Most pupils respond well to praise from adults they respect. Build those relationships! It is easy to get into a negative spiral and it can be an effort to get out – but it is worth the effort. Some pupils have special social, emotional and behavioural needs which need to be taken into account when managing their behaviour.

8 Rights and Responsibilities All pupils have the right to be in lessons which are not disrupted. You will need to develop an effective system of praise for this group whilst keeping the rest of the class on board. Creating a positive classroom climate is part of the basic responsibilities of the teacher. Do not be afraid to ask for help. It is better to involve parents at a stage when they may be able to help, a) to help prevent this becoming a serious issue and b)to ensure that they are fully informed.

9 Activities to try Watch the “Praise and Preparation” video (Teachers TV). Try out some of the ideas from the programme and others that you might have discussed with other trainees. Collect ideas on successful approaches and schemes you have seen, share ideas and note them for the future.

10 Group trainee teacher discussions – Giving Praise and RewardGiving Praise and Reward Improving Behaviour for Learning (Secondary Schools) – The corridor ( many scenes where praise is used to good effect and shows situations where a lack of praise has a negative effect on learning)The corridor B4L item - Crowhurst Primary School - Self-esteem and positive behaviour planCrowhurst Primary School - Self-esteem and positive behaviour plan Teachers TV - Teaching with Bayley - Praise and PreparationTeaching with Bayley - Praise and Preparation Teachers TV - Manage that Class -Year 8 FridayManage that Class -Year 8 Friday Teachers TV - Teaching with Kellington: Engaging underachievers (Secondary)Teaching with Kellington: Engaging underachievers (Secondary) Teachers TV - Primary Management: Discussion programme. BehaviourPrimary Management: Discussion programme. Behaviour Want to find out more? References on the B4L site

Conclusions What is the key message have you gained from this scenario material? How might you apply this approach in your own practice in school. Further insights and notes for tutors and mentors are available on the websitenotes for tutors and mentors Updated August 2009