Common Classroom Complaints

Recap Punctuality/Absence – The Late-Absent-Withdrawn cycle Behaviour – Hoodies – Pens – Phones

Attendance and Punctuality The impact of lateness:  If learners are not in the class, they are not learning  Disruption to class  Reduces morale amongst punctual students  Leads to bad punctuality habits  Can lead to poor attendance

The impact of absence On the student – Loss of peer relationships – Lack of progress – Pressure to catch up – Anxiety around deadlines On the college – Poor attendance figures – Possible lack of achievement

The Late-Absent-Withdrawn Cycle The Case Study outlines the issues A group of colleges in Bristol took action lateness-and-attendance/ First day call home immediately improves attendance by 5%

Low Level Disruptions

Classroom boundaries Establish clear routines Create your classroom culture with a positive code of conduct Support other colleagues accordingly Reinforce classroom rules with CONSISTENT CONSEQUENCES Acknowledge good/improved behaviour

Positive code of conduct: Discuss the rules and routines together State the behaviour you WANT to see not the behaviour you DON’T WANT to see Translate rules to begin with verbs

Are you a good team playerI kept to this rule: NameAlwaysOftenSome timesNever Treat others as you want to be treated yourself (respect) Food/drink other than water is to be consumed during breaks in the cafeteria/ coffee shop Attend all timetabled sessions on time Meet coursework deadlines Speak when it’s your turn/raise your hand before speaking/listen Improvement since my last self assessment: What I need to work on most is:

Boundaries Resist crossing personal boundaries Be clear about your own role Support students with their education

Actions that might help

Talking while the teacher is talking Go and stand by the student, all the while continuing to talk Ask them a question Stay silent Use lots of non-verbal messages

Calling out Ask for periods of absolute quiet (egg timer?) Allocate all students three call out cards to be used during a session Set targets Use a tally

Work avoidance Trying to prolong conversations Not sitting down Sighing Insulting

Learner – “This is boring” Learner – “Chelsea are rubbish” Learner – “I’m not in the mood to do any work” Learner – “You’re a right “(slight insult)”” Learner – “I’m stupid”

Learner – “This is boring” Yes some might think its boring – you need inspiration so lets work on it together Learner – “Chelsea are rubbish” I expect so, what we need to write about is …… Learner – “I’m not in the mood to do any work” I know what you’re saying. I’m sure you will find it really easy if we work together at the start. Learner – “You’re a right “(slight insult)”” I’m not perfect and you might be right. What we are working on today is …. Learner – “I’m stupid” You have many strengths and I think one of them might be that you can answer this question. Let’s try.

Next month: Staying Safe