Understanding Behaviour 14+

Book excerpt: Dealing with challenging behaviour is a fundamental concern of all trainee teachers and even more so for those who are training to work with pupils’ age 14+, whether within a secondary school context or post-compulsory college context. This book will equip the practitioner with the skills required to implement change within problematic relationships and environments, and to explore a range of possible reasons as to ‘why students behave in the way they do’. Understanding Behaviour 14+ challenges existing paradigms in order to break down barriers; substituting and encouraging professional responsibility for promoting positive relationships rather than the passive acceptance of unwanted behaviors, or a reliance on a culture of ‘blame’. Key features of the book include: A brief and effective solution-focused approach Challenging existing paradigms Consideration of the process of reflection and evaluation Effective approaches to providing an inclusive classroom This essentially moves away from thinking about difficult or ‘bad’ students and towards thinking about difficult relationships or environments. This process of change allows the practitioner to reflect in a far more constructive and objective manner, also allowing the practitioner to acknowledge their own feelings in this process. “The effective management of the behaviour of 14+ learners has become a key issue across the school and lifelong learning sectors. The new Ofsted Schools, Common Inspection Framework and Initial Teacher Education Framework have behaviour management as a central focus. The raising of the participation age (RPA) will require teachers to manage the learning of a wider range of students in an increasingly broader spectrum of institutional contexts. Understanding Behaviour 14+ will be a welcome resource for these teachers, whether more or less experienced. The authors recognize that there are no quick fixes to deal with what are extremely complicated relations and situations and avoid a ‘tips for teachers’ approach to behaviour management. They emphasise the importance of understanding why students behave the way they do and, with an excellent blend of theory and practice, encourage teachers to use reflection and to take solution- rather than problem-based approaches to managing behaviour. The text is highly accessible and issues are practically grounded in real life case studies.” Andy Armitage is Head of The Department of Post-Compulsory Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. He recently completed a year’s secondment to Ofsted as an inspector of Initial Teacher Education