Behaviour Management strategies. Top tips for a calm classroom.

Behaviour management is one of the greatest challenges that we all face. It’s not only new teachers that can feel overwhelmed by the demands of our ever-evolving nature of education.  Over the past five years, I’ve been learning different ways to manage a range of behaviour. I’ve experimented with a range of strategies that have worked and NOT worked. Here are some of my favourites.

        Whole Class rewards.  

Whole class rewards are such a simple and effective way for children to work together. I have always used a marble jar. This is a great visual way for children to build up rewards. It’s also good for quick maths questions eg, “how many more marbles until the jar is filled?” The children can only fill the jar IF everyone in the class is working well. If one child is letting the class down, then the class don’t get the marble. Once the jar is filled the children pick a whole class treat. Some of the most popular have been, making cakes, a trip to the local park, hot chocolate and movie, PJ party, slime party and ice cream. I printed my marble jar from a picture from google, and printed it onto my favorite neon paper. I use my marble jar in addition to personal behaviour management strategies.

Wheel of fortune

I love, love LOVE my wheel of fortune. The children adore this. I let the children collect reward coupons and then they can take a spin on the wheel. They can collect a coupon for being kind, completing homework or doing a show stopping piece of work. I let the children pick their own rewards. If you like the sound of the wheel of fortune, you can find the link here.

      Emoji Cards

My new emoji cards are one such a fun way for children to take control of their own behaviour. Each card is personalised, when children are behaving well, do a piece of good work etc, they get their card punched. Once children have completed their card they can pick from the class prize box or spin the wheel. To get the great hole puncher I use for the cards click here.

        Stickers

You can never go wrong with stickers! I’ve never met a child who doesn’t go crazy for them! I use a range of stickers, my favourite are scented ones from Primary TeachingServices. They smell divine and they have such a great selection. I’ve also started making my own bitmoji stickers. The children love receiving a “Miss Craven” sticker. These are simple to make. I use avery stickers to make these. Head over to my Instagram page to find my tutorial on how I make them.

           Brain Boosters

Brain boosters are yummm! These are for on the spot praise. Unfortunately, stickers are quite expensive, so this is a cheap strategy to run alongside. I buy a pack of chocolate cherrios from the “brain booster shop.” The children can earn these at any point of the day.

  Whole Class behaviour Chart

Something I’ve used in the past that works well, is a whole class chart. Each child has their name on a watermelon (it fits my tropical themed classroom). The children all start off at the same spot at the beginning of each day. The children can then move up or down, behaviour dependent. If the children reach the very top, they get sent a positive note home. If the children reach the bottom of the chart, they will receive a phone call home to parents.

          

           Verbal Praise

Verbal praise is something that I use constantly. I regularly stop the class and show good work, or let children show their work. This is a quick and simple way that is hugely effective.

Voice Levels

I'm sure it's not just my class, but they can be so noisy. For months I tried different things such as power points and posters. Nothing seemed to work... until my voice level lights! These have been the best things ever. I hit the light to indicate what level their voices should be at. Such a quick, simple resource. I'm currently working on updating my display! I will update you as soon as i've finished it. If you're interested in these lights just click here.

These are just a few of the strategies that I’ve come to love. I am currently working on some new strategies for my new classroom. I plan to update this post with the new strategies that I intend to implement in my new classroom. 

Work Life Balance.

Work Life Balance. Is it just myth or can we really have it all? 5 top tips to help and rid your mind of guiltiness.

I’ve been thinking hard recently about what to write my next blog post about. I will be honest; I’ve had a touch of writers block mixed with a splash of life chaos. So maybe this week’s topic is ironic, because I haven't have a lot of time to write over the past few weeks.

I feel like work life balance is such an important issue within education. So as I’m sat in bed writing this, I’m thinking to myself… is it really possible to be an ‘outstanding’ teacher and live your life? Can you really do all your planning, marking, subject leadership and write reports? Let alone spend time with loved ones, go to the gym, cook dinner and run a social media account? To be honest the answer is no. You can’t do all that and then have your well deserved down time. So the question is, how do we manage our time effectively in order to not to burn out? This got me thinking… I’ve been having some serious social media guiltiness as I’m currently in the process of moving house and I’ve just been on a 4 day residential, so I’ve had zero time.  This has led me to think about some top, guilt free tips in order to have a work life balance.

1)   Prioritise, prioritise, PRIORTISE. This is fundamental for your sanity. Make a list of all the things that you need to do and add the deadlines to these jobs. This then allows you see the most important. However, a little tip I’ve found useful is to add non work related things to your list. Your list does not have to be just a work related list. It can have hobbies, your interests on there to! These are all you priorities. So I know this might sound stupid, but it honestly helps you to decide the most important things. I also think that as a teacher, you deep down, secretly like making lists, and get a kick when you complete it… Speaking personally, I’m much more likely to get a job done if it’s written on my to do list.

2)   Know it’s okay to say no. Even writing this, I instantly get nervous. I’m such a yes man. It’s a nightmare. The older, more experienced I get, I’ve learnt that it’s okay to say no. Unfortunately, I know that not everyone has understanding head teachers. However, too often, we are reluctant to say no, but it’s so important that we start to in order to avoid a burnout! It does not make you the best teacher because you say yes to everything. Headteachers are already grateful for all the amazing things that you do. Saying no is not a sign of weakness. Practice before what you will say and stick to your guns. The first time you do it will be the hardest and you can always offer to help on another occasion, when your workload has reduced. I once worked with a deputy head teacher, who missed her own daughter’s birthday, because she had too much to do. She soon left the school and was replaced… the school continues to run without her. It is a job, you can be replaced, and will be replaced. Just remember that.

3)   You may enjoy the results, but in time, you will resent all the extra time you put in. I think it’s the best job in the world being a teacher, but if you work every hour of every day, you will burn out, resent it and the people around you. One thing I’ve started doing is leaving my laptop at home one night a week. I then spend this night doing things for me! It’s amazing. Remember, your brain and body is like a bank; withdraw more than you put in and you will feel a deficit.

4)   Let it go. As perfectionists, it’s easy to get fixated on all the things you didn’t do and all the things that didn’t go to plan. It is hard, but remember that some things are out of our control. And for the things that are in our control, remember the world will still go on if you decide to reply to an email the next day and have a night off work. You will not be judged if you decide not to laminate every resource.  Just breathe and let it go.

5)   Switch off. Now this is my own personal downfall as the internet is such a wonderful thing. But it can lead to overload. You can constantly find yourself trying to find new ideas and putting pressure on yourself. You can find yourself answering emails at 10pm at night. You’re not paid to be on call 24 hours a day, so don’t feel like you have to respond all the time. Set a switch off time and stick to it.

Learning to have a work life balance is not only important, but imperative for survival. I recently read an article published by the guardian that almost a quarter of the teachers who qualified since 2011 have already left the profession. 31% of those quit within five years of becoming teachers. Let’s try and reduce this figure and spread the word. Hopefully, some of my strategies can help others.