Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionLiterature ReviewPolicy and GuidanceLearning TheoriesSchool Placement ExperienceConclusionSummaryConsidering all the elements that led me to teach, the main concern I have, among many others, has been to manage student behavior. When I told someone close to me about my desire to become a high school teacher and how I had managed to enroll in a teacher training course to teach teenagers, their first words were: "They will eat you alive ! ". These negative opinions have been shared across various media platforms for many years and are a belief shared by much of the general public. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThis report aims to provide research-informed insight into the adolescents who enter our classrooms and the strategies needed to manage at better their behavior. in order to achieve the national goal of helping our young people become informed citizens.IntroductionThe possibility of producing a report analyzing the behavior of secondary school students over the past decade is the option I have chosen to explore . The overall aim of this report is to gain a deeper and more critical understanding of why acquiring good behavior management skills is paramount to becoming an effective practitioner. Additionally, my personal goal is to develop my own confidence and further fuel my professional values ​​by raising my minimum expectations of what is considered acceptable in my classroom. This report will begin with a review of key government policies, educational theory of professional practice and a range of recent research in behavior management. The following section will discuss the effectiveness of educational practice that I witnessed and experienced at my three placement schools. Finally, this report will summarize the key points I learned as well as my recommendations for possible research strategies, ideals, and directions that require attention. Literature Review According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), behavior is defined as “the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others. (OED, 2019). Decades of research have been devoted to human behavior as it relates to its origin, intent, and function. Human behavior is very complex, and depending on your perspective, it can arise from genetics on the opposite end of the spectrum, where a person's behavior is based entirely on how you were raised. For this report, we will focus on adolescent behavior in school settings. We will explore the possible reasons for any undesirable behavior and which educational institutions have been advised by the government, educational theorists and behavioral scientists. Many sources indicate that the Department for Education (DfE) has set “behavior and discipline management” as a priority. national priority in 2014/2015 (NELTA, 2014; Newman University, 2019). However, upon review of the DfE's annual report and accounts for the years 2010 to 2018, behavior has most often been part of the DfE's strategic plan, for example, 2010 to 2013 "changing behavior to create an inclusive culture" and " increase rigor and expectations in curriculum, assessment and behavior” for the 2014/2015 year. Despite the statistic that "92% of schools were rated 'good' or 'outstanding'in terms of behavior” (Ofsted, 2015a), I am still not convinced that there has been a real focus on behavior in schools, as the reports do not take into account any depth in relation to behavior (Ofsted, 2014b Ofsted, 2015b; Perhaps this is the result of an apparent complacency resulting from the 92% figure? More recently, in the DfE's strategic plan for 2015 to 2020, "management behavior" was not explicitly named as one of the key priorities. The closest strategic commitment, “integrate rigorous standards, curriculum, and assessment,” is essentially a reworded version of a priority from previous years; again, there is no explicit mention of behavior as a sub-component of engagement (DfE, 2016a). Something is missing here; if behavior has been so “good” or “outstanding” in schools, why is there a shortage of teachers? The national teacher shortage we face, along with the costly campaign to get people to train to become teachers, and the added costs of retaining them, highlights that behavior management should perhaps be an explicit national priority. Over the past decade, more government policies have become available to help teachers manage student behavior. In 2011, 'Making it Simple' was published by Charlie Taylor, the government's expert adviser on behavior in schools, to provide further advice to teachers on behavior and discipline. That same year, the Teacher Standards were introduced for use in schools from September 2012 to provide the minimum requirements for teacher practice and conduct. There are two distinct standards for which behavior management is an essential skill to learn when training to become a teacher: Teaching Standard 1: Setting high expectations that inspire, motivate, and challenge students; and Teaching Standard 7: Manage behavior effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment. This shows how behavior management is a key role of a teaching professional. Following this paper, the Educational Standards Analysis and Research Division carried out an assessment of student behavior in schools in England in 2012 to obtain evidence on: the standard of behavior; the impact of poor behavior on students and teachers; and what schools and teachers can do to promote good student behavior (DfE, 2012a). Overall, they found that there is mixed evidence on the extent of misbehavior reported by teachers. The National Educational Research Foundation has conducted some surveys which suggest that students are overwhelmingly considered well behaved, with around 70% reporting good behavior (NFER, 2013). However, another survey showed that 69% of National Union of Teachers (NUT) members reported experiencing disruptive behavior weekly or more frequently. “Behavior and discipline in schools: guidance for school leaders and school staff” was introduced in 2016 to provide an overview of the powers and duties of school staff. It is also up to each school to develop their own best practices for managing behavior in their school. More recently, Tom Bennett conducted an independent review into behavior in schools, which was recognized by a government response (Bennett, 2017). Other policieswere published and implemented in 2018. For example, the “Mental Health and Behavior at School” guide which aims to help schools support students whose mental health problems manifest themselves in problematic behavior. On reflection, following the many additional research and policy elements that have been developed and several government responses; it appears that the government considers managing student behavior a national priority. It is clear that the focus on improving behavior in schools has had some success. For example, cases of pupils engaging in violent, criminal or dangerous behavior at school are relatively rare (DfE, 2018a) and the rate of persistent absences has fallen significantly since 2011. However, Policy Exchange demonstrated in its report most recently that there is clearly plenty of room for positive progress in behavior management; particularly to combat persistent classroom disruptions that harm students' learning opportunities and interfere with teachers' primary purpose: teaching (Williams, 2019). Persistent classroom disruptions are the most common reason for permanent exclusions in different educational establishments. This awareness is not deep. In 2014, Ofsted produced a report titled 'Under the radar: low-level disruption in the country's classrooms' and identified that on average, pupils are at risk of missing an hour of learning per day, which which equates to approximately 38 school days. of an academic year (Ofsted, 2014a). Before the Ofsted investigation, the DfE published figures in 2012 for the 2009/2010 school year which showed that, across all types of schools, persistent disruptive behavior was the most common reason recorded for all exclusions, at 29% for permanent exclusions and 23.8% for fixed-term exclusions. . Similarly, the DfE published further figures for the 2015/2016 academic year, showing that low-level disruptive behavior accounted for 34.6% of permanent exclusions and 27% of fixed-term exclusions. It is evident here how persistent low-level disruptive behavior is becoming more and more prevalent. It is completely unacceptable and unfair to see how these behaviors prevent some students from reaching their full potential. Most recently, Edward Timpson was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, in March 2018, to explore how school leaders use exclusion in practice and why some groups of students are more likely to be excluded (Timpson, 2019). The Timpson Review of School Exclusion was published in May 2019 and revealed various differences in the way schools use exclusion, in addition to the fact that a small minority of schools are “falling out” (Timpson, 2019) . This is where children are removed from school records without formal exclusion, with the possible intention of distorting school ranking performance. The Timpson review also found evidence that positive and safe learning environments explicitly recognize good behaviors as essential to maintaining orderly environments that support all. However, teachers need consistent guidance and tools to effectively manage poor and disruptive behavior. The DfE has accepted the Timpson review's 30 recommendations in principle, committing to action to ensure no child misses out on a quality education. As such, the government announced that it would launch a consultation later this year to strengthen accountability around theuse of exclusions and would invest £10 million to help schools share best practice in behavior management (GOV.UK, 2019). It is good to know that it is on the government's radar, it is imperative to also consider the consequential impact this has had on teacher wellbeing and retention, in addition to the knock-on effect that 'bad behavior has on the experiences of other students. and progress. By 2006, 40% of teachers had decided to leave the profession within five years of qualifying, with the most common reason for their decision being poor student behavior (Barmby, 2006). This rose to 60% a few years later, following a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in 2009. Dr Joanna Williams' report titled 'It only brings you down' Disruptive behavior persisting in schools and what can be done about it” shows how this remains a big problem for teachers. Williams' (2018) reported that: 62% of teachers surveyed have currently or previously considered leaving the profession due to poor student behavior; 72% of these teachers know other teachers who have left the teaching profession due to poor student behavior; Additionally, 71% of teachers surveyed agreed that people are deterred from becoming teachers because of poor student behavior. This aligns with my initial concerns about becoming a trainee teacher. The extent of this persistent disruptive behavior has been evident over the years and could be argued to explain the 'teacher shortage' crisis facing the country. How individuals learn and behave is at the heart of research carried out for more than a century. Being able to explain and predict human behavior will be an infinite process as time passes, technology advances, and we individually evolve and adapt. This is synonymous with the contrasting views that some educationalists adopt. Traditionally, behaviorism, discovered by its founding father John Watson in 1913, is the belief that behavior is reactionary; resulting from external interactions and its environment. In Pavlov's "classical conditioning" experiment, behaviorism is illustrated as an interaction between a stimulus that leads to an automatic response. An example of this behavior in today's classroom might be the ringing of the school bell (stimulus) leading to an automatic response of students putting away (response) their belongings, ready for the lesson transition, without having received explicit instructions. Another behaviorist, B.F. Skinner, coined the term "operant conditioning" according to which the strength of a behavior, that is, the greater the likelihood that the same behavior will occur, results from some form of reinforcement and /or punishment. For example, in the classroom, rewarding desirable behavior with reward points or stamps would positively reinforce what is expected of students, while sanctioning students for undesirable behavior would motivate students not to repeat the behavior deemed inappropriate. Historically, corporal punishment would be an example of operant conditioning as a behavior management strategy until its abolition in 1987. Fortunately, in our education system, policies developed that later considered more ethical methods of disciplining bad behavior . Bandura (1977) was a social learning theorist who believed that behavior was the result of imitating the behaviors of models through indirect reinforcementor receiving direct praise or reprimand from a caregiver. These role models can be very influential and shape children's behavior, which can give you an idea of ​​where particular behaviors come from. Unlike behaviorism and social learning theory, some learning theories suggest that behavior is the result of your biological behavior. makeup and how you may have a predisposition to act a certain way. Compared to secondary school, the lack of brain maturation and brain development could explain bad behavior. Johnsen et al (2009) note that an adolescent's brain is not fully developed, particularly in the frontal lobes. This underdevelopment corresponds to typical adolescent behaviors such as poor decision-making, adoption of higher-risk behaviors, and poor understanding of the link between their behavior and possible negative outcomes (Casey et al., 2011). Therefore, some would argue that this underdevelopment of the adolescent brain could explain students' poor behavioral choices as well as the influx of hormones that is a fundamental part of the transition from a child to an adult. On the other hand, Steinberg et al. (2018) argues that more recent neuroscientific research suggests that adolescence is a period of exceptional plasticity, where the brain can rapidly remodel and recalibrate itself in response to the environment. This, combined with increased sensitivity to rewards, could motivate adolescents to take more risks, but at the same time, it can also be a huge motivator in telling them how to become successful adults. This could explain why adolescence is an ideal time for an incredible amount of learning: with increased motivation and a greater emphasis on socialization, adolescents have the developmental opportunity to discover and develop the skills they need to function in an adult world. Steinberg (2018) stated: "The truth is that adolescence is not in itself a good or bad time, but it is a time when the brain is extremely sensitive to the contexts of its environment...It should require us, as parents, to educators, scientists and policy makers, to ensure that the context in which children grow up is positive. This is echoed by research carried out in schools by Sylva et al. (2012) that students' achievement was higher where they perceived a more positive behavior climate in their secondary school, and this was particularly visible for mathematics. In summary, after reviewing numerous policies, government advisory documents, and some prominent learning theories, the wealth of research, statistics, and literature illustrates how persistent disruptive behavior is a major cause for concern (Bennett, 2017) . The impact of poor behavior on teaching, learning, overall student progress, retention of good teachers and recruitment of future teachers cannot be ignored. Issues need to be raised in the Government's agenda if we want our pupils to reach their full potential, which is what the National Curriculum aspires to be of every child: "The National Curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the basic knowledge they need to be educated citizens. . It aims to: “embody rigor and demands and create consistency in what is taught at school; ensure that all children acquire essential knowledge in key subjects; go beyond this core,to allow teachers greater freedom to use their professionalism and expertise to help all. » children realize their potential. » School Placement Experience My first phase placement school had recently implemented a significant change to its behavior policy upon my arrival. This mixed comprehensive academy for 11-16 year olds was previously notorious among staff for having notoriously ill-behaved students. A fellow teacher had worked at the school for over twenty years and had seriously considered leaving the profession due to his rudeness and persistent bad behavior. To combat unwanted behavior such as forgetting school materials, planners and the wrong school uniform, students were required to meet the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) alongside Pastoral Year Leaders (PYL) upon entry at school at the start of the school day, demonstrating that they had everything they needed to learn. At first I felt like the school was unreasonable and unnecessarily strict, however, upon reflection, considering my other two contrasting placements, this routine and start to the school day saved me a lot of time of lessons that would otherwise be lost. In addition to checking equipment and uniform, at the start of each lesson, students were required to stand silently behind their desks, showing their "5 a day" – pen, diary, ruler, pencil and purple pen, while that the class teacher circulates around the class to check that everyone has the appropriate materials and is ready to start learning. Once the check was completed, each student was able to sit down, set up their notebooks, and continue the starter activity during registration. It could be argued that this system may seem rather activist and behaviorist in nature, but the commitment to ensuring achievement standards was a high priority at the school. The behavioral policy involved a system of consequences for unwanted behavior where a teacher can physically record an offense by "ticks" on the whiteboard. During lessons, students have up to four opportunities where consequences can be recorded; if a student receives a fourth check, it results in removal from the class. In retrospect, I didn't really appreciate the strong presence of the SLT; it was very impressive. SLT would intervene in classrooms and reinforce behavioral policy; if a student was on two or more “ticks” they would be removed from their lesson and contacted by SLT. This was very effective and teachers felt supported in their role with a greater sense of teamwork and enthusiasm for raising standards. My second phase placement was a contrasting experience and required teachers to read aloud the four Behaviors for Learning Rules (BfL) at the start of each lesson: “The learning behavior is now in place. You must remain silent when someone speaks; You must act and speak respectfully; You must not touch another person and/or their property; and you must stay focused on your task.” If a teacher forgets to read the BfL policy, then a student would have every right to appeal the consequences imposed on them; complete the undermining of a qualified teaching professional. This second school had a very similar system of consequences to the first school. At first I was very frustrated at the idea of ​​having to inform students of the BfL rules. In my opinion, I was under the impression that before my course started, the BfL rules were not in place. I didn't like the way it insinuated thatstudents were not required to act in a responsible and respectable manner. As soon as I arrived, I felt that the teachers did not have high expectations for the behavior of their students during the second phase internship. It was a big concern that students were systematically defying one of the BfL's key rules and not being reprimanded for their bad behavior. At this point in my training experience, I felt like I had to fight an internal battle to choose whether or not to adjust my expectations of what I personally consider acceptable behavior. Before arriving at the school, I had read and analyzed all of the school's policies, taking note of the school's expectations of students, such as a no cell phone policy and what what staff members should do if a student is found on the cell phone. their cell phone. On the first day and throughout my experience there, students were in the hallways with their cell phones and always wearing messy uniforms. Very quickly it became clear that the entire school had stopped following its behavioral policy. As part of the ongoing professional development of the whole school, a consultation was held with a member of SLT to review the behavior policy, as many complaints had been made about it. efficiency. It was positive to see that SLT recognized that problems existed and consulted with staff to discuss what could be done to make the system more effective. But disillusionment suddenly follows. According to the 2016 Teacher Voice Omnibus, this finding is not uncommon in schools (NFER, 2016). In the survey, it was reported that the percentage of senior managers who responded that behavior was "very good" (48%) was higher than that of teachers (21%), indicating another inconsistency between managers superiors and classroom staff. .During the second phase internship, I learned a lot about my educational values; specifically, how it is so important to maintain high expectations and be fair and consistent. I had seen a greater appreciation of teacher standards and began to appreciate how essential it is to have high expectations of all students to achieve good learning outcomes. Personally, I was praised for my behavior management style and high expectations in the classroom by a very experienced host teacher who thus reassessed and reinvigorated her minimum expectations when teaching. My final placement school belongs to the same academy as the first school; as such, they have the same behavior towards learning policies. However, this school's behavior policy is not as rigid and consistently implemented. There are many more rude students who get away with insulting teachers and who are able to return to their class without always suffering the consequences of its just severity. For example, some students who were reprimanded and received a full day of seclusion as punishment were able to negotiate their release from seclusion and return to classes where they would continue to disrupt their lessons and learning. other students. Additionally, at this placement school, I would say the students were more violent and abusive towards staff members. During the placement, I heard of five separate cases of teachers being physically assaulted. This could explain the large number of teachers leaving the academy and obtaining new positions in other educational institutions. The presence of SLT in my second and third placement schools wasminimal unless SLT organizes learning walks. I believe that supporting the leadership team in behavior management is a very powerful strategy. Reinforcing a whole school approach with a strong emphasis on consistency and having high expectations is fundamental, not only to student progress but also to staff morale and the feeling of working towards a greater goal. As my personal experience at school and discussions I have had with colleagues illustrates above, Bennett (2017) noted some of the challenges that frequently hinder improvement within schools, such as: “ poorly calibrated or low expectations; staff overburdened by workload and therefore unable to effectively direct their behavior; insufficiently qualified staff tasked with critical behavioral roles; distant, unavailable or overworked leadership; and inconsistently between staff and departments.” These results directly correlate with my personal experience which illustrates the scale and continuity of the problem across the country several years later. Conclusion In conclusion, Bennett (2017) proposes that there are a variety of things schools can do to improve, and that leadership is key to this; “...teachers, however competent they may be, cannot intervene alone with the same impact as a school head. The key task of a school leader is to create a culture – usefully defined as “the way we do things here” – that is understood and embraced by the whole school community. A few years earlier, Garner et al (2014) stated that "it remains clear that positive student outcomes in school, including the promotion of good behavior and learning, can be closely linked to effective leadership”. Similarly, Day et al (2009) also found that school climate is also related to school leadership effectiveness. In general, teachers are hard-working people and often go above and beyond the expectations of their school and their students. However, when teachers face unreasonable workload pressures, behavioral policies that are not managed consistently, or a negative school climate resulting from lack of direction and poor student behavior, it has been found that these circumstances can explain “non-compliance with the rules”. behavioral policies” (Bennett, 2017). Some strategies have been discovered following an analysis of behaviors in outstanding schools, such as establishing strong leadership teams, including a very dedicated principal who has a clear and detailed vision communicated to all members of the school. a school community. Additionally, consistency and attention to detail are key priorities within these outstanding schools when aiming to raise levels of achievement. These are some strategies that Tom Bennett identified in his review, and which successful schools explain explicitly to staff and students. These schools' policies were also easy to understand and used daily. There is also no room for possible ambiguity that could be misunderstood by a member of the school community (Bennett, 2017). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay from the inside. In the extensive research this report examined, what resonated most, in my opinion, was the importance of standards for teachers. Previously, they were considered requirements for obtaining a.