Assignment

2 - Development of Behaviour Management Plan

Stephanie Altobano (S00210878)
Word Count: 2,851

The following is a report of the development of my own personal class behaviour
management plan. This report includes:
My philosophy on behaviour management
Behaviour management theories that support my philosophy and approach
o Restorative Practice
o Barbara Colorosos Inner Discipline
o Curwin and Mendlers Discipline with Dignity
Strategies for effective collaboration
Implementation of legislative requirements, and school and system policies
The practice

My Philosophy on Behaviour Management
My philosophy on teaching is that students have diverse needs and different learning
styles that we need to cater to. Prior to studying EDFD604: Fostering Positive Behaviour, I
was only aware of a few issues which influence behaviour such as boredom and issues at
home. Now I am aware of the diverse influences on behaviour such as: child factors (e.g.
disability and morals), family factors, the school context, life events and community and
cultural factors (Laws, 2017). I have also developed the philosophy that my purpose in
implementing a behaviour intervention is to foster all areas of the childs learning and build
a collaborative community. These give the student skills in resolving conflict when they face
the real world. Prior to this, I saw behaviour intervention programs as a way to control
students so they can learn. Throughout EDFD604: Fostering Positive Behaviour, we were
introduced to different behaviour management theories with different degrees of teacher-
student control. I believe that to an extent teachers should have control, but students
should be given choices in the classroom and should be taught the skill of decision making.
Therefore, the role of the teacher is to be a model of correct behaviour and decision making
skills. For this to happen teachers should have a high expectation of their students because
when the teachers believe that students can achieve, the students appear to be more
successful (Kress and Herridge, 2012). My overall philosophy on behaviour management is
to prepare students into entering the real world.

Behaviour Management Theories
Of the behaviour management theories I have studied, there are three which
allowed me to form my philosophy and which supports my approach in behaviour
management. These are: Restorative Practice, Barbara Colorosos Inner Discipline, and
Curwin and Mendlers Discipline with Dignity. The key elements of these theories and how
they support my plan will be discussed.

Restorative Practice
The focus of Restorative Practice (RP) is creation, maintenance and fostering of
positive relationships (McCluskey, Lloyd, Kane, Riddell, Stead & Weedon, 2008). It found its
beginnings in crime through Restorative Justice (RJ). The premise of RJ in crime is to identify
the affected people and collaborate in making a decision to repair any damages (Coates,
Umbreit & Vos, 2003 as cited in Gregory, Clawson, Davis, Gerewitz, 2016). In the classroom,
respect is the underlying value.
Misbehaviour is prevented through building relationships and developing
community. This process includes affective statements, proactive circles where students
discuss a topic which helps build community, engaging students in the decision making
process, and teachers modeling the restorative practices. (Costello, Wachtel and Wachtel,
2010 as cited in Gregory et al, 2016).
Misbehaviour is intervened through repairing relationships. This is implemented
through restorative questions such as what happened?, what could you have done
differently? and what do you need to do to make things right?, responsive questions
which address the harms and how to repair it, and acknowledging the emotions of those
involved (Gregory et al, 2016).
The ideas of building positive relationships and repairing these relationships are
definitely present in my behaviour management plan. This is something I would like to
integrate into my classroom

Barbara Colorosos Inner Discipline
 The main idea of Barbara Colorosos Inner Discipline (ID) is not to demand respect
but to demonstrate and teach it. In a classroom where ID is implemented students learn
that they can listen and be listened to, and respect themselves and others (Coloroso, 1997).
ID also emphasises that behaviour management plans are consistent but flexible (Coloroso
(1997).
Coloroso (1997) maintains that in an ID classroom, teachers have high expectations
and foster their students self-esteem through positive messages such as I believe in you
and you can be all that you can be to their students daily. Furthermore, there is
collaboration with students where they participate in planning and resolving conflicts.
Teachers are seen as a model for accepting their feelings and acting in a responsible way.
During times of conflict, discipline is not seen as synonymous with punishment but it
is a learning experience. The four ideas of discipline are:
Discipline shows students what they have done.
Discipline gives students ownership of the problem theyve created.
Discipline gives students options for solving the problem
Discipline leaves students dignity intact (Coloroso, 1997)
These allow the student to learn how to solve problems, think and prepare them for
the real world. Coloroso (1997) emphasises the importance of second chances. If a student
were to misbehave they are always given the opportunity to start over again.
ID is implemented in behaviour management plan through positive reinforcement
and high expectations. Furthermore second chances are definitely something I wish to
implement.
Curwin and Mendlers Discipline with Dignity
Curwin and Mendlers Discipline with Dignity (DD) model focuses on building on
decision making skills (Curwin and Mendler, 1997). Rather than punishing a student, the
student is instructed on how to behave in the future. Like the previous two models, DD
views teachers as a model. When teachers express anger, they are to model the way they
want their students to express it (Curwin and Mendler, 1997).
DD is characterised with building self-esteem through: warmth, clearly defined
limits, a democratic atmosphere, and opportunities for practise in decision making and
problem solving skills (Curwin and Mendler, 1997). Warmth is to have a genuine caring
attitude towards your students. Clearly defined limits is to set classroom rules and
consequences which match the values of respect. A democratic atmosphere involves
engaging the students in the creation of classroom rule and providing them with
responsibilities. Skills in recognising conflict is viewing every conflict as an opportunity to
teach students how to solve the conflict and behave in the future. It is encouraged that
resolving conflict is to done privately so as to keep the students dignity intact (Curwin and
Mendler, 1997).
These ideologies are reflected in my behaviour management as I believe it is
important to provide students with the skills on how to make decision in resolving conflict.
It is also important to involve students in the creation of class rules, as well as modeling the
correct behaviour to students.

Strategies for Effective Collaboration
Collaboration is important in student learning and behaviour management (Sehgal,
Nambudiri and Mishra, 2017). It allows for the effective planning and execution of
behaviour management plans. It is therefore important for teachers to have strategies
which allow them to work effectively with colleagues, parents/carers, external professionals
and community representatives.

Colleagues
Two strategies for engaging with colleagues from Vangrieken, Dochy, Raes and
Kyndts review (2015) is mutual engagement and shared repertoire. Mutual engagement is
the development of a professional relationship, and shared repertoire is the sharing of ideas
(Vangrieken et al, 2015).
One strategy towards mutual engagement is simply through engaging with
colleagues in the staffroom and in school. If possible, I would speak to them face-to-face as
opposed to sending an email, greeting colleagues as I see them, and choosing to eat lunch at
the staffroom with colleagues. These allow the building of relationships and therefore
mutual engagement when it comes to working together.
Strategies towards shared repertoire include being open to share resources and
strategies towards success in the classroom. It also involves being open to asking for help
from colleagues. Furthermore, practise is key, therefore initiating and taking every
opportunity to work with a colleague is important.

Parents and Carers
The initial strategy in working effectively with parents is creating a welcoming
environment (Graham-Clay, 2005). This entails ensuring the classroom and school is clean,
student artwork is proudly presented on the walls and even having cultural class work
to reach out to different ethnic backgrounds.
Ensuring that the classroom is open to parents and the teacher makes themselves
open to parents. To overcome the barrier of time constraints, one strategy is to survey
parents on their preferred method of communication and available times. This is effective at
the beginning of the class year when teachers arrange their welcome meeting (Graham-
Clay, 2006). Using technology is a very useful tool for communicating with parents, but it is
also important to recognise that not all parents (especially those in low-SES areas) have
access to technology. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the parents preferred
method of communicating.
When dealing with parents one-to-one or during parent-teacher conference it is
advised to value their authority and wisdom (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 2004 as cited in
Graham-Clay, 2005) as they can provide valuable information on their children.

External Professionals and Community Representatives
There are several strategies to allow for the effective collaboration with external
professionals and community representatives. First, teachers and schools should engage in
community programs to allow for the creation of relationships with the community and
professionals (Queensland Government, c2017). In addition to this, participating in
professional programs and connecting the students to the community through excursions
are other strategies that can be incorporated.

Implementation of Legislative Requirements, and School and System Policies

As a teacher, there are several legislative requirements, and school and system
policies that are to be implemented in the classroom. This includes policies such as Student
Discipline in Government Schools Policy 2006, Incident Reporting Policy 2014 and Bullying:
Preventing and Responding to Student Bullying in Schools Policy 2011. It is important that
teachers are to be consistent with these policies in the classroom. For this teachers need to
be aware of these policies and constantly up to date.
The NSW Department of Education (c2017) breaks down teachers legal
responsibilities in four categories. These are:
1. School and classroom culture
2. Care and discipline of children
3. Teacher-student relationships
4. Interaction with students with identified needs

School and Classroom Culture
School and classroom culture is an aspect of the teachers legal responsibility. These
responsibilities entail ensuring all students are included in the lesson, the class is never left
unattended, and a non-confrontational behaviour management style is developed.
Furthermore, it is unacceptable to physically prevent a student to enter or leave a
classroom, intimidating students, or failing to report concerns to higher levels (NSW
Department of Education, c2017).
The school and classroom culture that my behaviour management plan aims to
create is one of mutual respect and of positive relationships. In addition to this aim, these
legal responsibilities are to be met as well.

Care and Discipline of Children
Another aspect of a teachers legal responsibility is care and discipline of children.
Teachers who meet their legal responsibility towards care and discipline of children, report
incidents, give students clear instructions when using equipment, and provide constructive
and supportive feedback. It is unacceptable if teachers were to use corporal forms of
punishment, using physical threats, targeting students based on their past behaviours, and
not responding appropriately to student requests (NSW Department of Education, c2017).
These legal requirements are implemented in the behaviour management plan. In
the behaviour management plan, students are not targeted based on past behaviours.
Instead, students are always given second chances to amend their actions. Additionally,
students are listened to and given the skill to make decisions to solve the harm.

 Teacher-student relationships
The NSW Department of Education (c2017) identifies the legal responsibilities for
teacher-student relationships. Teachers are to have clear professional boundaries with
students that cannot be misinterpreted as a personal relationship. Praise and rewards are
only meant to be given when appropriate and with fair treatment. Physical contact is
another aspect of teacher-student relationships, all physical contact is supposed to be in a
comfortable and professional manner such as hand-shaking or a pat on the back. Teachers
are also to be aware and sensitive to the cultural diversity of their students and their
cultural norms. The three prohibited and criminal acts that the NSW Department of
Education (c2017) identifies include sexual relationships with students, distribution of
alcohol or prescribed drugs, and creating, downloading or distributing child pornography.
This is implemented in my behaviour management plan, positive teacher-student
relationships are to be created, fostered and maintained. But a professional boundary is to
be present at all times. Collaboration with parents is also maintained to ensure positive
relationships are fostered.

Interaction with Students with Identified Needs
Interaction with students with identified needs is another aspect that the NSW
Department of Education (c2017) identifies that teachers have legal responsibility towards.
Teachers are to be aware of the diverse needs of students and implement strategies in the
individual student management programs. Teachers are also to be sensitive towards
students who have poor boundaries towards appropriate behaviour.
My behaviour management plan implements legislative requirements dealing with
diverse needs. An important aspect of this is the collaboration with the student, parents,
community and experts to create an environment where the students needs are catered to.
Fostering positive relationships in the classroom allows the teachers to become aware of
students needs and also to learn strategies for effective learning.

The Practice
With all the above in mind, the following are practical steps that I will use in the
classroom. These steps will include rules and expectations, development of class culture,
seating plans, general classroom organisation and strategies for managing challenging
behaviours.

Rules and Expectations
Consistent with Curwin and Mendlers discipline with dignity (DD), students are to be
involved in the creation of classroom rules (Curwin and Mendler, 1997). The purpose of this
is to build students self-esteem through the creation of a democratic atmosphere (Curwin
and Mendler, 1997). The development of these rules will be based on the mantra of
Restorative Practices Australia (c2015) which is at our school we are SAFE, RESPECTFUL,
LEARNERS who build, repair and maintain healthy relationships. At the beginning of the
school year students will define safe, respectful and learner. As a class, we will create
and agree to rules. The following is an example:
SAFE
Keep your hands and feet to yourself
Keep the classroom tidy
Take care of our equipment

RESPECTFUL
Listen to the teacher and to others
Respect everyones ideas
Use kind words and manners

LEARNERS
Have a go and do your best
Be ready to learn
Enjoy learning

Development of Class Culture
In my behaviour management plan there will always be high expectations towards
students and the teacher will always remind them that they expect the best from them.
Consistent with Colorosos theory (ID), daily positive messages such as I believe in you will
be verbally said and posted around the room (Coloroso, 1997).
 At the beginning of the week, proactive circles are implemented where students get
in small groups and discuss a topic which help build the community. This is consistent with
restorative practice (RP) (Costello, Wachtel and Wachtel, 2010 as cited in Gregory et al,
2016). These can relate to the mantra like, how can we be respectful learners this week?
or what should we do if someone is being unsafe?.
Positive actions will also be recognised. Students can write anonymously about a
peers good deed that the observed, and at the end of the week these will be read out.

Seating Plans
DD, RP, and ID all emphasise the importance of giving students choices (Curwin and
Mendler, 1997; Gregory et al, 2016; Coloroso, 1997). Therefore, the seating plan is flexible
and students will have the choice of what desk they want to sit at every morning. It will be
emphasised that students should choose to sit next to people they will work well with.
Collaboration and group work is emphasised in the classroom, therefore desks will be put in
groups.

General Classroom Organisation
Students will be aware of the routine so as to avoid any incidents during the
transition between each activity. This will be implemented by placing a schedule at a visible
place that students can refer to. The teacher will also give the students an overview of the
day every morning.
Class work is going to be differentiated and will cater to the different learning styles
of each student to ensure that students are engaged in learning.

Strategies for Managing Challenging Behaviour
Managing challenging behaviour will use a mixture of the three theories, DD, RP and
ID. The following is the process for when challenging behaviour and conflict occurs.
1. Ask restorative questions, such as:
a. What happened?
b. What were you thinking at the time?
c. Who could have been affected by your actions and how
d. What could you have done differently?
 e. What needs to happen now to make things right? (Restorative Practices
Australia, c2015)
2. Create a plan with the student and those involved on how to restore the harm and
allow for forgiveness
3. Implement the plan

Conclusion
To conclude, the above behaviour management plan implements the DD, RP and ID
theories. It emphasises collaboration with all stakeholders and builds on the students
decision making skills to resolve conflict. This will help prepare them for when they enter
the real world


Bibliography
Coloroso, B. (1997). Discipline that makes the grade. Learning, 25(4), 44.

Curwin, R. L., & Mendler, A. N. (1997). "discipline with dignity": Beyond obedience.Education Digest,
63(4), 11.

Graham-Clay, S. (2005). Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers. School Community
Journal, 15(1), 117.

Gregory, A., Clawson, K., Davis, A., & Gerewitz, J. (2016). The promise of restorative practices to
transform teacher-student relationships and achieve equity in school discipline.Journal
of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 26(4), 325-353.
doi:10.1080/10474412.2014.929950

Kress, J. P., & Herridge, M. S. (2012). Medical and economic implications of physical disability of
survivorship. Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 33(4), 339-347.

Laws, C. (2017). EDFD604 Issues in Behaviour Management [PowerPoint].

McCluskey, G., Lloyd, G., Kane, J., Riddell, S., Stead, J., & Weedon, E. (2008). Can restorative practices
in schools make a difference?. Educational Review, 60(4), 405 417.

NSW Department of Education. (c2017). Professional responsibilities. Retrieved 8 October 2017,
from http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about-us/careers-centre/school-
careers/teaching/your-teaching-career/approved-teachers/casual-teacher-
induction/professional-responsibilities

Queensland Government. (c2017). Parent and Community Engagement Framework. Retrieved 8
October 2017, from http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/parent-community-
engagement-framework/resources/pdf/parent-community-engagement-faqs.pdf

Restorative Practices Australia. (c2015). Restorative Practices Building Repairing & Maintaining
Healthy Relationships in Schools. Retrieved 8 October 2017, from
https://www.restorativepractices.org.au/

Sehgal, P., Nambudiri, R., & Mishra, S. K. (2017). Teacher effectiveness through self-efficacy,
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Management, 31(4), 505.

Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., Raes, E., & Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration: A systematic review.
Educational Research Review, 15, 17-40. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2015.04.002
 ASSESSMENT TASK 2 - Development of Behaviour Management Plan
CRITERION High Distinction
The students work has The students work has
the following
characteristics:
Knowledge is
comprehensive and
clearly articulated.
Explores frameworks in
considerable depth,
providing rich insights
Knowledge &
from prescribed and non-
understanding
prescribed texts.
Demonstrates an
exceptional
understanding of the
context and
underpinning theory from
which the frameworks
Exceptional evidence
of critical analysis
Thinking & Conclusions
Analysis comprehensively
supported by
literature.
Written communication is
sophisticated, clear,
fluent and virtually error-
free.
APA referencing is
accurate in all respects
Communication
(In-text and reference
& research
list)
- In-text citations 1
- References 1
OVERALL GRADE:__________
Distinction Credit Pass Fail
The students work has The students work has The students work
the following the following the following has the following
characteristics: characteristics: characteristics: characteristics
Knowledge is Knowledge has Knowledge is correct Demonstration of
extensive, relevant some depth and is and clearly knowledge and
and clearly articulated. clearly articulated. articulated. understanding is
Explores frameworks Explores Explores frameworks not satisfactory.
in considerable depth, frameworks in some to some extent, Exploration of
providing important depth, providing providing adequate knowledge is
insights and/or important insights information. minimal.
information. and/or information.
Demonstrates a Knowledge is not
Demonstrates Demonstrates sound satisfactory clearly articulated.
substantial understanding of the understanding of the
understanding of the context and context and
context and underpinning theory underpinning theory
from which the
underpinning theory from which the
frameworks have
from which the frameworks have emerged.
frameworks have emerged.
emerged.
Substantial Appropriate Some evidence of Minimal
evidence of critical evidence of critical critical analysis evidence of
analysis analysis Conclusions critical analysis
Conclusions very Conclusions well supported by some Conclusions not
well supported by supported by relevant literature. supported by
literature. literature. literature.
Written Written Written Numerous
communication is communication is communication is errors in
clear and precise with generally clear with satisfactory although grammar and
few errors. some errors in with some errors. expression that
expression or make main
APA referencing has grammar. APA referencing has points hard to
minor many inconsistencies follow
inconsistencies. APA referencing has - In-text citations 1 APA style
- In-text citations 1 occasional - References 1 referencing
- References 1 inconsistencies consistently
- In-text citations 1 inaccurate or
- References 1 missing.
- In-text citations 1
- References 1