Taking ownership of your professional development as a teacher (Part 2)

This week, you will attend your second study group session, this time focusing on Behaviour for Learning.

Please make sure that you prepare in advance by doing the following:

1. Read the ‘Trainee Point of View’ and the ‘Deputy Head’s Advice for Strong Behaviour Management’. You will find these materials saved, along with all the other resources for this session in your course ‘Workbook’. Then explore how you would answer the following question:
Q. In what ways does the Deputy Headteacher’s advice align with, or differ from, the trainee’s realisation about their responsibility as a teacher to provide ‘a positive working environment’ for the pupils?

Further questions connected to this material that will be asked include:
– Why does the Deputy Headteacher emphasise that “positive relationships” are the foundation of “strong behaviour management”? – What was the trainee’s main focus at the start of their lessons, and why might this approach have not been effective in creating a positive learning environment?
– How did the class teacher’s feedback help the trainee to reframe their understanding of behaviour for learning?

2. Read Tom Sherrington’s ‘Getting Lessons Started WalkThrus’. Consider how you would answer the following question:
Q. How do the routines and strategies that you currently use at the start of a lesson/learning activity support or hinder students in settling quickly and engaging with learning? Which strategies from ‘Tom Sherrington’s Getting Lessons Started WalkThrus’ might you adopt or introduce to foster a more positive and effective learning environment?

Further questions connected to this material that will be asked include:
– How does starting a lesson with clear routines change the overall learning environment?
– What challenges might you face if routines are assumed rather than explicitly taught?
– How does your presence and manner at the start of a lesson signal expectations to students?
– How can a short “Do Now” activity support the transition from arriving to the classroom to focused learning?
– From a behaviour perspective, why does it matter that students not only know what they are learning, but also understand the purpose behind it?

3. Read the ‘Thrive Behaviour Management Tips’. Reflect on this question:
Q. When reviewing the ‘Thrive Behaviour Management Tips’, which strategy do you notice that you are not yet applying in your own lessons/learning activities, and how might introducing it influence behaviour for learning?

It is very important that you take time to think carefully about your responses before the session. Your corkboard submissions can contribute towards you meeting the assessment objectives for your L4 Teaching Fundamentals course. Thoughtful preparation will ensure that your contributions are meaningful, relevant, and demonstrate progress in your professional development.

You may choose to take notes in advance of the session and upload them using the upload box below.

We look forward to hearing your contributions.