Behaviour & Learning Management

A Master Class in the new Assertive Discipline^® Method - a two-day intensive course only available from Behaviour & Learning Management 

Background

 Our Assertive Discipline^® Master Class is an in-depth competency-based course that provides you with the professional skills for managing the everyday hassles of the classroom. It  enables you to establish a positive teaching atmosphere and to reduce your own sense of stress.  Underpinning these skills is a well-researched theoretical foundation which this master class will teach.

So on these two days you will understand the theory while acquiring a set of practical skills that you will be able to use immediately within your lessons.  These skills flow from a simple but robust model of classroom management, which we call the Assertive Discipline 3 step method.  This teaching approach is based upon a philosophy of ‘social mediation’ – “what pupils do now is what they have learned to do; when we teach them better they will do better.” 

The success of our Master Class approach to the new Assertive Discipline method lies in its use of trimodal profiling for the teacher i.e. it deals with cognitive, affective and behavioural processing – what we think, what we feel, and what we do – and yet explains all of this in a simple and practical way.  Thus teachers take away from the training a mental map of what is happening in classrooms and their own part in it. It helps them understand and better manage their own disruptive emotions, and it gives them the skills to say what they mean and mean what they say.  

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course you will

• have learned a robust but straightforward mental map for your own thinking and planning about behaviour management
• be able to apply the framework to different classes or situations involving the management of groups of pupils
• have the basis for managing the everyday hassles of the classroom more effectively, and ultimately to reduce the stress upon yourself
• have practised some of the skills of positive assertive communication with troublesome pupils
• have worked on establishing the foundations for managing some of your more severe behaviour problems
• feel more empowered to deal with behaviour issues within your remit
• be able to support your school’s collegiate approach to discipline issues

 Course outline

Module 1

The behaviour context : where this programme fits in to your school’s behaviour planning

• why we need a change of approach with today’s pupils
• “social mediation” – a professional way of thinking about teaching
• diagnosing the behavioural dynamics of the classroom
• applying a flexible approach to different situations – “the 3 Faces of Discipline”
• establishing the conditions for learning – “the 3 R’s of Behaviour”

Module 2

Being the positive assertive teacher : the Assertive Discipline^® approach to taking assertive action in the classroom

• how we typically react to ‘behaviour’ problems
• human nature versus professional skills!
• ‘hot spots’ in lessons?
• teacher response styles - reactive or proactive?

Module 3

Structures and systems : having a robust yet simple Classroom Behaviour Plan

• being proactive means doing some planning
• reviewing current classroom behaviour plans
• what we mean by ‘ground rules’ for the classroom to clarify expectations
• ways to provide ‘supportive feedback’ to reinforce responsible behaviour
• systems for taking ‘corrective actions’ to set limits on misbehaviour

Module 4

The Assertive Discipline^® method for Teaching Responsible ‘Learning Behaviours’

• “telling isn’t teaching” - what we mean by teaching and coaching
• how the ‘A-B-C’ of behaviour works in the classroom
• the 3 step method for improving pupil behaviour
• step 1 - using clear activity directions – establishing routines
• step 2 - applying supportive feedback – building positive relationships
• step 3 - taking corrective action – asserting our proper roles as teachers
• putting it all together - integrating the management of learning with the management of behaviour.

Module 5

Tackling more difficult behaviours - extending the plan to meet the needs of more challenging behaviours

• a mind map for planning intervention

• testing out behaviours

• emotional reactions

• tackling the tough class

• individualising a classroom behaviour plan for a specific student