Induction tutor materials
Training session - least intrusive interventions and building relationships
Duration: 60 minutes
Session objectives
Demonstrate consistently high behavioural expectations by:
- 1e. Creating a culture of respect and trust in the classroom that supports all pupils to succeed (for example, by modelling the types of courteous behaviour expected of pupils).
- 1f. Teaching and rigorously maintaining clear behavioural expectations (for example, for contributions, volume level and concentration).
Develop a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils, by:
- 7a. Establishing a supportive and inclusive environment with a predictable system of reward and sanction in the classroom.
- 7f. Using early and least-intrusive interventions as an initial response to low level disruption.
Build trusting relationships, by:
- 7l. Responding consistently to pupil behaviour.
How to prepare for the session
Read the ECT’s self-study materials for this topic
Session structure:
Correcting behaviour with least-intrusive interventions (5 minutes)
Welcome ECTs and explain that they’re going to focus on the following ECF statements:
Demonstrate consistently high behavioural expectations, by:
- 1e. Creating a culture of respect and trust in the classroom that supports all pupils to succeed (for example, by modelling the types of courteous behaviour expected of pupils).
- 1f. Teaching and rigorously maintaining clear behavioural expectations (for example, for contributions, volume level and concentration).
Develop a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils, by:
- 7a. Establishing a supportive and inclusive environment with a predictable system of reward and sanction in the classroom.
- 7f. Using early and least-intrusive interventions as an initial response to low level disruption.
Build trusting relationships, by:
- 7l. Responding consistently to pupil behaviour.
Think-pair-share activity
Give ECTs the following scenario:
You have given pupils the task of completing a question in their exercise books. The majority of the class are on task, and you’re walking around checking their work and giving feedback. 2 pupils are not on task, instead they’re having a whispered conversation.
Ask: "what steps would you take to deal with this behaviour?"
Answers might include a non-verbal reminder, a positive group reminder or an anonymous individual reminder.
Ask: "when should you escalate your behaviour intervention?"
Answers might include when:
- you have tried least-invasive techniques and the behaviour has not been corrected
- physical or emotional safety is being threatened
- school policy is being broken
- low-level disruption has escalated into a serious behaviour issue
Explain that today’s session will look at escalating through the least-invasive techniques to correct behaviour. You’ll also explore the link between using these techniques and building positive relationships with pupils.
Emphasise that ECTs should look to correct behaviour privately and quietly where possible, even when addressing individual pupils.
Private individual reminders (20 minutes)
Explain that today’s session will look at how to escalate when other strategies have been unsuccessful. The first strategy is a private individual reminder.
Explain or model what this is, for example you might set the class off on a task and discreetly approach a pupil who has not been complying to give a private reminder of the expectation.
Ask ECTs to work in pairs or groups and consider why this is a bad example of using private individual reminder:
“I need to see you putting in more effort and working harder. I do not want to see you looking around the room when I’m talking. It’s rude.”
Answers may include:
- “I need to see you putting in more effort and working harder” - this is too vague, the pupil may not know what this looks like
- “I do not want to see you looking around the room when I’m talking” - this focuses on what the pupil should not be doing rather than what you want to see
- “It’s rude” - focusing on the negatives rather than the positive
Explain that it’s important to be mindful when using private individual reminders as we want to get pupils back on track quickly and keep the interaction positive.
ECTS should:
- emphasise the purpose
- give a clear instruction
- make sure the pupil knows what they should be doing
Ask ECTs to work in pairs or groups and consider this example:
(The teacher leans down to the pupil’s eye level.) “Ralph, when I was giving instructions I did not see your eyes on me. It’s important that when I’m telling the class what to do, you’re on task. When I asked you a question, you did not know the answer. That tells me you need to work harder if you’re going to be able to get the right answer. Eyes on me when I’m giving instructions. Thank you.”
Ask:
- what does the teacher say that makes the private individual reminder effective?
- is there anything the teacher does that makes the private individual reminder effective?
- how does the teacher model the courteous behaviour expected of pupils?
- how would this make the pupil feel?
Go through answers as a group, they may include:
- (The teacher leans down to the pupil’s eye level.) - gets to eye-level to ensure focus
- “Ralph” - addresses pupil by name
- “when I was giving instructions, I did not see your eyes on me. It’s important that when I’m telling the class what to do, you’re on task. When I asked you a question, you did not know the answer” - the reason the teacher is addressing this pupil is because they did not know the answer, the teacher is demonstrating that they want the pupil to succeed academically rather than comply without meaning
- “That tells me you need to work harder if you’re going to be able to get the right answer. Eyes on me when I’m giving instructions. Thank you” - explains what they want to see
Ask ECTs to consider another example.
"Can you remind me what our focus is today? Good, and as I said earlier it’s a challenging objective that everyone needs to work hard to achieve. As we move on to the next activity, I want to see your eyes on me and putting your hand up to contribute to the discussion. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the reasons behind the Cold War."
Ask:
- what does the teacher say that makes the private individual reminder effective?
- is there anything the teacher does that makes the private individual reminder effective?
- how would this make the pupil feel?
Share these tips on using individual reminders:
- engage the pupil in conversation if necessary
- focus on purpose
- remind pupils of the routine, rule or expectation
- reinforce the rationale – your rules, routines and expectations are about maximising learning
- tell the pupil what you want to see moving forward
- be specific
- try to find an opportunity to reinforce the right behaviour from this pupil further on in the lesson
Putting it into practice (15 minutes)
Ask ECTs to imagine that they've:
- set their class a task
- instructed pupils to "pick up your pens and make a start"
They’ve used a non-verbal signal, issued a positive group reminder, and issued an anonymous individual reminder. These have not been successful, and one pupil has still not made a start.
Ask ECTs to script the private individual reminder using the checklist below:
- engage the pupil in conversation if necessary
- focus on purpose
- remind pupils of the routine, rule or expectation
- reinforce the rationale – your rules, routines and expectations are about maximising learning
- tell the pupil what you want to see moving forward
- be specific
- try to find an opportunity to reinforce the right behaviour from this pupil further on in the lesson
Review and feedback.
Lightning quick public reminder (15 minutes)
Explain that occasionally it’s necessary to correct behaviour publicly. When this is necessary, we can use a lightning quick public reminder.
Explain or model what this is. For example, give a quick correction directly to the pupil telling them what they need to do. Then normalise the behaviour to what the rest of the class are doing.
This can be used to:
- quickly correct behaviour
- tell a pupil what they should be doing
Ask ECTs to consider the following scenario:
A pupil is pulling faces out of the window.
Now ask them to consider this response:
The teacher lowers their voice, “Rae, eyes on me when I am talking. Thank you.”
This response:
- is quick
- is purposeful
- draws attention to what the pupil should be doing rather than their poor behaviour
- uses a lowered voice
Ask ECTs to script their own lightning quick public reminder to respond to the same scenario.
Ask the following questions to check the ECTs’ understanding. There may be more than one correct answer.
When should you use private individual reminders?
A) If a pupil talks out of turn.
B) When you want to get a pupil back on track quickly without drawing attention to the poor behaviour.
C) When you want to give a consequence to show the pupil their behaviour is inappropriate.
D) When you want to motivate a pupil to work harder.
E) When you have used an anonymous individual correction but the pupil has not corrected their behaviour.
The answers are: B and E
What are 3 key things to remember when using private individual reminders?
A) Reinforce expectations, tell pupil what they were doing wrong, give consequence.
B) Speak quietly, tell the pupil what to do, give all the reasons they should not be doing what they were doing.
C) Focus on purpose, reinforce rationale, tell the pupil what they need to do.
The answer is: C
When should you use a lightning quick public reminder?
A) When you need to correct behaviour publicly.
B) When you want to correct behaviour quickly.
C) When the pupil needs to be told off.
D) When you want to draw attention to the behaviour so other pupils do not copy it.
The answer is: B
What are 3 key things to remember when using lightning quick public reminders?
A) Be quick, draw attention to what the pupil should be doing, if possible drop your voice.
B) Speak quickly, tell the pupil what to do, move on.
C) If possible drop your voice, tell the pupil what they did wrong, tell the pupil what they should be doing.
The answer is: A
Planning for action (5 minutes)
Ask ECTs to plan 1 or 2 steps for action following this session. What will they do differently in their practice?