How the Current Behaviour Management Policies Safeguard Children - Essay Example

Task: How the current behaviour management policies safeguard children Dealing with children in a room can sometimes bea challenge for a staff member, a carer or teacher. This is because each child has their own independent mind and thinking that they rely on so as to respond to different aspects in their environment. With that scenario, behaviour management in each and every school is very essential to be implemented and followed up upon so as to ensure that children’s behaviour is constantly monitored. Evertson and Weinstein (2006) suggested that behaviour management in the classroom setting is a challenging issue for teachers. Therefore, the most dependable solution would be to ensure that there is effective classroom management on the part of the teacher. To get this process started a teacher should take their time to know more about the children that are in his/ her classroom. Once the teacher gets well acquainted with this information, they can be on the upper hand with better techniques and strategies on how to relate and communicate with the child in the classroom. Further on that, this information will help the teacher determine how the children will be positioned in the classroom setting based on their behaviours. According to Marzano (2003), the actions that a teacher pursues in the classroom can have a huge impact on the child and / or children with regard to their individual achievements in school. Based on the information provided, it can be revealed that when a teacher takes their time to know more about a child who is in their classroom - This trend will in turn aid in proper behaviour management in the classroom setting and dynamics. Therefore, this paper seeks to showcase that the mandated school behaviour management policies aid in safeguarding children in all perspectives while they are in school. This is because the policies outline the roles, duties and responsibilities of each child as well as their teachers. According to CUHP (2011), behaviour management policy relates to the action of ensuring that children in all nature of schools have their behaviour monitored through approved strategies and techniques so as to ensure that they behave accordingly. That is; in a positive manner with their peers and/ or parents. Behaviour management policies are developed by individuals such as the staff, parents and governors. These policies bid on building and encouraging positive behaviour, fostering safety in the school setting, establishing friendships and relationships between children. Additionally, the policies incorporate the teachers who are in constant contact with the children. According to a report by the House of Commons Education Committee (2011), behaviour and discipline polices need to be outlined, put into place and practiced in every school. The most important aspect is that they should be followed up by the parents, teachers and children so as to continuously promote good behaviour in schools. In the current school setting, the behaviour management policies focus on: Anti-bullying; Anti racism; Cyber bullying; Ensuring safety; Suspensions; Exclusions; Choice of language used. According to CUHP (2011), behaviour management policies yield a lot of positive benefits when they are practiced in the school setting. These benefits include: Development of a sense of judgement in emotion: Emotions need to be nurtured. This is due to the reason that different individuals have different kinds of emotions which could either be positive or negative. Positive emotions may range from being caring, respectful, patience, loving and confidence. Whereas, negative emotions may range from being jealous, resentful, fearful and self pity just to mention a few (Valencia n.d). Therefore, behaviour management policies help the child to have a clear sense of judgment with how they should react to different situations in the environment that they are in. Rise of sustainable friendships are relationships: As they say, “No man is an island”, behaviour management policies are a stable channel that ought to establish and nurture a sense of compatibility (co-cooperativeness) among children with their peers as well as with their parents and/ or guardians. Therefore, these policies establish a solemn and sustainable friendship and relationship among the children. Leads to the development of interaction and social skills: When behaviour is properly monitored, it leads to the child developing better interaction and social skills. This also encapsulates how they will relate to one another as well as how to solve simple social problems without reverting to chaos and other unnecessary behaviours. Independency: This relates to the child being an independent being in terms of their choices. When a child has being outlined to their roles and responsibilities while they are at home or in school, they are more likely to act according to the roles that have been outlined to them. The benefit of this is that it will help the child to develop and nurture independency while they are with other children at school. This will in turn lead to the child making stable choices as well as exhibit positive behaviour. Propagate for good behaviour: Behaviour management policies propagate for positive behaviour in the school at all times. The benefit of this is to prevent the child from being constantly punished for bad behaviour and in actual sense; they do not know the difference between good and bad. Knowledge of inappropriate behaviour: These policies also advocate for the clarification of the different types of behaviours. That is, the child is informed on what bad behaviour is; what good behaviour is and additionally, they are informed on what serious misbehaviours entail. Application of the positive policies gained: It is without doubt that when a child is taught on what good actions are, they will always practice the good actions that they have been taught. The behaviour management policies help the child to understand and apply the positive actions that they have learned. These include: being kind, being positive and caring to other children, their teachers and their parents. Behaviour management policies play a huge role in safeguarding children. Safeguarding ensures that children in the schooling environment follow the mandated positive rules and regulation. Some of these positive school rules (code of conduct) that children need to follow include: walking inside the corridors, preventing bad play, wearing the correct school uniform, lining up in accordance to the register order, going to class in an orderly manner, being helpful and resourceful, being kind to other children by preventing them from feeling like they are the minority group. It is important for children to have consistency and boundaries to support their safety well-being and overall development. Bruce (2006) believes that children who grow up in an environment that has boundaries and consistency will encourage them to develop a positive view of themselves and are more likely to grow into independent and capable adults, which will better equip them for life. Furthermore, to protect and safeguard the children all new staff including parent helpers, trainee teachers are given an induction of the school and a brief training on the existing behaviour and safeguarding policies. The benefit of this is to ensure that they are fully aware of what is expected of them. The (DFeS 2006) states current legislation underpins good practice. Good practice includes for all staff including volunteers involved in working with children in a setting to attend training in safeguarding; to be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection and welfare. Additionally, the policies and procedures are written down in a format that it easy to understand by all team members. The following are the evaluations on how the existing behaviour management policies meet the safety needs of safeguarding children. Walking inside the corridors - Children are expected to walk inside the corridors at all times. This is to prevent them from accidentally bumping into each other while they are walking. Secondly, as they walk inside the corridors, they are expected to observe silence. This is because other children could be in class and noise from outside could act as a distraction and / or interference to their studies. Lastly, as the children walk inside the corridors, if there are any stairs, they are expected to move slowly and carefully on the stairs so as to avoid any form of injuries. Preventing rough play - The existing behaviour management policies ensure safeguarding through the prevention of rough play – That is while the children are in the class, in the corridors or at the playground. In the event that the teacher finds the children playing in an appropriate manner they are informed on the dangers of their play. Additionally, they could be given a time out. Avoiding sharp objects - Children are prone to play with sharp objects once in a while. With that, the existing behaviour management policies ensure that all children do not carry or play with sharp objects that may turn out to be dangerous to their health. If a child is found with any sharp materials, the teacher in charge will pick the materials from the child and involve the parent in that matter. Wearing the correct school uniform - To ensure the safety of all children in the school environment; uniformity is a value that has to be instilled on strongly. This is done through ensuring that all the children wear the same uniform and any accessories that are not in accordance with the school rules and regulations are not allowed. For example: sharp hair pins should be avoided at all times. Lining up in accordance to the register order - When the children line up in accordance with the class register, this encourages orderliness and positive behaviour in the classroom. Going to class in an orderly manner - Class orderliness is very essential while dealing with children. With that, the existing policies advocate for orderliness by the teacher ensuring that the children follow the class register while entering class. Being helpful and resourceful – The existing behaviour management policies teach the children on the essentials of being respectful and helpful to their teachers and parents. Through that, the child will always know that helping their elders is a positive behaviour to practice willingly. Being kind to other children by preventing them from feeling like they are the minority group – This is an attribute that the teacher has to infuse to the child. The teacher can do this by informing the child on what good and bad behaviour is. Through that, the child learns firsthand the expected behaviour that they should practice and portray and what they should avoid. Fire safety drills – Fires can start from anywhere and at any time. As a result, the existing behaviour management policies also incorporate a fire safety clause. To ensure that the children are safe from fires, they are indulged in a fire safety drill every month. The fire safety drill entails teaching the children on how to properly line up and walk to a safe place in the event that a fire occurs. This way, there is guarantee that the children will be safe and any injuries can be avoided. Inappropriate behaviour in schools is something that can happen at any time without being expected. In the event that the child exhibits any inappropriate behaviour such as bullying, racism and negative language; the teacher takes the initiative to correct them immediately. This is one of the roles that a teacher has to actively play while they are in school in a bid to safeguard other children from that scenario. According to a report from Ofsted Publication (2011), leaders with the right skills always “establish an ethos and culture” that encourages “mutual respect and acceptance” among known differences. Therefore, they instil on safeguarding the rights of each and every individual. In this case, the teacher should also take the initiative of informing the child’s parents of the situation that took place. The first benefit of contacting the parents is that they can openly talk to the child and explain to them what their actions implicate. Secondly, the teacher can discuss the situation in detail with the parents and try to extract the possible problem that could have cause the child to behave the way they did. DfeS (2004) showcased that; parents can highly influence the learning process of a child as well as their achievements and behaviours. Thirdly, the parent and the teacher can come up with relevant change procedures that could be advocated for while the child is at home. Higher are the chances that a child can develop negative behaviour from there. In the event that the child exhibits behaviour that is totally unacceptable towards other children, suspensions and exclusions come into action. In this instance the teacher could play the role of informing the parent of the situation. If it is beyond their reach, the teacher could advocate for professional child help - At times the child’s case may be too deep to handle. There are a number of successful strategies that can be implemented so as to foster positive behaviour in classrooms. These include: Extolment of positive doings: Children need to be praised for doing any positive acts. This gives them a channel to learn and differentiate between what is good and what is not. Additionally, when a child showcases wrong behaviour, they should be reminded that their actions were not good. Talking to a child can do wonders other than shouting at them. Skinner (1985) supported this aspect by stating that positive support (reinforcement) should always be implemented when the child does a task well. Moore (2000) adds that children should only be given meaningful rewards for showcasing positive behaviour. This will in turn create a mentality in the child that for them to get meaningful rewards they have to do major good deeds Reasoning with the child: Before a child and/ or children are condemned for negative behaviour they should be reasoned with appropriately. According to Small Wonders Child Care (n.d), reasoning helps to relate to the child and/ or children as to why they should do or not do something. Communication: Children prefer to be talked to in tones that are not projecting emotions such as anger and violence; neither should they be shouted at. CUHP (2011) have a policy where play workers and parents are not allowed to shout at their children while they are in the CUHP environment. Small Wonders Child Care (n.d) on the other hand prohibits shouting by their staff and parents. Therefore, if children are communicated to in these harsh tones, they may end up cultivating emotions such as fear, grief, self pity and rejection. At times, this may not be noticed until when it is too late and the child has already adopted negative behaviour towards their peers and/ or their parents. Kyriacou (1997) emphasized on the positive value of efficient and effective communication between the staff and the children. He added that there are two aspects that need to be implemented while enforcing on good relationships between the staff and children. These aspects include: The children should be adequately informed about the roles and the authority that the staff or teacher has over them. Both parties should enforce mutual respect for one another. Phrasing: Small Wonders Child Care (n.d) suggests that phrasing helps in communicating polite words to the child. A good example is in avoiding words such as “don’t”. Instead the teacher could explain to the child why they should avoid engaging in negative acts. Setting up environments that will foster positive behaviour: According to The Highland Council (2006), behaviour management policies not only incorporate responding to negative behaviour that a child projects, but they also include creating specific instances that will promote positive doings by the child. Small Wonders Child Care (n.d), state that some school layouts can encourage positive behaviour. These include: Ensuring that the child has their own space as they undertake any activity - Setting up playscheme boundaries helps propagate a child’s space (CUHP 2011). Ensuring that there are enough play equipment and materials for each child. This will avoid negative behaviour such as quarrels. Ensuring that the activities children engage in promote positive interaction as well as co-operation rather than too much competition. Setting up activities that elevate determination and concentration in the tasks being undertaken by the child. Rules and regulations: Children need rules that encourage growth rather than those that de-motivate or discourage them from doing anything. A simple and effective rule that has through the years worked wonders is instilling into children that hitting their fellow friends can hurt and make them cry (Small Wonders Child Care n.d). Moore (2000) suggested that rules, regulations and targets help to achieve positive behaviour in children. The child will have to act according to the mandated rules that have been set in the school environment. Else if they do not, there are some consequences which may follow. These include mild forms of punishment such as time-offs. At times letting the child know about their roles and responsibilities may make work very easy. This is because they will already be having an outline of what they are supposed to do and what they should not. With that, they will less likely to engage in aspects that may contribute to negative behaviour. With that vividly stated, research has therefore proved that this is an effective strategy that ought to boost good and positive behaviour in children of all ages. Teacher Education (2007) showcases the three behaviour management theories that could assist teachers promote safeguarding through teaching and learning. These include: Student centred approach (Self discipline approach): With regard to the student centred approach, Glasser (1965, 1977 and 1986) propagated the reality therapy approach. This approach states that a child is responsible for their own actions. Additionally, the child should know that every action done has its own consequences. However, the teacher can positively influence the child to make good decisions in the event that those they are making could lead to harm. When put into practice, the teacher could implement prompt speaking where they ask the child a question and the child is given an opportunity to respond by speaking their own mind. During this instance, the teacher practices the art of active listening. This scenario could lead to further discussions with the child and the teacher could get the opportunity to know more about them. The benefit of this approach is that the child is put on the front seat as compared to being told what to do. The modern approach: The modern approach encompasses on the fact that both the teacher and the child have the same stand and rights. Gordon and Burch (1977) showcased the effectiveness of the concept of Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET). TET enabled the teacher to learn the necessary skills, techniques and principles for handling children. According to them, TET was an element that could encourage better relationships between the teachers and the children. It could also lead to the encouragement of openness and confidence among children with their teachers. When put into practice in a school setting, children can discuss any subject with the teacher openly without the fear that they will be condemned. Through that, any problems being encountered will be solved immediately. Additionally, if a teacher was not conversant with the child’s behaviour, they would approach the child and tell them to avoid such kind of behaviours and vice versa. According to Coloroso (2002), this trend fosters respect between the children as well as their teachers. The benefit of this approach is that it establishes the elements of confidence and freedom in the child. The assertive discipline approach: In this approach the teacher is in control of the classroom environment (Roberts 2012). According to Canter and Canter (2001), the assertive discipline approach sets out the rules that the child should follow; the benefits of following the mandated rules and the corrective actions that the teacher will implement if the rules and regulations are not adhered to. When put into practice, the teacher has a role of constantly advocating for good behaviour among the children. If the child does not exhibit good behaviour they are prone to be corrected with the stated corrective actions. Despite all these policies which advocate for positive behaviour management in children, it is worthy to put into consideration that there are times when children behave inappropriately. It is important to note that there are different kinds of inappropriate behaviours in children. These include: Disengaged behaviour: It is encountered when the child’s mind is out of the activity that they are engaging in. It could also be encountered when the child is feeling out of place or enervated and unhappy. Disruptive behaviour: It is encountered when the child is feeling troubled. With that, they end up being riotous to other children and even the teachers. The last and most critical form of inappropriate behaviour is the unacceptable behaviour. Examples of such behaviour include: Violence by the child; Racism; Abuse of other children with disabilities. McNary, Glasgow and Hicks (2005) suggested that children with disabilities always have more challenges adapting to the inclusive environment that they are in. To counter such behaviours, the school where the author works have implemented a table of sanctions which has been displayed in each classroom- known as YOYOB (You Own Your Own Behaviour). The table of sanctions clearly defines what unacceptable behaviour is as well as the measures that will be taken so as to manage such behaviours. It also defines in what manner the parents and staff will be involved in managing such behaviours. It can be concluded that a teacher dealing with children should have the necessary and appropriate skills and techniques to handle them appropriately. According to McNary, Glasgow and Hicks (2005), successful teachers ensure that their mode of teaching is open, dynamic and interactive. Additionally, behaviour management in the school setting in very critical and teachers should ensure that the children behave appropriately at all times. It is without doubt that the existing behaviour management policies also advocate for the safeguarding of the children while they are at school. References Bruce, T. (2006) Early Childhood: A Guide for Students. London: Sage Cambridge Universities' Holiday Playscheme (CUHP) (14 December 2011) Behaviour Management Policy. [Online] Available from: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/childcare/playscheme/policy/behaviour.html [Accessed: 1 November 2013] Canter, Lee and Canter, Marlene (2001) Assertive discipline: Positive behaviour management for today's classroom. Santa Monica, CA: Canter & Associates Coloroso, Barbara (2002) Kids are worth it! Giving your child the gift of inner discipline. New York: HarperCollins Department for Education and Skills (DfeS) (2004) Excellence and enjoyment - A strategy for primary schools. 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