“When the adults change, everything changes.”

Reflecting back on what was possibly the most interesting and engaging lecture I’ve sat through, the ideas and experiences shared by Paul Dix were in my opinion both mind opening and intriguing. Discussing his previous experiences from Sao Paolo to Rochdale, Paul discussed various methods of behaviour management, discouraging the typical ‘don’t smile ‘til Christmas’ approach. 

“We change ourselves to change others.”

 Being selected from the crowd to demonstrate the effects of a simple smile vs a frown was an incredible personal moment which opened up my thought process more than anything I thought would do. The impact of a sad face and the biological reaction it had through tripping the amygdala in the brain – the emotional reaction controller – was shocking, as Paul pressed my raised arm fighting to stay upright down with just one finger; a similar process which he had previously repeated with a “five foot wide ex-welsh international prop forward PE teacher.” The amygdala hijack is the physical process which occurs during ‘fight or flight’ as described by Daniel Goleman in his book ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (1995.) The idea of a smiley face is the notion of safety and security derived from the cradling of a baby when it is first born and that a simple frown can trip the amygdala just as easily as the possibility of a car accident. As Paul Dix described shouting and being aggressive towards children is totally redundant, ultimately causing a physical reaction in them preventing them from thinking rationally and turns them into an emotional response – great behaviour management is counter intuitive.

 “Being fair is rarely about being equal”

From within the discussion of behaviour management came various ideas and thoughts surrounding behaviour management from the moment you greet your class in a morning, to the moment they leave in the evening and all the sanctions, rewards and reminders throughout the day; and that the best approach to use when dealing with behavioural issues is solving the 5% through focusing on the 95%. ACSD (2012) describe four different functions of behaviour which are common amongst children; escape-motivated, tangible, sensory and attention-motivated (details of which can be found online through the link below.) The lecture generated personal thoughts surrounding the use of a vast number of behavioural enforcers within the classroom, and that writing names on the board for negative behaviour may not be as effective as writing down good behaviour – something Paul described as the notion of “giving fame to children doing the wrong thing.”

“Opening a door is more than just a physical act.”

The lecture brought about many thought provoking ideas and practices that I for one will certainly be putting into use within my own classroom as soon as possible. From shaking hands on the way in, to making a habit of highlighting good behaviour and making a child feel important, there are many lessons to be learnt from Paul and his team at Pivotal Education – a link to which will be provided below – whilst also offering a chance to reflect on Teacher’s Standard Seven: manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment (2011.)

Links mentioned above:

http://www.pivotaleducation.com/

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct12/vol70/num02/Cracking-the-Behavior-Code.aspx

Reference list:

ACSD. (2012). Cracking the Behaviour Code. Available: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct12/vol70/num02/Cracking-the-Behavior-Code.aspx. Last accessed 28th Sep 2015.

Goleman, D. (1995.) Emotional Intelligence: Why It can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.

Gov.uk. (2011). Teachers’ Standards. Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards. Last accessed 28th Sep 2015.