Behaviour management advice for NQTs

Nowadays, the role of a teacher is much more than facilitating children and young people’s learning. Behaviour management has become an integral (though understandably resented) part of being a teacher. While the majority of teachers have a great handle on their pupils’ behaviour, four in ten teachers unfortunately struggle with poor behaviour in their classes, with NQTs thought to struggle the most.

Fortunately, as a NQT, there are a number of different skills and techniques you can learn in order to not only keep on top of classroom behaviour, but eradicate poor behaviours almost entirely for the smooth running of your lessons! For Class People’s NQT advice and tips on behaviour management, read on...

The kinds of poor behaviour you may come across

Before you can start tackling any poor behaviour, it’s helpful to be aware of the different types you may witness. According to educational psychologist Pat Moranda, your tolerance level will play a role in defining poor pupil behaviour, although your school is also likely to have a list of inappropriate behaviours to look out for. Some of the most common ones include:

Inattentiveness, such as use of electronic devices, doodling, sleeping etc.
Passing notes
Throwing or breaking equipment
Interrupting/shouting out
Getting out of seats or leaving the room without permission
Chattering/conversations that are not to do with the lesson
“Grandstanding” or attention-seeking
Arriving late
Swearing or verbal threats, physical threats, and bullying
Challenging teacher authority

Why do these behaviours happen?

As well as being aware of the kinds of behaviours pupils can exhibit, it’s especially important to understand why they happen, in order to tackle them effectively. Some of the main reasons could be:

Boredom/lack of interest in the subject
Peer pressure
Struggling to understand the task
Lack of motivation to learn
Lack of self-discipline
Desire for attention (perhaps due to a lack of it at home)
Underlying personal difficulties or issues the pupil feels unable to communicate

The impact of poor behaviour in the classroom

According to research, pupils who misbehave in class are more likely than well behaved children to achieve less and lower grades as they get older. But sadly, the impact of poor behaviour in the classroom can also go far beyond the pupils causing it - with other pupils in the class potentially becoming distracted or even distressed by their fellow pupil’s disruptive behaviour.

For example, if a pupil shouts out during quiet work time, they may lose their concentration and feel unable to complete a task to the best of their ability. If the behaviour is not handled immediately or responded to ineffectively, other pupils may start to replicate it, or may feel peer pressure to do so. This then also distracts from their learning. What’s more, dealing with disruptive behaviour in lessons on a daily basis has a negative impact on teachers’ confidence and wellbeing, with 70% considering leaving the profession as a result.

How to manage behaviour in the classroom

Pre-lesson preparation

Before your first lesson, find out as much about the pupils in your class as possible. Who are the most disruptive pupils? Are there others who may be susceptible to joining in with any disruptive behaviour? Is it during specific subjects that pupils misbehave, or does it take place throughout the day? What behaviour management strategies have worked and not worked for these pupils in the past?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to apply some of the tactics below in the most effective way. It can also help to plan out a seating chart that will separate any pupils that will be disruptive if close together, and place them within your easy reach to manage any behaviour concerns with them quietly without disrupting the rest of the class (tools like Class Charts can help with this).

The first few lessons

Doubtlessly, you’ll have a lot of curriculum material to work through with your pupils when you begin your teaching assistant role. However, one of the best pieces of NQT advice we can give is to spend your first few lessons on the following:

Breaking the ice and building rapport

Taking the time to get to know your class is important for behaviour management as it shows your genuine interest in getting to know them, which is a great way of earning their respect. It also gives your pupils the chance to learn about each other - and the better they know each other, the more cohesive they will be as a team of classmates, which will in turn contribute to better learning. There are plenty of resources and activities available that you can implement in order to break the ice.

Building a strong rapport also shows that you care about them and have an invested interest - not just as your pupils, but as human beings. Simple things like complimenting their hairstyle that day or asking what the best thing about their weekend was will make your pupils feel valued, and as a result, they will value you in return. Sharing parts of your life with them will also enforce that you are human with hobbies and interests too - and that you don’t just “live in the classroom cupboard”!

Setting down your expectations (and not calling them “rules”)

Make sure that you set down any expectations you have of your pupils right from the start. Ensure that these are simple and easy to follow, and - this is especially important - explain why they are there. If pupils don’t know why certain expectations have been set, they are likely to test them by misbehaving in order to find out for themselves.

A great thing you can also do to earn the initial respect of your pupils is by asking them for their expectations of you too as their teacher. Of course, “no homework” and “golden time all the time” are (unfortunately!) not possible, but by having realistic expectations that you also stick to, your pupils will be more inclined to stick with theirs.

As one of your first class exercises, get your pupils to contribute to a display board about your united expectations you have of each other. Not only will the expectations be further embedded, but they’ll be on the board as a constant reminder to everyone. Ensure you remain consistent to enforce and make a habit of these expectations; and of course, when pupils meet these expectations, be sure to praise them!

Finally, be careful not to call these expectations “rules.” Rules are essentially a list of things we shouldn’t do, which only seeks to encourage the popular phrase “rules are made to be broken.” Expectations, on the other hand, encourage responsibility and communicate desired behaviours as part of a positive framework.

Although these practices may take some time, having your pupils behaving well as a result of creating a positive, collaborative atmosphere means you will save significant time in the long run that you would have otherwise spent de-escalating poor behaviour.

Establish a routine

Having a routine in place will go hand-in-hand with your expectations and offer the consistency your pupils need in order to learn. These can include actions like packing things away, facing the front, saying good morning before sitting down at desks, and so on.

Your lessons going forward

Some of the most popular and effective behaviour management techniques and NQT advice include:

Don’t single out misbehaving pupils during class time.

Generalise your expected behaviours to the whole class, rather than an individual. For example, if you spot that a few pupils are staring out of the window, use a positive group correction approach, such as “I need to see everyone’s faces,” rather than saying specific names. If the pupil’s motivation behind their behaviour is to gain attention, singling them out will only exacerbate the behaviour - so if you are concerned about a particular pupil, talk to them quietly while other pupils are getting on with their work. Non-verbal communications such as circulating the classroom, catching a pupil’s eye, using pre-established hand signals and so on can also be a good way to manage behaviour without attention being drawn to the misbehaving pupil.

Take a restorative practice approach

If you are particularly concerned about a pupils’ behaviour, ask to speak to them at the end of a lesson when other pupils are out of the room. Have a conversation about their poor behaviour and ending things on a positive note. For example, you could ask questions like: What happened in today’s lesson? How do you think this affected your classmates? What have you learnt from today, and what will you do instead next time you feel this way?

For pupils who are usually well-behaved but begin acting out, it could be an indication that something is wrong. Find an opportunity to ask them privately if there is anything they are worried about that you can help them with. This attention will again reinforce their understanding that you care about them, and will subsequently help to improve their behaviour.

Reward positive behaviour

Rewarding positive behaviour is more impactful than reprimanding negative behaviour, so be sure to give praise where it’s due and offer rewards for repeated good behaviour. Star charts, though perhaps considered a bit of a stereotype, are an effective visual representation of this, though beware that they can also cause a drop in self-esteem for children who have less “stars”. In which case, merit cards/house points, stickers with praise words on them and even positive body language such as a thumbs up can be effective.

Anticipate poor behaviour, but never expect it

As we mentioned above, it’s important to be aware of pupils who may be disruptive, but it’s also important to ensure that you do not expect this as an inevitability. If you expect pupils to act up, this will show in your body language and tone of voice. What’s more, as a NQT, your pupils may be even more tempted to try their hand at testing you. If you go into the classroom with the attitude that your pupils will be well-behaved, then it is more likely to play out that way!

Be a positive role model

As a teacher, you are a role model to your pupils, so it’s important that your own behaviour is reflective of how you wish for your pupils to behave. Ensure you remain calm and controlled, that your instructions are clear as opposed to vague, and that you are as positive, enthusiastic, and good-humoured as you possibly can be.

Conclusion

Although we have talked about a number of different techniques above, this list is certainly not exhaustive - and in your own time as a teacher, you will very likely begin to establish your own effective behaviour management techniques! At Class People, it’s our mission to ensure that your first teaching role is as rewarding as possible and that you have plenty of support and options available to you to make this happen. If you’d like any more NQT advice or you would like to explore any of the NQT roles we have available, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.