Positive feedback and Behaviour ManagementOriel High School July 2012

Spare the rod, spoil the child

Historically teaching has been authoritarian Dickens – Yorkshire school’s cruelty appalled him 1979 Rutter et all observe 12 secondary schools: schools rely too much on

negative and critical approaches to behaviour. Punishments twice as frequent as rewards

Mortimer et al 1988. 50 primary schools observed. Negative feedback exceeded rewards.

Both conclude that punishment does not correlate to improvements in learning or behaviour

1987 corporal punishment banned in schools. Teaching needs to find other ways of managing behaviour

Research background

Uk teachers tend to give higher levels of praise for younger students There is a useful distinction between praise/criticism and feedback. The

latter is more effective and never harmful Teachers differentiate between academic and social behaviours overall, a strong relationship between teacher approval and on-task

behaviour Strong negative relationship between disapproval and on-task behaviour “teachers were very quick to notice social behaviour of which they

disapprove and continually nag children about it…. But they hardly ever approve of desirable social behaviour” Merret and Wheldall 1989

Relationship between negative feedback and on-task behaviour in secondary school classes Harrop and Swinson 2000

Rates of teacher feedback

Type of feedback percentagePositive academic 50.81Positive social 2.91Negative academic 12.16Negative social 36.23

Categories of off-task behaviour

Inappropriate in-seat behaviour: in-seat fidgeting, turning around, leaning back, sitting out of position, rocking, playing with items

Out of seat behaviour: walking around the class-room, leaving class, changing place, climbing on/under/around furniture

Shouting out: e.g. to attract attention of another pupil, shouting out answer inappropriately Inappropriate talking: e.g. social conversations Disturbing other pupils: e.g. interfering damaging possession/work/person; taking, borrowing or

throwing property; making demeaning/disapproving comments about others; singing/chanting ort non-verbal noises

Arguing with/challenging teacher: backchat; refusal to follow instructions; disregarding teacher instructions; prevarication and petulant behaviour

Distracting teacher: engaging teacher in inappropriately, non-task related conversation; personal comments to teacher

Inattentive to task: daydreaming, attending to other pupil’s behaviour

Four essential steps

Instructions are direct, clear and in manageable chunks (i.e. not reams of information as children with language and working memory difficulties lose track and disengage).

Follow any instruction by noticing pupils who are doing as they have been asked and acknowledge them: “Tracy, you are sitting as I asked, thank you”

Frequently acknowledge pupils when they are on-task and doing as required. This so important for disruptive students – they need to have a higher ratio of feedback for on-task behaviour than for off-task. Ideally a ratio of 5 positive feedback comments to 1 negative.

Have clear consistent strategies for managing inappropriate behaviours – using existing behaviour management policies.

Does it work? % on-task rates for whole class and least well behaved before and after 4 steps training: Swinson and Harrop 2102

Before training After trainingWhole class Bottom 5% Whole class Bottom 5%

Infant 79 53 94 73junior 78 61 96 80Secondary 76 66 93 79