Redbank School is located behind Westmead Hospital and is part of a combined DET and Dept of Health facility for the treatment of children and adolescents with emotional, behavioural or psychiatric difficulties.

Students attend Redbank School for periods ranging from one week to two terms.

They have a maximum enrolment of 48 students.

Redbank has three units:

• the Child and Family Unit (K- Year 6) • the Adolescent and Family Unit (Years 7-12)• the Acute Adolescent Unit (a locked ward for adolescents with a severe psychiatric illness)

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Professor Lori Newcomer

Research Professor at the University of Missouri

35 years experience in education Provides training across USA, Canada & Australia on

school-wide systems of Positive Behaviour Support

Teaching can be

tough and full of the

unexpected!

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Behaviour Reduction Strategies

• Apply consistency

• Use the power of proximity

• Make direct eye contact

• Use a soft voice

• Be firm and anger-free

• Link the consequences to the

expected behaviours

• Never accept excuses or bargaining

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Avoid the Negative Trap

• Criticism

• Arguing

• Ridicule

• Sarcasm

• Despair and pleading

• Threats

• Physical force

Dr Christine Richmond Experienced teacher of students with severe behaviour challenges

Appointed as a National Travelling Scholar in 2007 by the Australian Council for Educational Leaders

Held of academic positions at UNE and Bond University

Now, in private practice where she works with school communities in Australia and NZ

Author of:

Maximise your energy

Look after yourself:• Exercise• Sleep• Well-balanced diet• Limit alcohol• Get the ‘big picture’

perspective

Reframe difficulties

• See yourself as a coach of learning• See the class as a learning team• Not successful…. YET! It’s about to change.• Develop key phrases with the class• Identify strengths in individual students

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Language shifts

From: To:

noisy

chaotic

horrible

awful

difficult

enthusiastic

energetic

They keep me on my toes.

awesome

Yes, but what isn’t?

Correction Strategies

1. Mostly use body language cues

• Eye contact → I see you• Smile → I like you• Stand side by side → proximity (effective when

student is off task)

• Touch (appropriate) → e.g. hand shake

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2. Frequently use pre-planned verbal scripts

For example, ask a disruptive student:

1.What are you doing?

2.What should you be doing?

3. Do you need help to do it?

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3. Sparingly apply consequences

Time out brief

Detention catch-up work

Sanction temporary loss of privileges

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4. Always follow through

More easily said than done, however, essential to build credibility and to establish the message,

‘I mean what I say’.

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Behaviour Management5 Classic Mistakes

1. Taking student behaviour personally

2. Reacting emotionally rather than responding intelligently

Know your own temperament & develop a strategy to calm yourself e.g. 3 deep breaths.

Live by the rule, ‘if in doubt wait it out’.

Seek support from your colleagues.

3. Playing power games

Inevitably you will find yourself in the middle ofa power struggle with a student from time to time.

How to extricate yourself?

• Recognise when you are playing.

•Stay calm and say (either out loud or to yourself), ‘I’m not playing that game!’.

• Move to somewhere else in the room and redirect the focus.

4. Asking students why they continually misbehave

This will not help! Instead:

• Seek support from colleagues

• Work as a team

• Never give up

5. Blaming parents, television, society, or planet alignment

Some parents, for many reasons, manage their children poorly. However, rather thanlaying ‘blame’, ‘attempt to understand’.

‘By teaching well you will positively create change in more lives than you will ever know.’

Christine Richmond

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