I am really impressed and proud of my Country when I see the how much adults are respected by the children in the school. I was curious to find out if things had changed from my days of schooling and I am pleased to report that clear initiatives are in place regarding positive reinforcement. They are not exactly the same as my own experience but work on the same principle. It is clear that all staff members work together to promote a harmonious environment where good behaviour is rewarded and bad behaviour is not tolerated.
Each class has a list of rules on the wall, that each class member has signed. The rules are discussed and agreed to.
When a pupil does something positive, for example; a piece of work well or performs well in a group then this behaviour is rewarded with a raffle ticket. The students write their name on the back of the ticket and at Friday morning assembly, a name is drawn at random and a prize awarded.
In Class 4, a behaviour chart is situated above the class rules. On the chart there are several wooden clothes pegs with the pupils names on them. If the pupils misbehave then a yellow card is attached onto the peg and if something really bad happens then they get a red card. A yellow card takes 5 minutes from a break/lunchtime and a red card takes 20 minutes from the break/lunchtime. If the pupils get a card and then improves their behaviour significantly then the card (and punishment) can be taken away.
On the rare occasion that the whole class is rowdy, minutes from the break are taken away from everyone using tally marks on the board.
No pupils are perfect and the staff in the school are regularly using these different initiatives to maintain a respectful and positive environment. Good behaviour is constantly being praised. I particularly like the way the register is taken. Instead of just calling out names, the teachers say "Good morning xxxx" and the reply from the child is "Good morning Mrs James". I think this is pleasant, personal and respectful and sets the tone for what is expected. The teachers give respect to the pupils which is then reciprocated. I have not seen an example of the teachers getting angry with the pupils and they are more likely to say "If you carry on then I am going to get cross". They make it clear what is expected in a respectful way.
The Head teacher is used as a final resort and only for very serious issues. An example of this was when a child took their seat belt of on the school bus going to swimming. It is really important to know that support is in place from other staff members when needed. I have seen examples in Sweden of pupils behaving respectfully towards their teacher and not towards other adults. Politeness and manners costs nothing and is something that can be learnt. If children are surrounded by bad manners then this will be reflected in their own behaviour.
The Head teacher is used as a final resort and only for very serious issues. An example of this was when a child took their seat belt of on the school bus going to swimming. It is really important to know that support is in place from other staff members when needed. I have seen examples in Sweden of pupils behaving respectfully towards their teacher and not towards other adults. Politeness and manners costs nothing and is something that can be learnt. If children are surrounded by bad manners then this will be reflected in their own behaviour.
An enjoyable, interesting and thought provoking read. Your excitement and curiosity is infectious and has made me interested in helping out or working in a school again.
SvaraRaderaIn classrooms in Sweden you also can find rules on the walls. What's the difference according to you? Why do pupils in Sweden show less respect? Has it to do with rewards or punishments? What is your opinion?
SvaraRaderaThe only school I have experience of in Sweden did not have the rules on the wall. When the children fought with each other, nothing happened apart from them having to say sorry to each other and sometimes even this didn't happen. I think that rewards and punishment are an important part of school life and life in general. As members of society, we cannot go around behaving however we choose without retribution. School is the place where we should learn to follow rules. Taking away play time may seem harsh, but it is the child that has taken away its own playtime and will consequently think twice about repeating the behaviour. This school had much more positive reinforcement than punishment which I think is a good thing. We all need incentives to do well and the raffle ticket system worked really well. The children were also rewarded stars for good work and they had a star chart. This meant a lot to the pupils and gave them a reason to complete work to a high standard.
SvaraRaderaI also think it has to do with expectations. The school expects the children to behave and follow moral guidelines. There was an incident when a boy kicked another boy on the playground. He then lost his dinner break. This sends out a message to everyone that it is not OK to kick. When teachers 'let things go' or perhaps don't have the time to deal with bad behaviour properly, then a message is sent out to everyone. I talked about the differences of the two schools in day 5, which also plays a role. The school in Sweden had a much more challenging environment than the school in England.