Managing Learning Environments

Assignment 3: Planning for Intervention

Introduction:

Although certain unproductive behaviours can be prevented, there are times when intervention is
required. Thus, educators must apply effective intervention strategies within their classrooms to ensure
challenging behaviours do not escalate. They must also identify what level of intervention is required to
respond to challenging behaviour effectively. This may be low-level intervention for minor behaviours, or
complex intervention for more challenging behaviours. Conflict resolution strategies may also be
implemented for recurring challenging behaviours that require further involvement from the school and
families. Fortunately, there is considerable academic literature available to teachers that offer key insights
into effective intervention methods. This essay aims to express some of these useful strategies that
developing educators can incorporate into their own pedagogies.

Low-level intervention:

Punishment?

Educators have for a long time enforced punishment as an intervention method for unproductive
behaviours. However, much literature suggests that this is an out-dated mode of intervention that creates
more negative results than positive ones. For example, (Nelson & Roberts 2000) imply that punitive
responses are ineffective in bringing about the desired student behaviour or teaching students alternative
methods to respond. Additionally, many studies have found that students perceive the use of immediate
strong actions as unacceptable an ineffective (Hoy Woolfolk & Weinstein 2006). This involves public
reprimands, asking students to leave the class and giving group consequences for misbehaviour that is
sometimes very minor. So, what should teachers really be exercising instead of punitive approaches?

Tactical ignoring

Tactical ignoring is a common teaching practise used to help reduce the amount of distractions within the
classroom environment. (Osiris Educational 2012) explains that teachers need to focus on the primary
issue of the behaviour. For instance, a student may call out in class and need to be reminded by the
teacher to put their hand up. Following the reminder the student may begin to sigh, or roll their eyes. This
accompanying behaviour is what (Osiris Educational 2012) urges teachers to tactically ignore.
Consequently, the students will recognise that the teacher is in control of what is happening and is more
focused on the learning experience (Osiris Educational 2012). This strategy also ensures that the teacher’s
intervention does not become a greater distraction than the actual behaviour being responded to (Nelson
& Roberts 2000).

Non-verbal intervention

The impact of non-verbal intervention in response to challenging behaviour is underrated and should be
practised by educators. Hand gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal cues can limit the time
taken to resolve challenging behaviour and help carry on the learning experience (Hoy & Weinstein 2006).
These strategies are in contrast to verbally calling students out, or handing reprimands for minor incidents
Thomas Charlton Student ID: 110200221
Managing Learning Environments
Assignment 3: Planning for Intervention
that can often become a greater distraction for the whole class. This is an out-dated approach that often
leads to the possible humiliation and degradation of a student in front of their peers (Baak 2018). Thus,
correcting students should remain a quiet and private conversation in order for others to carry on with
their learning. And if the behaviour being corrected is more repetitive, a private conversation outside of
the classroom, during recess and lunch, or after school may be required. Another efficient non-verbal
strategy is simply moving closer to the student that is misbehaving. This is what (Hoy & Weinstein 2006)
refer to as proximal control and can often be enough for the student to discontinue their challenging
behaviour.

Complex/high-level intervention:

Bullying

Bullying is common amidst the majority of school settings and must be handled appropriately by educators
to ensure it does not escalate further. Bullying also comes in many forms and therefore needs to be dealt
with according to the context and situation in which it occurs. Teachers play a key role in the effective
management of bullying through implementing key strategies. One of these strategies involves assisting
the bullying victim to assert the rights to the aggressor (Thompson & Carpenter 2013). This in turn allows
the aggressor to reflect on their actions and how they are making the victim feel both emotionally and
physically. If bullying is becoming a common occurrence in the classroom the teacher may need to initiate
whole class meetings that discuss skills to help students respond to bullying effectively. As a result,
students may work together to reduce bullying occurring within their learning environment. Furthermore,
teachers need to understand what has caused the bullying to occur in the first place. It could be external
factors including boredom, work being too hard or experiencing tough times at home. It may also include
internal factors such as anxiety and worry, frustration, despair and other emotional concerns (Thompson &
Carpenter 2013). In these instances, restorative practises should be applied to help the aggressor work
through their troubles and make better choices in the future.

Violence

Sometimes behaviours can escalate to the point of violence, which can put the safety of students and
teachers at risk. In some situations, physical intervention is required to protect a young person, or adult.
While these are unfortunate circumstances, they needed to be acted upon immediately and reported to
the site coordinator, or other equivalents. However, (Government of South Australia, Department for
Education and Childhood Development 2017) advocate that physical restraint should only be carried out if
all non-physical interventions are exhausted, or are impossible in the given circumstances. This may be
when a person is attacking another child/adult, or posing an immediate danger to themselves or others.
Non-physical intervention will be needed at times to direct other young people away from the situation
(Government of South Australia, Department for Education and Childhood Development 2017). In these
circumstances the educator must be calm at all times and use strong eye contact and an assertive voice to
request action immediately.

Defiance
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Managing Learning Environments
Assignment 3: Planning for Intervention

While defiance is likely to occur from time to time, consistent defiance by one or a number of students will
require careful intervention. Dealing with defiance can be both time consuming for the teacher and act as
a significant distraction for other students. As a result, student opportunities to engage in effective learning
experiences can be lessened, or even lost completely. To counter defiance (Larrivee 2008) suggests
teachers prepare their students for situations that might be difficult. Instructing key procedures for
handling new, or demanding situations like group work, test taking and relief teachers is a good starting
point. Educators must also ensure their requests have been clearly, calmly and firmly received by students.
(Larrivee 2008) implies that non-verbal cues and common courtesy associated with teacher requests are
significant factors in determining how students will respond to difficult situations. Finally, teachers need to
act quickly and purposefully to deescalate confronting behaviour through awareness of early warning signs
(Larrivee 2008). This includes a student suddenly stopping work, refusing to talk, looking angry, or
appearing disengaged from the rest of the class. Educators can respond to these signs by initiating active
listening techniques to identify certain feelings the student may have. Providing the student with options is
another useful strategy that can help calm the situation before it gets out of hand.

Conflict resolution strategies:

Restorative practise

If conflict occurs during classroom activities teachers occasionally apply strategies that have negative
consequences for the students. In order to initiate effective classroom management teachers need to
practice positive strategies and determine what works best for their specific classroom. Restorative
practise is a key strategy that responds to challenging behaviour through problem-solving approaches
(Thompson & Carpenter 2013). It rejects punitive methods and instead, helps students to accept more
responsibility for their behaviour through the implementation of structured learning experiences. A good
starting point is teaching students conflict resolution strategies for them to enact on their own. Some
strategies include negotiating, compromising, sharing, taking turns, postponing and apologising. Role-play
exercises are a great way for students to practise their conflict resolution skills and strategies. Putting
students in a position to apply conflict resolution strategies in a safe environment will put them in a better
position to respond appropriately if they encounter conflict in the real world.

Parent/teacher intervention

Parents are often overlooked when resolving school-based behavioural difficulties and can actually be very
useful. This is because some teachers tend to believe that cooperating with parents is just another task to
add to their many others when it is actually more a state of mind (Porter 2007). Collaborating with parents
is to allow them to act in their children’s needs, enable educators to meet their needs at school and
empower students to contribute to problem-solving (Porter 2007). This solution-focused approach
acknowledges that parents have important skills and knowledge contributing to their children’s education
and in resolving their school-based behavioural difficulties. However, there are many barriers that can
restrict positive collaboration between schools and parents. For instance, often parents regard their child’s
behaviour at school as the school’s responsibility, or believe that their child may be a little hard done by
Thomas Charlton Student ID: 110200221
Managing Learning Environments
Assignment 3: Planning for Intervention
due to difficult work demands, or unfair disciplinary teaching practises (Porter 2007). Additionally, many
parents will be constrained by other family commitments and external pressures they must navigate.
Teachers need to have awareness of these barriers and be flexible in the way they communicate with
parents. This starts with educators putting in the effort to build meaningful relationships with parents
through the establishment of an inviting school environment. This area is covered in more detail in the
following section of this essay.

Environment

A safe and supportive classroom environment will put teachers in a better position to respond to
challenging behaviours if and when they occur. An efficient classroom system can lessen the time taken to
act on challenging behaviours. Making simple hand gestures towards the rules and expectations board may
be the quick cue a student needs if they are calling out, or talking to others when someone else is
speaking. This is a more likened strategy as opposed to continually asking students to stop talking, which
can be exhausting for the teacher. It is also important for students to make their own decisions about the
classroom environment. This may be working with the teacher to create a cool off area where students can
go to if they feel stressed and practice self-regulation. This in return helps them to become effective self-
managers and responsible citizens (Larrivee 2008).

Conclusion:

In all, there are numerous intervention strategies available to educators that can be incorporated into their
pedagogies. This includes low-level intervention for minor incidents and complex intervention for more
unproductive behaviours such as bullying, violence and defiance. Furthermore, conflict resolution
strategies offer teachers and schools with alternative methods for responding to repetitive challenging
behaviours. Which strategies are actually applied is dependent on the dynamics of the classroom and
attitudes of the students. While this essay has discussed a few key intervention strategies for teachers to
consider, there are many more that can be looked at in further detail. Consequently, educators will
develop their craft and feel more confident about managing challenging behaviour within their learning
environments.

Reference list:

Baak, M 2018, Managing Learning Environments EDUC 3007, lecture recording 6 August 2018, University of
South Australia, viewed 6 August 2018, <https://unisa.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?
id=18f52f14-eaf7-4e21-a214-a90a00cba69e>.

Government of South Australia, Department for Education and Childhood Development 2017, Protective
practices for staff in their interactions with children and young people, National Library of Australia, South
Australia.

Thomas Charlton Student ID: 110200221

Managing Learning Environments
Assignment 3: Planning for Intervention
Larrivee, B 2008, 'Conflict and stress management strategies', Authentic classroom management: creating
a learning community and building reflective practice, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, pp. 320-371.
(Reading 13)

Nelson, JR & Roberts, ML 2000, ‘Ongoing reciprocal teacher-student interactions involving disruptive
behaviors in general education classrooms’, Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, vol. 8, no. 2,
pp. 27–37.

Osiris Educational 2012, Dr Bill Rogers – Tactical ignoring: Addressing the issue, video, YouTube, 21
September, viewed 1 November 2018,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkBU0NALqkc>.

Porter, L 2007, 'Collaborating with parents and other experts to resolve school-based behavioural
difficulties', Student behaviour: theory and practice for teachers, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, pp. 289-308.

Thompson, R & Carpenter, L 2013, 'Supporting classroom management for challenging behaviour',
Diversity, inclusion and engagement, Oxford University Press, Sydney, pp. 147-172.

Vernon, F & Louise, S 2010, ‘Responding to violations of rules and procedures’, Comprehensive Classroom
management: creating communities of support and solving problems, Pearson/Merrill Publishers, Upper
Saddle River, NJ, pp. 297-328.

Woolfolk Hoy, A & Weinstein, CS 2006, ‘Student and Teacher Perspectives on Classroom Management’, in
CM Evertson & CS Weinstein (eds), Handbook of Classroom Management: Research, Practice, and
Contemporary Issues, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp. 181-219.

Thomas Charlton Student ID: 110200221