Factors_That_Impact_on_Behaviour

Behaviour is as big an issue as teaching and learning in schools today, and there are many factors that can impact on this. A Teaching Assistant working with children in key stage 2 should be aware of the stages of their social, emotional and physical development, and how this will impact on their behaviour. Socially, children in this age group become more independent thinkers, they learn to make their own decisions and this leads to them wanting to try new things. They usually choose friends of the same sex when they work on projects or play games, and they like to join after-school clubs. They start being responsible for their own actions, and discover the benefits of pleasing others. Emotionally they have a strong need to feel accepted and worthwhile, and sometimes lack self–confidence. They may have difficulty dealing with peers or feel threatened when they compete with peers. They may find school is becoming more difficult and demanding and they tend to compare themselves with their peers, so their successes need to be emphasised and any failures need to be minimised. Physically, the children like hands-on work. They want to make and do things, and like to be physically active (e.g. ball games, swimming). They don’t like physical confinement, such as being involved on doing something for long periods of time or playing in just one area. A Teaching Assistant needs to be aware that there are a number of other factors that can have an effect on pupil behaviour. These can be: Age - Just because a child is 8 years old doesn’t mean they know the x3 table or that they are at least 1.3 metres tall. Children’s developmental rates are all different. Gender – If a child’s family has very strong gender beliefs, such as females do the cooking and cleaning and males fix the car, that child may find it difficult to behave in the same way as it’s peers, as they will tend to reflect the gender belief of their background. Culture – If a child has a different cultural upbringing from it’s peers, perhaps coming from another country in Europe, then the manner in which the child interacts with adults and it’s peers could be far more informal, and this could be interpreted as cheeky. Care-history – Non-supportive or over-supportive primary caregivers can also be a factor impacting on behaviour. A child with a non-supportive caregiver could display attention seeking behaviour, or there could be low self esteem issues. A child with an over-supportive primary caregiver might need to be taught how to become more independent, as they may just sit and wait for someone to do it all for them. Self esteem – As well as low self esteem issues, a Teaching Assistant could encounter a child with high self esteem. It is thought that some bullies suffer from unrealistically high self esteem, having an exaggerated sense of entitlement which leads to frustration and aggressive behaviour. Such a child may also feel ‘better than’ it’s peers, and may overrate it’s own capabilities. Teaching Assistants must be aware that they should never make stereotypical assumptions like those listed below which are relative to gender, cultural background and disability, as this can limit pupil development. • Girls don’t fight and boys don’t sew. • A child who is born and bred in a rural area has limited intelligence. • A child with symptoms of a condition such as dyslexia will never learn to read, and a paraplegic child will never be ‘sporty’. Such assumptions act as self-fulfilling prophesies – if someone is told something negative often enough, they will believe it. • Girls will not join the Armed Forces, as they have learned it is not feminine to fight, and boys will never become top fashion designers, as they have been taught that only girls sew. • The rural child will never aspire to anything more than working on the land. • The child with symptoms of dyslexia will never study for that degree, and the paraplegic will quash every notion of that Olympic medal. Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, devised a model showing how humans are compelled to satisfy needs in some sort of prioritised order. This could guide Teaching Assistants to consider why a pupil may not be motivated for learning at a given time, as pupils who are physically uncomfortable, hungry, insecure or feeling isolated in the classroom are not likely to be motivated to move up to the next step. The next level on the pyramid concerns esteem, and Teaching Assistants must be aware that although it is understood how praise enhances self esteem, and that success and recognition motivate pupils to make further efforts, the opposite is also true - repeated lack of success and frequent negative comments about failure to achieve serve to limit development. If children lack the belief that they can learn, or believe - rightly or wrongly - that they cannot do it, then their development will be limited. At worst, such pupils may come to believe that whatever they do will make no real difference to their success, and the overall effect will be underachievement - as negative beliefs about their capabilities become self-fulfilling. A Teaching Assistant should know the school’s Behaviour Policy, which will detail the strategies used for managing negative behaviour. This will often be an escalation of sanctions, such as: • Asking the pupil to behave and quietly and respectfully reminding them of the classroom/school rules. • Sanctions of some nature maybe enforced, ranging from expressions of disapproval, through to withdrawal of privileges. • The matter may be referred to the class teacher • The class teacher may implement behaviour management charts for a period of time • The class teacher may make a referral to the Headteacher and the matter may be referred to the SENCO • Additional specialist help and advice from the Educational Psychologist or Child Guidance Service may be necessary. This possibility should be discussed with the Headteacher. • The Headteacher may send letters to parents and, ultimately and in the last resort, the pupil may be given an exclusion Teaching Assistants must be aware of their limits, they must know which sanctions they can enforce and when to refer the matter to the class teacher to deal with. In conclusion, Teaching Assistants should be aware that although bad behaviour tends to grab the most attention, the factors affecting the children’s behaviour also need to be considered, as in many cases, that is where the cause for the misbehaviour can be found.