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Case study – Improving student learning behaviour Choose and briefly describe a behaviour demonstrated by an individual or group which hinders / interferes with the learning of others. I consider myself fortunate amongst other lecturers as the learners I teach are generally in the second or third year of their apprenticeship and tend to be well behaved and focused on the qualification, that is not to say that I do not have students with behaviour problems but they tend to be more easily managed as the students have matured since joining the college. One disruptive behaviour present in a recent third year group was one of the female students making loud, negative, comments in class and displaying tardiness with regard to timekeeping, arriving late in the morning and returning late from breaks. This was effecting the class in many ways, primarily the timekeeping problem upset the flow of the sessions with the need for repetition and the need to ‘settle’ the class down again. This behaviour could also be identified as ‘attention seeking’ – wanting to be noticed and the centre of attention. Discuss the reasons behind the behaviour. Female students wishing to learn a construction trade are rare, it is still a very much male dominated world. I had taught the student in question on the level 2 qualification the previous year and found her to be hard working and dedicated to the course, I was aware then that she found the science aspects of the course difficult especially the calculations. Extra tuition in applied mathematics was organised for this student and some others in the group to bring them up to the required level and the student in question attended every session and progressed well achieving good grades in her technical exams. For this reason I was surprised at her behaviour in the third year as previously her attendance had been excellent and contributions from her in class were always informed and welcome. I suspected that there would be several reasons behind this negative change in her behaviour and that the challenge would be to find the root cause to all of the behaviour issues and to see how we could resolve the problems and get her back on track. One of the reasons for the disruptive behaviour could be her social situation, I was aware that the student had in the past had a difficult, unsettled home life and I knew that problems at home could easily be the cause of her disruptive behaviour so this was one area which needed to be investigated carefully. Another reason for the disruptive behaviour could be that now that she was in the final year of her apprenticeship she was starting to question her self worth and whether she had a right to be this close to calling herself an electrician and this was manifested in the negative behaviour as a means of getting attention. Possibly what was needed was some reassurance and positive feedback that she was capable of achieving good grades and making a career for herself. I was also aware the student had recently started dating one of the other students on the same course whose attendance and time keeping had always been poor which was found to be due to his arrogance as he found the course to simple for him and self belief that he was capable of operating at a higher level. I knew from previous work with the student that she was in no way arrogant and did not suffer from overconfidence with regards to the course so these could probably be dismissed as contributing factors but possibly her new boyfriend was a bad example to her by convincing her that she didn’t need to go to college and he could tell her everything she needed to pass so she was been influenced by peer pressure. Identify and discuss ways to improve the learning behaviour of the individuals or groups you have chosen and discuss their effectiveness. As there are many factors contributing to learning behaviour in the classroom it needs to be tackled on many levels starting with the course content and how you can manage the teaching sessions to ensure that all of the learners are kept engaged, challenged and interested. It is a fact that in every qualification there will always be a subject area which practically no student actually looks forward to or enjoys, within my subject area this is the science topics, and no matter how many times the students are told that it is necessary for them to understand the subject in order to pass the exams interest starts to wane quite rapidly. There is very little that we, the lecturers, can do to influence the curriculum therefore other methods must be found to get through the ‘dry’ subjects. The major factor in keeping students engaged throughout all parts of the course is class size, with smaller classes it is possible for the lecturer to keep the students focused and to provide the one to one interaction that all students appreciate and require. With a smaller group attention seeking is less of a problem as no student feels ‘left out’ and if any problems do arise it is far easier for the lecturer to nip things in the bud to prevent them escalating, I have also found that, with thought given to group composition, smaller groups police themselves as there is less competition for the students to make themselves heard and establish their position in the group. With regards to group composition I again feel fortunate in that I have a large range of ages on the apprenticeship courses and although it is tempting to put all of the older, more mature, students together into one, very easily managed, group greater results can be achieved by creating groups with a mixture of ages and experience as this tends to calm the younger students down and encourages good dynamics within the group as the older students have many years of experience to offer the teenagers. As well as focusing on disruptive behaviour it is important not to ignore a well behaved group. Positive attention such as praise and encouragement is a powerful tool in keeping a group motivated and focused and shows the students that you recognise their good work and effort. It is important to remember when tackling disruptive behaviour is that negative attention such as dealing with a disruptive student in front of the rest of the class with threats of exclusion and so forth may be just what the student was aiming for to further enhance his perceived position in the group, so it may be better to offer so called ‘no attention’ for as long as possible to see if the attention seeking student will tire of his or her performance and return to working. If do not pay attention to our students when they are behaving appropriately but only when they misbehave we are sending the message that if you want attention you have to misbehave therefore almost encouraging negative behaviour. If a student has low confidence or low self esteem this can also lead to disruptive behaviour as they try to draw attention away from their deficiencies. To combat this I make sure that all of the students understand that many different areas of support are available within the college and that they can come and see me any time to discuss their problems with learning. I also find that it is useful, when working with a group of students I have not got to know well yet, to set tasks and get the group working which then gives me the time to provide one to one support for any student who appears to be struggling. Once the group get used to asking for one to one help it becomes the norm in the group and students do not feel uncomfortable asking for help. The overconfident or arrogant student can be as much of a challenge in a group as the less confident. I have found on several occasions that the student who finds the course very easy tends to attract students who are having more difficulties with the course, so you end up with the situation of a student who thinks the course is beneath him distracting others who really need every second of the session to grasp a concept. My usual approach in these situation is to speak to the overconfident student about his behaviour and how it is affecting the others around him and encourage him to consider the needs of the other students, this approach usually works and often the overconfident student has found that he gets much more out of helping the other students with the work as opposed to distracting them from it. Review the policies relevant to managing behaviour in your organisation. All students enrolling on courses at Bromley College are made aware of their role and responsibilities whilst at the college through the Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy set out in the student handbook. This details how students are expected to behave in return for a place at the college and use of the facilities. The policy also details the disciplinary procedure which would be followed should the Student Code of Conduct be breached. There are several clear, escalating stages to the policy which can in the worst cases, lead to a student being suspended or excluded from the college for repeat offences. There are many other systems in place at the college to support students on their courses. The college can provide in class support for those students with learning or physical disabilities which greatly helps with managing disruptive behaviour by ensuring that no students feel left behind or marginalised in class and allows them to fully participate in the classes. There are also systems in place in the college for additional learning to be arranged for students a service which I have used for students who required extra help with their mathematics and written English. Outside of the classroom the students have access to many other levels of support available to them through the Student Central Office which include such things as advice on finances, careers advice and guidance and a counselling service where students can discuss any issues that are troubling them. There is also a college nurse available to discuss and advise on health issues with the student. The Student Liaison Team also carry out a good service for the students offering advice and guidance and, as importantly, providing a very positive role model. The Student Common Room is another facility available to the students which gives them a place in which they can relax away from class and provides a good arena for social development and interaction and always has good events organised to increase awareness of the diversity of race, religion and ethnic backgrounds students studying at Bromley College have. Reflect on your own practice and identify ways of developing your skills to promote positive learning behaviour. I often draw upon my own experiences as a student studying a similar course to that on which I now teach with regards to how I was taught and the teaching styles employed. Although it was some years ago when I was an apprentice electrician, the trade and course content has not really changed much and teenagers remain very much unchanged! What has changed beyond all recognition are the tools available to lecturers so the days of purely ‘chalk and talk’ lessons are over. There is still subject matter which is best taught by the formal, traditional classroom lecture but this remains unchanged as possibly the worst way to maintain student focus and engagement and therefore sow the seeds for disruptive behaviour to start. I have spent a lot of time with my mentor looking at ways that we can introduce more teaching and learning styles into the course and innovative ways to use the new technology available to us in the classroom. Like most tutors I will not allow myself to slip into ‘auto pilot’ and it is important to me to continually challenge the students to keep them motivated and focused. Each week I usually have to teach the same unit on 5 days to 5 different groups and to keep myself fresh I always adjust my delivery to suit the particular composition of the group. One thing which is very clear is that a group responds better to an enthusiastic tutor and they can soon spot a tutor who doesn’t seem interested in the subject he is delivering. I have noticed over the years is that students respond better if they have ‘the big picture’, if they know where the subject is leading they have a better understanding of the route to achieve the end goal. For this reason I always start each term with an overview of the next stage in the course and more importantly each lesson should always start with the aims and outcomes of the session, this gives the students a target to aim for and a sense of achievement when the goal is met. It is important, however, to plan properly and ensure that the aims and outcomes you set are realistic for that particular group as what will be achievable for one group may be out of reach for another and lead to frustration. I try to promote a positive learning behaviour by keeping my lessons fresh and varied and by maintaining a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom but on the rare occasions when inappropriate behaviour requires dealing with I have learnt that you must always be consistent with your approach as the students then know where the boundaries are. Probably the most important thing I have learnt about dealing with disruptive students though is to keep calm and not to lose you temper, ever.