Respond constructively to student behaviour (Secondary)

teaching practice

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For student year

Years 7 to 12

Helps students to

build self-esteem

stay on task

Helps teachers to

increase teaching moments

strengthen relationships

Summary

For the primary school version of this practice, go to:
Respond constructively to student behaviour (Foundation to year 6).

How teachers respond to behaviour can contribute to a positive, more inclusive learning environment and help prevent inappropriate behaviour. Clear expectations and constructive responses to behaviour can assist students who have difficulty staying on task, completing work, or regulating themselves in class. Responding in this way also builds rapport and trust between student and teacher, which makes managing behaviour easier.

Constructive responses to behaviour, include:
•    using specific praise that’s individualised to reflect what the student has achieved or is undertaking
•    positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviours as opposed to a punitive response
•    looking holistically at a student’s behaviour to understand what might be causing it

Many students, but especially those new to high school or on the autism spectrum, benefit from consistent routines that help them know what behaviour is and isn’t acceptable in the classroom or during a specific activity.

“You can effectively manage your classroom by reinforcing positive behaviour and delivering constructive responses to inappropriate behaviour.”

How the practice works

Watch this video to learn more about this practice.

Duration 2:44

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers related to this practice

4.1 - support student participation

4.3 - manage challenging behaviour

For further information, see Australian Professional Standards for Teachers AITSL page

Preparing to teach

1. Identify behaviours you want to encourage or reduce

Think about and plan how you'll respond to these behaviours. Having a list of planned responses that suit your teaching style means you're more likely to use them authentically and efficiently.

2. Choose strategies to reinforce appropriate behaviour

Strategies might include:

specific praise – providing positive verbal feedback specific to the student and the behaviour, e.g. 'Thank you for raising your hand to ask a question, Ash'
clearly stating your expectations at the beginning of each lessons or activity.

3. Choose strategies to respond to inappropriate behaviour

Strategies might include:

restating positive expectations – reminding students of the behaviour you want to see in the classroom
differential reinforcement – reinforcing or praising only appropriate behaviours and removing or stopping reinforcements for other behaviours
conferencing – one-on-one problem-solving with a student when they're calm, asking students to suggest strategies for the future.

NB: As you choose strategies, always refer to the student behaviour policy and guidelines relevant to the state or school system you're operating in.

It works better if:

you reinforce appropriate behaviour consistently
you offer praise for students’ efforts or for their use of specific work strategies rather than for intelligence or for the mastery of a skill, helping students to build a growth mindset
students are collaborated with to create a list of reinforcing items or activities. Providing choices will increase students’ motivation.

When responding to inappropriate behaviour:

use positive, constructive, and consistent responses
give specific praise for positive behaviours
give students a manageable task, once the student is calm, that focuses on their strengths or interests, i.e. a task they'll succeed in.

It doesn't work if:

reinforcement or response doesn't occur as soon as possible following the target behaviour. If reinforcement or response is delayed, the student may not understand which behaviour is being rewarded or is inappropriate.

Related Practices

This practice is from the core research project

Learning Cycle

Evidence

This practice was developed as part of the Models of practice project. More information about the evidence informing this practice is available on the project page.