Introduction: Behaviour management strategies

On this page

  1. Ladder of action
    1.1 Tips per period
    1.2 Responsibility
    1.3 Limit
    1.4 Preventive – curative
    1.5 How often do you use the first steps? How often do you use the next steps?
  2. Importance of managing behaviour
    2.1 Start using the framework and reinforcing positive behaviour
  3. Pitfall – ineffectively reinforcing positive behaviour
  4. Similarities and differences in two approaches to teaching when reinforcing positive behaviour
    4.1 Similarities
    4.2 Different manuals for different approaches to teaching
    4.3 Restraint in giving a Tip or handing out a Future behaviour letter
  5. Time invested in reinforcing positive behaviour by teacher and student
  6. Origin using colours
    6.1 Abacus – traffic light
    6.2 Paper Colour of Future behaviour letters – referee
  7. Astrid Boon – Reflective writing assignment
  8. Summary
  9. Credits

Teachers resolve class disruptions in four steps. The first two steps do not cost a student any time, but the last two steps do. In a friendly and fair manner, teachers give their students multiple opportunities to adjust disruptive behaviour. With Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT) it is not necessary to expel a student who is disrupting the lesson.

I clearly state my boundaries. I resolve a disruption in class in a friendly and fair manner. That is why there are few disruptions in my lessons.

Introduction video

For more information check out our other introductory videos here.

Current approach:

How do I manage behaviour now?

Future approach

How do I manage behaviour in the future?

Introduction

‘Behaviour management strategies’ is one of the five perspectives of Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT). No matter how balanced and skilled you teach and how clearly you indicate your limits, it will always be necessary to resolve disturbances of the lesson.

See overview

In the middle of this image, you see four steps that you take one after the other. FFT calls these four steps the ‘Ladder of action’. You can solve a disruption in the lesson with one or more of these four steps. The first step is at the bottom of the image above. Read more

When teaching the entire class, you use these steps differently than when students are working independently. You can see the differences on the left and right side of this image.

  • Left side: Teaching the entire class (Teacher-centred education)
  • Right side: Working independently (Student-centred education)

The differences between these approaches to teaching can be seen below in two columns. More information about this: 5.1 First steps – 5.2 Next steps

Behaviour management strategies is one of the five perspectives of FFT

FFT divides all aspects of education into five perspectives. In this image, a chain has been made from these five perspectives. The top link of this chain is, Behaviour management strategies with 1+2 (first steps) and 3+4 (next steps). The other four links are: Observing learning, Planning lessons, Establishing Fairness and Establishing a Friendly tone. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and every link is indispensable in education. You pay attention to all five perspectives in every lesson.

Figure 2: Links

Start reinforcing positive behaviour

When you just start teaching, at the beginning of the year, it is often quite fun. What do you do when things get too cozy, what do you do in case of unrest and disruptions to the lesson? How do you solve a disruption in a way that really works in practice? FFT offers an alternative where you can remain friendly and fair when reinforcing positive behaviour. Anyone who considers themselves too strict or too friendly can use this alternative and reinforce positive behaviour efficiently without hierarchy, without acting bossy.

Education seems to be inextricably linked to keeping order. If keeping order is not easy for you, you can ask your colleagues for advice. Colleagues frequently advise start strict and then slowly loosen the reins. Most teachers are convinced that you must be strict first. But if you remove a student from class in a strict manner, you will not solve anything.

Causes of disruptions

The cause of a disruption in the lesson may lie with you:

  1. You are not friendly enough (Establishing a friendly tone)
  2. you have not yet indicated a framework, you are not clear enough (Establishing fairness),
  3. your Planning of lessons could be better (Planning lessons),
  4. you forget to observe your students (Observing learning),
  5. you are unable to reinforce positive behaviour efficiently (Behaviour management strategies).

The cause of a disruption may also lie with the student: A student has a learning problem or the student experiences the lesson as too easy. These personal circumstances can also be considered: falling in love, mutual conflicts, jealousy, the way classmates interact with each other, tension at home or disappointing performance.
External factors such as fire alarm, unexpected classroom change, a new student joining the group, etc.

No matter how you teach, a disruption can occur. Whether the cause lies with you, with the students or whether the disruption has an external cause, it is necessary to know how to solve a disruption.

1. Ladder of action

Friendly and Fair Teaching advises to solve a disruption of the lesson with the ‘Ladder of action’. Read this image from bottom to top as if you climb a ladder.

Figure 57: Ladder of action (overview)

Goal

You want to teach undisturbed.

Name

The name ‘Ladder of action’ has been chosen to indicate that it concerns neutral actions to resolve a disturbance without becoming angry, warning, entering- or escalating a conflict, raising your voice, or frowning.

From now on we will talk about steps and not actions. Because you immediately de-escalate possible conflicts with the Ladder of action, you could also call this ladder a de-escalation ladder (See ‘escalation ladder’ by Peter Teitler). In what follows, FFT will only use the name Ladder of action. This term is part of the FFT professional language and we write this term with a capital letter.

How do you reinforce positive behaviour?

You resolve a disruption of the lesson in a friendly, fair, and predictable manner. By responding immediately to a disruption, you remind a student of the framework and give a student an opportunity to adjust their behaviour at an early stage.

  1. The first step you take to resolve a disturbance is ‘Using body language’. You can do this as often as you want. See ‘Using body language – step 1‘.
  2. The second step is to give a Tip (positive clue) to a disruptive student. By writing down the Tip, the student notices that the Tip is not without obligation. By counting Tips and by never giving more than an agreed number per lesson, you state your boundary to the students. See ‘Giving a Tip – step 2‘.
  3. The third step is to reinforce positive behaviour with a ‘Future behaviour letter’. You give this assignment sporadically.  See ‘Handing out a Future behaviour letter – step 3‘    . You give a student two chances to hand in the assignment to you.
  4. If the student does not hand in the assignment, a supervisor will take over handing in the assignment at your request. See ‘Student hands in the assignment to a senior member of staff – step 4‘

In the event of a subsequent disruption of the lesson (by another student), you usually start again with the first step unless that student has already received two Tips in previous lessons. Read here what to do if a student who has already received a Tip or a ‘Future behaviour letter’ continues to disrupt.

Benefits of the four steps mentioned

If you use body language first, you will need to give tips less often.

You hand out a limited number of Tips and count the Tips you give per lesson with the abacus. With the abacus you make it clear to the group how many Tips you have already given in that lesson. If the red picture of the abacus is shown, students know that your limit has been reached and that they better stop disrupting the lesson.

Handing out a ‘Future behaviour letter‘ is effective because:

  1. this assignment costs the student time.
  2. with this assignment you involve the student in resolving the disruption, resulting in an improved relationship between you and the student. This means that this assignment cannot be compared to penalty work.
  3. A student always submits the assignment, either through you or through management.
  4. After submission, the assignment will have the effect of an agreement between you and the student.

How does the student respond?

  1. The moment a student responds well to one of the four steps of the Ladder of action, give that student a nod or a compliment (thumbs up) and omit the other actions.
  2. If a student continues to disrupt, you also take the next step.

Predictable

Before you start reinforcing positive behaviour, discuss how you will do this with your students. While reinforcing positive behaviour, you remain friendly and fair. You are predictable because you always take the steps of the Ladder of action in the same order.

The Ladder of action is effective because:

  1. you follow the steps of the action ladder consistently and predictably, while always remaining friendly and clear.
  2. you collaborate with someone from management. That is why a student always submits the assignment.
  3. you only hand out the letter sporadically. This means the letter retains its operation.
  4. you teach with an even mind. This gives you more energy, all your attention goes to the lesson and fatigue disappears.

1.1 Tips per period

You write down Tips on a class list for a predetermined period.

1.2 Responsibility

Collective responsibility

When teaching the entire class you make the entire group responsible for the smooth running of the lesson,

Individual responsibility

You only give one Tip per lesson per student. You note Tips on al class list. If a student for the third time disrupts the lesson you hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. Every student is individually responsible for not getting this assignment.

1.3 Limit

To be able to focus on the lesson material you do everything you can not to cause unrest and by limiting the possibilities for students to disrupt the lesson:

  1. You hand out as few time-consuming assignments as possible (Future behaviour letter). You do this by first using body language and then by giving Tips.
  2. You put a maximum to the number of two Tips per period.
  3. You put a maximum number of Tips per lesson. You count Tips per lesson with the abacus. With this you indicate your professional limit.
  4. You give a maximum of one Tip per lesson per student.
  5. Limit the number of students you randomly check for homework.

There is no need to limit yourself when using body language. You can use body language as much as you want.

1.4 Preventive – curative

The Ladder of action contains both preventive and curative steps:

  1. Preventive: With the first steps of the ‘Ladder of action’ you postpone the moment of handing out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. As a result, it is not necessary to hand out this assignment often. If you do not hand out the letter often, it will retain its value. The first steps have a preventive effect.
  2. Curative: By reinforcing positive behaviour with a ‘Future behaviour letter’, you solve a problem. In most cases the problem will not occur again. That is why a Future behaviour letter has a ‘healing’ effect that FFT calls ‘curative’.

1.5 How often do you use the first steps? How often do you use the next step?

The more elements from different perspectives of FFT you apply, the less it will be necessary to take steps of the ‘Ladder of action’. The result is a positive learning environment.

  1. With the FFT way of working, the first steps (using body language + giving Tips) are sufficient in 80 percent of the lessons.
  2. In twenty percent of the lessons, it will be necessary to make use the next steps (Future behaviour letter + Hand in the assignment to a supervisor).

See Frequency of steps

2. Importance of managing behaviour

Because you always take the four steps of the Ladder of action in the same order, you are predictable for your students. Your students notice that you always give them a chance to adjust their behaviour and that you are not looking for retaliation. They also notice that you remain friendly and fair when reinforcing positive behaviour. If you reinforce positive behaviour this way, the number of disruptions decreases, and all attention is focused on the lesson.

2.1 Starting with a framework and action ladder

FFT assumes that the Ladder of action is only effective after you have handed out an assignment and it has been submitted. That is why our instruction for novice teachers also starts with the ‘Letter on Future Behaviour’. At this link you will be advised to start in the first lesson by – if necessary – handing out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. At this link you will also find two instructional videos:

  1. One video shows how to act when your students work independently.
  2. The other video shows how to act when teaching the entire class.

Starting with the Action Ladder without providing a clear context makes no sense. This clear context is created by providing a framework (Friendly and Fair) and by clearly indicating what you expect from students for each approach to teaching (Managing expectations).

Why do you start with the Ladder of action and framework at the same time? Why are the framework and the Ladder of action inextricably linked?

  1. If you indicate a framework but do not ‘act’, students will not care about the framework.
  2. If you ‘act’ but do not indicate a framework, your decisions will appear to the students as arbitrary.

Voice-over of the video above

Information for the teacher

This video is a follow-up to the video for the starting teacher. You will see how to use the ‘abacus’ to count Tips. With the abacus you make the group collectively responsible for the smooth running of the lesson.

The last two parts of this video you can show to your students as an instructional video at the beginning of the lesson. Now follows the first part of the instruction for students.

Lesson one

At the bottom left you see an image with a beret. The same image, you see in the Managing expectations folder. Let’s all be friendly and fair.

If a student disrupts the lesson, I ask the student to look at me with a gesture.
With a second gesture, I ask this student to stop disturbing. If the student stops disturbing, I will make this gesture. If that student continues to disrupt the lesson, I will give a Tip

When teaching the entire class, I first note Tips in my Tip Book. When you are working independently, I write down Tips on a list. You will receive a maximum of one Tip per lesson.

If you received two Tips and disrupt the lesson again,
you will receive an assignment to write me a letter. With that letter you give yourself a Tip.

When I am teaching the entire class, there are two letters available: one yellow and one red.

From now on I will use this abacus when teaching the entire class. You can compare it with a traffic light. Normally it is green, then it turns orange, then red.

With the abacus I count the Tips for the entire group and make the entire group responsible for the smooth running of the lesson.
I give the entire group a maximum of two Tips per lesson.

If the image is red, everyone knows that I can then hand out a yellow letter. At the beginning of the lesson the abacus is always green with zero Tips. Let’s try to keep the image green.

When I am teaching the entire class, Tip 1 is for the first student distrubing the lesson. Tip 2 is for the second student who disrupts.The third student who disrupts the lesson receives a yellow assignment. The fourth student who disrupts the lesson will recieve a red assignment. Once I have handed out the red assignment, I interrupt the lesson and ask you to do homework in silence.
I hope it is not necessary to give Tips or letters.

Second lesson

At the bottom left you see an image with a cap. The same image, you see in the Managing expectations folder. From the abacus you can see how many Tips I have given to the entire group when everyone is working independently.

If the image is red, too much disturbance makes we cannot concentrate. Let’s try to keep the image green.

If four different students received a Tip, I interrupt working independently and start teaching the entire group.

A student who has previously received two tips and is disruptive again, will have to write me a letter. When working independently, that letter is printed on white paper.

3 Pitfall – ineffectively reinforcing positive behaviour

There are pitfalls to step one and two and pitfalls to step 3 and 4. See:

Pitfall first steps

Pitfall next steps

4. Similarities and differences in two approaches to teaching when reinforcing positive behaviour

There are both similarities and differences in resolving a disruption in teacher-centred education (Teaching the entire class) and in student-centred education (working independently). First the similarities are discussed, then the differences.

4.1. Similarities

Use the points that follow next both when teaching the whole class and when you have your students work independently:

When observing your students, ask yourself:

  1. Is there mutual trust?
  2. Are my students cooperative?

If not, when reinforcing positive behaviour be sure to:

  1. always remain friendly and clear. You act consistently (coherent, not contradictory).
  2. respond to all disruptions. Read this side note “Student continues disrupting the lesson“.
  3. do not connect with negative, disruptive behaviour.
  4. act predictably and take the steps of the Action Ladder from bottom to top.
  5. make the first step (using body language) inaudible.
  6. use the abacus (which works like a traffic light) to indicate how many Tips you have given. Read more about the differences of using this folder in frontal teaching and independent work.
  7. to pause with the class in the event of a serious disruption. You take time together to reflect on what just happened and your own reaction (moment of truth).
  8. stop taking steps when a disruption is solved. If a student responds well to one of your actions, you respond with a nod or a thumbs-up gesture.

4.2 Different manuals for different approaches to teaching

In several respects, reinforcing positive behaviour when teaching the entire class differs from that when students are working independently. Below two complete manuals for the ‘Ladder of action’ for both approaches to teaching:

Manual when teaching the entire class

Teacher-centred education is effective if you can provide explanations without interruption. How do you reinforce positive behaviour if a student disrupts class?

Step 1 Using body language (inaudible)

a. Interrupt your explanation. Stand still and look at a disruptive student in a relaxed manner. If the student improves the behaviour, make the gesture ‘compliment‘. If not:
b. Take one step towards the disruptive student and look at the student questioningly (eyebrows raised). If the student improves the behaviour, make the gesture ‘compliment’. If not:
c. Depending on the disturbance, make these gestures: Attention – stop (stop disrupting) If the student improves the behaviour, make the gesture ‘compliment’. See also (See also stop talking)

Step 2 Giving a Tip

Move the abacus one page further (up to a maximum of two Tips), walk towards the student, stand next to the student (not opposite the student) and give a Tip “Please pay attention” clearly audible to everyone and record it in your Tip Book.

FFT recommends giving a student only one Tip per lesson. What do you do if a student continues to disrupt?

Step 3 Handing out a Future behaviour letter.

Choose one of these options:

  1. Give the disruptive student a ‘Future behaviour letter’ printed on yellow paper and indicate when this letter must be handed in. You ask the student to put the assignment in the bag and agree on a time to hand in the assignment. The student then completes the assignment outside of class and hands it in at an agreed time.
  2. Tell your student what time he or she should come to you to write the letter.

Step 4 Student hands in the letter to a senior member of staff.

If the student did not submit the assignment to you (also not on the second chance), you ask a senior member of staff to take care of the handing in of the letter.

Manuel when students are working independently

When students are working independently you reinforce positive behaviour so that all students can work undisturbed. Try to hand out no more than one Future behaviour letter per lesson when your students are working independently.

Observe your students and walk around. If a student disturbs one or more other students, act as follows:

Step 1: Using body language

  • You walk (slowly and relaxed) towards the disruptive student and look at the student. When you have eye contact and the student stops interrupting (because you walked over), give a nod and continue observing the other students or:
  • take the list on which you write down Tips especially for working independently and show it to a student that disrupts. This usually has an effect. If the student responds well, you give a nod,

If the student does not respond well, use one of these two series of gestures:

  1. Stop talking (you use this if a student is disruptive by talking)
  2. Stop disturbing (you use this if a student is disruptive by doing something)

If a student improves behaviour, you give a compliment, if not:

Step 2: Giving a Tip

Stand next to the student who is disrupting (do not stand directly in front of the student). You give a positively formulated Tip in a soft voice, e.g. Mind your own work. (you just address the disruptive student so that you do not disrupt the concentration of other students).
You immediately note down your Tip on a list of names especially for independent work and move the abacus one Tip further (up to a maximum of four Tips). What to do if a student continues to disrupt?

If you see on the list for independent work that you are writing down the second Tip for this student, you indicate that with the next disturbance, you will hand out a Future behaviour letter.

With the abacus you count the Tips you give while working independently. With the abacus you make the entire group collectively responsible for the time that they are allowed to work independently. If the entire group stays within the margin of four Tips, everybody can concentrate. If the group exceeds the maximum of four Tips it is to difficult to concentrate for the students, you change the approach to teaching to teaching the entire class.

Step 3: Handing out a Future behaviour letter

If a student has already received two Tips in the previous lesson and this lesson is disruptive again, hand out a ‘Future Behaviour letter’, printed on white paper. The colour of the paper reminds you that the assignment is handed out when the students were working independently.

What to do if a student continues to disrupt?

Step 4: Handing in the Future behaviour letter to a senior member of staff

If the student did not submit the assignment to you (also not on the second chance), you ask a senior member of staff to take care of the handing in of the letter.

4.3 Restraint in giving a Tip or handing out a Future behaviour letter

If you plan to give a Tip, you can show it by lifting the abacus. That usually has an effect. If a student responds well, you give a nod.

If you plan to hand out a Future behaviour letter, you can pick up one and show it to the student as an advance notice. If a student is no longer disruptive due to this visible action, put the assignment away again. Thank the student with a nod or a compliment (thumbs up).

If you have given a student a Tip within a lesson, avoid giving the same student another Tip in the same lesson. If you do, this student will get the impression that you have a special negative feel about him or her (what to do if a student continues disrupting)

When teaching the entire class: If you have given two Tips to two different students, give a third student a Future behaviour letter while indicating that unfortunately, you now must hand out this assignment.

5. Time invested in reinforcing positive behaviour by teacher and student

  • Reinforcing positive behaviour will cost you little time and energy.
  • The first two steps the student no time. Step 3 and 4 costs the student time.

Because these last two steps cost a student time, the four steps are effective. That effectiveness is only noticeable after you have handed out a first ‘Future behaviour letter’ and after it has been handed in by the student.

6. Origin using colours

FFT uses colours as a signal to students both in the abacus and in ‘Future behaviour letters’. You print the ‘Future behaviour letter’ on paper with different colours. Those colours will later tell you something about the moment you handed out the assignment. The colours mentioned below can be seen at the overview on the top.

Abacus

The colours of the images of the abacus with which you count Tips are derived from the colours of a traffic light:

  1. green, orange, and red when teaching the entire class,
  2. green, light green, yellow, orange, red when students are working independently (gradual transition from green to red).

Future behaviour letters

  1. When you are teaching the entire class, The colours of the Future behaviour letters you hand out are derived from the cards a referee hands out in soccer: yellow and red (On orange paper you can better read the text).
  2. When working independently, you use a future behaviour letter on white paper.

Once the assignments have been handed in, you keep them. The colour of the paper shows you in what circumstances you gave the student the assignment.

6.1 Abacus – traffic light

Kees de Heus told FFT that primary school teachers use the colours of a traffic light as a signal to the students. FFT adopts this concept with the abacus.

Why is the effect of the abacus comparable to a traffic light?

Why do cars stop at a traffic light when there are no police around? It is for security reasons and to avoid a fine. The effect of the abacas can be compared with that of a traffic light. Students see the value of order and want to avoid having to spend time writing and handing in a letter.

By counting the Tips with the abacus, you set a limit for the entire group. Students can see from the colour of an image of the abacus the space to disrupt is limited and when it is wise to stop disrupting. With the abacus you ensure collective responsibility.

Five perspectives vital to education

All five perspectives of FFT are vital to education. In this image you see a chain with the colours of a traffic light. In the top link you see the colours:

  • yellow (orange) which represents the use of body language and giving tips.
  • red which represents the distribution of a Future behaviour letter.

Figure 2: Links

6.2 Paper Colour of Future behaviour letters – referee

When teaching the entire class

An important moment in a football match is when a referee issues a yellow or red card. These colours appear as follows at FFT when you teach the entire class and need to reinforce positive behaviour:

  • Handing out a yellow card: The first Future behaviour letter you hand out when teaching the entire class is printed on yellow paper.
  • Hand out a red card. The second Future behaviour letter you hand when teaching the entire class is printed on red (orange) paper. Once you have handed out the red assignment, stop teaching and ask your students to do homework in silence. This prevents further escalation.

N.B. In football, a player who receives a red card must leave the field. Nothing like that happens at FFT. The student simply remains in class.

When students are working independently

When students are working independently, you hand out a Future behaviour letter printed on white paper. After having given four Tips within one lesson, you interrupt independent work. Then it is apparently too busy for students to concentrate. For the rest of the lesson, you teach the entire class.

You strive not to send a student out of class. That doesn’t mean you never do it. There are situations in which FFT recommends removing a student from class.

7. Astrid Boon – reflective writing assignment

As an Ortho pedagogue Astrid Boon was aware of the problems that arise if a teacher is unable to maintain order and what the consequences are for teacher and student. Astrid noted that a teacher often only has two ways of reinforcing positive behaviour: either warning a student or sending a student out of class. Astrid indicated that several intermediate steps are missing. In her books Astrid Boon describes the importance of order and explains why she recommends using her ‘Reflective writing assignment‘. This assignment and the Ladder of action fill the gap between warning and sending a student out of class.

8. Summary

The Ladder of action consists of four steps with which you reinforce positive behaviour.

  1. Using body language
  2. Giving Tips
  3. Future behaviour letter.
  4. A senior member of staff takes care of the handing in of the letter.

With the Ladder of action, you solve disruptions in the lesson and focus all your attention on the lesson.

To reinforce positive behaviour, you need an assignment student rather avoid. At FFT this is the ‘Future behaviour letter’ (step 3 of the Action Ladder). I is a time-consuming assignment students try to avoid.

Handing out a Future behaviour letter as little as possible

  • Steps 1 and 2 prevent you from handing out a Future behaviour letter (step 3) too often, these first steps act as a buffer.
  • If you never hand out a Future behaviour letter, steps 1 and 2 lose their power. That is why FFT recommends novice teacher to start with step three: Handing out a Future behaviour letter (start with a framework for positive behaviour and Ladder of action ).
  • Step 4: If a student does not hand in the letter to you, ask the student to hand in the letter to a senior member of staff. By doing this you avoid a conflict with this student.

9. Credits

Rense Houwing -Editor Friendly and Fair Teaching
  • Rense has made the distinction between steps that cost a student no time, and steps that do cost a student time.
  • Thanks to him, Observation is now a separate, observation-oriented, perspective of Friendly and Fair Teaching. Observations precede reinforcing positive behaviour.
Astrid Boon – Orthopedagogue Astrid Boon indicated that a teacher often has only two ways of addressing behaviour: warning (too many) and sending a student out of class. Astrid indicated that intermediate steps are missing. FFT fills that gap with the Ladder of action.
Peter Teitler
 Peter Teitler uses the name “Escalation ladder”.  Teachers use his escalation ladder to adjust student’s behaviour. Friendly and Fair Teaching takes the idea of a ladder from Peter Teitler. FFT omits the idea of “escalation” and replaces it with “action”. FFT’s new name is ‘Ladder of action’. When applied by Friendly Fair Teaching, all steps of the Ladder of action have a friendly and fair character.