5.1 Reinforcing positive behaviour: first steps

On this page

  1. The importance of the First steps
    1.1 Starting with first steps
  2. Pitfall when not taking the first steps effectively
  3. Using body language – step 1
    3.1 Tree-series-of-gestures
    3.2 Deciding how to proceed after completing two gestures of a series
  4. Giving a tip – step 2
    4.1 Giving, noting and counting Tips in different approaches to teaching
    4.2 Counting Tips for the entire group per lesson with the abacus
    4,3 Several students disrupt the lesson
  5. Summary
  6. Credits

Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT) calls addressing students’ behaviour and commitment ‘Behaviour management strategies’. Adressing students starts with ‘Using body language’ and then continues with ‘giving a Tip’. Teachers solve most disruptions with these two steps. These steps do not take a student time and require little effort from the teacher.

When I address a student’s behaviour or effort, I first use body language. If necessary, I then give a Tip. I write down and count the Tips I give. In this way, I indicate my boundaries in a friendly and fair way. I make clear I do not reject the child but the behaviour. The result is a lesson with few disruptions.

Introduction video

For more information check out our other introductory videos here.

Current approach:

How do I now address students on behaviour and commitment?

Future approach:

How do I address students on behaviour and commitment in the future?

Introduction

‘Reinforcing positive behaviour: first steps’ is one of the two modules of the perspective ‘Behaviour management strategies’ of Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT).

Figure 57: Reinforcing positive behaviour: first steps (overview)

In this image, on the left you see the first two steps: ‘Using body language’ (step 1) and ‘Giving a Tip’ (step 2). On the right you see the third step, handing out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. With these steps you address a student on behaviour and commitment. This module ‘ First steps’ provides an explanation of the first two steps.

No matter how you teach, it will always be necessary to address students on behaviour or commitment. With the first two steps, you usually prevent a student from writing a ‘Future behaviour letter’ (step 3). The third step is the active ingredient of the ‘Ladder of action’. Only in combination with this third step, the first two steps are effective. By always starting with steps 1 and 2, you apply step 3 less often. FFT calls this preventive.

  1. The first step feels like using a remote control. You make a gesture and the behaviour or commitment of a student changes.
  2. With the second step you clearly indicate your boundaries.

You introduce ‘Behaviour management strategies’ in two periods of eight lessons:

  1. In ‘Practice period 1‘ you count Tips per student per period.
  2. From ‘Practice period 2’ you count Tips both per student per period and per group per lesson.
  3. On the page ‘Ladder of action’ you will find a extended manual to use after practice period 2.

In the overview you will find an estimate of how often you use the different steps of the ‘Ladder of action’.

1 The importance of the ‘First steps’

‘Using gestures’ and ‘Giving a Tip’ takes little time and energy from you and do not take a student any time. With these first two steps you ensure that all attention is focused on the lesson.

With the third step of the ‘Ladder of action’ you ask a student to write to you a ‘Future behaviour letter’ (step 3). This assignment takes a student time.

The ‘Future behaviour letter’ is effective because:

  1. from ‘Practice period 1’ students who have already received two Tips in two previous lessons will behave better to avoid having to write a ‘Future behaviour letter’. In this period you personally address each student about behaviour and commitment.
  2. from ‘Practice period 2’ all students can see from the ‘abacus’ when you have given the maximum number of Tips for that lesson. With the ‘Abacus’ you indicate you only give a limited number of tips. Students avoid crossing the boundary you indicate, behave better and put in more effort. With the ‘Abacus’ you address a group as a whole on behaviour and commitment during this period.

1.1 Starting with the ‘Behaviour management strategies’

In ‘Practice period 1‘ you are advised to have the letter written directly in lesson 1 if necessary.

2 Pitfall when not taking the first steps effectively

What alternatives do you have if you do not use body language and if you do not give Tips?

  1. You let everything take its course and accept unrest.
  2. You warn without consequences.
  3. You warn with consequences.

Example 1 – You let everything take its course and accept unrest.

You let your students disrupt the lesson. This is like a fakir sitting on a bed of nails. Impressive, but is it advisable?
Because you do not intervene effectively, disrupting the lesson provides an advantage for students. Anyone who dares to challenge your authority is cool and receives support from fellow students.

Example 2 – You warn without consequences.

If you often glare at students and warn them, the calculating student will not be impressed.. You warn more and more often because you want students to pay attention, but you achieve less and less. With this way of acting you create a negative spiral.

Students notice that you warn, but also see that you do not take a next step. That is why warnings without consequences are not effective, students ignore your warnings and continue to disrupt the lesson.

Disadvantage of warnings: If you stop disruptive behaviour with a warning, you give a negative signal. You name the negative behaviour, connect yourself with negative behaviour and you come across as threatening, dominant or whiny. You can increase this effect by also looking threatening! You frown and/or you make yourself big, you impress. If you do this often, without attaching consequences to it, frowning has no effect. By threatening it is possible to get something done temporarily. The disadvantage is that your students find your threat unpleasant. If you often threaten, students will quickly think that you are an annoying teacher exercising power. By warning students, you mirror their negative behaviour and thereby unconsciously reinforce negative behaviour. By threatening, you unconsciously encourage your students to mirror your behaviour and to influence it in a negative way. Moreover, with a warning you disturb students who do want to pay attention.

Even when you work with steps 1 and 2 of the ‘Ladder of action’ and forget (or do not dare) to take the next step: handing out a ‘Future behaviour letter’, things go wrong:

Example 3 You warn with consequences

See the pitfall if you do not adjust effectively

Example 4 – Too many Tips per lesson when teaching the entire class

creates the following problem:

“I give a maximum of two Tips per student per lesson. When I give a tip, I put the name on the board with a cross behind it. In the event of a second disruption, I will put a second cross behind the name. The students know that if they interrupt again, I will act. Today I had a class of 30 students, and I gave each student two tips in one lesson (2 x 30 = 60 tips per lesson). and no one received a ‘Future behaviour letter’. I have noted down all the Tips. I did not get around to teaching anymore.”

Now each student can disrupt the next lesson twice again!
Advise from FFT: See ‘Giving tips in different approaches to teaching‘ with a description how to write down Tips.

Example 5 – Too many Tips per lesson when students are working independently

creates the following problem:

(I promised myself to give a maximum of one Tip to a student per lesson. The students know that, after two Tips, I will hand out a Future behaviour letter.)

The students are working independently for the first time in this lesson. I gave each student a Tip (30 students = 30 Tips). I wrote down the Tips on a list of names. I am so busy administering the Tips that I did not get around to guiding students. Only in the third lesson I can hand out a Future behaviour letter with a maximum of two Tips.

Advise form FFT: When students are working independently, limit the number of Tips per lesson to four with the abacus. With the abacus you make the entire class responsible for the smooth running of the lesson.

Example 6 – Warn with consequences

See pitfall when not taking the next steps effectively

You can avoid these examples by replace warnings with ‘Behaviour management strategies’:

  1. Using body languate
  2. Giving a Tip
  3. Limiting the number of Tips you give to both the individual student per period and to the group per lesson.

Then you can remain friendly and fair when addressing a student on behaviour and commitment.

3 Using body language – step 1

‘Using body language’ is the first step of the ‘Ladder of action‘.

Figure: addressing students with body language (overview)

With three series of gestures you address a students without making a sound. The advantage of these three series of gestures is that it is usually not necessary to verbally address students. This series of gestures allows you to give your explanation undisturbed and to be as invisible as possible while working independently.

Figure: Genie in the bottle (overview)

If you explain, have a class discussion, follow up your explanation with exercises (teaching the entire class) or have students work independently, you communicate in two ways:

  1. Non-Verbal: On the one hand, you use series of gestures to silently address students on behaviour and commitment. On the other hand, you use gestures to replace simple spoken instructions. See Using gestures
  2. Verbal: you explain a subject and sometimes you verbally give Tip. Note: Tips are partly given non-verbally. See manual

By communicating both non-verbally and verbally, you speak two languages. Your explanation is then more expressive, and your students will be able to concentrate.

3.1 Three series of gestures

Serie 1: Student disturbs by talking

If you are explaining something to the whole class or having a discussion in class and a student disrupts the lesson by talking, address that student using this series of gestures:

Figure: Attention – stop talking – thank you

Usually the student stops talking. If that happens, you give a compliment (thumbs up) to show that you appreciate the improvement in behaviour and resume your explanation. If the student does not respond well, you give a Tip. See also the explanation of the series of three gestures: stop talking

Serie 2: A student does something that disturbs

If you are explaining something to the entire class or are having a class discussion and a student does something that disturbs (e.g. tapping a pen), you interrupt your explanation and direct with this series of gestures:

Figure: Attention – stop disturbing – thank you

Usually the student stops disturbing. If this happens, give a compliment (thumbs up) to show that you appreciate the improvement in behaviour and resume your explanation. If the student does not respond well, give a Tip. See also the explanation of the series of three gestures: stop disturbing

Serie 3: Student does not participate in an exercise or does not start working

  • During exercises that follow your explanation (part of frontal teaching), you expect all students to participate in the exercises. If a student does not do this, you ask the student to start the exercise with this series of gestures.
  • This series of gestures is also used when students are working independently to ask a student to start working. FFT recommends that if a student is not working but is not disturbing, the student should be given a considerable amount of time to start working on his or her own initiative. When working independently, it is initially the student’s own responsibility to start working.

Figure: Attention – start  working- thank you

Usually the student will then stop interrupting. If this happens, give a compliment (thumbs up) to show that you appreciate the improvement in behavior and resume your explanation. If the student does not respond well, give a Tip. See also the explanation of the series of three gestures: start working

3.2 Deciding how to proceed after completing two gestures of a series

  1. Students usually respond well to the first two gestures of a serie. If so use the last gesture of a series: ‘thumbs up’ to thank a student for their cooperation.
  2. If a student does not respond well, give a Tip.

4. Giving a tip – step 2

Reinforcing positive behaviour with a Tip is step 2 of the Ladder of action.

reinforcing positive behaviour with Tips (overview)

With FFT, a Tip is a positively worded instruction. Usually, a student responds well to a Tip. By noting the Tips, you implicitly indicate a next step. You count the Tips with the abacus. With a red image of the abacus, you indicate your limit. The abacus prevents you from giving Tips too often.

Tips keep the lesson running smoothly. With Tips you influence both the entire group and the individual student. Read more about individual and collective responsibility.

Note: Reinforcing positive behaviour with Tips replaces verbal warnings, just like using body language.

Period

Before you give students individual tips, set a period. This is explained below

One Tip per lesson per student – ​​A student continues to disrupt

FFT recommends giving a student a maximum of one tip per lesson. This prevents you from letting your annoyance about a student’s behaviour have immediate consequences. By spreading the Tips over several lessons you can manage your emotions and avoid conflicts. What to do if a student continues disrupting after a Tip?

Tips as a sample

You give Tips in the manner of a sample. A student does not know when the sample concerns him or her. That is why all students pay attention or get to work: they do not want to receive a Tip. Giving Tips this way is fair.

Tip with capital letter

Why does FFT capitalize the word Tip on this site? At FFT, a Tip (with a capital letter) is a countable step when reinforcing positive behaviour. When the maximum of Tips is given, if necessary, you hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. This makes the Tip a crucial step of the Ladder of action. The capital letter makes it clear that FFT gives a different meaning to a ‘tip’. A student used the word Tip in this way for the first time. See Professional language FFT.

Counting and noting tips

By noting and counting Tips, Tip are to be taken seriously. By counting Tips, everyone knows when your limit has been reached, when you will give a ‘Future behaviour letter’. To prevent getting this assignment, students adjust their behaviour in time in a positive way. The usefulness of taking notes is also evident from this saying:

Verba volent, scripta manent! (spoken words fly away, written words remain).

What if you do not note Tips?

Using Tips in different situations

You can give tips:

  1. when teaching the entire class.
  2. when students are working independently.
  3. for not doing homework.

Create a separate list for each of these three situations in which you give Tips.

4.1 Giving Tips in different approaches to teaching

When you are explaining something, everyone focuses on one item. When students are working independently, they focus on different items. This has consequences for the way you give Tips. In these two columns additional information about how to give Tips in different approaches to teaching. See also these manuals explaining the four steps of the Ladder of action.

Giving Tips when teaching the entire class

Who do you give a Tip?

You give a tip to a student who is disrupting the lesson or who is disrupting a fellow student.

What kind of Tip do you give?

When you teach the entire class, you indicate with the ‘Managing expectations folder‘ you want students to pay attention. The Tip ‘Please pay attention’ is applicable in most situations.

For whom is the Tip intended?

On the one hand, the Tip is for a student. On the other hand, you make clear to all students how you want the lesson to proceed. All students hear this Tip because you pronounce it clearly audible. The Tip sets a standard of positive behaviour for all students.

Noting Tips in Tip book

When you teach the entire class, you first note Tips in your Tip Book: a small notebook in which you note the name of a student disrupting the lesson or the name of a student that has to write a ‘Future behaviour letter’. The advantage of first noting Tips in a Tip Book when teaching the entire class is that it takes less time and requires less accuracy than noting Tips on a list. With a Tip Book you do not have to put a cross in the right column next to the right name of a student in an alphabetical list. In a busy class, you will therefore lose less time with a Tip book. Because it is small you can always carry it with you. Writing down a Tip in a small book also looks friendlier than writing it down on an alphabetical list. The name Tip Book was invented by a student.

After a day of lessons, write down the Tips that you first wrote down in your Tip Book on a list for teaching the entire class.

Giving Tips when students are working independently

Who do you give a Tip?

You give a Tip if a student disturbs a fellow student.

If a student does not start working during the first part of a period during independent work AND does not disturb anyone, you can leave this student alone. This contradicts your instruction with the Managing expectations folder asking students for using their time wisely. Only halfway through a period do you start a conversation with a student who has not started working. If a student just sits and looks around, this can be an important preparation in deciding what to do next. By keeping everyone working all the time, you limit students’ ability to contemplate. If a student decides to start working, the backlog can be caught up quickly.

What kind of Tip do you give?

Before your students start working independently, you indicate with the Managing expectations folder  students to get started on assignments. That is why the Tip ‘Please concentrate on the assignment’ always applies when working independently.

For whom is the Tip intended?

During independent work, before giving the Tip, walk towards the student and say the Tip softly. This Tip is only concerning this student. The rest of the group has nothing to do with this. To avoid disturbing the other students, say the Tip in a soft voice.

Noting Tips

You note a Tip on a list for working independently.

4.2 Counting Tips in different approaches to teaching

  1. Counting tips per lesson for the entire group is done with the abacus (collective responsibility).
  2. You count tips per period per student by recording the tips on a list (individual responsibility).

In the two following sections the difference aspects of counting Tips in teaching the entire class and when students are working independently are explained.

4.2.1 Counting Tips for the entire group per lesson with abacus

Appearance of the abacus

The abacus is a vertical folder (flipchart) containing images you show to students. These images have different colours based on a traffic light. Use this PowerPoint to print out these images for the abacus.

Purpose of the abacus

With the abacus you limit the number of Tips you give within a lesson to the entire group. With the abacus you appeal to the collective responsibility of the group.

Operation of the abacus

With abacus you visualise at any moment the number of Tips given to the group in one lesson. Every time you give a Tip, you show the following picture of the abacus to your students; you indicate your limit. With a red image, you indicate your limit. Students can see from the abacus whether you have given away the maximum number of ‘Free’ Tips (Tips without consequences for the students). They then avoid the next step – the ‘Future behaviour letter – and stop disrupting the lesson. With the abacus you act non-verbal, visible, predictable, clear, and fair. You could say that a ‘Future behaviour letter’ is a ‘Tip’ with consequences.

Abacus as a classroom assistant

When using the abacus regularly, this folder functions as an assistant in reinforcing positive behaviour. Walking towards the folder or picking it up calms your students. Because you act visibly, they can correct themselves in time and prevent you will give them a Tip or a ‘Future behaviour letter’.

Using the abacus when teaching the entire class

Abacus colour change when teaching the entire class

Teaching the entire class while students are disruptive reduces the quality of the lesson. With a limited number of two Tips, you reinforce positive behaviour.

How do the images in the abacus change colour when teaching the entire class?

  1. With a green image you have not yet given a tip (tip zero). When you start a lesson, ask your students to help you keep the Tips ‘in the green’.
  2. The colour orange (1) indicates: ‘We are approaching the limit’.
  3. The colour red (2) indicates: Stop disrupting the lesson, otherwise I will hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. With a red image of the abacus, you indicate your limit. Students then adjust their behaviour accordingly.

When teaching the entire class, you give a maximum of two Tips, but in practice:

  1. you will usually give less than two Tips per lesson. By limiting yourself to two Tips when teaching the entire class, you do not lose time with endlessly giving Tips as mentioned at pitfall.
  2. you will hand out the ‘Future behaviour letter’ only sporadically.

The use of colors of FFT has its origin in Primary Education

Using the abacus when students are working independently

Abacus colour change when students are working independently

Working independently only makes sense if everyone can concentrate. With a limited number of four Tips, you reinforce positive behaviour.

You discuss with the group (in the second lesson) that you give a maximum of four Tips when your students are working independently. With a red image of the abacus, you indicate your limit. After the fourth Tip you interrupt independent work, then there is too much disruption to be able to work concentrated.

Colour change when counting Tips when students are working independently

How do the images change colour in the abacus when students are working independently?

  1. With a green image you have not yet given a tip (tip zero). Before you let students work independently, ask your students if to help you keep the Tips ‘in the green’.
  2. With the colours light green, yellow and orange (1+2+3) you indicate that the group is approaching the limit.
  3. With the colour red (4) you indicate: Stop disrupting the lesson, otherwise I will have to interrupt independent work (If there is too much unrest, no one can concentrate).

If you notice that your students usually work well, you can skip counting.

The idea to use four colours for a gradual change from green to red is an idea of a student.

4.2.2 Counting and noting Tips per student per period on lists

Period

You write down tips on a class list for a predetermined period. It is advisable to shorten this period as you teach more lessons per week to the same group of students. If you only see your students one hour a week, a period of about eight weeks is suitable. If you see your students two or three hours a week, the period can be shorter.

At the next period you start counting Tips again on an empty class list.

Noting Tips on a list when teaching the entire class

After a day of lessons, write down the Tips from your Tip Book on a class list for teaching the entire class.

A maximum of two Tips per student per period

After you have given the second Tip to the same student within a period, the next lesson you put the name of this student on the board. Upon arrival you tell this student: “At a next disruption to the lesson I hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter “. When you give a maximum of one Tip per lesson, the period of receiving two Tips and receiving a letter covers at least three lessons.

Noting Tips on a list when students are working independently

Noting tips

Observe your students when they are working independently. Carry with you a list for working independently to write down Tips.

A maximum of two Tips per student per period

If you write down the second Tip next to a student’s name within a period, you tell the student: Please concentrate on your assignment, in the event of the next disruption I will have to hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter’.

Limits when doing homework

Create a seperate class list for not doing homework.

FFT advises to limit the number of students you check for homework. Then a Tip has the effect of a sample and prevents you from spending too much time checking homework which reduces lesson time and time to coach students. The third time a student does not do homework, you give an assignment with questions about the advantage of doing homework. The parents sign this assignment.

  • If you check all students, you undermine trust.
  • If you do not check students at all, students do not feel an urge to do their homework.

4.3 Individual responsibility and limits

With these four aspects of Tips, you ensure individual students behave in a responsible manner by

  1. giving Tips,
  2. noting Tips on lists
  3. counting Tips
  4. indicating to each student the maximum number of Tips per period.

When teaching the entire class and when students are working independently, pay attention to these differences:

Individual responsibility and limits when teaching the entire class

How do you ensure when teaching the entire class, each student is responsible and accountable for their own behaviour? How do you ensure that every Tip also has consequences?

Before explaining this, first a description of what happens if you do not make every student responsible for their own behaviour:

“If I do not attach any consequences to receiving the first two Tips when teaching the entire class, students can cheerfully accept the first two Tips. A next lesson the same students can again disturb other students. For the first two students, the Tips are without consequence. All other students are now closer to receiving a ‘Future behaviour letter’.

Collecting a Tip by the first students without consequence is like bullying. If you allow this, you are not fair.

Name on the board

FFT recommends that you give a maximum of two Tips per student per period when teaching the entire class. After the lessen you write down the Tips noted in your Tip Book on a list for teaching the entire class. If you see on that list that a student has received the maximum of two Tips, the next lesson you write that student’s name on the board. When the student enters the class, draw this student’s attention to the board. You then indicate that you hand out a Future behaviour letter at the next disruption.

Giving only one Tip per lesson has the following advantages:

  1. Each student is aware that you write down the Tips you know it is a student’s turn to receive a ‘Future behaviour letter’. That is why every student behaves responsibly.
  2. By not giving one student two Tips within a lesson, you prevent a conflict with this student. What to do if a student continues disturbing?
  3. You show the entire group that you observe all students, that you are fair.

Individual responsibility and limits when teaching the entire class

How do you ensure that every student is responsible and accountable for their own behaviour when working independently?

Work independently

When the students are working independently, you walk around with a list specifically for independent work. With this list you show your students that you are monitoring their behaviour. If you give a student the second Tip (in a next lesson), you tell this student “This was the second Tip, please be careful.” If the student is disruptive during the remaining lessons of that period, you hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter. The advantage of this approach is:

Each student is responsible and accountable for their own behaviour.

Not doing homework

Just as when students are working independently, after a second Tip for not doing homework, a student can decide to do homework from now on.

4.4 Collective responsibility

How do you explain to a group they are responsible for the smooth running of the lesson?

When teaching the entire class, the group takes responsibility

You tell your students that you give a maximum of two Tips per lesson and that after the second Tip you hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. With every Tip you change the colour of the abacus to indicate when the limit reached: Then the image of the abacus is red. By disrupting the lesson, a student brings fellow students closer to having to write a letter. In that respect, a disruption becomes an antisocial act.

When teaching the entire class, you never give two Tips to the same student within a lesson. This prevents you from focusing on one student and urges you to be fair: all students can get a Tip. The student who gets a ‘Future behaviour letter’ can be anyone. Therefore, everyone stops disrupting the lesson. This way of giving Tips reinforces positive behaviour.

When students are working independently, the group takes responsibility

When your students work independently, how do ensure the group collectively takes responsibly for being able to concentrate?

When you use the abacus for the first time, tell the group that you only give four Tips when working independently. By disrupting a fellow student, the disrupting student brings the entire group closer to stop working independently. In that respect, a disruption of a fellow student can become an antisocial act, especially when students like to work independently.

Once you have given the fourth Tip, you change your approach to teaching. Instead of allowing your students to work independently, you now teach the entire class. This way you make the group collectively responsible for the time to available for working independently.

When students are working independently you never give two Tips to the same student within a lesson. This prevents you from focusing on one student and urges you to be fair: all students can get a Tip. This way of giving Tips reinforces positive behaviour.

Note: You only hand out a Future behaviour letter to a student who collected two Tips in previous lessons.

4.5 Differences giving Tips in Primary education and secondary education

Giving Tips in Primary education

In Primary Education, you will have the same class all day. Therefore, divide the day into parts and determine the maximum number of Tips for each part. For example, per lesson (language/math/English) or per part of the day (before small break, after small break and afternoon). Close the period clearly, for example by complimenting if your students were busy at first and then returned to working well. At each half-day period, you put the visual indication of the number of Tips (abacus) back in starting position (zero Tips) and a next half-day period, ask your students to help you keeping the ‘Tips in green’.

Giving Tips in Secondary education

In secondary education, you usually have each class for one or two hours after each other. After each lesson you take a break from each other. The next lesson you then start again positively with the abacus in the starting position (green).

4.6 collective disruption – several students disrupt the lesson

A collective disruption usually occurs when teaching the entire class and is less likely to occur when students work independently.

If a small group of students decides to disrupt your lesson when you are teaching the entire class, you can respond as follows:

  1. First, use a gesture to ask for silence (no reaction).
  2. Then write on the board, “General Tip: Please pay attention. This indicates that you are giving the entire group a Tip. With the abacus you show the next picture (no reaction of the group),
  3. You then ask for silence again with a gesture. If the class persists in interrupting, write on the board, “Second General Tip: please pay attention”. You now move the abacus to the next picture, which is red.
  4. For the third time, you ask for silence. If the group does not pay attention, you pick a student at random and say to this student, “Unfortunately, I must now give you a ‘Future behaviour letter’. If this student protests the assignment, you indicate that he or she can stop this behaviour now, or otherwise you will unfortunately have to give a bigger assignment. The student now considers whether it still pays to continue disrupting the lesson. Experience shows that a student who must make this decision usually chooses to accept the smaller assignment.

Preparation: Make in advance a bigger assignment or choose one from this site.

5 Summary

You reinforce positive behaviour with a smile. With using body language and giving Tips, you reinforce positive behaviour in a friendly and fair manner. Tips are effective if:

  1. a maximum number of Tips has been determined with the class beforehand,
  2. the Tips are both noted on lists AND counted with the abacus.

One cause of disruptive behaviour can near-sightedness. If students are ashamed of their glasses, they do not wear them. Without glasses, they cannot read what is on the board. If you get the impression that a student cannot read the information on the board, test during a face-to-face meeting the extent to which a student can read something off the board. If you notice that the student does not see sharply enough to read the board, put the student in the front. Notify the mentor and school administration that the student is not seeing well.

6 Credits

Stephanie Heeren – Dutch language teacher

Origin of the term ‘Tip’

Stephanie taught at the same school where Johan ‘t Hart was teaching music at the time. She visited one of his lessons and saw he worked with a limited number of positive worded directions. Stephanie started working with these as well. The students she was teaching already knew his way of reinforcing positive behaviour. Stephanie decided to call the positive directions ‘Tips’. She made this clear to her students as follows: Children: I am going to work with Tips this year! The first two are free, the third is going to cost you time! The students asked her if she was going to work in the manner of Johan ‘t Hart. After she confirmed this, she was able to teach undisturbed. Her way of introducing Tips and Future behaviour letter is short and effective.

Linda Timmermans – Linda took the FFT course and teaches music in secondary education.

Origin of the term ‘Tip Book’.

When teaching the entire class, you write in a notebook the names of students you give a ‘Tip’ and of students you give a ‘Future behaviour letter’. Linda gave this notebook the name ‘Tip Book’. When teaching the entire class, writing down Tips in a ‘Tip Book’ looks more friendly than writing them down directly on a list.

Note: When working independently you do write down Tips directly on a list.

Kees de Heus – A former teacher at the geography teacher training college and active as creator of test questions and tests for Higher Professional Education.

Kees de Heus told Johan ‘t Hart about the use of the colours of a traffic light in elementary school. This led with FFT to the abacus with the colours of a traffic light.

Maurits de Lange – Jazz pianist and music teacher

When students are working independently, FFT advises teachers to give a maximum of four Tips. Maurits adopted the idea of ​​four Tips from FFT. He indicated that he uses a gradual colour transition when giving Tips. FFT adopted his idea. At the abacus, when students are working independently, the colours at FFT change via green, light green, yellow, orange to red.