5.2 Reinforcing positive behaviour: next steps

On this page

  1. The importance of the next steps of reinforcing positive behaviour
    1.1 Start taking the next steps
  2. Pitfall when not using the next steps effectively
  3. Reinforcing positive behaviour by handing out a future behaviour letter – step 3
    3.1 Different colour with Future behaviour letter
    3.2 Example of a future behaviour letter
    3.3 Where does a student write a future behaviour letter?
    3.4 Handing in and discussing a future behaviour letter.
    3.5 Student refuses to accept the assignment PE and SE
    3.6 Package leaflet for future behaviour letter
    3.7 Student continues disrupting the lesson
  4. Student hands in the assignment to a senior member of staff – Step 4
  5. Interrupting – professional limit
  6. Exceptions regarding sending students out of class
  7. Alternative measures to reinforce positive behaviour
    7.1 Reflective writing assignment Astrid Boon
    7.2 Ask a student to think of a corrective action for themselves.
    7.3 Good conversation
    7.4 Ask student for motive
    7.5 Stay late after school
    7.6 Creative writing assignment
    7.7 Conversation with parents, a senior staff member, student, and teacher
    7.8 Writing assignment Teitler
  8. Summary
  9. Credits

Teachers reinforce positive behaviour with a ‘Future behaviour letter’ (step 3 of ‘next steps’). If a student does not hand in the assignment, a senior member of staff ensures the letter is handed in (step 4). A Future behaviour letter costs a student time. To avoid this assignment, students pay attention to the lesson and stop disturbing. With the ‘next steps’, you ensure everybody can concentrate.

I clearly state my boundaries, students know when I hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter’. Students try to avoid this assignment and therefore pay attention.

Introduction video

For more information check out our other introductory videos here.

Current approach:

How do I resolve a disruption of the lesson now?

Future approach:

How do I reinforce positive behaviour in the future?

Introduction

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

Figure 57: Next steps (overview)

The ‘next steps’ are at the top of this picture. With step 3 and 4 (next steps) you handle a disruption in a way that it does not reoccur (curative).

Together the first and next steps are called ‘Ladder of action‘. No matter how you teach, disruptions can occur. When a disruption occurs, it is good to know how to solve it. FFT recommends using the ‘Ladder of action’ with the active ingredient a ‘Future behaviour letter’.

  1. The name ‘Future behaviour letter’ was coined by FFT and is to be understood in its context. We capitalize this term and explain it in our ‘Professional language‘ page. The Future behaviour letter’ replaces penalty work. With a Future behaviour letter, you involve the student in solving a problem and in doing so, you take the student seriously.
  2. The Future behaviour letter has an effect in the moment and over time. When you apply the Ladder of action, students will say to each other, “At teacher X, you have pay attention or else you will have to write a Future behaviour letter.”
  3. This assignment is more effective if students always hand it in. Therefore, you collaborate with a senior member of staff (Step 4). If a student does not hand in the assignment to you, the senior member of staff takes care of the handing in of the assignment. Resolving the disruption with a Future behaviour letter is what FFT calls curative and is akin to a cure. The disruption usually does not happen again. What to do if a student in a next period again disrupts the lesson or disrupts a fellow student? See alternative measures
  4. The strength of the Future behaviour letter is that it both takes time away from the student AND helps the student think about his or her own behaviour. By limiting the size of the assignment, you prevent it from resembling penalty work.
  5. Workaround: Consider a Future behaviour letter as a gift to a student. With this assignment you give a student an opportunity to solve a problem. With this time-consuming assignment, you ask a student to reflect on what happened and ask the student to find a solution to the disruption. The student then becomes owner of the solution. This strengthens the bond between you and the student. The student signs the letter. You keep the assignment in your administration. From now on it is a sort of contract between you and the student.

1. The importance of the next steps of reinforcing positive behaviour

If you are successful apply the ‘Ladder of action’ to reinforce positive behaviour, if it leads to a better attitude in the classroom. Everyone benefits: the student, you as a teacher, the parents, and the school leadership. Your approach is predictable, friendly, and fair. With the ‘next steps’ you always solve a problem. With the first steps, there is no need to hand out a Future behaviour letter often.

1.1 Start taking the next steps

Continue with this approach

If you already used the ‘Ladder of action’ before, please use this page for additional information.

2 Pitfall when not using the next steps effectively

What are your alternatives if you do not use a ‘Future behaviour letter’?

You can:

  1. have a good conversation,
  2. Warn without consequenses,
  3. Warn with consequences,

1 Have a good conversation

If you are looking for a way to effectively adjust behaviour, a ‘good conversation‘ usually turns out to be ineffective.

2 Warn without consequenses

See pitfall first steps

3 Warn with consequences

Penalty work

Punishment is as old as humanity. Prideaux shares with us the following assumption of Nietzsche:
At some point in prehistory, he [Nietzsche] supposes, a specific way of doing things developed that was harmful to the community. It led to the imposition of punishment. This was the moment when morality was constructed; this was the moment when our instincts were first curbed by a punishing society. Over time, the imposition of punishment led to introspection. Introspection led to conscience.” Prideaux (2018)
Seen in this way, punishment is beneficial. The danger of punishment may be that the receiving party perceives the measure as unjust or disproportionate. That puts pressure on the relationship. The way in which the punishment is administered can also come across as unkind or malicious.

Remove a student from class

Students who have had teachers using the ‘Ladder of action’ indicate that there is no point in removing them from class. They indicate that a ‘Future behaviour letter’ is effective.

3. Reinforcing positive behaviour by handing out a future behaviour letter – step 3

reinforcing positive behaviour using a future behaviour letter (overview)

A Future behaviour letter is handed out in different approaches to teaching: In whole class teaching, working independently and for not doing homework.

If you hand out a Future behaviour letter, you tell the student when to hand in the assignment. You give a student two chances to hand the letter in to you.

For each age group and type of education you can adapt the Future behaviour letter slightly and give the assignment its own title e.g.

  1. In primary education – letter to the teacher (lower and middle grades), reflection letter
  2. In secondary school – Future behaviour letter (see example or view alternatives)
  3. In SE-upper school, Vocational and teacher training, ‘performance interview’ may be most appropriate.

With a Future behaviour letter, you rob time from a student. With handing out this letter, you state your boundary and make clear that you do not accept disruptions in your lesson. At the same time, you are being friendly because:

  1. A Future behaviour letter focuses on introspection and rehabilitation of the student disrupting the lesson. The result is a better functioning group.
  2. A Future behaviour letter is short. This avoids associations with penalty work and retribution. If it turns out that a student keeps disturbing the lesson in a next reporting period, don’t give the same assignment but try an alternative.
  3. You provide a Future behaviour letter in a friendly manner: “Too bad I have to give you this assignment now, but that’s the deal now.” This is how you show compassion for the work the student has to do and demonstrate to take the steps according to a plan. In this way you remain friendly while reinforcing positive behaviour and avoid damaging the relationship with the student. You remain friendly and fair.

Increasing effect of the future behaviour letter

  1. In order for a Future behaviour letter to be effective, it is necessary to hand out at least one. Just announcing that you are going to hand out an assignment is not effective. Only when a first student handed in the assignment to you, all students will be aware of its effect. Therefore, do not hesitate to hand out a first Future behaviour letter.
  2. When you hand out a Future behaviour letter you say: “Unfortunately, I now have to give you this assignment.” This way you show empathy and avoid the impression of giving penalty work.
  3. The first students who get a future behaviour letter can be thought of as scouts. They explore the playing space for the others. If you effectively limit the playing space for disruptions, the other students accept your limitation.
  4. After you the first future behaviour letter is handed in, the other students avoid getting it. They hear from the “scout” who made the assignment it was time-consuming. The other students now consider whether the costs of disrupting (gaining popularity in the class or making an autonomous impression) outweigh the disadvantages (loss of time and having to think about and revise your own behaviour).
  5. If a student does not turn in the assignment to you, you ask a senior member of staff to take care of the handing in of the assignment. Students do not like the idea of handing in the assignment to a senior member of staff. Therefore, most students prefer to hand in the assignment to you. Opposition to the assignment makes no sense for students because you cooperate with a senior member of staff. At the same time, you keep agreements and are predictable. Your approach creates a good atmosphere, and results improve.
  6. Because the student makes the assignment after class, the student has time to reflect on previous behaviour. If there is some time between handing out and handing it in, the emotion on both parties has diminished.

3.1 Different paper colours with Future behaviour letters

The advantage of hand out Future behaviour letters printed on paper with different colours is that you can see when you handed out a Future behaviour letter: See Origin using colours).

Handing out a Future behaviour letter when teaching the entire class

When teaching the entire class,

  1. the first Future behaviour letter is yellow (compare yellow card referee).
  2. the second Future behaviour letter is orange (Compare red card referee – On orange paper you can read better the text.)

After you have handed out this second assignment, you ask your students to work silently on their homework.

Read this manual on how to take all four steps of the ‘Ladder of action’.

Handing out a Future behaviour letter when students are working independently

When students are working independently use white paper with black letters. Advise: try to limit the number of letters you hand out during independent work to one per lesson.

Read this manual on how to take all four steps of the ‘Ladder of action’.

3.2 Example of a Future behaviour letter

The following example of a Future behaviour letter is created in collaboration with the staff from a secondary school. Teachers in both PE and SE use this assignment. FFT recommends using this example as a starting point. This assignment costs students little time. By giving a short assignment, you avoid association with penalty work.

With this assignment, you ask a student who disrupts the lesson two questions. You ask the student to reflect on what happened and to think about a change of behaviour in the future. Once signed by the student, this assignment turns into an agreement between you and the student. You keep this the letter/agreement in your records.

Future behaviour letter

Name___________________________Class_____________

Answer the two questions below in well-written sentences. Before writing down the answers, make a draft. The teacher will keep the last version and can refer to what you write later. Return this letter to your teacher at the appointed time.

1 What is the reason for this letter, what happened? (Please include at least three whole sentences, head, middle and tail).

2 What can you change/improve about your behaviour? (Please provide at least three whole sentences, head, middle tail).

Student’s signature

_______________________

3.3 Where does the student write a future behaviour letter?

When and where does a student make the assignment?

  1. After class
    You can choose to make an appointment with a student to write the letter outside of class in your presence. When the student arrives, you hand out the assignment. When the hands in the letter, you discuss the assignment. This a simple and effective option because staying late also costs the student extra time which adds to the effect of the assignment.
  2. At home
    You can choose to ask the student to write the Future behaviour letter at home. When you have handed out the assignment, ask the student to put the assignment in his or her bag so that it will not get lost. You agree with the student a day and time to hand in the assignment to you. If you choose for this option, you can ask a student to hand in the letter early before class or at the beginning of the next lesson.

3.4 Handing in and discussing a future behaviour letter

Practice tells us that the next day both teacher and student want to put the assignment to an end as quickly as possible. Therefore, students usually hand in the assignment to you. The discussion between you and the student is usually pleasant. This is partly because the assignment focuses on what happened. A second reason the discussion is pleasant is that no others are present. For the students, there is no incentive to be tough. Sometimes the conversation reveals things that you could not have known. This creates mutual understanding. You and your student really meet and reconnect. Usually, the conversation upon handing in the assignment is short. If the assignment is not appropriate, you ask the student to make the assignment again in the presence of a member of staff.

The student can hand in the assignment at three moments: Early the next day before school, the next lesson or the student comes to you after class, makes the assignment in your presence and hands it in.

1 Early next morning

If the time to hand in the letter is set to early next morning, you wait for the student and

  1. if the student comes, you read the letter and thank the student.
  2. if the student does not appear, later that day you call the parents, urging them to tell their child to hand in the letter next lesson.

2 Handing in at the beginning of the lesson.

You stand at the door. When the student arrives:

  1. and hands in the letter, you briefly review the assignment or indicate that you will look at it in a moment and then come back to it. A suitable for this is when students are working independently. If a student hands in the assignment at the agreed time, thank the student for the effort. This quote makes it clear why thanking a student is so important:
    I learned from my former graduate student Sara Algoe that we don’t express gratitude in order to repay debts but rather to strengthen relationships.” Haidt (2012)
  2. See exceptions regarding removing students from class

3 Handing after class

You make an appointment with the student to hand in the letter after class.

  1. If the student arrives you hand out a letter and the student makes the assignment in your presence.
  2. If the student does not arrive, you ask a senior member of staff to take care of the handing in of the letter.

Primary education

  • If you have handed out a Future behaviour letter, try to resolve it with the student even before the next half-day session. That way you can start the new part of the day positively.
  • At recess or after school, preferably the same day, discuss the letter with the student. The sooner you discuss the letter, the sooner you can get back on good terms. Ask the student to summarize what happened and ask what the student plans to do about it. If the student described the disruption well and provides a solution, you thank the student.
  • With young children who cannot yet write, ask the child to draw a picture about the events. When discussing the drawing, the student tells you what he or she drew.

Secondary education

The follow-up discussion itself can be brief. Ask the student to summarize what happened and ask what the student plans to do about it. If the student described the solution well and provides a solution, you thank the student.

3.5 Student refuses to accept the assignment PE and SE

What do you do when a student refuses to write a letter? You then say to the student:
“You can stop this behaviour now, or I will unfortunately have to give you a big assignment.” Be prepared for this by having a bigger assignment at hand. Saying these words usually has the effect of getting a student to accept the first, small assignment (Courtesy of Stephan Dinkgreve).

If a student protests a Future behaviour letter, this is the advice for PE, SE and vocational education.

A student does not accept the assignment in Primary education

Ask the student to walk with you and make the assignment with an internal supervisor and/or school leader.

  • If the student refuses, you tell: “If you refuse this now, I will ask the supervisor or school leader to remove you from the class.” Ask the rest of the class to continue working quietly and walk over to the supervisor. Give a brief explanation and ask your supervisor to quietly remove the student from the class so that the student can complete the letter in their presence. When the student then completes the letter, briefly discuss it with the student and thank the student. The student may re-enter the classroom and you do not discuss it again.
  • If the student still refuses to write the letter, you discuss the next step with your supervisor. For example: invite the parents to a meeting and until then let the student do his work in the presence of a supervisor and/or school management.

A student does not accept the assignment in Secondary Education

If a student refuses the letter the moment you hand it out,

  • you say, “You can stop this behaviour now, or I will unfortunately have to give you a bigger assignment.” Usually, the student then accepts the first offered short assignment.
  • If the student continues to protest, ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student refuses, you say, “If you stay put now, it becomes a matter for the staff. You still have a chance to leave the class now”.
  • If the student continues to refuse to leave the class, you walk out of the classroom and ask a colleague for assistance. Together, you convince the student that leaving is now the best option. This way, you retain the initiative.

Vocational education

Josie teaches vocational education to teaching assistants in training. With her students, and in general with older students, an obvious reaction to a Future behaviour letter is, “I think this is childish, I would rather you address me at the end of class.” Josie did not respond to this request. The desire of the student is understandable, but research by Astrid Boon shows that a “good conversation,” especially at that time, has little effect. There are two reasons for this:

  1. Such a conversations cost students little time and there is no need to reflect. Because the student does not reflect on the cause of the disruption and on improvement, no transformation takes place. Without an assignment to make at home, the student gets off easily and without loss of time.
  2. You often barely have time after class to discuss a disruption and both you and the student have not had a chance to sleep on it overnight. Emotion then quickly takes over in such a conversation. The student then gets the impression that you are reacting impulsively.

Therefore, Josie did not respond to the students’ request and instead gave the students a Future behaviour letter.

3.6 Package leaflet for future behaviour letter

The Future behaviour letter has an effect similar to a medicine: curative. This section is the package leaflet belonging to FFT’s medicine.

In a certain dosage, medication helps and in too high a dosage, it backfires. It is unwise to administer the entire class the medication. If the dosage is too high, if you give all students a Future behaviour letter, students protest and an increasingly grim situation ensues. How do you deal with protests from the group of students who were handed out a Future behaviour letter? How do you prevent the class, parents, colleagues, and school administration from getting annoyed by the amount of work you give students? What do you do when they come to seek redress?

You can prevent all this by aiming to hand out a maximum of one Future behaviour letter in both teaching the entire class and when students are working independently.

Preparation

Before you start teaching the entire class, prepare two Future behaviour letters: a yellow one (the first one you hand out) and a red one (the last one you hand out). Per lesson you never hand out more than two letters. Compare this to soccer: The first yellow card in this is a warning. Upon receiving the second card, the red, the player must leave the field. In FFT, after handing out the second, the red Future behaviour letter, you stop teaching: you interrupt the lesson.

You also prepare a bigger assignment in case as student refuses the assignment.

3.7 Student keeps disrupting the lesson

If a student, who was just given a Tip or who just recieved a Future behaviour letter, continues to disrupt the lesson, try to ignore this student in the remainder of the lesson. Ofcourse you can use  body language to ask the student to stop disturbing. By ignoring this student as much as possible, you prevent escalation and avoid approaching the student angrily. You try to focus on other students. You continue your normal routine of instruction.

If the behaviour of the student is too inappropriate or has a negative effect other students:

The student this lesson already received a Tip:

  1. You take your Tip Book, and write down how the student provokes you. You pose as a reporter of the student’s behaviour. You don’t say anything, you write. The student notices you are writing something down in your Tip Book and suspects you will attach consequences to these notes. If writing in the your Tip Book causes the student to stop interrupting, you can stop writing and do not attach any consequences to what you wrote.
  2. If a student pushes the limit, you can hand out a Future behaviour letter. When you discuss the letter with the student, you have your Tip Book as proof. If possible try to avoid this step as to avoid connecting with negative behaviour of the student.

The student this lesson already received a Future behaviour letter:

  1. as above
  2. Send a student out of class. In a conversation with the student and a member of staff you have your Tip Book as proof.

By avoiding step 2 you delay the proces and give the student and yourself time to calm down.

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

When you start with the ‘Ladder of action’, you first discuss the fourth step with a senior member of staff. Only when the staff is willing to cooperate, you can be sure the assignments will be handed in.

The student did not hand in the assignment to you. You contact a senior member and tell which student did not hand in an assignment. The staff will now take care of the handing in of the assignment. The student can only return to your lessons after the letter has been handed in at the staff.

In secondary education, it is important that from the moment a senior member of staff takes over handing it in from you, everything is taken care of as soon as possible and preferably within one week. If this is not managed well, students will be at school unattended and other problems can arise.

Parents usually appreciate you calling them. When you call parents, in exceptional cases they will completely take sides with their child. You then thank the parents for the call and indicate you will manage the situation in collaboration with the staff.

5. Interrupting- professional limit

What is a professional limit?

Professional limits are the boundaries that you set for yourself and your clients regarding the scope, duration, and nature of your coaching relationship. They help you to avoid role confusion, ethical dilemmas, burnout, and legal issues.

When you reach your professional limit when teaching the entire class or when students are working independently, what action do you take?

Professional limit when teaching the entire class

When you are teaching the entire class, the first yellow future behaviour letter is a warning. When you hand out the second red letter , to another student (only in 1 percent of all lessons this can be necessary) you indicate your limit is reached. Therefore, after the red letter, you stop teaching. You give the following instruction, “I stop teaching now. Start doing homework (can be any subject) in silence.”

If two students have a conversation, you set one aside. You keep observing students and see to it that they do their homework in silence. When there are no more places left to separate students, you announce that unfortunately you will have to remove the next student who is talking from class. This is a necessary exception at FFT. If you allow deliberation, you undermine your own authority.

By stopping the lesson after handing out the second Future behaviour letter, you isolate up to two students from the group. The other students do not have an assignment. It is now up to the two students to write a letter. Only after the assignments are handed in the two students participate in the next lesson. After this, the entire class will function better.

By interrupting teaching the entire class, you are indicating your professional limit. With asking your students to do homework in silence, you prevent that:

  • students make you react like a puppet to disruptions in the lesson.
  • students stretch your professional limit to your personal limit. You then can become angry. A wanton mutiny-like power play develops. Several students can then be sent out of class within a lesson.
  •  you hand out more than two letters. If more than two students get the assignment, as a group they feel indignant. Chances are that in addition to students also parents, colleagues and school administration will protest the excessive number of letters you hand out.

None of this is necessary. It is much better to calmly wait for the completion of the two assignments and then start the next lesson with a clean slate.

Professional limit when students are working independently

You attach conditions to independent work. You tell in advance that you will only give four Tips within a lesson when students are working independently. Strive to hand out one or, at most, two Future behaviour letters (printed on white paper) during working independently. You only hand out a letter when you see on your list that you are addressing a student for the third time for disruptive behaviour. If you manage to give only one Tip to a student per lesson, a letter is not handed out until the third lesson.

By giving a maximum of four Tips to the entire group you avoid:

  • a situation where students cannot concentrate.
  • eroding your own authority (compare endless warning).
  • becoming moody by having to give too many Tips or assignments and by the accompanying agitation.

  1. The fourth Tip in independent work does not lead to handing out a Letter about future behaviour!
  2. Handing out a Future behaviour letter to a student when students are working independently does not affect other students.

6. Exceptions regarding removing students from class

FFT recommends not to send students out of class. However, there are two exceptions:

  1.  If you agreed with the student to hand in the Future behaviour letter the next lesson, at the beginning of the next lesson you wait for the student at the classroom door. You then have an extra copy of the Future behaviour letter on hand. When you see the student arrive, you ask for the assignment. If the student does not have the assignment with him, you give this student a copy of the assignment and ask the student to make it out of class and turn it in at the end of class with a send out bill. Even before class begins, you now have sent this student out of class.
  2. Another exception is “transgressive behaviour”. If a student hits a fellow student or scolds you or his peers, you expel this student immediately. By doing so, you are guarding safety for the entire group.

7. Alternative measures to reinforce positive behaviour

If a Future behaviour letter does not have the desired curative effect, in a subsequent period consider taking a different measure with a student who disrupts a lesson again:

  1. Reflective writing assignment – Astrid Boon
  2. Ask a student to think of a corrective action for themselves.
  3. Good conversation
  4. Ask for motive
  5. Stay after school
  6. Creative writing assignment
  7. Conversation with parents, a senior member of staff, student and teacher
  8. Writing assignment Teitler

7.1 Reflective writing assignment Astrid Boon

As an Ortho pedagogue, Astrid Boon devised the reflective writing assignment. You compose such an assignment with the student after class and date it. After the text is composed, you ask the student to transcribe this advice ten times and have it signed by the parents. You also indicate when and where the student turns in the assignment.

The reflective writing assignment focusses on the event that preceded it. A reflective writing assignment has four components. With these components you compose the assignment together with a student:

  1. Name your own behaviour in this way: It is not the intention that …, because … .
  2. Reflect on own behaviour: If I …, I make sure that …
  3. Indicate instead of justification: Also if I … , because this way I make the problems bigger instead of smaller …
  4. Make up a helpful suggestion: From now on … , so that I …

Example

  1. From now on, I’m not going to push and pull on other people’s clothes, even if someone has taken my pen away, because that only makes the issue worse.
  2. It is better, if the next time I threaten to get angry I walk up to the teacher
  3. and ask for another seat because my neighbour is pulling on me.
  4. That way I can avoid disturbing the whole class because I can’t keep my hands to myself, and that way I can also avoid a childish writing assignment.” Boon (2009) Astrid

A reflective writing assignment you tailor for each situation and therefore takes you more time than handing out a Future behaviour letter you already have at your disposal. The content of such a reflective writing assignment specifically addresses what prompted it. The reflective writing assignment combines features of reflection as well as old-fashioned penalty work. When a student fails to improve behaviour permanently, FFT advises in a next period to hand out a reflective writing assignment. With this student the ‘Future behaviour letter’ did not have a lasting effect.

7.2 Ask a student to think of a corrective action for themselves.

José Caballero, chairman of the Rapucation Foundation (which includes FFT), and teacher chemistry has a different approach when reinforcing positive behaviour: “If a student does not do what is intended, I ask him or her in a conversation at the end of the lesson to come up with an assignment to solve the problem. We then agree on this. Usually, the student complies with the self-devised assignment.”

7.3 Good conversation

If a conversation has no consequences for the student, behaviour change does not follow in most cases. We mentioned this earlier at ‘Vocational education‘.

However, if you discuss the consequences of problematic behaviour with a student at a quiet moment as a mentor, and by calmly asking the question of whether the student is aware of the consequence of staying put, such a conversation may well bring about a change in behaviour in a student.

7.4 Ask student for motive

If a student hits another student, you ask this student to write down why he or she wants to hit another student. You then keep that piece of paper and come back to it later with the student. You can then ask if this is still the case”. Eidhof (2021), Bram

7.5 Stay late after school

Example 1 – Primary education

A boy kept refusing to make a lesson for a certain subject. Thereupon I asked the boy to stay after and instructed him: make the lesson now and when you finish it, come to me. The boy went to work. Meanwhile, I checked the work of the other students. When the boy finished the assignment, I allowed him to go home. The next day and week this pattern repeated itself. At one point the boy comes to me and asks, “How long are you going to do this? I reply, “Until you just do your work in class.” The next day the boy went straight to work during class. The problem solved itself. There was no need for me to get angry.”

Example 2 – Secondary education

In the last year of secondary education, late in the afternoon I was playing chess with a friend in school. There was nobody around. I remember we were wearing brown corduroy pants and jackets. After playing chess, we both grabbed a board wiper, an old-fashioned one with chalk attached, and started working each other with it. We enjoyed ourselves. Then an amanuensis from chemistry walked in and asked us to stop doing that. We ignored him, since we were already 17 years old. Besides, he was not one of our teachers. We continued playing. About a month later, the principal Mr. Huisman took me out of class and asked me what had happened that afternoon. I said that nothing had happened. Thereupon the principal asked me to stand by at the so-called “lament wall.” That was a bare wall at the top of the stairs of the central stairwell where everyone walked by. After an hour, he asked me again what had happened. Again, I said, “Nothing happened.” The principal told me again to wait. Meanwhile, the school was emptying, and I just stood there. Standing without doing anything is exhausting. For the third time, the principal came to me and asked what had happened. I then reluctantly told him that I was playing with board wipers with a friend. The rector only said, “Don’t do it again”. Finally, I could leave. Now I realize that this was an example of ‘reinforcing positive behaviour’. This measure was effective because it cost me time and the principal remained friendly.”

7.6 Creative writing assignment

Create the beginning of a fable about a self-created disruption. Invite a student who disrupted the lesson to finish the fable in a creative, friendly and fair way.

7.7 Conversation with parents, a senior member of staff, student, and teacher

If a student does not respond well to a Future behaviour letter or any of the alternatives then it is time for a conversation about the student’s behaviour with the parents, a senior member of staff, the student, and the teacher. This requires students to engage in a conversation with their parents. The parents of course want to know what is going on. In the conversation the student clarifies in front of parents, school leadership and teacher what is going on and how to get back on track. For the student this is not something to look forward to. By behaving well  astudent can avoid such a meeting.

7.8 Writing assignment Teitler

Peter Teitler (Dutch math teacher) describes how he sets up writing assignments with standard texts in which the type of offence, the negative effects, the excuses, and the alternatives are already pre-cooked, and which the student then has to overwrite a number of times (Lessons in Order, §5.5 Penalty work)

The teacher pulls the appropriate assignment out of a drawer and hand it out. This seems efficient. It takes time from the students but they do not have to tell what happened and do not have to think about their own responsibility in the disruption. In short, there is no coming together of teacher and student.

Friendly and Fair Teaching therefore prefers an assignment that asks the student to describe, examine, evaluate, and resolve their behaviour.

8. Summary

If  student does not respond well to the first steps, you hand out a Future behaviour letter. This letter costs a student time and improves their behaviour.

  • Rethinking: If you hand out a Future behaviour letter, keep in mind that you are helping the student to function better in class from now on. By reinforcing positive behaviour, you prevent you and the student from getting stuck in a power game. This realization helps you to remain friendly.
  • While reinforcing positive behaviour, do not take on any negativity from the student. When you hand out an assignment, show compassion and understanding for the arduous task the student is awaiting: “Unfortunately, I have to give you this assignment now.”

9. Credits

Gabrielle la Rose – Safety coordinator at Pieter Nieuwland College in Amsterdam

Gabrielle mediates conflicts between students and teachers. In doing so, she uses a reflection report. For the student, creating a reflection report is time-consuming. Her assignment is at the root of comparable assignments of FFT including the (short) Future behaviour letter.

Stephan Dinkgreve – Science teacher

Stephan attended a class where Johan ‘t Hart was teaching music. After the lesson he started working with in a comparable way as for reinforcing positive behaviour. Instead of penalty work, which Johan was still using at the time, Stephan used a extensive reflection report. Johan then adopted this new way behaviour management from Stephan.
From Stephan FFT also learned that if a student protests getting a ‘Future behaviour letter, as a teacher you friendly and fair indicate, “You can stop this behaviour now, otherwise I will unfortunately have to give you a bigger assignment.” This Stephan learned from Astrid Boon

Astrid Boon – Ortho pedagogue

As a Ortho pedagogue, Astrid compared measures to reinforce positive behaviour on countless conversations with students. She discovered that students respond well to an assignment that takes their time. This in contrast with a “good conversation” which does not cost a student time. She wrote two books about this: “Punishment/Rules” and “Too Cozy in Class. She also made it clear that sending a student out of class is an extreme remedy. She advised reinforcing positive behaviour in small steps.  In consultation with Astrid Boon, FFT composed the ‘Ladder of action’. The active ingredient of the Ladder of action is the Future behaviour letter. This is a small assignment. If a student’s behaviour does not improve, in a subsequent period FFT advises to hand out Astrid Boon’s larger reflective writing assignment.

Jeroen van Morselt – Senior member of staff at Pieter Nieuwland College

Jeroen van Morselt worked as a senior member of staff at the Pieter Nieuwland College (Secondary school where Johan ‘t Hart was teaching music). Together they made sure that a student who was given a Future behaviour letter always handed in the assignment. Colleagues at the PNC worked with Jeroen in a comparable way. One result of this collaboration was that teachers at the PNC sent fewer students out of class.

Moniek Kors-Tulen – Economics teacher at Teylingen College

Moniek explained that when she gives a student a Future behaviour letter, she asks the student, after class, to make it in her presence. This approach reinforces the active component of the assignment: time robbing. After making the assignment, Moniek discusses the assignment with the student. FFT now proposes this way of handing in for starting teachers.