Understanding and Supporting Behaviour Week 7: Behaviour within the family This week's focus describe the relationship between a child's learning environment and their learning behaviour, your ideas on what your own classroom will look like should be starting to evolve. You should also be able to explain how to organise a classroom/learning environment and develop a positive communication climate in order to create an enabling learning environment. This week is very important as strategies to involve families and build relationships are considered. We continue our exploration of the outer ring of our conceptual framework by investigating behaviour within the family. How much thought have you given the relationship you will have with your future students' care givers? You may have some experience on the other side of the fence as a care giver yourself, so let's see if your perception changes as you work through the materials, case study and activities this week. This week's objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: • explain the effect of family relationships on learning behaviour • identify risk factors that may influence interactions and relationships with families and carers • identify, describe and analyse strategies for communicating with families and carers. Reflection We all have varying perspectives about family and what it does or can look like. Our family systems are diverse, with each member playing a specific role. Think about your family, what is your role? How does this influence your behaviour? What would it look like in a classroom? Aggrieved parent You are a grade 3 teacher. One of your students, Neville, has been losing his temper lately and shouting at other kids in the class. This has been hugely disruptive to your classroom and several students have complained to their parents. Neville also used to be a quiet, cooperative child and the change in his behaviour is sudden. You suspect something has happened at home lately to affect his behaviour. You organise a time after school to meet his mother, Joyce but as soon as you raise the issue, she loses her temper. Joyce angrily exclaims that it's your job to control Neville in the classroom, not hers. What would you do? Apologise and acknowledge that you will work harder to manage Neville in class. This response may placate the parent but it is not really fully dealing with the behavioural issues. Behavioural concerns within either an early childhood or school setting cannot be managed well if families are not involved in the communication process. Teachers can often find themselves caught between parents on one side and the policies of the school on the other but the potential awkwardness of this situation is overruled by the importance of collaboration and open communication. Explain that you think Joyce's own temper is having an influence on Neville. This could be thought of as a behaviourist approach as the child is copying behaviour modelled by an adult – or ecological as it acknowledges the influence of family as part of the microsystem. However this is not the time to be making this kind of analysis as this could be seen as judgemental and could damage your relationship with Joyce and in turn Neville. It is better to meet the parents. Find out what their strengths are. See what they can bring into the class. Chapter 4: Engaging with parents (Ellis, Morgan & Reid, 2013, pp. 30-51), has some excellent tips for parental engagement. Respectfully insist that you work together on the issue. While you may not agree with a parent it is critical that you work with them over a child's behaviour. One of the most important things to recognise is that there are numerous different parenting styles. Even if parental behaviour goes against your values, you need to be able to accept their behaviour without judgement and work to develop a relationship with the parents. Essential reading The social influence of the family section (pp. 393-396 - scroll down to find the starting page) in Chapter 12: The social and moral world of the child (Doherty & Hughes, 2009) describes the social influence of the family, categorising and considering parenting styles and illustrating Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Chapter 4: Managing challenging and self-limiting behaviour (Cameron & Maginn, 2009, pp. 47-65). This reading focuses upon children in care, and covers some key factors related to this topic, particularly in considering violence and restraint within a family. Additional resources • Kids Matter brochure (2012) Making rules and setting limits http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/KMP_C3_ED_MakingRulesAndSettingLimits.pdf is a useful resource for parents about consistency. • The following Annual report 2005-06 http://www.growingupinaustralia.gov.au/pubs/ar/ar200506/parenting.html from Growing up in Australia (2006) provides some useful insights about parenting styles in Australia. • Review the following Parent-teacher role checklist (McDermott, 2008). Which roles do you think should be played by the parent? Which roles do you think should be played by the teacher? The parent-teacher role checklist Roles 1. Meets child's physical needs 2. Meets child's safety needs 3. Meets child's emotional needs 4. Plans for the child 5. Provides a nurturing environment discipline policy 6. Sets limits 7. Provides discipline 8. Keeps busy 9. Is an advocate 10. Keeps orderly 11. Encourages 12. Is a role model 13. Educates 14. Transmits values 15. Interprets the world 16. Provides sex education 17. Observes the child 18. Facilitates child's social development 19. Facilitates child's intellectual development 20. Makes decisions on classroom 21. Makes decisions on curriculum 22. Makes decisions regarding hiring and firing of teachers 23. Provides child with first loving relationship 24. Provides continuity for the child 25. Knowledgeable about child's uniqueness 26. Explores/investigates with child 27. Listens to the child 28. Is nutritionist for the child 29. Learns from the child 30. Facilitates the spiritual development of the child Taken from McDermott (2008). p. 80. Families at risk Teachers will need to deal with families at risk, on issues such as absent parents, or parents with substance abuse or mental health problems. Changes in socio-economic situations can also have a dramatic influence on families' situations. When dealing with all family situations, it is vital to involve families and/or carers as much as possible, to be diplomatic and avoid stressful disputes between parents/carers and the school. Essential reading Read Using theory to conceptualise parenting and Parenting capacity sections (pp. 58-71 - scroll down to find the starting page) in Chapter 2: Parenting: politics and concepts for practice (Leverett, 2008). This introduces the theory behind parenting and the role of economic, human and social capital. It also introduces the work of Bourdieu and the idea of parenting capacity. Additional resources • The following paper from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (2013) Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/risk-and-protective-factors-child-abuse-and-neglect offers information about risk and protective factors about child abuse and neglect. The Bronfenbrenner model is used and linked to ecological levels and risk factors. Task Scenario You have a parent in your classroom who is upset about your lesson on healthy eating. Step 1: Brainstorm a list of the possible issues and feelings at play. (5 minutes) Step 2: Research resources that will assist in dealing with situations such as the one in our scenario. Some sources you could use include: • your state department of education • Conflict resolution in schools (Cahir, Freeman, Gass, Hill & Stern, 2001) • Helping resolve conflict: Suggestions for families (KidsMatter, 2012) http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/KMP_C2_LRC_HelpingResolveConflict_SuggestionsForFamiles.pdf • Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (2011). (20 minutes) http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/ Week 8: Procedures and strategies This weeks focus In last week's topic, we looked at behaviour within the family. You should now be able to explain the effect of family relationships on learning behaviour. You should also be able to describe strategies for communicating with families and carers, particularly taking different parenting styles into account, and working with families in crisis. This week we turn our focus to procedures and strategies to manage behaviour. In this topic, we try to bring together all of the theory and information we have covered in the preceding weeks, as you research and consider different strategies and techniques which will be useful in your future career. You will be introduced to a range of behaviour analysis methods, interventions and programs to help you develop procedures and strategies for supporting each child, family or educator in managing and understanding behaviour. This week's objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: • identify and explain how the learning environment and procedures can impact on student learning • identify specific procedures and strategies to manage behaviour • describe how interventions and programs can be used when developing behaviour management strategies • analyse the effects and impacts of behaviours and strategies on the learning environment. Reflection • Reflect upon the range of strategies presented in the readings this week. Which ones resonate best with you? Now compare these preferences to your education philosophy, how many match up? Is there a discrepancy? If so, why? Lucy won't wear a coat It's a freezing cold day, but one of your students, Lucy, won't wear her coat in the playground. No matter how much you try to explain how important it is to dress warmly, she refuses to put it on. The more you try to convince her, the louder and more disruptive she gets. What would you do? Don't let Lucy out into the playground unless she wears her coat. Lucy responds to being kept in by being even more disruptive once recess is over. In reacting directly to the behaviour, you have most likely only made the problem worse. In situations like this, it is important to look beyond the immediate behaviour and to consider how routines and strategies can support you in diffusing difficult situations. Contact Lucy's parents to try to get them to tell Lucy to wear her coat. Lucy's parents respond immediately. They are not happy that this has been brought to their attention in such a way and express concern that Lucy's needs are not being met by the school. They threaten to contact the principal if the matter is not dealt with. While contacting Lucy's parents might have been seen as an effective strategy, care needs to be taken to consider how best to involve them without jeopardising your relationship. Having clear procedures and strategies will help to manage such issues. Work with Lucy and the rest of the class to establish a routine so over time Lucy will change her behaviour. Over several weeks, you establish a routine for the whole class which involves putting on a coat when the weather is cold. While Lucy does not immediately comply, by the end of the third week she is wearing her coat without complaint. By approaching this issue in a strategic way, you have managed to come up with an effective solution. The material that follows provides further information on how procedures, routines and strategies can be effective in dealing with behavioural issues. Routines Consistency is important for children, particularly those who are anxious and have attachment issues. By establishing routines (e.g. always starting the day with a quiz or a story), children feel safe. A consistent routine with no major surprises helps to build a trusting relationship between children and teachers. Online resource View the following resources relating to classroom routines as they provide practical advice on how to establish and support routines in the classroom: • Creating routines (AITSL, 2014) http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/illustrations-of-practice/detail?id=IOP00138 • How to teach routines (Smart Classroom Management, 2016) https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2012/07/28/how-to-teach-routines/ Interventions Once a specific behavioural issue has been analysed and causes (or triggers) for the behaviour have been identified, an intervention can be performed. Interventions involve specific actions that target a behaviour. Rather than attempting to combat the behaviour directly, they look to address the antecedent for the behaviour and offer effective solutions (e.g. a child might be upset because their parents are divorcing - the intervention can't bring the parents back together but can assist the child in dealing with change and provide emotional support). An intervention requires a structured plan with a set of actions, a timeframe and subsequent review. We will cover these processes in more detail in Week 10, when we introduce the idea of a behaviour support plan. Essential reading Read Cole & Knowles (2011), Chapter 6: Helpful group interventions in class and around school pp. 106-129, which describes strategies and methods for conducting interventions. Additional resources • The following document Strategies to guide children's behaviour (DEECD Victoria, 2010) http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/regulation/pracnotesstratbeh.pdf provides information about effective interventions within the bigger picture of behaviour management strategies. Strategies Strategy refers to the specific steps taken to implement an intervention. It is likely to be individualised depending on the specific needs of each child. It could involve activities within the class, such as circle time, or the intervention of an outside agency (we will learn more about outside agencies in Week 11). Essential reading Chapter 3: Strategies with individual students (Miller, 2003, pp. 41-56), relies on research to support and justify strategies to enable teachers to support behaviour. It is useful as a reference to justify strategies and policies. Additional resources • The video Early years - using puppets (ProTeachersVideo, 2005) demonstrates the use of puppets to mimic behaviour and how to use puppets to help with discussing morals and appropriate behaviour. http://www.proteachersvideo.com/Programme/215/early-years-using-puppets • The video Promoting student responsibility (AITSL, 2014) provides additional advice about Circle time application. http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/illustrations-of-practice/detail?id=IOP00251 • The video Personal, social and emotional development (ProTeachersVideo, 2006) illustrates how Persona dolls, circle time and hot seating are used to enable children to talk about their feelings and understand empathy in an early childhood setting. http://www.proteachersvideo.com/Programme/238/early-years-in-action-personal-social-and-emotional-development Top tips Keep a day book (e.g. a teacher's diary or professional calendar - view an example) in order to develop a big picture of what is happening in your class. You can add a general overview of what you are going to teach during the day and make notes about key observations, behaviour issues, reflections about your teaching etc. Note that as this is a working document which can be looked at by your colleagues, anything you write down must not be judgemental - just include facts and your reflections. Week 9: Community, culture and behaviour This week's focus We now have a good grasp of how the learning environment and procedures can impact on student learning, and you should be able to identify strategies for working with families. You should also have finalised and submitted your folio. This week, we study strategies to work inclusively and ethically with families and the community through the topic of community and culture. We will apply the learning materials to a familiar case study. We move on to the topic of community, culture and behaviour. Now that you have completed Assessment 2: Folio, your focus will shift to bringing all of the information together in order to prepare for Assessment 3: Case study. This week's objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: • identify cultural influences that may affect children's behaviour • analyse the impact of community and culture on children's behaviour • identify and develop strategies to work inclusively and ethically with families and the community. Reflection The readings this week continue to inform your education philosophy in relation to socio cultural constructs. This is also important when examining our own community and culture. How is your behaviour shaped by your socio cultural construct? How would this differ from other communities and cultures? Jack's birthday t is Jack's birthday. The whole class has joined in the celebration except Mehmet. The more you encourage him to participate, the more upset he gets, protesting that it is Ramadan and he is not permitted to eat during the day. What would you do? Stop the party – if Mehmet cannot participate, it is unfair to allow the other children to. Jack responds to his party being cancelled by bursting into tears. A number of the other students are also upset. This demonstrates the complexities that cultural issues can raise. When dealing with such issues, it is important to respond sensitively to ensure that no students are disadvantaged. Sit Mehmet in the corner away from the other children as you don't want to discourage them from enjoying Jacks party. Mehmet refuses to sit in the corner and continues to stand up and disrupt the party. This response is clearly not addressing the cultural influences on Mehmet's behaviour. Rather than seeking a diplomatic solution, you are effectively punishing Mehmet for his cultural beliefs. Pause the party to explain to the class why Mehmet cannot eat and then find another activity for Mehmet while the party continues. While some of the students grumble a bit at the party being halted, most are understanding. After the party is over, a few of them approach Mehmet and Jack offers him some food to take home. In dealing with the situation in a sensitive and diplomatic way, you have not only addressed the needs of all children but you have managed to create an opportunity for cross-cultural learning as well. This scenario illustrates our topic for the week: the impact of community and culture on children's behaviour. It is especially important to look at conflicting views and diplomatic resolutions to scenarios; with emphasis upon the child's care, education and learning at the centre of decision making. A welcoming and positive setting and school Think about the impression you get when you first visit a school or early learning centre. How do its values come through? How do these values reflect those of the surrounding community? The readings and resources that follow will help you to think more about how schools and centres can be positive environments where all students are welcome and all members of a community are embraced. Essential reading Read MacNaughton & Hughes (2011), Chapter 6: We respect 'their' culture pp. 57-67. This early childhood-focused reading introduces key concepts regarding culture, racism and respect. Additional resources • The following video Teaching with Cowley - starting over (ProTeachersVideo, 2005) http://www.proteachersvideo.com/Programme/1414/starting-over covers playground behaviour and how to manage it without letting it slip into the whole school day. Effective strategies and mechanisms are shared. Culture and behaviour As you will have observed throughout this unit, different cultures accept particular types of behaviour. This raises a number of important questions for teachers. Does culture stop at the classroom door or do you allow it into the school or early learning centre? How can you be consistent in recognising and respecting different cultural values while also managing your class effectively? Children need to know that expression of their culture is allowed, but at the same time they need to be aware of the rules within your class. Essential reading Chapter 18: Classroom management: The diversity learner (cultural, regional and economic) (Wolfgang, 2009, pp. 349-366), contains some useful cultural summaries which will help the developing teacher when considering how to support and engage with children and families from diverse cultures. It also revisits ideas about behaviour changing across generations and different family views on behaviour. Additional resources • This summary document from Kids Matter (2012) Cultural diversity and children's wellbeing http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/KMP_C1_CDCW_CulturalDiversityAndChildrensWellbeing.pdf considers the role of the teacher within cultural diversity and how culturally diverse Australia is. • This information from the Raising Children Network website (2012) Raising a child in a different culture http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/different_cultures.html presents some interesting issues about cultural differences and some challenges about racing children in a different culture, from the perspective of parents in Australia. • This resource Promoting positive behaviour and learning (© State of New South Wales through the NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2008) specifically focuses upon refugee children, but it can be adapted for all children and there are some great ideas and good practice examples. Week 10: Policies and frameworks This week's focus Having completed Assessments 1 and 2, you should have an understanding of what behaviour is, and the theory and frameworks that explain it, as well as the influence of community and culture on learning behaviour. However, it is important to realise that all of this information is framed by a larger structure, and we will begin to consider the effects governance and control of education can have on behaviour. This week we investigate the area of policies and frameworks and you will have an opportunity to apply these to a case study after conducting some research. The area of policies and frameworks forms a part of our outer conceptual ring and links to next week's discussion of support services. You should consider the role of the school/children's centre as part of a community that plays a part in influencing a child's behaviour. This week's objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: • identify policies and frameworks at state, national and school level that may influence classroom and behaviour management strategies • analyse policies and frameworks for establishing and maintaining a productive learning environment • analyse preventative models of behaviour management • analyse the ethical and cultural considerations and implications of policy in behaviour management. Reflection In relation to frameworks, identify the strategies you subscribe to. Why do you choose them? How does this reflect on your behavioural theory and education philosophy? Using this as a basis, is everything clear cut for behaviour in relation to policy and frameworks? Playing alone Omar has recently joined your grade 3 class. His parents arrived in Australia 18 months previously and they both work as doctors, which involves long hours. Since joining the school Omar has found it difficult to make real connections with his peers and as a result, has no friends at school. He often plays alone at recess and lunch. Lately Omar has become increasingly frustrated and agitated. He will not let the other children sit with him and he has started to throw toys and chairs and become quite destructive. He will not sit down and read a book or answer any questions. ________________________________________ What would you do? Bring in the school counsellor to help address Omar's behaviour. If your school has a counsellor, they can provide valuable assistance in dealing with children like Omar. Their training should help to support Omar to deal with his frustrations and re-engage with his work and his peers. Consult the school behaviour policy. All schools should have their own behaviour policies. As a graduate teacher, such policies should provide clear guidelines on how to manage the behaviour of children like Omar Work with colleagues to develop a behaviour support plan. A behaviour support plan will provide a set of concrete actions for addressing Omar's behaviour. Rather than focusing on Omar's immediate behaviour, such a plan will look to establish the causes of that behaviour and find ways to address these. Policies and frameworks As the scenario demonstrates, learning behaviour is not just an individual teacher's responsibility. Within any school or centre, policies and frameworks provide a range of support mechanisms. By this week, you should have an understanding of what behaviour is, and the theory and frameworks that explain it. However, it is important to realise that all of this information is framed by a larger structure. In our Week 10 topic, the importance of the governance and control of education and the effect upon behaviour is considered. A critical understanding to come out of this week is that sometimes there are conflicts between philosophical views and how a school/setting may manage and support behaviour. In addition, you should understand your role, and where managing behaviour sits within graduate teacher standards. Classroom organisation As we have mentioned previously, the way a classroom is organised is more than just its physical layout. It also includes "extra layers" as elements such as frameworks (as defined by the National Curriculum), policy (as formulated within the school), and the theory and learning models which are applied in the classroom. Essential reading Read Teaching: first principles (pp. 142-158 - scroll down to find the starting page) in Chapter 5: Behaviour support and management (Conway, 2009). This is the second part of the chapter introduced in Week 6, and focuses upon analysing and managing behaviour, providing some useful strategies for classroom organisation. Additional resources • This video Developing effective pastoral care provision in primary schools (ESaGS.tv, n.d.) describes the use of pastoral care to support classroom organisation. http://www.esags.tv/child-centred-provision/pastoral-care/developing-effective-pastoral-care-provision-primary/?locale=en Policy formulation As a graduate teacher, you would not be expected to write policy documents. However, you will be expected to put policy into practice, and you could be involved in discussions of policy change, so an understanding of policy, and how and why it is formulated, is important. Essential reading Chapter 18: Formulating a discipline policy (Porter, 2007, pp. 234-240) provides guiding steps in how to formulate a useful policy. Behaviour support plan By combining strategic approaches and policy frameworks, you can develop a behaviour support plan. A behaviour support plan is a school-based document designed to assist individual students who have experienced harm, are at risk of harm, or have caused harm to others. One useful method that can be used to develop such a plan is the ABC model of behavioural analysis (click the link for more information). ABC model of behavioural analysis The ABC model of behavioural analysis explains behaviour in terms of: 1. Antecedents: the triggers or things that happen before the behaviour becomes evident. These could range from having a nightmare and not enough sleep to the birth of a new sibling or parents getting divorced. 2. Behaviour: the physical thing which you as a teacher will see, i.e. the tantrum, the shouting, the pinching, the slap, the silence, the crying etc. – remember this is something which is out of the ordinary and persistent. 3. Consequences: what happens after the behaviour occurs; does the child receive extra attention? Get out of doing something they don't like? Get moved to sit with someone they get on with? Get to go outside or to a special place to calm down? The ABC model can be compared to an 'iceberg'. We (teachers and parents) react to what we can see - the top of the iceberg - but the important part is the big base of the iceberg. Information acquired over a period of time from ABC analysis can be fed into the behaviour support plan. The plan has specific goals and focuses on the antecedents as well as the behaviour and consequences. The plan is never constructed in isolation but is a team approach, and ideally parents (and child if appropriate) should be involved. The 'team' writing the plan needs to focus on the priority areas for which to set targets; for example, if the child is violent and hurting themselves or others, this is the priority. Essential reading Read the section How can I collaborate with others to conduct a functional behavioural assessment? (pp. 279-286 - scroll down to find the required pages) in Chapter 7: Creating a classroom environment that promotes positive behaviour (Salend, 2001). It describes how to conduct a behaviour analysis and use the information gathered as the basis for a behaviour support plan (called a behavioural intervention plan in the reading). Additional resources • This page from DEECD Victoria (2013) Behaviour support plans offers lots of detail about how to write a behaviour support plan and when they are useful. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/teachplans.aspx Ethics Ethics is embedded in the Australian curriculum, and underpins the way in which any response to behaviour in the classroom is conducted. An ethical understanding of behaviour relates to an understanding of how behaviour impacts upon others, as well as the role of culture in our differing expectations of what is acceptable behaviour. This is an important dimension that must be considered in your response for Assessment 3. The following page from the Australian Curriculum (n.d.) website Ethical understanding http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Ethical-understanding/Introduction/Introduction discusses how ethical understanding (and behaviour) is embedded from foundation age upwards across the curriculum. Week 11: External support services This week's focus Last week, we looked at policies and procedures. You should now be able to explain the roles of policies and procedures in managing learning behaviour. You should also be able to describe the processes for developing policy, and the role of the graduate teacher in policy development. This week, we look at external support services. As you can see, we have reached the final component in our conceptual framework. The resources and activities presented this week will provide the final information required for you to complete Assessment 3: Case study. This week's objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: • identify the role of external agencies in supporting and managing behaviour • identify external support services available for educators and families. Helping Ghedi Two years ago, Ghedi and his family escaped from a violent civil war in Somalia to begin a new life in Australia. His family have experienced all of the difficulties you would expect of a family trying to adjust to a society so different from the one they have fled. They have suffered homesickness and the after-effects of trauma associated with war. At home, Ghedi's family speak Somali. You are a room supervisor in a long day care centre that Ghedi attends. Ghedi talks very little in class and often sits quietly away from the other children in an attempt to escape notice. He seems incapable of following simple directions and has few play skills. He has recently scored low on an IQ test. ________________________________________ What would you do? Just give Ghedi more time. He is only little and he is still adjusting to a new way of life. You wait longer for Ghedi to 'settle in' and he becomes more withdrawn and unhappy in the process. You would like to talk to his parents but you feel that it is too difficult to communicate with them when English isn't their first language. The longer you leave it the harder it becomes to raise your concerns. Ghedi's behaviour gets worse and worse and eventually his parents withdraw him from the centre. You manager calls you in to a meeting and asks you to explain what happened. Research some support and interpreter services in the area. You find some resources and services in the local community and make contact with some experts that provide practical ideas on how to help with the inclusion of Ghedi. You are also able to connect Ghedi's family up with these services and it helps them feel like they belong in the community, and that there are other people in their situation. Speak to Ghedi's parents about the IQ test. You speak to Ghedi's parents about his test and you notice they are anxious and confused over what the test means. You are not sure they fully understand what you were trying to communicate. They become more withdrawn themselves and you notice that they are now avoiding talking to you about Ghedi's day and the experiences that he has been involved in. You wonder whether your approach was too blunt. External support services You've done everything you can. You've read up on the theory and analysed the students and their relationships. You've followed all the strategies and the policy guidelines. But still it does not seem to make a difference. As we draw to the end of this unit, it's important to remember that you are a teacher, not a super hero. You should realise that you cannot support every child by yourself, and also that each child will require differing levels of support at different times. For some children and educators, external agencies (both government and commercial) are required to facilitate change. During this week, you will get the chance to research some of the services and agencies that support teachers in their role. Online resources Each state's Department of Education or Children's Services should provide information on external support services, for example: • Victoria's Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx • NSW's Department of Family & Community Services website. http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/ You should take some time to review the information for your relevant state. The following provide examples of some further external support resources: • Triple P (Families NSW, n.d.) - a positive parenting support program which is offered across Australia http://www.families.nsw.gov.au/triple-p/triple-p-index.htm • Counselling behaviour (TeachersTV, n.d.) - in this video clip, a school counsellor in Sydney discusses welfare and the importance of communication (note: you will need to set up a free account at TeachersTV to view this clip) http://teacherstv.com.au/Video/755/ • School-wide positive behaviour support (Northern Territory Government Department of Education and Children's Services, 2013) https://nt.gov.au/learning/primary-and-secondary-students/health-and-wellbeing-of-students Week 12: Conclusion and consolidation This week's focus This week, we will begin to look at the factors that influence behaviour. We start by looking at those factors within the inner ring of our unit map, which focus on the immediate relationships the child forms within their learning environment. The first of these factors we will cover is relationship with self, and you will have a chance to apply your research to the stories of Robert and Tanya. Putting the tools into action Congratulations on completing EDU20004 Understanding and Supporting Behaviour. We hope you have learned a lot about behaviour in the classroom, and that the conceptual framework we have followed has been helpful in demonstrating the range of factors that can influence behaviour, both directly and indirectly. We also hope that you feel more confident about going into a classroom and putting into action the assortment of tools and strategies you have developed and collected, particularly via your Learning behaviour folio. Good teachers clearly understand that they are involved in a process of lifelong learning. During this final week, you will get a chance to review and consolidate the framework and consider your future development. Essential reading Wright (2013), Chapter 9: Working with others (pp. 177-184) and Final word (p. 185) will enable you to identify the next steps in your development, as well as offering guidance on how to translate your philosophy into practice. Additional resources The following provide examples of some of the external support available: • Teacher tension (ProTeachersVideo, 2005) - a useful video clip which shows how to manage personal stress and tension, as well as emphasising the value of a support network for all teachers when managing and understanding behaviour http://www.proteachersvideo.com/Programme/1415/teacher-tension • Managing challenging behaviour with children who have additional needs - an extract from the National Childcare Network (Shaw, 2010) which provides some useful advice about supporting children with additional needs. http://ncac.acecqa.gov.au/educator-resources/pcf-articles/managing_challenging_behaviours_chn_addtl_needsJune2010.pdf • For students to flourish we must cherish teachers (Roffey, n.d.) - an article which looks at the impact of Teacher Wellbeing. http://educationmattersmag.com.au/students-flourish-must-cherish-teachers/