5 must read articles about boosting emotional resilience

What makes one person have the ability to 'bounce back' and recover from even the most difficult situations, while another who faces the same adversity dramatically struggles?

Emotional resilience has been described as 'the ability to adapt to stressful situations or crisis'.

Researchers have shown that although people may be born with some innate resilient qualities, these are certainly not fixed traits. In other words, emotional resilience skills in children and adults can be taught and strengthened, leading to more robust mental health and fewer emotional and behavioural problems.

Want to know what can we do to promote emotional resilience in both ourselves and our students?

Here are five solutions:

10 traits of Emotionally Resilient People (psychologytoday.com)

In this article, you can discover how to be able to 'bounce back' from the difficulties that life throws at us.

Personally, I find number 8, 'enlist your team' is absolutely vital.

It takes a lot of guts to ask for help, but you can guarantee that you will fare better in a crisis if you have built a network of supportive people around you.

Building resilience in children (healthychildren.org)

Much research has concluded that resilience building begins at home.

There's plenty of useful tips and advice for parents to be found in this article from healthychildren.org.

Resilience building is categorised into 7 'C's': Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, Contribution, Coping and Control. Parents can use these guidelines to help their children recognise their inner resources and abilities.

10 phrases you hear in resilient families: are you using them? (kidspot.com.au)

This article is a comprehensive guide to the sorts of language to say to children, adapted to a range of difficult situations.

I like number 6. 'What can you learn from this so it doesn't happen next time?' is a great way to encourage a positive, problem solving approach that really empowers children to take responsibility. (That one came in handy when my son dropped my mobile phone in the toilet!)

This one also comes with a handy PDF poster to display around school, where parents can see it.

Developing resilience (mind.org.uk)

Developing Resilience is an incredibly useful, practical guide to making small changes to your lifestyle that will bring huge gains in your emotional resilience.

After all, it can be impossible to support others if we feel depleted ourselves.

This article explains some of the things you can do to help you deal with stress in the future, including looking after your wellbeing, taking breaks and reaching out to friends and family for support.

8 Ways to Help Your Students Build Resiliency (weareteachers.com)

So, what can we do in our classrooms everyday to help our students develop determination in the face of adversity?

weareteachers.com suggests '8 Ways to Help Your Students Build Resiliency'

This article focusses particularly on when students feel frustrated with a task and tempted to give up because they think they 'just can't do it.'

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Do you have problems with attention seeking students?

We'll show you a sequence that anyone can follow to help manage attention seeking pupils. You can start using it in your classroom tomorrow, and you don't have to be a behaviour expert to use it.

Download it here.

How to improve your classroom management (easily)

Classroom management is an essential skill for any teacher - it affects pupil motivation, engagement and progress. And yet, if you've decided you want to reap the benefits of better whole class management, it isn't always clear how to improve. Because the best teachers make it look... well, invisible.

That's where our Classroom Management Scoresheet comes in. Using our simple process, we can help you improve your behaviour management, step-by-step. Here's how it works.

1. Grab a copy of the scoresheet

First of all, head over to this page of our website and download a free copy of the Classroom Management Scoresheet.

The scoresheet is a list of clear, actionable behaviour strategies that the best teachers implement (and some 'sins' they avoid.)

It's based on our extensive experience of observing teachers across hundreds of classrooms.

2. Score a lesson

Use dice to pick a random lesson that you taught yesterday. This will stop you from picking a lesson when you were at your best.

Run through the scoresheet and tick off (honestly) the strategies you used. If you find this difficult, ask someone you trust to watch a lesson and do this for you.

Use the instructions in the pack to calculate your score (out of 50) and a ranking.

3. Pick one area of improvement

Now find one strategy or idea listed on the scoresheet that you didn't include in your teaching.

Over the next few weeks, make a point of exploiting that strategy in every single lesson that you teach.

If it helps, write it on a sticky note and paste it on your desk as a reminder.

4. Improve your score

Once you feel that the new strategy has become second nature, complete another copy of the scoresheet for an up to date lesson.

Remember to do this for a random lesson - don't cherry pick lessons you thought went well.


Calculate your new score - you will see an improvement. Congratulations!

Now pick another idea that you were missing from the scoresheet and starting incorporating that into your practice.

Rinse and repeat the process until you have achieved the 'ultimate' ranking.

Staff meeting activity

To read a 15 minute staff meeting activity that accompanies this post, and to download the resources that support it, visit our website.

Free guide to managing attention seeking students

Free guide to managing attention seeking students.

Don't forget: we are currently offering a free classroom management guide that explains how to support children who present attention seeking behaviour.  Get it today.

How to stop your class in their tracks

Getting your whole class to stop and listen is a crucial part of keeping order and conveying information. However, getting everyone to stop quickly can sometimes be easier said than done. Waiting around for children to stop is boring and resentment can rapidly build as valuable learning time is wasted. When a class is slow to stop, it also significantly decreases the amount of pace you are able to inject into a lesson.

So - what do you about classes that find it difficult to come together as a group? Here is our guide to stopping your class in their tracks.

Why do they do that?

Some pupils have realised that NOT stopping when everyone else does, gains them a lot of attention. This can feel very powerful.

We know that some pupils need more attention than others and some would rather receive negative attention (i.e. being told off) than no attention at all.

Those students quickly work out this nifty trick to draw all eyes to them; deliberately carry on with what you are doing when the teacher has asked everyone to stop.

Remember: ANY reaction at all, is giving attention. That includes sighing, frowning, looking, tense body language, telling off, using the pupil's name, asking others to ignore them etc.

Starve unwanted behaviours by withdrawing attention completely and remaining neutral.

What can you do about it?

Here are key tips for getting your class to stop when you want them to:

• Don't stop the class too often; make sure that when they stop, it's for an important piece of information, delivered animatedly. Keep it short and sweet, otherwise it becomes irritating to keep being interrupted.
• Use a clear stop signal (not your voice). Musical instruments are popular. As are chants where the class replies. e.g. Teacher: 'One, two three...' Class: 'Eyes on me!'
• Follow up with immediate praise, attention and recognition for those who HAVE stopped straight away.
• Resist the temptation to stare or wait out anyone who is deliberately not following instructions. Instead, make a statement such as 'We're moving on now.' This lets pupils know that you won't let the learning be held up.
• Use a visual signal such as a gesture or an image on the board to back up your stop command.
• Make stopping fun!

Staff meeting activity

To read a 15 minute staff meeting activity that accompanies this post, and to download the resources that support it, visit our website.

Free guide to managing attention seeking students

Free guide to managing attention seeking students.

Don't forget: we are currently offering a free classroom management guide that explains how to support children who present attention seeking behaviour.  Get it today.

Ouch! Common classroom management mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Classroom management is crucial to good teaching.

In fact, it is such an important part of what makes a lesson successful, that poor behaviour management can turn a great lesson into an average one.

And that got us thinking - are there any common mistakes that teachers and teaching assistants make that should be avoided at all costs?

To get an answer, we asked four behaviour management experts from around the world the following question:

What is the most common mistake you see teachers making when it comes to whole class management? (And how would you avoid it?)

Are you guilty of any of the following?

Dr. Mac (behavioradvisor.com)

To the eye of the experienced consultant, two blunders are especially common:

1) The rules and consequences charts are prominent on the front wall, but now partially covered by subject matter posters. When addressing inappropriate behaviour, the teacher never refers to the charts while s/he ad libs warnings and threatens all sorts of punitive outcomes. If only those rules had remained the standard, and the teacher’s focus placed upon recognising those pupils who displayed appropriate actions, the classroom climate would be much different. (http://www.behavioradvisor.com/4Components.html)

2) The phrasing of directions, praise, criticism and other commentary is stated in ineffective, or even counter-productive wording. Unaware of recent research, teachers tell kids that they are “smart” and “good”, and criticize youngsters with “you are…” messages. They tell kids what NOT to do versus what TO DO. (http://www.behavioradvisor.com/715TipsInsert.html & http://behavioradvisor.com/Praise.html & http://behavioradvisor.com/Criticism.html)

There are a grand number of helpful websites offering free tips for master teaching. Youtube is filled with how-to-do-it videos on classroom behaviour management. Immerse yourself!

Tom McIntyre, a former teacher of students with behaviour disorders and learning disabilities, is now a Professor of Special Education and Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Behavior Disorders at Hunter College of the City University of New York. An entertaining presenter, and author of 3 books and over 100 articles, he promotes practical, positive, and respectful management of defiant and aggressive behaviour.

Bob Brandis (reliefteaching.com)

The most common mistake teachers make with behaviour management is to plan for misbehaviour instead of learning. Students relate best to teachers who are authentic. These are the teachers who plan for learning and value add to students' days. Authentic teachers plan their days around students’ learning needs with little thought to misbehaviour in the classroom. 

Students respond to authenticity because they see the value that participation has for them. It is in their best interest to participate.

It is a common mistake to plan activities that keep students quiet and passive. Such is the proliferation of the handout and the worksheet. The “DO THIS and SIT QUIETLY” activity.

Students will disengage from this style of activity and the teacher is forced on the defensive for the duration of the lesson. The teacher will be forced to respond to misbehaviour until the student believes there is an authentic reason to participate.

Seriously! How long would you engage in an activity that you feel is not going to value-add to your day?

Bob Brandis's website (reliefteaching.com) is about effective classroom practices – particularly for those relief teaching and in the role of providing support for students while their regular teachers are on other duties.

Ollie Frith (Head of Training at Pivotal Education)

The feeling of ‘in control’ is an odd one, and distorts a teacher's idea of how to interact with a whole class. The desire to assert one’s status as a means to establish classroom management will just foster resentment or at times mockery. ‘They wouldn't behave badly for me, they wouldn't dare’ attitudes are completely counter productive.

There is no need to constantly remind your class of your position of authority, your learners will appreciate it more when you talk to them on the level and don’t hide behind redundant power struggles in order to feel authoritative. You are not there to control them, your role as teacher is to create a positive environment to empower your learners to manage their own behaviour effectively.

Creating a collaborative culture where your learners don’t feel the need to battle with you will encourage their respect and desire to work alongside you.

Pivotal Education Ltd is a multi award winning Education Consultancy working in the UK and Internationally. Founded in 2001 Pivotal Education has always been committed to providing exceptional training for teachers and across institutions. Its aim is to practice what we preach, to train teachers as skilfully as the best teachers teach students.

Dr. Douglas Brooks

The most common mistake that classroom teachers make in the management of whole classes is that they do not have an organised and systematic first day of school. Effective teachers use the first day of school to meet the emerging student needs in the order in which they emerge. Needs emerge in the following order regardless of grade level. What changes is the emphasis placed on each one depending on grade level.

1. Am I welcome here?

2. Am I in the right room?

3. What is this first day going to be about?

4. Where should I sit?

5. Are you interested in my as a person?

6. What are the rules in this classroom?

7. What are we going to learn. How are we going to learn it? and How am I going to be assessed?

8. Are you interested in me as a learner?

9. Who are you as a teacher and individual?

10. What should be done to be ready for tomorrow?

The longer students are in school, the more they expect the teacher to meet these needs on the first day. The longer students are in school, the more experience they have with effective teachers. So, at some point the students know what effective teaching looks like, they just want to see if the teacher knows. This starts with the organisation of the first day of school.

1. Greet the students at the door.

2. Take the role/register.

3. Provide a visual organiser for the first day and explain it.

4. Establish a seating arrangement that transfers to the next day.

5. Collect information about the student (3x5 cards work)

6 Review at least six essential rules for any classroom.

7. Discuss the content, methods and assessment strategies that will be used in the class.

8. Assess preferred learning styles (online formats or paper and pencil).

9. Describe some of your experiences in school (interests, hobbies, favourites).

10. Close the session by sharing what the next day will look like.

Dr. Douglas Brooks is a full professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. Dr. Brooks' is recognised as the first educational researcher to record and compare expert and novice clasrsoom teacher behaviour on the first days of school. He currently teaches courses in classroom management and grant writing.

Don’t forget!  You can still get our free guide to managing children who present attention seeking behaviour by clicking here.

How stress affects student behaviour

Kids are under pressure at school like never before, with ever higher academic expectations and repeated formal testing. Each successive government claims they will cut through unnecessary assessment and red tape, but children today seem under more pressure than ever before. And now the government has pledged to increase the length of the school day.

If this high-pressure environment takes its toll on teachers in the form of heightened stress, what are the effects on students?

Certainly, teachers report increasing levels of disruption with each passing year. Is there a link between the (increasingly unrealistic) standards agenda and the disaffection exhibited by a growing group of children?

This infographic from Online College Classes explains how stress impacts on the behaviour, aspirations and emotional well-being of students. And although it is pitched at an American audience, I believe the points it makes are applicable whatever side of the pond you live.

Check out the full infographic below.

From Visually.

Don’t make this basic mistake if you want to sound assertive.

Many teachers make one simple mistake that instantly reduces how assertive they sound: they use the word ‘please’. In this month’s guide, we explain why you should avoid using ‘please’ and switch to a much more powerful (but still polite) way of giving directions.

Our instant fix for assertiveness is to stop saying please and start saying thank you. So – wherever you would have said ‘please’ in the past, just substitute it with ‘thank you’. Here’s why it works:

'Please' is a request

Using ‘please’ indicates to a student that you are giving them the power to agree or refuse to your request. For instance:

“Can you put the ball away, please?” is a question, to which the student can reply yes or no.

“Put the ball away, thank you,” is an instruction that requires action from the student. It is assertive, but still models politeness.

'Please' lacks authority

When you say ‘please’, you are telling the other person that you are unsure of the outcome of your request. Your words lack certainty.

By using ‘thank you’, we can leverage a neat psychological trick.

‘Thank you’ tells the student that you are so confident that they will follow your instructions that you are thanking them for carrying them out before they have even acted. This adds weight and authority to your words.

'Please' affects your pitch

We are programmed from a young age to listen and respond to how words are spoken. When a speaker lilts their voice upwards towards the end of a sentence, it emphasises that they are asking a question or making a request (which sounds unassertive).

When you say the word ‘please’, your pitch will naturally rise to create this effect.

Try saying, “Can you put the ball away, please?” You will naturally use a higher pitch towards the end of your sentence.

Now try saying, “Put the ball away, thank you.” Saying thank you will make your voice drop at the end of the sentence, like a thumping great full stop. You will instantly sound more assertive.

Staff meeting activity

To read a 15 minute staff meeting activity that accompanies this post, and to download the resources that support it, visit our website.

Guide to managing attention seeking students

Don't forget: we are currently offering a free classroom management guide that explains how to support children who present attention seeking behaviour.  You can get it from here.

Five ADHD myths busted

According to a CDC screening programme in the United States, approximately 11% of pupils are now thought to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This means that your class could potentially have 3 pupils who may find it almost impossible to physically sit still and focus their attention on your lessons.

With that in mind, let’s look at the most common misunderstandings about ADHD…

1. It is not caused by...

...bad diet or poor parenting. It’s actually associated with structural and chemical alterations in the brain that children are born with.

2. It is not a condition...

...that is exclusively diagnosed in boys: girls can be affected too. Statistically, 13.2% of boys and 5.6% of girls are diagnosed with ADHD. Often, girls are more adept at mimicking social situations or learning rote responses, so their symptoms may be better hidden..

3. Medication does not...

...‘cure’ ADHD - it can merely help to manage the symptoms. (Neither is it true that ADHD medication is a tranquiliser, incidentally). Medication can have a number of serious side effects that have to be monitored.

4. ADHD does not...

...happen in only one setting. If you have ADHD, it’s a universal feature across all areas of your life: at home, at school, in the supermarket!

5. Teachers cannot...

...make an ADHD diagnosis. (And neither can educational psychologists, for that matter). But they can both support parents and assist in the diagnostic process by signposting pupils to paediatricians who are qualified to make a medical diagnosis.

Remember: a student doesn’t have to display both inattentiveness and hyperactivity to be considered for an ADHD diagnosis. Many students with ADHD only present one form of the symptoms related to the condition. 

Symptoms of ADHD

Symptoms can fall into the 'inattentiveness' or 'hyperactivity' categories.

Inattentiveness

• Short attention span
• Easily distracted
• Forgetful
• Unable to carry out instructions
• Flitting from task to task
• Difficulty with organisation
• Trouble completing tasks

Hyperactivity

• Constant fidgeting
• Excessive physical movement
• Excessive talking
• Unable to wait their turn
• Interrupting
• No sense of danger

(Source: NHS)

In conclusion...

...understanding that ADHD is a genuine, neurological condition that affects how your pupils think and behave is hugely important in working out ways to manage them effectively in your class. Many of the strategies for helping pupils manage ADHD are designed to improve attention and organisation, so of course they will benefit all of the other children in your class too.

Staff meeting activity

To read a 15 minute staff meeting activity that accompanies this post, and to download the resources that support it, visit our website.

Don't forget: we are currently offering a free classroom management guide that explains how to support children who present attention seeking behaviour.  You can get it from here.

How to convey calm during a classroom crisis

Happy new year!

 

To celebrate the start of the new year, we are giving away our 16 page guide to managing attention seeking students - for free!

 

To take advantage, head over to the free guide section on our website.

With that said, here's our guide about how to convey calm during a classroom crisis. 

Most teachers have felt totally frazzled by a pupil's behaviour at some point. However, when a crisis strikes, the situation will rarely improve unless the adult is able to give the impression that they are cool, calm and collected.

10% of all human communication is conveyed through the words we say, 30% is communicated by how we speak, and a massive 60% is conveyed by body language. Therefore, it's really important to practice the art of appearing 'neutral' and non-threatening. If you allow yourself to register a shocked or angry face in response to a pupil's behaviour, this can give off the wrong message and is guaranteed to make their behaviour worse.

With that in mind, here's our guide to giving off that calm vibe in a crisis - even if you actually feel like tearing your hair out!

1. Adopt a relaxed stance

Practice displaying a 'neutral facial expression' . This means softening your gaze, reducing eye contact and relaxing the facial muscles.

Match your body signals to your face, allow your shoulders to sink down, loosen your arms, and stand in an open posture (no arms folded or pointy fingers!) Stand still.

Hint: when people cross their body, it makes them look nervous. It's looks like they are getting ready to defend themselves from some form of physical attack!

Use a mirror to practice and perfect this technique!

2. Check your vocals

Make the effort to deliberately keep your voice low and your speech slow. Keep your breathing steady. When under stress, we tend to talk faster and in a higher pitch that can be stimulating to the fight/ flight part of human brains.

The children will naturally pick up on these cues and sense that you feel nervous or challenged.

3. Make like a swam

When managing highly stressful situations, the first person who needs to calm down is you!

Even if your heart is beating like the clappers, you can train yourself to give the illusion of being calm and in control. Be just like a swan: whilst it looks like the bird is gliding over the surface of a lake without a ripple, its legs are paddling furiously underneath!

4.  The psychological effect

The effect of this is that children feel safe in the knowledge that you are calm and you know how to handle the situation.

Children who are angry or distressed will struggle to process the words you are saying, but the primitive 'reptilian' part of the brain can still receive the reassuring non verbal signals you are sending.

Any onlookers also feel reassured that it is you, the teacher, who is in control.

Staff meeting activity

To read a 10-15 minute staff meeting activity that accompanies this post, and to download the resources that support it, go to this page on our website.

What to do when a student argues back

Most teachers have been there.  You make a perfectly reasonable request of a student (“Please put the game away, Kevin, it’s work time,”) and for the third time this week, Kevin begins drawing you into an argument in front of the rest of the class (“No – it’s not fair! When Mr. Jones was in, he let Kate have the game, so…”)

Arguments like these can escalate into a conflict that's played out in front of the entire class. So how do you successfully handle these kinds of situations? Here’s our guide to stopping arguments in their tracks.

1.  Don't argue

Okay, that’s easier said than done, but under no circumstances start arguing with a student about what is or is not fair. Or what the supply teacher let happen when you were out of class last Tuesday afternoon. Or exactly what constitutes work time. Or anything at all.

Here's why:

• It is highly likely that the student comes from a family where arguments are the norm. That means they’re probably better at arguing than you are. They're gold-medal standard arguers.
• The pupil is arguing to draw your attention away from their original behaviour, not to debate some perceived inequality. Don't fall for it.

2. Depersonalise

Make it clear that the conflict is not about you and the child, but about the school rules. For instance, “I’ve told you to put the game away,” feeds the argument. “The school rule is that there are no games during work time,” makes it clear this is not a personal conflict between you and the child.

Here's why:

• The student walks away at the end of the day without the feeling that the argument sprang from some personal dislike.

3. Issue an instruction.

We’re going to follow up our reference to the school rules with a clear, firm instruction indicating what the student should do next.

Bad: “I’ve told you to put the game away – do it now!” This personalises the conflict and, as a bonus, escalates it into a power struggle. It invites the classic response that, “You can’t make me”. (You can’t.)

Good: “The game needs to go away, now, thank you.” The required behaviour is clear and the direction is assertive. Not referring to yourself or the student in the sentence downplays the sense that one side will 'win'.

4. Be a brick wall.

Every time the student continues to argue, calmly, but firmly, restate the rule and instruction, repeating exactly the same wording. No deviations. “The rule is that there are no games during work time. The game needs to go away.”

This will end the argument.  Here's why:

• Because it takes two to tango. It is impossible (and infuriating) to argue with someone who firmly but politely repeats the same line.
• The student will learn that there is no point in arguing with you, because it doesn’t lead to any progress. It isn't any fun.

Staff meeting activity

To read a 10-15 minute staff meeting activity that accompanies this post, and to download the resources that support it, go to this page on our website.