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Welcome

The Student Engagement Formula Tutorial 5: Positive Environment

Your presenter: Rob Plevin Behaviour Needs Ltd

Recap – Tutorial 1

The buy-in phase: • Set the mood for the lesson • ‘Warm-up’ and get ready for learning through physical and brain-based

activities • Invite and stimulate interest in a topic • State objectives or goals • Explain and/or discuss the relevance and importance of a topic • Give demonstrations, explanations and examples • Question current knowledge • Introduce new material to the student for the first time

Recap – Tutorial 2

Variety and activity: • Active Strategies • Active lessons • Active ‘responders’ • Classroom Games • Active Breaks • Drama & Role Play • Technology

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Recap – Tutorial 3

Cooperative group work and interaction: • Activities for whole-class interaction • Activities for Pair Work • Activities for Group Work • Tips for managing group work sessions

Recap – Tutorial 4

Share and consolidate: • Questioning • Discussions • Teach-backs • Mini-Reviews • Reviews

Goal for Today

Identify ways of creating a positive classroom environment to improve student engagement & motivation.

“I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a

teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I

can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated

and a child humanized or de-humanized.” Dr. Haim Ginott

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What sort of things will cause students to experience negative moods and stress in the classroom?

Positive Environment

Today’s menu • Attitude and approach • Physical environment • Relationships • (Humour, music, fill-ins and energisers) • Materials • Positive feedback • Support

Positive Environment

Attitude & Approach • Expectations • Warm, enthusiastic greeting at the door • ‘High Fives’ & handshakes • Smiling at them • Less criticism and more encouragement • Focusing on what they do right rather than what they do wrong

Positive Environment

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Physical Environment

Which variable do you feel will have the biggest influence over student achievement?

• Seating arrangements • Room temp • Lighting • Room size • Organisation/tidiness • Ambience/Décor • Acoustics

Positive Environment

Seating Arrangements

Positive Environment

A

B

C

D

E

Positive Relationships

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Positive Relationships

Relationships are like an emotional bank account.

We improve them by making deposits & ADDING VALUE

Positive Relationships

How?

Positive Relationships

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Teacher/Student - Showing we care

Positive Relationships

Teacher/student - Communicate

Positive Relationships

Gossip Zone

Facts & Info

Emotions & Feelings

Community Building

Positive Relationships

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Positive Relationships

Positive Relationships

‘He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged.’

Benjamin Franklin

‘We do not love people so much for the good they have done us than for the good we do them.’

Leo Tolstoy

“To get someone to like you, just get them to do you a favour.”

Jecker and Landy (1969)

The Franklin Effect

Positive Relationships

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The Attraction & Rejection Game

B is attracted to A

B advances towards A

A moves away from B

B stops pursuing A

A is attracted to B

A advances towards B

B moves away from A

A stops pursuing B

Warning

Think of a student who gives you difficulty

Describe what sort of things would happen if you had a fantastic positive relationship with this particular child – how would they behave towards you in and out of class, how would you behave towards them? In what way would your teaching life be better?

“3 minutes per day, 20 days”

The Relationship Challenge

Let’s give Jonny some praise...

Positive Feedback

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Making praise & encouragement more effective

Positive Feedback

• Proximity praise • Indirect 1 – “Have you noticed how much Sally has improved?”

• Indirect 2 – “Go and have a look at Paul’s work – he’s very good at this.”

• Presupposing – “You’re going to be brilliant at this.” • Written praise – Post-It notes, cards, letters, marked books, texts etc.

•Staffroom praise board

Positive Feedback Praise strategies

The students’ favourite...

Positive Feedback

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Positive Feedback

Would you like to know how to instantly appear...

Taller?

Thinner?

Younger?

GLOWS

Positive Feedback

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Making GLOWS more effective

• Use their name

• Tell them ‘WHY’

• Finish with an open ended question

Positive Feedback

Spread the lurrrve

• 264 low and high ability students in 12 classes in 4 schools – analysis of students at top and bottom of each class.

• Same teaching, same aims, same class-work.

• Three kinds of feedback: scores, comments, scores and comments

Positive Feedback Feedback Achievement Attitude

Scores none Top +ve, bottom -ve

comments 30% All +ve

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What do you think happened to the students given both comments and scores?

A: Gain 30; Attitude: All +ve

B: Gain 0%; Attitude: Top +ve, bottom –ve

C: Something else

Feedback Achievement Attitude

Scores none Top +ve, bottom -ve

comments 30% All +ve

Positive Feedback

• Should focus on small steps - give them chance to succeed, raise their self esteem

• Should acknowledge achievements made

• Should give them guidance for further success

Positive Feedback

Problems with rewards

• No use if the student lacks skills • They reduce interest in the work • Only useful for LOW ORDER tasks • Effectiveness wears out over time • Rely on member of staff being present

Positive Feedback

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Spontaneous rewards

Positive Feedback

Helping students help themselves

• Self Check, Partners, Me • ‘I’m Good At…’ Board • Help Tokens • Nominated Helpers • Buddies • Graphic Organisers & Learning Wheels • ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ Card • Produce their own checklists & flow charts

Support

Collaboration

Music Fun and humour Energisers and breaks