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Basic Behaviour Management
Strategies
Dos and Don’ts
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Behaviour management strategies for the classroom
Below are some simple and effective behaviour management strategies that can
be used in the classroom today!
 Be confident. This will show students that you are in control and mean
what you say.
 Stay calm. This is especially true if you have students who have
developmental disabilities as they may unintentionally imitate your levels
of stress.
 Condense your language. Use simple, clear directions in short sentences
and emphasise key words.
 Use visual cues. Visual information is easier for some students to
understand. Visual information can be contacted to the student’s desk,
pinned up around the classroom and most importantly can be referred to
by the student at any time.
 Plan for success. Be organised, know what it is you want to achieve and
organise the teaching environment to minimise potential distractions.
 Ensure you have a student’s full attention. Firmly ask students to stop
what they are doing and to look at you.
 Be consistent. A consistent classroom environment and approach helps a
student understand you and your expectations.
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 Give choices. Offering a student a choice (from a limited number of
appropriate options) allows them to feel that they are in control and they
will be more likely to comply with your directions.
 Deliver positive reinforcement verbally when a student chooses
appropriate behaviours. This not only gives the student’s appropriate
behaviour the attention that it deserves, it also helps students understand
the positive/ ‘good’ thing they are doing.
 Where possible, tactically ignore a student’s negative and inappropriate
behaviours. Continually giving attention to a student’s inappropriate
behaviours will not help a student understand what it is they are expected
to be doing.
 Use rewards. While rewards can be motivating for individual students,
offering a reward for appropriate behaviour or completing a less
preferred task helps students understand the give and take nature of
social interactions.
 Teach students alternatives. A student may not know a more appropriate
way of getting their message across so teach them how to replace
inappropriate behaviours with more acceptable ones.
 Avoid discussions or arguments. Clearly state your expectations for the
student, don’t be drawn into a verbal confrontation and if you reduce your
demands ensure you have made the decision to do so…not the student.
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Behaviours to avoid in the classroom
Below are some simple behaviours teachers should avoid using in the classroom.
Verbal:
 Yelling
 Saying ‘I’m the boss’
 Using sarcasm
 Insisting on having the last word
 Mimicking the student
 Insisting the teacher is right
 Using insulting or embarrassing putdowns
 Nagging
 Bringing up unrelated events
 Making generalising remakes
 Making accusations that are unsubstantiated
Physical:
 Using tense body language i.e. clenched hands, rigid posture
 Being commanding, demanding and dominating
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Emotional:
 Attacking the student’s character
 Making comparisons with other students
 Rewarding students for unacceptable behaviour
 Drawing unrelated students/ teachers into the conflict
 Having a double standard
 Making assumptions
 Backing the student into a corner
 Holding a grudge
 Pleading or bribing
Instead ask yourself these questions and challenge your thinking!
 What is the purpose of the student’s behaviour?
 Why are they behaving in this manner?
 What is happening from the student’s point of view?
 How am I feeling about the student’s behaviour?
 Did I contribute to the student’s response?
 Can I deal with this situation right now?
 Do I need more support or information?
© engagingresources 2016
The hunt for engaging resource’s resources on TES is on! LEM2001!
Maintaining appropriate behaviour
Below is a quick visual guide to maintain appropriate behaviours displayed by students in
the classroom. The flow chart starts off with the least intrusive behaviour
management strategies through to the most intrusive.
The key to remember is establish order and then respond flexibly to behaviours.
© engagingresources 2016