4 Behaviour Management Techniques For Teaching Assistants

Managing classroom behaviour can be a challenge for teaching assistants and it is important that they can encourage suitable behaviour in class and around the school.

There can be many reasons why some students misbehave, and it is important to know which strategies work in the right situation. An approach which works in one school may not work in another, so it is important to know how to apply the positive behaviour system your school has as pupils will be familiar with it.

Watch and evaluate As a teaching assistant it is easier for you to see issues a teacher may not and deal with them when it happens. Meet with the teacher before the lesson and find out which students they want you focus on helping along with the best techniques to apply. From this you can establish what the expectations of the class are and relay this concisely to support the teacher. The school may have class charts on the computers, and you could look at this before you start a lesson as this is a good way to understand the background of the pupils in a class.

Encourage positive behaviour Don’t just punish bad behaviour as reinforcing positive behaviour can be more effective. For example, set an expected target and an exceeded target which students are rewarded for achieving. Give them encouragement and rewards when they do more than expected. It also sets out clearly what is and isn’t acceptable so they can understand what the consequence is if they don’t work.

Speak in a clear, calm way The way you speak to students and the tone of your voice can influence behaviour. Avoid shouting as it shows you are losing control. One approach is to speak to a pupil at the end of the lesson one-to-one as it avoids disrupting the whole class.

Give clear instructions as confusion can cause frustration leading to bad behaviour.

Get to know your students By getting to know your students it can be helpful with behaviour management as trusted relationships encourage a positive working attitude. Start by welcoming them and asking how their day is going. Remember something they said they were doing at the weekend and ask them about it.

To allow us to find you supply teaching work, the first step is to book a registration appointment at our York office.

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