How can educators encourage effective behavior for learning?

How a school, as a whole establishment, approaches behavior for learning is vital, taking into consideration the ‘triangle of influence’ as promoted by Powell and Tod (forthcoming) and Brofenbrenner (1979). Educators ‘need to construct learning environments in which school is thought of as a place where learning, understanding, improvement, and personal and social developments are valued and in which social comparison of a student’s ability is de-emphasized’ (Kaplan et al., 2002). To enable this to happen, school educators first of all need to have a productive, consistent and supportive relationship with their learners. Within this type of environment self-motivation will be encouraged and learners will develop independent learning skills and adopt positive behaviors from role models and through clear guidelines produced by the school. It is clear from this that as Cooper et al. (2000) say, the way a school community responds to a learner’s difficulties is imperative for that learner’s future and should never be under-estimated. Crisp and Soan (2003: 155) reinforce this when writing: ‘Many problematic situations can be solved, or at least improved, when school educators, parents and learner work together to alleviate the barrier(s) to learning.’

ethos of mutual respect to be established between educator and learner and can ‘contribute to improved confidence and self-image’ (DfES, 2001: 3:14). The Qualified Teacher Status Standards also state that teachers must demonstrate that: ‘They know a range of strategies to promote good behavior’. Educators also need to value learners’ individual achievements and to develop an environment that does not encourage competitive cultures within the classroom. By taking into consideration such factors, educators are not only considering the learning environment but are also developing the relationship between themselves and the learners. This is vital if appropriate learning behaviors, motivation and confidence are to be promoted in a manner that actually reduces the challenging behavior of a school’s learners (Thacker et al., 2002).

Discussion

Reconsider a previous situation in which you had to deal with a learners difficult behavior. Were you able to use the school systems to support you and did you investigate the learning environment as well as the behavior?