Jill Morgan’s The Teaching Assistant’s Guide to Managing Behaviour is a brilliant addition to the Teaching Assistants Series of books by Continuum (Bloomsbury) publishers.
The introduction covers the importance of behaviour management, the TA role and the structure of the book. Chapters include:
Understanding behaviour
This covers the different perspectives of behaviour and our own philosophies. Theories are discussed with some practical exercises. Cultural differences and factors influencing behaviour are included.
The ABCs of behaviour
The chapter covers the triggers, behaviours and consequences. A number of exercises are included throughout.
Setting expectations of behaviour
Setting clear expectations for pupils is essential, which involves input from the school, the teacher and TA. This chapter includes transition time, routines/rules and adult behaviour.
Rewards and sanctions
This chapter covers the rewards for good behaviour and sanctions for bad behaviour. What types of rewards are effective (while supporting the teacher’s incentive plan)? Sanctions will be restricted to school policy.
Helping pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour
How bad is ‘bad behaviour’? Some recommendations are given on how to deal with specific situations, behaviour management plans, a case study and how to get pupils to evaluate their own behaviour.
Conclusion
A summary plus some general principles.