'Just in time' is a term more recently used by the manufacturing industry to describe a process which improves a company's work flow by reducing the stock held for manufacturing. This improves costs and keeps down overheads.
So how does this apply to behaviour management?
Well I think it works very well in schools too. For many schools, particularly those in challenging contexts, one of the key areas of focus is in emotional wellbeing. Schools work hard to grow this aspect and want parents, teachers and visitors to feel the difference they are making. I think it's probably one of the most difficult things to achieve.
There are some tools available for them to use, SEAL (Social and emotional aspects of learning) and anger management programmes being amongst the most popular.
The basis of these tools is to provide an understanding of some the problems by role play, discussion and explanation as well as perhaps having visitors who young people may relate to as well as videos. Many of these skills are taught in the classroom on a week-by-week basis and may even relate to behaviour issues that have occurred between sessions.
So here's the rub. There's a reason why schools may not be getting the success they would like to see - especially with the most challenging 15%, the ones we would really like to see some changes from. Learning about emotional intelligence and anger management is often done in isolation, away from the incident and sometimes hypothetically. Many of our challenging children really need to have skills building related very closely to what is really happening, concrete and at the time it is happening. They need to learn how it feels to be angry, at the time they are angry, and relate this to an adult who can help them undo their feelings by validating and supporting them.
Many schools have a high agenda of emotional wellbeing but still use a compliance model of behaviour management and for me, the two are incompatible. If we truly want to build emotional skills in our children, then we need to give them opportunities to make mistakes of judgement (which they will do in droves) and then we need to make the time to rescue, recover, review, repair and re-enter the pupils back into the learning environment as soon as is possible.
As we do the 5 R's, rescue, recover, review, repair and re-enter, we are coaching and building tools in them for the future. Emotional awareness, resilience and resolution skills take time to build but they stay a lifetime if done in context. Consistency and ensuring this process is separated out from any consequences is the key. The two need to be kept apart. This way, the child can focus on building up awareness of their emotions and managing the resolution pathways that may be open to them to follow (hopefully as part of the support programme) without the distraction of a punishment agenda.
It should be a resolution for the child first and then a resolution of the incident.
This is the principle of 'Just in time' coaching.- coach the skills at the time of the incident, with the goal of building emotional awareness, resilience and resolution skills. The goal should not be to seek revenge for any incident, as the compliance model does. 'You are accountable for your behaviour and will be punished accordingly' does little to build EI skills. Instead, it builds blaming skills and leads to a negative view of self which can also last a lifetime.
It is easier to build a child than to repair an adult
The pupils and staff of Grange Middle School in Harrow use transactional analysis to help to develop emotional literacy and improve behaviour.
Transactional Analysis relies on regular assemblies and the use of "circle time", in which children are encouraged to develop interpersonal skills through class discussion.
Key points covered on transactional analysis:
First published 8 Feb 2010
So how does this apply to behaviour management?
Well I think it works very well in schools too. For many schools, particularly those in challenging contexts, one of the key areas of focus is in emotional wellbeing. Schools work hard to grow this aspect and want parents, teachers and visitors to feel the difference they are making. I think it's probably one of the most difficult things to achieve.
There are some tools available for them to use, SEAL (Social and emotional aspects of learning) and anger management programmes being amongst the most popular.
The basis of these tools is to provide an understanding of some the problems by role play, discussion and explanation as well as perhaps having visitors who young people may relate to as well as videos. Many of these skills are taught in the classroom on a week-by-week basis and may even relate to behaviour issues that have occurred between sessions.
So here's the rub. There's a reason why schools may not be getting the success they would like to see - especially with the most challenging 15%, the ones we would really like to see some changes from. Learning about emotional intelligence and anger management is often done in isolation, away from the incident and sometimes hypothetically. Many of our challenging children really need to have skills building related very closely to what is really happening, concrete and at the time it is happening. They need to learn how it feels to be angry, at the time they are angry, and relate this to an adult who can help them undo their feelings by validating and supporting them.
Many schools have a high agenda of emotional wellbeing but still use a compliance model of behaviour management and for me, the two are incompatible. If we truly want to build emotional skills in our children, then we need to give them opportunities to make mistakes of judgement (which they will do in droves) and then we need to make the time to rescue, recover, review, repair and re-enter the pupils back into the learning environment as soon as is possible.
As we do the 5 R's, rescue, recover, review, repair and re-enter, we are coaching and building tools in them for the future. Emotional awareness, resilience and resolution skills take time to build but they stay a lifetime if done in context. Consistency and ensuring this process is separated out from any consequences is the key. The two need to be kept apart. This way, the child can focus on building up awareness of their emotions and managing the resolution pathways that may be open to them to follow (hopefully as part of the support programme) without the distraction of a punishment agenda.
It should be a resolution for the child first and then a resolution of the incident.
This is the principle of 'Just in time' coaching.- coach the skills at the time of the incident, with the goal of building emotional awareness, resilience and resolution skills. The goal should not be to seek revenge for any incident, as the compliance model does. 'You are accountable for your behaviour and will be punished accordingly' does little to build EI skills. Instead, it builds blaming skills and leads to a negative view of self which can also last a lifetime.
It is easier to build a child than to repair an adult
The pupils and staff of Grange Middle School in Harrow use transactional analysis to help to develop emotional literacy and improve behaviour.
Transactional Analysis relies on regular assemblies and the use of "circle time", in which children are encouraged to develop interpersonal skills through class discussion.
Key points covered on transactional analysis:
- It improves behaviour in the classroom
- It helps children express themselves better
- It creates a happier working and learning environment
First published 8 Feb 2010