We read lots about positive behaviour approaches in school policies and some might say that we're doing no good ignoring the negative stuff. Some say it's important to get kids to face up to the fact that they have messed up and need to sort it out. I have commented in the past on the capacity of some children to manage this process without external help. Those who are struggling with mental issues, stress and anxiety really do need us to downplay the negative stuff as it arrives and instead of hitting them head on with consequences, we might be better off helping them develop an understanding of how the incident arose, their responses and perhaps some alternative approaches they might take in the future.
When under stress, many of us will work on the fight, flight principle and our responses might not be the best when viewed with a calm head, so it stands to reason that we should be focussing on calming children down first, rather than pumping them up with more stress and confrontation.
When I mark children's work, I always tick the stuff that is ok and put a dot where they haven't got it right. The kids pick up on this really quickly and ask what the dot is for. My response is simple ' I have started to make a tick and wanted you to check if you had it right first' When the child has a second look and made the necessary correction, I complete the tick and avoid the negative judgement inherent with a cross. Also avoid using red pens, try using pencil, it shows trust
With SEBD children, this step is really important if you don't want to see work screwed up or worse still, have a child who refuses to put pen to paper lest they should make a mistake.
I always think if it works with the most challenging, it will also work with the rest
When under stress, many of us will work on the fight, flight principle and our responses might not be the best when viewed with a calm head, so it stands to reason that we should be focussing on calming children down first, rather than pumping them up with more stress and confrontation.
When I mark children's work, I always tick the stuff that is ok and put a dot where they haven't got it right. The kids pick up on this really quickly and ask what the dot is for. My response is simple ' I have started to make a tick and wanted you to check if you had it right first' When the child has a second look and made the necessary correction, I complete the tick and avoid the negative judgement inherent with a cross. Also avoid using red pens, try using pencil, it shows trust
With SEBD children, this step is really important if you don't want to see work screwed up or worse still, have a child who refuses to put pen to paper lest they should make a mistake.
I always think if it works with the most challenging, it will also work with the rest