each time it occurs
• being fair to everyone by not having a favourite learner, or by letting some learners get away with things
• being pleasant and polite
• challenging inappropriate behaviour, comments and language
• demonstrating good practice by leading by example
• demonstrating positive body language
• encouraging trust, honesty, politeness and consideration towards others
• ensuring you are non-judgemental
• listening to others’ points of view
• praising good practice
• reminding learners of the ground rules
• treating everyone as an individual and with respect
• trying not to talk at your learners, but talk and listen with them
• using learners’ names
• using lots of practical activities to stop learners becoming bored
• valuing others’ opinions and not imposing your own.
Activity
Take a look at the previous bullet list. What other ways could you demonstrate and promote positive behaviour and respect with your learners?
If you do experience any issues, you will need to handle the situation professionally, i.e. by not becoming emotional and keeping to the facts. If a learner insists on interrupting, you could hold up your hand, palm facing them, in the hope that this stops them. If not, you could ask them to make a note of the questions they were going to ask and state how you will answer them towards the end of the session. This should help to minimise any effect it may have on teaching and learning. If you do need to show disapproval, you could make it clear that it’s because of the way they have behaved, not because it’s them as a person. Don’t just ignore the behaviour thinking it will go away, address it immediately. However, with experience, you will realise that some things can be ignored, providing this does not affect the safety of your learners. For example, if a learner is attention seeking, they might stop when they realise they are not getting the attention they wanted.
Example
Shawn was giving a presentation to a group of 15 learners during a Monday morning session. Three learners in the group began talking among themselves about what they had done at the weekend. Rather than reprimand them, Shawn decided to stop speaking altogether and look at them. They soon realised he was no longer speaking to the group and so stopped talking.
In this example, the learners noticed the silence and then paid attention again.
You can help maintain motivation and promote good behaviour by including all learners during the session. Don’t leave anyone out; ensure everyone is asked a question or is involved in some way. Try and keep your sessions active wherever possible, and teach your subject in an interesting and challenging way. Ultimately, you need to find your own way of dealing with situations based upon your experiences. Don’t show favouritism, lose your temper, swear, or make any threats. Try to have a positive approach, praise performance and good behaviour, and be consistent and fair to everyone. Most learners respond positively to a well-organised course taught by an enthusiastic teacher who has a genuine interest in them and the subject.
Attitudes affecting behaviour
If you can model good behaviour, and inform your learners that you expect good behaviour from them, this should lead to a positive learning experience. If you have a positive attitude, hopefully your learners will too. They will want to learn, and will not want their peers to affect that learning. Some learners might not have engaged with education in their past, perhaps had a bad learning experience or had a teacher who could not control the group. They will, therefore, have returned to education not wanting these experiences repeated.
It could be that your learners are not attending your course voluntarily, or they may be there for social reasons rather than having an interest in achieving something. They may, therefore, not be as keen as you would like them to be, and you will need to keep them continuously interested and motivated. A way of overcoming this might be to try and relate the subject to their interests and/or their personal or working life.
Example
Sahib was having problems with two learners on his Computing for Beginners course. One would talk over him and the other would use their mobile phone. He decided to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the next session asking each learner in turn (in front of the rest of the group) to state a reason for using a computer which they could relate to their personal or working life. He also asked the group to agree some ground rules which included switching off their mobile phones. This helped the two learners see the relevance of having various computer skills, and helped the other learners feel they were in a positive learning environment.
Betari’s cycle of conflict
Betari’s cycle of conflict, as in Figure 1.2, also known as Betari’s box, is about how attitude affects behaviour. For example, my attitude affects my behaviour, which affects your attitude which affects your behaviour, which in turn affects my attitude and so on. It’s not clear where the name Betari came from or when it was created; however, attitudes, whether positive or negative, are reflected in behaviour. Positive attitudes should encourage positive behaviour in yourself, as well as in others. This can be through words and actions, verbal and non-verbal messages and body language. If an attitude is positive, it can help others be positive; the same will apply if it’s negative.
Figure 1.2 Betari’s cycle of conflict
Example
Gemma, a learner attending cookery classes, really enjoys the subject. She likes using practical skills and often tries new recipes, makes mistakes and learns from them. Today, she has a different teacher, Abigail, as her usual teacher is absent. Abigail is quick to notice when Gemma is struggling and takes over what she is doing. This continues throughout the session, therefore Gemma now stops when she is unsure of something and calls over Abigail. Because of Abigail’s attitude and behaviour towards Gemma’s learning, Gemma has adapted her attitude and behaviour to fit in with Abigail.
To change the attitude and behaviour of others you may need to be aware of your own attitude and how it affects your own behaviour. You can then notice how your behaviour affects other people’s attitudes and behaviour. You can break the cycle by noticing how the behaviour of others makes you do what you do and by refusing to let it affect you. You will need to recognise negative cycles and turn them into positive ones; this applies to yourself as well as to your learners.
The following are some strategies which you could use with your learners:
• allocate time at the beginning of the course, or each session, to find out what your learners’ attitudes are to the subject, i.e. have they had good or bad experiences which might affect their learning?
• ensure all learners can participate
