Micro-skills of

Behaviour
Management
A Model by
Christine Richmond
Presented by
South Western Sydney Regional Behaviour
Team

Participants Booklet Four

The Language of Correction
DRAFT VERSION 1

Lyn Walkerden
5.3.08

Contents
Language of Correction

...2

Skill 7 Selective attending....3

Skill 8 Redirecting to the learning4
Skill 9 Giving a choice .....5
Least-to-most intrusive management strategies .6
Skill 10 Following Through .7
Debriefing .8

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Language of Correction
Review Date: _____________________

Correcting Students
Suggested Minimalist Strategies and Concepts

Yes/No/Consider

I deliberately convey a calm demeanour when correcting students.

I use body language cues to cue students to stop what they are
doing and resume working.
I use single words or short phrases to cue to stop what they are
doing and resume working.
I give students choices.
I reprimand infrequently, and then briefly and discreetly.
I engage in short, serious talks with students in out of class time in
order to express my concern about their learning.
I refer students to the School Counsellor when it is apparent that
they need on-going professional educational counseling.
I impose sanctions after careful consideration.
I use time out appropriately.
I impose detention when it is appropriate.
I follow through when I have made a decision to use a particular
strategy.
I refuse to be drawn into playing power games with students.
I develop a correction sequence to use in class.

What I plan to do in order to refine my approach to acknowledgement:

Richmond, (2007) Teach More Manage Less: A Minimalist Approach to Behaviour Management. Scholastic: Sydney

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Lyn Walkerden
5.3.08

Skill 7

Selective Attending
To deliberately give minimal attention to some behaviour

Why is selective attending an effective management skill?

It avoids unintentionally reinforcing off-task or disruptive behaviour, decreasing the
likelihood that this behaviour will be repeated.
It gives you time to think about how to handle the students behaviour in a
productive way.
It gives you time to attend to other students who are on-task.
It sends a message to all students about your expectations.
It is a powerful modelling device implying: I can stay focused on my work despite
the disruption.
It is a deliberate process used within a discrete timeframe, having a beginning and
an end.
Hints:
There is a difference between ignoring and selective attending. Ignoring
inappropriate behaviour may imply that the teacher is deliberately
demonstrating no outward awareness of it and is not monitoring the
behaviour. This may indicate that the behaviour is, in some way, being
tacitly condoned.
Selective attending requires the teacher to consider the inappropriate
behaviour being demonstrated and act immediately if safety is
compromised.
Selective attending may involve subtle signalling to the students who are
displaying appropriate behaviour that the inappropriate behaviour of others
has been noticed and that the teacher is deliberately choosing to pay
minimal attention to it. This has a powerful modelling effect.

How to use selective attending

1. Do it when the student is displaying off-task or inappropriate behaviour that is not
seriously disrupting others.
2. Keep this student in your peripheral vision. Avoid turning your back at this point as
you may miss an opportunity to use a descriptive encourager if the student
chooses to go on-task.
3. Attend to the student when:
a. the student displays on-task or appropriate behaviour (use a body language
encourager)
b. the student begins to seriously disturb others (redirect or give a choice)
c. the students off-task or inappropriate behaviour is maintained over an
extended period of time (determined by the teacher).
If you realise you are maintaining eye contact with an off-task student for too long,
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3

slide your eyes away.

Skill 8

Redirecting to the
Learning
To respectfully prompt an off-task and/or disruptive student to return to the learning task

Why is redirecting to the learning an effective management skill?

It provides a least-intrusive, positive, learning-focused prompt to resume on-task

activity, reducing the need for further correction.

It puts the responsibility onto the student.

It reinforces the importance of on-task behaviour.

Hints:
Avoid making a redirection to the learning sound like a threat or
punishment.
Remember the impact of body language, tone of voice, proximity and
facial expression when giving a redirection to the learning or choice.
It is important to be calm, clear, firm and positive in tone.
Keep language to a minimum.

How to give a redirection to the learning

1. When a student is off-task, the period of off-task behaviour is extending or they
become disruptive, redirect the student to their learning task by using one or more
of the following strategies:
Use your body language to redirect to the learning (e.g. proximity, gesture, facial
expression)
Ask a question about the task (e.g. Shane what question are you up to? or
Shane, are you working on the writing task now?
Offer teacher assistance (e.g. Shane do you need some help?)
2. Allow time for the student to process your redirection and comply (take-up time).
3. If the student resumes on-task behaviour, use a form of low-level
acknowledgement.
4. If the student maintains off-task behaviour, give a choice (see skill 9).
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Skill 9

Giving a Choice
describing the students options and likely consequences

Why is giving a choice an effective management skill?

It provides the student, or group, with information about your expectations and the
logical consequences of the choice.
It puts the responsibility onto the student.
Hints:
The most important factor in this skill is thinking carefully about the choice to be
given.
Pause to allow yourself thinking time.
Do not give a choice you cannot or will not follow through.
Avoid making this (giving a choice) sound like a threat or punishment
To avoid escalating situations, allow students time to think (take-up time) when
responding to your direction.

Do it when.
The student has remained, despite redirection, off-task and is disturbing other
students.
The student escalates their behaviour after you redirect them (eg sulks or argues).
The student is overly hostile to you and is challenging your management.
You cant think of anything else to do (i.e. a less intrusive option)

How to give a choice

1. Say [name] your choices are ..
2. Use a firm, calm and measured tone in close proximity to the student.
3. Walk away straight afterwards and scan back intermittently.
4. Chain to the most logical management skill, eg descriptive encouragement if they
return to the task, selective attending if they de-escalate the behaviour so that it is
no longer disturbing others, or follow through (skill 10) if behaviour escalates and
continues to disturb others.
5. Avoid making a choice sound like a threat remember body language (tone of
voice, proximity and facial expression).
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Least-to-most intrusive management

strategies
In pairs complete the following activity:
Cut out the individual management strategies.
Negotiate with your partner to re-arrange them from least-to-most intrusive.

Parental contact: negative feedback

Pause in teacher talk
Give clear choice
Move student in the room - reactive
Waiting and scanning
Have a third party direct the student to leave the classroom
Selective attending
Physical proximity
Smile
Non-verbal redirection - gesture
Eye contact and pause
Rule reminder - question
Calling the students name
Move student in the room - proactive
Distraction/diversion
Redirecting to the learning
Move student to a buddy classroom
Direct student to the administration
Individual close talk
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Descriptive encouraging

Skill 10

Following Through
6

Doing what you said you would

Why is following through an effective management skill?

It clearly establishes that you mean what you say.
It models assertive behaviour in the face of threat.
It models morally courageous behaviour.
Hints:
Behave as if you are confident even though you may be feeling nervous or
uncertain.
It is the certainty of the consequence rather than the severity of the
consequence that is important..

How to follow through

Demonstrate confidence using appropriate body language and a calm, firm voice.
Do what you planned and said you would do. Make it happen now.
Consult with colleagues and/or administrators to plan an appropriate course of
action for following through, if necessary.
Avoid letting your embarrassment about what others may think erode your
confidence.
Consider removing the class from the problem situation if safety is a particular
concern.
In a crisis event send for help immediately and put the Crisis Plan into action.
If you feel powerless to do anything, make an anecdotal note of what is happening
in objective, descriptive language. Remember to sign and date it.
Reassure the class and work on your self-control.
Following through may look and feel disturbing at times. Do it anyway as it
establishes and reinforces the boundaries. All students will know you mean what
you say. They will feel safer and trust and respect you.
Reflect on the event later with a colleague and ask yourself;
What did I do that helped?
What did I do that did not help?
What could I have done differently?
Who can I go to for advice?
Review your behaviour management plan if necessary - consider how effectively
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you used preventative strategies.

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Debriefing
Talking it through

Why is debriefing an effective management skill?

It provides an opportunity for people who have participated in, or witnessed, a
potentially traumatic classroom or playground event to talk it through.
It helps prevent an escalation of the original problem.
It helps people calm down and get perspective on the problem.
It contributes to the development of insight, assisting to prevent future problems.
Hints:

The goal of using this strategy is to assist the participants to regain the
composure they need to resume their regular duties.

There is an agenda to assist the person to talk, manage their emotions and
reflect.

People using this strategy need to be aware of their knowledge and skills in
regards to its implementation.

For highly distressing events, seek advice immediately from suitably qualified
personnel such as school counsellors.

How to debrief
Do it as soon as possible after a potentially traumatic event, but it is never too late.
The difference between telling the story, which is beneficial, and rehearsing the
trauma, which is not, is crucial.
If the listener, ostensibly defusing, says things like:
You shouldnt have put to up with things like that.
You poor thing, that is dreadful.
I would be so angry about that if I were you.
The process can change from a helpful one, to one where the person feels more
and more victimised as they rehearse the trauma with their scandalised audience.
Help young children debrief by asking them to draw a picture of the event and
hold it up to share with the class.
Use a round-robin class meeting with older students. Each has an opportunity to
say what happened in turn, or say pass. It is helpful for the teacher to take their
turn without using the opportunity to give the sanitised version of what happened.
It is useful for all the people involved in the incident to have this opportunity.
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Lyn Walkerden
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Debriefing after a
Crisis
Debriefing

Rehearsal

(helpful)

(unhelpful)

1. Ask what happened.

1. Telling what happened.

2. Ask what, when, where and how,

not why

2. Ask what happened and then tell

a similar story that happened to
you.

3. Reassure the person that they

survived as best as possible in
that situation.

3. Ask why questions.

4. Commiserate and maintain a
scandalised position.

4. Then reflect on what they did and

how they would do differently next
time.

NOTE:
If you choose not to debrief as part of your crisis management plan be prepared for
the following problems:
Caregivers may become so concerned about a situation, they may inadvertently
help their child rehearse the trauma of the event.
Teachers who have not had an opportunity to talk about serious events can
become increasingly stressed over time.
The trauma can interfere with their management confidence and poise.

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Not Applicable

Strongly disagree

(please tick)

Disagree

I found the following micro-skills

relevant and useful

Agree

Strongly agree

Micro-skills Evaluation

Language of Expectation
Establishing expectations (rules and transitions)
Instruction giving
Waiting and scanning
Cueing with acknowledgement

Language of Acknowledgement
Body language encouraging
Descriptive encouraging
Concrete Acknowledging Strategies

Language of Correction
Selective attending
Redirecting to the learning
Giving choices
Following through
Debriefing
What changes (if any) have you made to your classroom management as a result of
this training?

Have you noticed a change in the behaviour of your students as a result of the
changes you have made?

Would you like further support/feedback as you practise your use of the micro-skills?

YES

NO

MAYBE

If yes what would you like that support to look like?

Any comments or suggestions?
DRAFT VERSION 1

Lyn Walkerden
5.3.08