My Behavioural Management Plan

As a teacher, my belief and assumptions about children and how they learn will
have a major impact on the way in which I respond to students and their
behaviours.

I believe my role as a teacher is aligned with the works of Lev

Vygotskys constructivist and social learning theory, in which teacher is a

facilitator of learning and a social role-model or mentor (Santrock, 2007). Many
of my perceptions of who children essentially are, lie with the humanist
approach: children are essentially good human beings who deserve respect and
who enrich humanity.

However, on reflection of my previous classroom

management, I tend to revert back to a CBT approach to discipline.

I agree with Daniel Willigham, author of Why Students dont like school, when
he claims that children actually like to think. [They] are naturally curious, and
look for opportunities to engage in certain types of thought (Willingham, 2009,
p.7). He continues to explain that thinking is hard , it is slow, takes effort and is
often uncertain.

It is with this notion that I believe that adopting, at least

partially, CBT strategies in the classroom will assist students to learn the skills
needed to explore their curious nature and discover the joy of thinking.

As

facilitator, it is my role to ensure that children are given opportunities to engage

in collaborative, meaningful learning experiences, to ensure that the necessary
thinking skills are mastered.
It is not sufficient to assume that children are merely little adults that already
have innate abilities to organise thoughts, solve problems and make informed
decisions.

Each individual will fall somewhere along the cognitive growth

continuum and need to be treated accordingly. As such, it is often necessary for

the teacher to assume the position of role-model or mentor to explicitly teach
skills that are needed for success in a cooperative classroom.
As there is no one fits all approach, I believe some flexibility between
behavioural strategies must be maintained.

A humanist approach allows

flexibility when it comes to responding to individual needs and ensures equity in

the classroom.

CBT lends itself to both individual and collaborative learning

environments with high expectations and student-centred behavioural outcomes.

Both, however, can be used successfully to build relationships between teacher
and student to create a safe and welcoming classroom environment.

Simonds & Cooper outline the importance communication and the stages
involved in forming effective interpersonal relationships in the classroom
(Simonds & Cooper, 2011). I believe that without movement through the stages
of effective communication, students would not be as receptive to the incidental
teaching and learning that occurs in the classroom. To engage fully in effective
relationships with students, I believe a combination of Humanist and CBT
approaches should be employed.
Whichever approach is taken, I believe it is my responsibility to encourage a
school-based approach to classroom management that espouses the underlying
belief that learning should based on healthy relationships between teachers,
students and peers to ensure the optimal opportunities for success in learning.