When You Understand What Humans Instinctively Seek in Social Settings, You Have the Foundations for Successful Behaviour Management in Any Classroom

Tactics are great, but strategy needs to come first.

And, before that, principles.

A lot of behaviour management falls down because teachers lack clarity in their minds about what they are trying to achieve over the long-term, and how to build an approach that is consistently effective.

The best behaviour managers have certainty in their minds over what they want, and then communicate this to learners over and again.

Tactics are the tools we use to manage behaviour in the moment.

Strategy is the overarching goal we’re aiming for.

Principles are what allow us to make consistent decisions that help us to be successful.

On my Positive Behaviour Management That Works training, we look at all three.

And where does this journey begin?

With the necessary first step for all truly successful behaviour management.

Understanding human nature.

When we know the fundamental drivers that make us tick – and that underpin the behaviour of our learners – it becomes much easier to:

The first thing we’ll do together, at the very start of the day, is look at the SCARF model.

A uniquely powerful tool that explains what human beings seek in social settings, what they seek to avoid, and what this means for positive behaviour management.

(And the classroom, let’s not forget, is a social setting.)

From there, we’re all set to look at our principles, our strategy, and our tactics. In that order.

Use Mike’s Expert Guidance to Reinvigorate Your Staff and Set Them on the Path to More Enjoyable, Less Stressful Lessons

Negative classroom behaviour is stressful.

There’s no getting away from that.

One of the most important reasons for mastering positive behaviour management is so that teachers can enjoy teaching more.

We can’t get rid of behaviour.

Children are built to test boundaries. It’s part of what they do.

But what we can do is create an environment in which the energy and instincts that children possess are channelled in positive directions.

An environment in which negative behaviour draws clear and unambiguous consequences that are consistently and fairly applied.

One in which praise is used extensively, but also genuinely, to positively reinforce the behaviours we want to see.

And one in which rapport is at the heart of teacher-learner interactions.

If we bring this together with tried-and-tested strategies to call on if things go wrong, behaviour management becomes a positive, proactive process.

Not a stressful reaction to unwanted events.

This is what I focus on in my Positive Behaviour Management That Works training.

My goal is to give your teachers the principles, strategy and tactics they can use to positively manage behaviour, realistically and consistently, with the learners in your school.

At the start of the day, we’ll explore the SCARF model in depth, thinking critically about the nature of human behaviour.

We’ll look at each element in turn – Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness – and see how these instinctive needs we all possess influence our behaviour, as well as the behaviour of every child we teach.

Together, we’ll think about the role these factors play in our own lives, before flipping the focus and examining how children may behave when they feel one or more of these needs are threatened.

For example, perceived threats to status are a huge driver of negative behaviour seen in classrooms.

Whether learners are consciously aware of this or not doesn’t really matter.

If a learner feels they cannot gain status in a classroom through the routes available to them, they will often find their own route (like playing the clown, or drawing negative attention to themselves) or seek to avoid the situation (like continually asking to go to the toilet, or withdrawing from the learning).

Here we see the link between core human needs, and the negative behaviour that may arise in the classroom.

But what we also see, is how to fix it.

How to stop such situations arising in the first place.

How to take control and be proactive around behaviour.

Instead of reacting to something that feels like it has no clear cause or driver.

Next, I’ll share my Four Golden Principles of Positive Behaviour Management.

These come from plenty of real-world experience, and are firmly rooted in the findings of the SCARF model.

Then, we move onto tactics. The practical strategies we use to manage behaviour in the moment, including:

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Principles. Strategy. Tactics. In That Order.

A full-day with Mike will help make behaviour management in your school a win-win for staff and learners, instead of an ongoing challenge that sucks energy away from teaching and learning.

Here’s an example of a full-day schedule:

The first session sets the scene.

This is where we get into the SCARF model and think critically about how it relates to the behaviour we see in the classroom.

We’ll look at each element in turn, examining how Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness all have their role to play in diagnosing and understanding where negative behaviour comes from – and how we can pre-empt it.

After our morning break, I’ll introduce my Golden Principles, showing colleagues how these connect to the SCARF model and how we can use them to inform our overarching strategy for positive behaviour management.

Next, we start looking at tactics.

These are the specific strategies and techniques we can use to manage behaviour and to cultivate the classroom atmosphere we want.

One that puts learning front and centre.

Across the second and third sessions, we’ll look at five key areas:

For each of these, I’ll share half-a-dozen of the most reliable strategies, giving colleagues a toolkit of techniques they can take back to their classrooms with them.

We conclude the third session by examining common behaviour scenarios, including ones suggested by colleagues, and applying to these what we’ve looked at through the day.

This gives staff a final opportunity to reinforce their learning, as well as the connections they’ve made between my input and the day-to-day work they do with learners.

Finally, we finish up with a reflective plenary.

This sees me drawing the themes of the day together, and giving staff a chance to reflect on what they want to take away and start implementing in their work, to develop and enhance how they manage the behaviour of their learners.

Interactivity is Key

Whenever I deliver positive behaviour management training, I always begin from the premise that teachers are skilled, experienced professionals.

They don’t need to be told what to do.

They need access to what works, to understand why it works, and to think about how it could work for them, in their classrooms.

To be given the space to discuss and reflect on their own practice, and the ideas and strategies I share.

That’s why my training always favours a 50/50 balance.

Fifty percent expert input from me.

And fifty percent interactive discussion, professional reflection, and trying out strategies for real, to see what they feel like and how they work for learners.

This is the method I use when leading Positive Behaviour Management That Works.

It’s a method that recognises the status of staff, gives them autonomy, creates a feeling of fairness, helps build relatability between me and them, and adds certainty by delineating the time we spend together.

Which, to put it another way, means I always try to practice what I preach.

What is included in a full day of Positive Behaviour Management That Works INSET, Training or CPD?

All bookings include:

For half-day and twilight INSET or CPD, we focus on the expert-led sessions from Mike, and remove the implementation and plenary sessions from the agenda.

Everything else listed above is included in half-day and twilight bookings.

One input from Mike and, if you follow his guidance on how to maintain momentum around developing positive behaviour management, you’ll have scope for 12+ months’ sustained impact in your school.

Plus, an exclusive bonus to celebrate the launch of my newly developed CPD platform, Mike Gershon’s Effective Teaching and Learning.

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Five reasons you can rely on Mike to deliver expert training and practical guidance for your staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you do half-day and twilight training?

Yes. I offer both and recognise the flexibility schools sometimes need around their calendars. Half-day and twilight CPD focuses on expert input from me. We remove the teamworking and plenary sessions to accommodate this.

Do you offer follow-up packages?

Yes. Many schools I work with ask me to come back and work with them again, to support them in their developmental journey. Follow-up options include further training, supportive observations with constructive feedback, paired observations and SLT coaching.

We’re a small primary school, can we still work with you?

I always hold back a few dates each year for small primaries, recognising the challenges the smallest schools face in accessing high-quality training. We can also work around tight budgets by looking at online options and in-person training involving multiple schools. The smallest primary I’ve worked with had four teachers – and we had a great day together!

We’d like to look at online training. Is that something you offer?

Yes. It is not my preference as I believe that in-person is always better, and includes elements that can’t be replicated online. However, I do provide online training for schools where in-person may be difficult due to geography, time zones and other factors. My one rule for online is that staff must sit together so that I can facilitate discussion and interaction just as I do when delivering in person.

How far are you willing to travel?

I travel across the UK and overseas from my base in York. Far flung visits have included Shetland, Cornwall, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Pembrokeshire. Even further flung visits have included Romania, Norway, Italy, Bahrain, Kuwait and The Falkland Islands. Trips that require extensive travelling attract a higher cost to cover additional time and mileage.

Can we book you in conjunction with another school?

Yes. Many smaller schools opt for this approach. Sometimes this sees two or three primaries joining up for a full-day session, sometimes a cluster of schools combine budgets and I work with them over an extended period. Occasionally schools ask if they can book me and then sell tickets to the event to nearby schools to cover costs. That is also fine with me.

Is the training relevant for all age groups?

Yes. I have worked with hundreds of primaries, hundreds of secondaries, and dozens of FE colleges over the years. I present in a curriculum agnostic way, using examples that are relevant for the audience in front of me and the age group they teach. A big part of all my training is giving colleagues the opportunity to think about how they can take the ideas and strategies I present and use them with the learners they know best.

Start Changing How Your Staff Think About Behaviour in the Classroom Today With Mike’s FREE Positive Behaviour Management Knowledge Base

Get a head start on developing how teachers manage behaviour in your school by exploring my Positive Behaviour Management Knowledge Base and sharing it with your staff.

The Knowledge Base features 48 blogs and articles adapted from my hugely popular book How to Manage Behaviour in The Classroom: The Complete Guide.

You’ll find guides, explanations and practical strategies covering:

So enjoy – I hope you and your team find it useful!

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P.S. Don’t forget, when I deliver my Positive Behaviour Management That Works training, the emphasis is always on making life simpler and easier for your teachers, so they can adapt, develop and enhance their practice in ways that work.