Behaviour Management
The set of practices a teacher uses to establish, maintain, and restore productive conduct in a classroom so learning can take place. It covers preventive structures (clear expectations, predictable routines, engaging tasks), in-the-moment responses to disruption, and the relational work that lets correction land without damaging trust.
Positive vs reactive approaches
Positive behaviour management is preventive and relational. It builds rules with learners, teaches procedures explicitly, reinforces desired conduct through specific praise, and uses low-key cues (proximity, eye contact, a name) before escalating. The aim is for the climate itself to make off-task conduct unattractive. Sue Cowley frames the teacher as a "boss" whose calm authority comes from clarity and consistency rather than volume.
Reactive management addresses misbehaviour after it occurs. Done well it is graduated: a private reminder, a clear warning naming the rule and the consequence, then the consequence applied without negotiation. Done badly it slides into public confrontation, sarcasm, or escalating threats, which model the dysregulation the teacher is trying to suppress.
Bill Rogers' decisive teaching frames choices as the learner's: "You can do X, or Y will happen — it's your choice." This preserves dignity, transfers responsibility, and avoids power struggles. Rogers also distinguishes primary behaviour (the original off-task act) from secondary behaviour (the eye-roll, the muttered reply); good managers address the primary behaviour and tactically ignore the secondary.
Whole-class and individual layers
Whole-class behaviour rests on routines, pacing, and clear instructions. Most disruption is a symptom of unclear expectations or dead air. Individual behaviour, especially persistent or extreme cases, needs a separate plan: private conversation, parental contact where appropriate, and a documented record. The two layers reinforce each other: a strong whole-class climate isolates individual issues; unresolved individual issues erode the whole-class climate.
References
- Cowley, S. (2014). Getting the Buggers to Behave (5th ed.). Bloomsbury Education.
- Rogers, B. (2015). Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide to Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague Support (4th ed.). Sage.
- Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Macmillan ELT.