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Macleod College. Our Journey with Developmental Management. About Us.
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Macleod College Our Journey with Developmental Management
About Us • Macleod College is a Primary to Year 12 educational setting in the north east suburbs of Melbourne. It has an exemplary tradition of academic excellence and an outstanding reputation for fostering intellectual growth and personal development as a foundation of future success for all students.
Our Student Community • The College has an enrolment of approximately 900 students who are drawn from the local area and further afield. The College has over thirty feeder primary schools, drawing many students for whom Macleod is not the closest school. Our students identify from 42 language backgrounds, but the predominant language is English.
Some Data • Macleod College has an enrolment of 940 students P-12. • 177 students P-6 • 770 students 7-12 • 12 International Students • The gender balance is 53% boys, 47% girls. • 15% of students have Language Backgrounds Other Than English (LBOTE) • 30% of families receive Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
Trends from the Survey 1 The increasing breakdown of the traditional family structures with more single parent families. 2 The breakdown of the extended family, that is the decreased involvement of grandparents, uncles and aunts. 3 Children are reacting to less attention being provided within families and are demanding more attention from people around them. 5 Society placing emphasis on students’ rights without giving equal weight to their responsibilities. 6 The media and community undermining the traditional authoritative roles in society, for example. teachers, police. 7 Teachers have less support from society in general. 9 Students’ perception that what they learn at school will not help them get a job and, generally is irrelevant. 13 As a result of more exposure to the media students are more informed of their rights and are more knowledgeable. 14 Students have been exposed to more violence as a direct result of the accessibility of the media. 16 Increase in teacher accountability and responsibility has increased teacher stress. 18 The change in diet 20 Greater recognition of problems that have always existed. 21 Schools are attempting to mainstream all students 22 Promoting students to higher grade levels regardless of levels of performance. 23 Exposed to more violence in the home and community.
The Strongest Trends 9 Students’ perception that what they learn at school will not help them get a job and, generally is irrelevant. 20 Greater recognition of problems that have always existed. 22 Promoting students to higher grade levels regardless of levels of performance. 23 Exposed to more violence in the home and community.
Summary When teachers use ‘coercive’ discipline techniques (Punishment & Aggression) students do not become more responsible. When teachers use more ‘inclusive’ techniques (Discussion, Recognition, Involvement & Hinting) students become more responsible
The school has established specific improvement targets in four areas • Teaching and learning though positive teacher/ student relationships • Student engagement and wellbeing • Student pathways and transition • Creating a performance and development culture • The focus of these improvement strategies is to transform learning and raise achievement levels for all students.
Our History with Developmental Management • Going back over a number of years • Going back over several principals • Enthusiasm, but no adoption • How to change the culture?
What we have done with the AiZ • Formed PLT’s • Linked the work of the PLT’s to the Strategic and AIP Plans • Regular (almost weekly meetings) • Professional Reading • Professional Discussion • Professional Development • Policies • Implementation?
The Student Engagement PLT • Using the Student Engagement Framework as the impetus for change. • At Macleod our disciplinary measures are often inconsistent and students that don’t fit the A or B category are disengaged. • The Engagement Policy will replace the Student Code of Conduct and Student Attendance Guidelines to focus on engaging all. • Its focus is on providing students and staff with the right to work in a secure and orderly environment and parents with the right to expect that their children will be educated purposefully. • It has shown us the importance of recognising and promoting appropriate student behaviour (co-operation, mutual responsibility and self discipline). • It has directed the development of appropriate disciplinary measures.
Advice from Ramon Lewis 29/4/2009 • Creating a code of conduct which encompasses the main ideas of Developmental Classroom Management. • In Australian culture we have a right to be free from physical or emotional harm. Therefore our first reference point was that every member of the college has the right to be physically and emotionally safe while at school. • Considering that learning is the core business of a school, our second reference point was that every member of the college has the right to be engaged in an optimal learning environment.
Everyone is responsible for these rights, we must learn how and why to apply them. • Displays in the classroom and in the school yard • School values that refer to the rights • We must exemplify what is means to be personally & socially responsible: • Its not just doing the right thing • Its also about encouraging others to do the right thing • Parents need to present their concerns in a non threatening manner. • Staff are responsible for listening and responding appropriately. • Students need to expect the teacher to deal with certain situations as part of the group, although they have the responsibility to respond before it gets to that. • It is the responsibility of everyone to address inappropriate behaviour • (not just of students!) Examples:
How it applies to the learning environment: Wherever possible, staff will attempt to engage and cater for individual students. Work must be sufficiently relevant and doable and not threatening to provoke kids into acting out. If students are isolated it’s our responsibility to find out their interests, learning styles etc. Because the relationship with a student is so critical, the teacher who had the issue must respond!
We must apply 2 intermediate steps before exiting students. • Warning is necessary. • There should be positive feedback about socially acceptable behaviour. • Don’t leave students to create chaos as others then can’t learn. • The teacher must follow up on the relationship: • - They should be welcomed into the next class after they have been removed and empowered. (Use phrases such as – I don’t understand what happened, can you help?) • - Statement of the problem • - Wait to hear what they have to say and discuss • - If they cant see the problem, say it again, persevere until they do. • - Students must have ownership. • Students need to behave responsibly not obediently. • Immediate exit is permitted & supported if others are made to feel unsafe.
Follow up visit with Ray Lewis 5/5/2009 • Too Radical? • No – colleagues and students had already responded positively to it. • Rights and responsibilities are already getting used in PLT members classrooms. • Understanding why behaviour is inappropriate is more effective than simply stating that it is unacceptable. • Simple principle: • If the student interferes with learning - they’re out • They want to be with the cohort so removal is an effective method. Follow up and reengagement is necessary. • Restorative Practices: Only used when students are exited. • - Teachers must take each day as a new day, even if it hasn’t been followed up yet we cant have the grudge held. • No one is damaged by giving another chance. • Teachers must remain calm, students get confused by anger. • Staff to get PD and process developed.
All Staff PD Ray Daniels - (Keysborough College) Employing strategies and philosophies from the Developmental Management Approach to Classroom Behaviour. Refrain from counterproductive behaviours Prevent misbehaviour Reminder of appropriate behaviour Warn & offer a choice Isolate within the classroom Exit Meet with exited student. John Roberts & Ben Sacco (Student Wellbeing Team NMR) Restorative Practices.
Student Forum to get insight & feedback Our Student Opinion Data and student’s explanations: Males are feeling extremely unsafe at school compared to females – about 50% of females feel safe. - Males more fights, bullying, intimidation, competition, “alpha males” presence, don’t express their feelings so don’t resolve their issues. 2. Females are not feeling motivated, confident in their learning or connected to school. - More judgement by their peers, more verbal abuse, more socially focused, tech subjects don’t appeal to females, work is boring, the boys get more encouragement because they’re more likely to behave badly.
3. Males are finding learning more stimulating than females. • - More hands on subjects, girls are expected to do better so get less attention. • 4. Males experience significantly more student distress than females • Scared to do well if picked on by peers, need to keep up their image, don’t know how to resist peer pressure, males feel females are favoured by teachers. • 5. Males are not feeling connected to their peers – females are still scoring low. • - People feel judged by social status, too much isolation within groups and year levels.
What can be done to have students feeling: • 1. Safe in the school • 2. More engaged in their learning • 3. A greater sense of pride • 4. Improve the interpersonal relationships Have planned activities at lunch More staff in schoolyard/security cameras around the school Have high school buddies Build up the house program, follow house points from Primary to Secondary Knowledge of how to access support services Worse punishments for bullying – encourage victims to report More emphasis on the importance of learning Speak about the good things that happen at school rather than the bad Change classes every year so you know more people and feel safer Have more group work Have more of a choice in learning/different learning methods Year level working bee’s Develop a more positive attitude about what is done at school Be more involved in the community, have more excursions and camps Bonding and mentor groups – across year levels – perhaps in houses Bring home groups back! Have more attention from teachers: they need to be enthusiastic, calm, supportive Show us how our learning can be applied in real life
Students didn’t know the meaning of the college motto - Hold Fast, MurusAheneusEsto (Be thou as a bronze wall) Student’s didn’t feel that the college community values anything. What should we actively teach as school values to be taken into society? Respect, Love, Honesty, Creativity, Encouragement, Responsibility, Pride, Ambition to learn
The Community • Parents & Friends of Macleod College Meeting: Liked the idea of the student engagement policy and rights and responsibilities. • What are the issues and challenges relevant to the school now and in the future? • A lack of communication between school and families • Empathy with parents re the seriousness of their concerns, staff responding to parent concerns within 24 hours • Acknowledgement of student success • Pastoral care needs to be beefed up • Pride/uniform/surroundings • Opportunities to excel across a range of choices/everyone has an opportunity to thrive All of the above has been considered and placed into the whole school prevention statement as strategies to be implemented in 2010. • Presentation of draft policy to council 18/11/2009
The Policy The Macleod College Student Engagement Policy relates to and is consistent with the Effective Schools are Engaging Schools: Student Engagement Policy Guidelines, in areas such as the encouragement of educational achievement and excellence, prevention of absences and inappropriate behaviour. Macleod College Community Values: Developed in consultation with students and staff. Striking similarities between student and staff ideas. • To be actively taught in classrooms and referred to rights and responsibilities in 2010.
WHOLE SCHOOL PREVENTION STATEMENT – to promote engagement. Each of the following will have a clear strategy for implementation in 2010. Opportunities for: Promotion of pro-social behaviours. Students to share goals and reflections and set new/modified goals for the coming semester/term. Students to influence change within the school community. Encouragement of student voice through the use of thinking tools. Proactively engaging parents/carers and the wider community to be involved in the school’s programs. Early intervention to identify/respond to student needs for social and emotional support. Experiencing success and be involved and feel connected to the school and wider community. Recognising and responding to the diverse needs of our students. Adaption of current pedagogical knowledge and thinking to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Encouragement of students to achieve full attendance to maximise their ability to learn and our teachers’ ability to teach effectively. Fair and respectful behaviour management systems Intensive literacy and numeracy improvement strategies Professional learning to ensure strategies and approaches are adopted and implemented.
Strategies Our approach to student engagement can be divided into 3 layers LAYER 1: Preventative aspects • Knowing your students – personal and learning history • Developing an engaging curriculum • Building positive relationships with students • Positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviours – recognition and rewards • Developing a sense personal and communal responsibility • Making sure the students know what the agreed responsibilities, rights and values are • Emphasising that students not only need to act appropriately ( Person Responsibility) but also need to encourage their class mates to act appropriately ( Communal Responsibility) LAYER 2: Classroom Management Approaches • A stepped approach to classroom management based on A- D behaviours( Ray Lewis Work) • Avoiding teacher behaviours that are counterproductive ( Group Punishments, Yelling at students, Sarcasm) • Remaining calm when managing student misbehaviour. LAYER 3; Exit and Re-entry Strategies • Restorative Practices.
Classroom Management Staged Response: • Stage 1. (INITIAL RESPONSE) • Name the student(s) and remind them or appropriate behaviour. • Eg. “The bell has rung, it’s time to settle down” or “When someone is talking, it’s polite to listen”. • Stage 2 (VERBAL WARNING) • Recognise the inappropriate behaviour or lack of co-operation in undertaking desired behaviour. • Indicate again the inappropriate behaviour. • Indicate the choice the student has to make; either desired behaviour or isolate. • Warn of need to talk later. • Stage 3 (SELF MANAGEMENT) • The behaviour from stage 2 has not improved or has become worse. • Student is isolated within the classroom to complete a behaviour reflection sheet and make an agreement towards two goals to behave appropriately for the rest of the lesson. • The student re-enters the class and is warned of Stage 4 if non compliance to commitments.
Reflection and Commitment Process Name: _________________ Date: ____________ Pd/Time: _________ Teacher: _______________ Subject:_____________________ TO THE STUDENT: You have been asked to take some time to reflect on your behaviour in the class. This process aims to achieve a WIN/WIN/ WIN scenario. A WIN for you, the teacher and the learning environment of the class. Please be as honest as you can in answering these questions that the teacher will then discuss with you Inappropriate Behaviour YES/NO ( If Yes, WHY) 1. I distracted others from their work 2 .I ignored the instruction given by the teacher 3. I was disrespectful to the teacher 4. I made other people feel unsafe 5. I wouldn’t do any work 6. I did not obey the teachers instruction 7. OTHER ( your own response) In this situation did the teacher....? 1. 1 1 1.Explain how you were affecting your learning and the learning of others 2. Explain you were making yourself and others uncomfortable 3. Help you understand why your behaviour was unacceptable 4. Get you to work out a better way to behave My commitments to enable me to remain/return in/to the class and to display appropriate behaviours from now on are; 1. 2. STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING I understand that the clear expectation is that my behaviour will improve from this moment on based on the commitments made above. I also understand that if I do not show improvement immediately I may be removed from the class and face further consequences that I could have avoided had I made the agreed change immediately. Signed: Student__________________________ Teacher__________________________
STAGE 4: (REMOVAL FROM CLASS – EXTERNAL SUPPORT) • A good student is sent to find whether the KLA support person/ Year Level Co- Coordinator or Principal is available to provide appropriate support as required • (This is part of the process is still in consultation) • The student at this stage is removed from the class and re-entry is negotiated (depending on the nature of the problem) via one of these 3 options. • 1. Renegotiate Re entry; Support Person takes the class whilst a discussion occurs between the teacher and the student. • The student commits either via the student reflection sheet to some goals. • 2. Cool Down; Support person takes the student and works through the student reflection process with the student. • The teacher must still make contact with the student to resolve the issue at a later time when both parties have cooled down. • 3. Exit; If a negotiated re-entry is not possible OR the behaviour is an instant exit offence, (still to be decided) teacher to fill in an exit sheet based on the process outlined above. Support teacher to escort student to supervised area. Staff and Student to fill in an exit sheet based on the rights and responsibilities. Class Teacher and Student Managers to conference with student on return strategies and consequences.
Teacher Guidelines for Managing Stage 4: • Welcome the student • Talk about the behaviour or incident without blaming the person. • Comment that the student has displayed positive behaviours in the past and that normally respect the rights and responsibilities of the class learning environment • Make a statement on the negative impact of the student’s behaviour on the rights of other students and /or your rights as the teacher. • Request the student help ( “We need to go through a process together to help you respect the rights of the class and help to get your leaning happening again”) • Listen to the student and reframe their comments (SAMPLE SCRIPT: “Correct me if I am wrong but what you are to be are saying is that....) • Challenge their existing beliefs about what is acceptable and not • Enlist their cooperation in resolving the mater to enable them to return to the class in and that the rights for all are respected. • Develop an agreed approach to appropriate behaviour in the class that the students will commit to. • IF RE-ENTRY IS NEGOTIATED : Find as many ways to praise the student as early as possible when they are displaying appropriate behaviour.
School actions and consequences are still being determined. • Consequences will: • Involve a support group – members still to be determined. • Involve parents • (for chronic, reoccurring behaviour, day detentions and suspensions) • Have a restorative theme • Involve community service • Identify students in need of individualised learning plans • Aim to reengage the student into the college community.
The Future • Changing Culture 1. Plan for change from a solid base. 2. Identify discrepancies between formal and informal practice in the organization. 3. Control expectations about the proposed changes. 4. Select change agents carefully. 5. Build support among like-minded people however they are recruited 6. Identify those opposed to change and try to neutralize them.
