This term I have been very lucky to have the opportunity to attend "Incredible Years Program" for teachers. It is a program that goes well with 'Positive Behaviour For Learning' (PB4L), as many of the philosophies which are taught line up nicely. We spent each lesson going up the pyramid in the picture, looking at a number of ways we can support students in making good decisions and their learning.
Using this pyramid each session we came up with several goals to focus on. Some of my goals were:
- Focus on using "when... then" commands to make sure instructions are clear and simple.
- Teach my students to give and receive a complement.
- Use group incentives to promote teamwork.
- Identify behaviours I can ignore while keeping students safe.
- I give more attention to positive behaviours than to inappropriate student behaviours.
Sue and Claire who were the facilitators of the course did a wonderful job at presenting the content of the course in a fun and enjoyable way. Claire even visited my classroom to observe how I was implementing the incredible years program in my classroom. You can read the
observation notes here and I must say they were so positive and a delight to read.
After Tuesday 27th June session it was time to say good bye to my fellow students, but also a quick graduation ceremony. This course has done two things to my teaching practice, first it made me feel confident in what I have been doing in my classroom and also it has given me more tools to use in my classroom.
