What Strategies Might You Employ to Encourage Pupils to Behave Appropriately? Describe How You Might React to Incidents of Bullying and Violence.

There are many different strategies that can encourage positive behaviour. Some schools ask the children to help formulate rules and regulations and make suggestions of what is expected of them when showing negative behaviour. Children are more quick to respond to the rules they have helped to create.   Examples of these rules could be: be polite and well mannered to others at all times and listen to instructions carefully and follow them straight away. This will help to promote what is acceptable and rewards will be awarded if shown good behaviour, and sanctions awarded if rules are broken.

The rules should be short and concise so the children remember them easily, and they should be worded in a positive way. The rules should be displayed prominently so the children can see them. Rules should be referred to by the children and the teachers so they can be reinforced within the school environment.

Rewards and sanctions schemes are adopted by most schools. These are often used to promote positive or negative behaviour.

Rewards could take the form of stickers, stars, certificates etc. If a child is rewarded, make sure that it is done consistently and without bias.

Children should know of the sanctions if rules are broken. These could take the form of missing a few minutes of playtime or seeing the head teacher.

Teaching assistants should recognise and respond quickly to bullying or violence. This should never be acceptable and children need to understand that the school has a zero tolerance approach.

There are many forms of bullying which include physical (hitting, kicking), verbal (name calling, insults), and indirect (spreading rumours, exclusion from social groups).

As the teaching assistant, any form of bullying should be reported to the teacher. Procedures should be in place to deal with bullying and discussions in the classroom and assemblies play an important part on making children aware of the issue and the consequences. Any children not...