The Secondary Behaviour Cookbook: Strategies at Your Fingertips

Developed in conjunction with teachers, The Secondary Behaviour Cookbook provides highly effective, practical strategies for responding to and resolving behavioural issues in secondary schools.

Consisting of over fifty ‘recipes’, the book’s unique format enables teachers and practitioners to quickly and easily access information and advice on dealing with specific behaviours. Each ‘recipe’ details strategies and interventions for immediate application in the classroom setting, considers possible causes of the given behaviour, and offers helpful approaches for responding to young people’s needs in the longer term. From disorganisation and lateness, to attention-seeking and destructive behaviours, bullying, anxiety and depression, the book’s sections cover a broad spectrum of behaviours falling within six broad categories:

• Getting Things Done: supporting positive student engagement and achievement
• Dealing with Disruption: increasing motivation and skills to facilitate learning
• Social Interactions: resolving problematic situations that occur between pupils.
• Coping with Conflict: addressing conflict in and out of the classroom, including aspects of bullying and discrimination
• Emotional Distress: understanding distress and developing coping strategies
• Behaviours of Special Concern: recognising behaviours associated with autism, trauma, abuse or poor mental wellbeing.

Underpinned by positive psychology, and emphasising the importance of constructive relationships, communication, inclusion, wellbeing and resilience, this is an indispensable resource for secondary school teachers and educators, behaviour support consultants, SENDCOs and educational psychologists.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The oven: the emotional climate of the classroom

• Circle solutions and the ASPIRE principles
• The team 1
• Traditional approaches to behaviour
• Alternatives to a behaviourist model
• Adolescents and their development

Ingredients

Content

Section 1: getting things done

• Lateness to school / lessons
• Inattention
• Avoidance strategies
• Disorganization
• Helplessness
• Procrastination
• Distracted by others
• Starting but not finishing set work
• Disengagement
• Perfectionism
• Refusal to do differentiated work

Section 2: dealing with disruption

• A noisy classroom
• Off-task conversations
• Pushing and poking others
• Fidgeting, humming and other noises
• Attention-seeking silliness
• Frequent interruptions
• Over-the-top behaviour
• Uniform infringements:
• Inappropriate personal care
• Using technology for personal use in class
• Disruption to learning caused by erratic attendance

Section 3: social interactions

• Dominant behaviour
• Stealing
• Lying and blaming others
• Cheating
• Trying to buy friendship
• Everyone is against me
• Personal hygiene
• Keeping up an image
• Groups who challenge

Section 4: coping with conflict

• Verbal rudeness to staff
• Non-verbal disrespect
• Ignoring requests / walking away
• Fighting
• Bringing weapons to school
• Bullying and intimidation
• Cyber-bullying
• Derogatory name-calling

Section 5: emotional distress

• Outbursts of anger
• Unprovoked aggression
• Frequent episodes of distress / crying
• Destructive behaviour (own work)
• Destructive behaviour (other people’s work and possessions)
• High levels of anxiety
• Depression
• Negativity

Section 6: behaviours of special concern

• Obsessive or ritualistic behaviour
• Eating difficulties
• Sexually explicit behaviour
• Self-harm - cutting
• Considering suicide
• Unsafe risk taking
• Blurring of boundaries between fantasy and reality

Resources - and further reading / viewing

References

"A truly empowering book that enables the reader to understand　and respond appropriately to a wide range of issues that can prove problematic　in a　school setting. With suggested strategies for managing issues as diverse　as procrastination, perfectionism, pushing, poking and personal hygiene; I’ve　no　doubt this book will boost both teacher confidence and pupil outcomes."
- Dr Pooky Knightsmith, Mental Health Author and Educator and Vice Chair, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, UK.

"An excellent book providing the recipes you need to become a happy, healthy and effective teacher, this solution-focused read is full of theory and most importantly, practical considerations to take into the classroom. Sue provides an insight into the world of education which draws on her considerable experience – a must-read for teachers at any stage of their career!"
- Martyn Reah, Deputy Head Teacher, Eggar’s School, London, UK and initiator of #Teacher5aday and PedagooHampshire

"Dr Roffey brings all of her considerable experience to these practical and powerful toolkits for classroom teachers. Her practical experience as a classroom teacher of students with special education needs, and subsequent work as an education psychologist and socio-emotional learning program developer and trainer enables her to produce resources that speak directly to the challenges faced by classroom teachers."
- Denise Quinlan, Positive Psychology News