John Woollard considers what advice can be given to help teachers tackle those computer room incidents that occur when the ups-and-downs of pupil behaviour hit a crisis and they have ‘one of those days’.
This article is not about classroom management, nor even behaviour management per se. It is about how we deal with those crisis issues that arise in the ICT classroom. It is dealing with “no I won’t!”, “you are a…”, “I’m leaving!”, “f**k off!” and physical violence against property, another person or yourself.
Everyday life in the ICT room is a balance between:
■ class management (e.g. ensuring safety and resource availability, keeping computers working, ensuring pupils can log in);
■ pedagogy (ensuring teachers are teaching the right things and that pupils are learning the curriculum);
■ behaviour management (ensuring that pupil conduct is as we expect). Each aspect has an influence upon the others.
Each aspect has an influence upon the others. Schools have a characteristic balance between each and individual teachers have their own balance between each. Some teachers manage the behaviour of their pupils through persistent and assertive techniques to establish a good working atmosphere, while others may hold the control and interest of the pupils through the management of the curriculum and the teaching approaches used.