From the Acting Assistant Principal, Learning Enrichment
You belong in our class
Learning is the aim of the game in schools - learning about ourselves, others and our environment. This is both explicit and implicit and occurs in the context of our relationships.
As a Catholic College we explicitly base this learning on the Trinity, a community of love; with our motto, “Be the light of Christ” inspiring us to support and serve those most in need. Our College Vision reminds us that if we are to shine our light we have the responsibility to enable others to shine theirs.
Building on our explicit “Ready to Learn” expectations, staff are working with Ian Luscombe from “Behaveability” to focus on Positive Behaviour Management. The most powerful consequence for changing behaviour is positive feedback. Positive Psychology recommends a ratio of 10 positive feedbacks (eg. thumbs up, verbal praise etc.) to 1 corrective form of feedback. Whilst intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic, during Term Four, staff will be more explicitly looking for opportunities to give positive feedback to every student.
We are also trialing having a Student Reception for students whose behaviour is impacting on the learning environment. As much as each student belongs in the classroom, it is a privilege to be there. Students referred to the Student Reception will be asked to take responsibility for how their behaviour has impacted on the learning of others, before they can return to the classroom where they belong. The emphasis will be on keeping the process calm and low key, encouraging the students to make positive choices by following fair and reasonable teacher instructions.
This approach combines with our emphasis on Restorative Practices. Last year Graeme George explained to staff that the role of adults is to help young people develop their knowledge and skills in self regulation and non-cognitive capacities such as courage and compassion, in the same way that we teach them how to read, budget and drive a car. Rather than “punish” naughty children, we might consider consequences that “prune” poor choices and use these experiences as opportunities for learning and strengthening our relationships.
The onset of puberty, marked by biological maturation, includes development of the Limbic System, focusing on emotions, rewards and relationships. It’s often in late adolescence or one’s twenties that the Cortex, the regulatory system, matures. Graeme referred to these biological developments as the Gas Pedal and Break and advised that we should be “curious not furious” when faced with undesirable behaviour; we should “explore not explode”; adults should “Be the kids’ prefrontal cortex while theirs develops.”
We hope that by implementing both of these models we will continue to set and build high expectations in our classrooms and playground. In a Catholic school, positive relationships are our business and should always be at our core.
From the Acting Assistant Principal, Learning Enrichment
