Loading...
Eteach
closeClose Eteach

Candidates keyboard_arrow_down

Jobs
Career Pathways
1
keyboard_arrow_down

Supply Teaching

Register for day-to-day and long-term supply work

Permanent Recruitment

Let our expert find your next role for you

Tutoring Opportunities

Join Education Boutique for online and face-to-face tutoring

International Recruitment

Gain advice and assistance on teaching overseas

Teacher Training

Discover how to get into teaching through approved training providers

ECT Community

Start your career in education as part of a community and receive expert advice

Become an Adviser New

Use your expertise to support schools and colleges

Resources keyboard_arrow_down

CPD

Access valuable resources from our partners to develop your knowledge

Blog

Explore expert advice and tips from your CV to the classroom

FAQs

Find solutions to common questions and concerns quickly and easily

Location Guides

Learn more about what it's like to teach across the globe

Teaching in the UK

Discover what is required to teach in the United Kingdom

Phases

Search jobs by phase

Institution Type

Search jobs by institution type

Curriculum

Understand more about the National Curriculum

Rewards
Sign in

Employers keyboard_arrow_down

Employers Home
Services keyboard_arrow_down

Job Advertising

Advertise teaching jobs, leadership roles and support vacancies to increase your candidate reach

Education Recruitment Software

Manage your hiring process with an applicant tracking system specifically designed for education

Specialist Recruiters

Let our education recruitment consultants search, screen and select the right candidates for you

Education Boutique

Provide in-person and online support for your students with our bespoke tutoring services

Eteach Education Advisers

Receive independent and accredited advice on a wide range of sector-specific areas

Booking System

Search and book vetted, qualified supply teachers using our advanced online booking system

Prices keyboard_arrow_down

Explore Packages

Discover the best solution for your talent management

Instant Job Advert

Pay per vacancy with our instant job advert service for adhoc recruitment

Lite Licence

Access unlimited advertising for a single one-off annual fee

Premium Licence

Utilise the power of our applicant tracking system and unlimited advertising all in one package

Enhancements

Expand your reach through featured job listings, targeted emails and social media campaigns

Advice keyboard_arrow_down

Guides

Benefit from best practice guides on education recruitment and staff retention

Blog

Explore expert advice and tips from leadership to recruitment

Showcases

Find out how we've helped schools like yours succeed

Classroom

Watch free webinars on how to get the most from our products and services

Sign in

About us keyboard_arrow_down

Who we are
Mission and vision
Work for us
Partners
Contact us
MenuMenu
1
search Search
  • account_circleSign in
  • account_circleSign in
  • Jobs
  • Career Pathways 1

    Supply Teaching

    Register for day-to-day and long-term supply work

    Permanent Recruitment

    Let our experts find your next role for you

    Tutoring Opportunities

    Join Education Boutique for online and face-to-face tutoring

    International Recruitment

    Gain advice and assistance on teaching overseas

    Teacher Training

    Discover how to get into teaching through approved training providers

    ECT Community

    Start your career in education as part of a community and receive expert advice

    Become an Adviser New

    Use your expertise to support schools and colleges

  • Resources

    CPD

    Access valuable resources from our partners to develop your knowledge

    Blog

    Explore expert advice and tips from your CV to the classroom

    FAQs

    Find solutions to common questions and concerns quickly and easily

    Location Guides

    Learn more about what it's like to teach across the globe

    Teaching in the UK

    Discover what is required to teach in the United Kingdom

    Phases

    Search jobs by phase

    Institution Type

    Search jobs by institution type

    Curriculum

    Understand more about the National Curriculum

  • Rewards
  • Services

    Job Advertising

    Advertise teaching jobs, leadership roles and support vacancies to increase your candidate reach

    Education Recruitment Software

    Manage your hiring process with an applicant tracking system specifically designed for education

    Specialist Recruiters

    Let our education recruitment consultants search, screen and select the right candidates for you

    Education Boutique

    Provide in-person and online support for your students with our bespoke tutoring services

    Eteach Education Advisers

    Receive independent and accredited advice on a wide range of sector-specific areas

    Booking System

    Search and book vetted, qualified supply teachers using our advanced online booking system

  • Prices

    Explore Packages

    Discover the best solution for your talent management

    Instant Job Advert

    Pay per vacancy with our instant job advert service for adhoc recruitment

    Lite Licence

    Access unlimited advertising for a single one-off annual fee

    Premium Licence

    Utilise the power of our applicant tracking system and unlimited advertising all in one package

    Enhancements

    Expand your reach through featured job listings, targeted emails and social media campaigns

  • Advice

    Guides

    Benefit from best practice guides on education recruitment and staff retention

    Blog

    Explore expert advice and tips from leadership to recruitment

    Showcases

    Find out how we've helped schools like yours succeed

    Classroom

    Watch free webinars on how to get the most from our products and services

  • Search jobssearch

    Search jobs

    Job title
    Mic icon
    close icon
        location
        close
        arrow_drop_down
        search
        Search
      • Candidates
      • Employers
      • account_circleSign in
      • account_circleSign in
      • INSTANT JOB ADVERT

        • Post your vacancy on the UK's leading education job site and start receiving applications today!
        Post a vacancy

        RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS

        • Want to know more about our recruitment solutions for schools?
        Recruit with Eteach

        WE'LL DO IT FOR YOU

        • Free advertising! Pay per candidate placed and only pay on success.

        Call us: 0845 226 1906

      Job title
      Mic icon
      close icon
          location
          close
          arrow_drop_down

          7 ways to conquer classroom behaviour

          ECT and graduate advice
            November 18, 2022

          Written by Emma Johnston

          • ALL
          • classroom advice
          • career path
          • nqt and graduate advice
          • recruitment advice
          • cv and interview tips
          • in the news
          • wellbeing
          • product updates
          • leadership
          • teaching overseas
          • ect and graduate advice
          < Back to blog

          Behaviour management can be a tricky skill to master when you are starting out on your teaching journey, with so many different personalities in one classroom. Teachers are presented with the challenge of finding a way to cater to the needs of all their pupils, whilst allowing them to flourish and feel safe. During my 15 years as a class teacher, I gained a reputation as the go-to teacher for the ‘challenging’ children, and some of the highlights of my teaching career are those moments when I finally got through to those children who had previously been so reluctant to learn. You will develop your own style and strategies over the years, but here are some tips that I picked up along the way:

          Always praise achievements, no matter how small

          There are few things in life that will warm your heart more than a child attempting to hide the smile on their face after you have complimented their work or behaviour. Particularly when those disruptive, nonchalant pupils let their guard slip for just a second and you can see the corners of their mouth flicker up before they catch themselves and return to moody mode.

          These moments meant so much to me as a teacher, and even more to that pupil who had constantly been told to be quiet, or that they hadn’t completed the work properly, or that they were distracting the other children. A moment of praise can completely validate their efforts and you will usually find that they will continue to make positive behaviour choices to find that sense of achievement once again and, ultimately, feel good about themselves.

          Sharing even small wins with parents, fellow pupils and other members of staff to boost pupils’ self-esteem is also so important. They might not be getting any attention in other areas of their life so celebrating any achievement, no matter how small, could mean the world to them.

          Stick to the rules

          No doubt you will have been told this a million times, but it is so important to develop classroom rules and routines as soon as you meet your class, so that the children have structure and boundaries to stick to. And you must stick to them too!

          Identify any behaviour issues as soon as they arise. If one child has received a consequence for breaking a rule or going against the class ethos, then you should make sure that all the other pupils are treated the same. Equally, if one child has been rewarded for doing something well, you should make an effort to reward others when they act in the same way. Everybody should be treated fairly, regardless of their reputation or previous behaviour mishaps. Some teachers and support staff tend to make their minds up about particular children, based on how they have behaved in previous year groups, or from what they have heard from other teachers. Every child deserves to be given the opportunity to succeed, without staff holding grudges and forming opinions based on what has happened in the past. Ask the children to create the class rules with you, so that you all have a clear understanding of what is acceptable, and they know they have made a valuable contribution to their learning environment. They will be much more invested in something they have had a part in creating.

          Use CITV (Connect Into Their Values)

          Yes – another teaching acronym to add to your list, but this is a good one. When I was teaching at my first school, I was fortunate enough to work with the most wonderful, fun, and inspiring headteacher who gave me probably the best piece of teaching advice I have ever received. He told me to always remember to connect into their values (CITV) and the children will instantly become engaged in what you are trying to teach. This can be something as small as including a TikTok routine somewhere in your lesson plan, asking them about their favourite Pokemon or creating tasks that involve sports or musicians the children are in to. If children are bored and not instantly hooked, they are less likely to display positive behaviours in your lessons. Something as simple as including a reference to a Marvel character or the lyrics of a popular song can change the whole course of a lesson. Be prepared to spend a bit of time researching anime or K-Pop in between marking sessions.

          Try to understand what the barriers are

          When working with children who are particularly disruptive or displaying challenging behaviours, it is helpful to try and put yourself in their shoes and understand why they might be behaving in this way. They may have things going on at home, meaning they are tired and irritable, or they might not understand the content of the lesson, leaving them feeling frustrated. Once you identify the reasons for a child’s behaviour, you can develop strategies to support them to succeed.

          They might not have eaten that day and need some toast before they can fully concentrate. They may need to step outside and have a chat for five minutes to get something off their chest. They might need you to explain something again to them individually before they feel confident enough to attempt the task. Whatever it is, there is usually a way to support the pupil and remove some of the barriers to learning.

          Be a role model

          If you are expecting your pupils to show respect and patience, make sure that you are demonstrating these things in your practice.

          Try not to snap at pupils (or other staff!) or raise your voice, no matter how frustrated you may feel at that moment. If your students see you speaking to somebody in a way that they perceive as disrespectful, they will assume that it is ok to use that tone around the school.

          It can be quite challenging to find that balance of being approachable and engaging with your class whilst also letting them know that you won’t stand for any nonsense, but this does come with experience. It is also important to note that children should see that adults have bad days too, so that they become more comfortable with their emotions and sharing how they are feeling at any given time. Don’t be afraid to tell the children if you are not feeling particularly wonderful that day: just don’t take it out on them.

          Make them feel valued

          I used to make it my mission to find some common ground with the more challenging children in my class so that we developed a bond, and they would be more likely to pay attention and contribute during lessons. If they feel valued, they are more likely to engage and not employ defence mechanisms or distraction techniques.

          It’s not personal

          Make it clear that the issue is with the behaviour demonstrated and not the child personally. It is important to be assertive with your class and highlight any behaviour issues firmly, but this should never come across as rude or personal to the child/children.

          Share your own top tips for behaviour management in our ECT Community Facebook page.

          Find more strategies on how to manage behaviour in a positive way in episode 3 of our Everything ECT webinar series.

          Join ECT Community Watch ECT Webinars

          About the author

          Emma Johnston

          After graduating with a BA in Communications from Bournemouth University, Emma worked in public relations and marketing before deciding to undertake a PGCE at Kingston University and begin her journey as a primary school teacher. Emma taught for 15 years in schools around London and Surrey, in a variety of roles including lead practitioner and assistant headteacher. Emma now works for Eteach as Education Partnerships Coordinator, where she can share her knowledge of the education sector and support those beginning their teaching career.

          Share :

           
          Jobseekers
          • Browse jobs
          • Career advice
          • Direct recruiters
          • Blog
          Schools
          • Our services
          • Packages
          • Recruitment advice
          • Case studies
          Eteach
          • About us
          • Contact us
          • Careers
          • Our partners

          About Eteach

          The Eteach Group is an EdTech software and services company, dedicated to providing education recruitment solutions for teachers and support staff to connect directly with schools online and find the latest jobs and opportunities available. To find out more about our mission, visit the About Us page.

          Eteach

          • Who we are
          • Contact us
          • Mission and vision
          • Work for us
          • Partners

          Legal

          • Terms and conditions
          • Privacy policy
          • Cookies
          • Accessibility
          • Carbon reduction plan

          Connect with us

          • Facebook
          • Twitter
          • Instagram
          • tiktok
          • LinkedIn
          • call 0845 226 1906
          • email Send us a message
          • location_on 1 Arlington Square, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 1WA
          • location_on 33-35 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9HB
          Education Today

          Legal

          • Terms and conditions
          • Privacy policy
          • Cookies
          • Accessibility
          • Carbon reduction plan
          Education Today

          © Copyright and database rights Eteach UK Limited 2025

          Jobsaware ISO logo Cyber-Essentials-logo
          TOP
          Loading...