I have spent nearly three weeks in year 2 and have enjoyed every minute of it! Each child is unique and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know their quirks and ways. Having observed the class teacher I have reflected upon the importance of relationships and behaviour. She informed me that understanding the children can be an important tool for behaviour management. I have used this throughout the teaching that I have done so far. During my first group teaching I found that behaviour became more of a challenge when being taught by me rather than the class teacher. Having spoke with the class teacher she emphasised that the children were still getting to know me and were, as they say, ‘testing the boundaries’. She emphasised that I had followed through with the school’s behaviour policy confidently but that I could spend more time forming relationships with the children so that they gained a good level of respect for me. After reflection I spent time during lessons and play time to ask the children questions about their interests. I found that most children enjoyed the attention and that this was a great way to continue my behaviour management. During my next group teaching I used continuous positive reinforcement and asked children questions about their thoughts. This encouraged them to stay on task which meant I was able to give out team points and form positive relationships with many in the class. Despite the progress I had made, I found a few children particularly difficult when teaching my first class session. I was consistent with praise and rewards for good work but realised that some children didn’t respond as well as others to positive reinforcement. I tried saying names out loud along with a disappointed look for those who were disruptive but that seemed to be short lived. When discussing this with my mentor she suggested that it is important to recognise that some children need direct instruction for behaviour. She suggested that I set out my expectations for their behaviour before starting the a task. In my next few sessions I made it clear before starting that I expected the children to make good decisions about behaviour and that I was hoping to give out some team points. I made effort to focus on those children around the classroom who had previously been disruptive. By using the knowledge that the teacher had for each child in the classroom I was able to adapt my teaching to the individual child’s needs.This emphasised to me that for behaviour management it is a necessity to understand the children in your classroom on an personal level. I will continue to form relationships with the children.This will help me to feel confident about which behaviour management techniques might be effective with some children but not others, and when to use them. This will also help the children to trust me and respect me and therefore encourage enthusiastic with learning. On reflection I understand that every child is different, meaning that every class is different. I will observe other classes to ensure that I understand the various methods which can be effective for behaviour management.This will be beneficial for future teaching so that I am able to resolve any behaviour issues that I may not have come across before. All Stories