The jigsaw sounds like a great idea. I will definitely remember that one. How many pieces is the jigsaw, out of interest - or doesn't that matter in order to work? Presumably it would lose impact if there were too many pieces (generally speaking now - not just with that lad)?

We had 'Behaviour Management' training at school as an inset day on the Monday after half term. It's very extensive and involved, so if anyone would like me to send the notes (5 pages in a Word Document) that I typed up after the course, please PM me your e-mail address and I'll happily send it. It was done by a lady who has vast experience of dealing with behavioural difficulties in Birmingham inner-city schools with a high degree of success and it was very interesting.

The amount of pieces vary depending of age ability, I suppose you could could make increasingly more pieces to keep the goalposts moving.

At the moment the pupil and I cut the picture up so amount of pieces vary. the jigsaws normally lasts a few weeks at a time.

I like that idea too, Kitegirl - I shall try that with the child I work with.

If the child wastes time locking himself in the toilet (up to 10 mins at a time) or other avoidance tactics, than I tell him he will make up this time during his break.
I also leave out stickers in front of him as he works, as a 'carrot'.

Child I work with works very well in the 2 or 3 minutes leading up to the playtime/lunchtime bell, its interesting to see the work he produces in that short space of time in order not to miss any of his playtime finishing his work (or more usually in starting it).

Yeh, I know what you mean. If the child I work with see's his name and 2 ticks on the board he amazingly gets to work so that he won't miss playtime.

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i work with girl (not too often) she is rude, shouts and argues, i ignore her when she shouts - she knows that i will ignore her as i have told her - i respond when she puts up hand and is polite. and i have explained to her that when she is rude it upsets me, she wrote me a sorry note, and keeping fingers crossed has not been rude since. i think that she didn't really think that adults in authority had feelings!


What! ................TA's have feelings!

yes jack, but they are deeper under my rhino hide

That's the best place to keep them if you can. It's when the staff (rude)/parents start it gets to me.

One of the kids turned around and said to me(when I was actually making him do something he didn't want to do,poor lamb)
'I don't like you!'
I replied,'I don't care!'
He said,'I REALLY don't like you.'
'I REALLY don't care.' I answered.
He got such a shock.
He did do the task.

That is a fantastic idea kitegirl - I will try that with a couple of my darlings!!

I am currently working in yr6 supporting an autistic boy and a child with cerebal palsy (physical and learning difficulties).

I am employ several methods of praise and most of them i have learnt from the fantastic teacher I work with. Within class she has a visual timetabe (which she religiously maintains) a noise meter which she always adheres to and a simple method of reward or sanction.

If the child is doing the right thing - coming into class properly, observing the noise meter( working hard to their ability) etc they have their name written on the board and then earn subsequent ticks. For every two ticks
they earn a sticker which is handed out at the end of the day and placed on a sticker card. When they have 50 stickers they get a prize (teacher has a goody bag by desk).

As the class LSA I also award ticks to my small SEN group when working outside the class, remind them at the beginning of each session of the expected behaviour and heap on praise awarding housepoints (school reward policy) and/or ticks. I sometimes extend this by giving a badge to
'the brain of the day' which is special to my group only.

If a child is misbehaving and to be honest this is very rare because the
children are so clear on the expected behaviour (misbehaviour tends to be whispering/talking when silent reading or not observing sound meter) the child receives a warning. A second warning writes their name on the board a third warning would be a lost play. The children rarely get to a third warning.

Again I employ the same rules when working outside of the classroom.

Recently our teacher has been away ill and I have provided the occasional cover in the class presenting the pre-planned lessons. I have been really chuffed that the class have responded well to me and feel it is because of the consistency that I present (that a supply so often doesn't).
But mostly they know that I am really generous with the green `tick` pen!

I like some of the strategies here but some don't really fit in with the children I have, although the jigsaw might.

I use one that was mentioned on another link to which I have kind of adapted. I draw a hand and use the 5 fingers as the targets, if the child works well and towards the targets set I put a smile on each finger BUT if the child starts to get distracted or refuses to work I put a sad face. They know that 3 sad faces means 5 to 10 mins time out!!! But I am quite fair and if it is just a low level disruption they are doing or low attention I put the eyes in, this gives the child a visual that they need to get back to concentrating, if they do it then it gets a smile, if they don't, they know it will result in a sad face. Amazingly it is working for the positive.

oh and not to forget the reward of a stamp or sticker or table point for 3 or more smiles!!! lol

Hey Medusa,

just want to say a big thanks for the email with your 'Behaviour Management' training notes on.

All good suggestions & advice in there, sure it will prove useful in my practice & for my NVQ!

xx

You're welcome.