What are learning behaviours? The challenge for educational practitioners is often how to effectively implement positive learning behaviours in the classroom and steering pupils away from so-called “bad behaviours”. The “icing on the cake” is finding out how effective learning behaviour strategies can transcend the classroom and help practitioners to train young minds to learn in any type of environment.
When we first think of “learning behaviour”, we often build a picture in our minds of teachers using multiple different methods to help stop negative behaviour from recurring in the environment. This could be in the form of using something daily as “table points” to something as drastic as “behaviour charts or zone boards”. However “learning behaviour” is much more complex and has many more factors influencing it. A simple definition of “learning behaviour” would be the combination of two targeted areas: “managing behaviour” and “promoting learning” (Ellis and Todd, 2018). To deliver effective learning behaviour strategies, practitioners must be able to help children build upon 3 different types of relationships: the relationships they have with others around them so they can develop meaningful relationships; the relationships they have with themselves to build self-confidence; and the relationship with the curriculum they follow to help access, understand and respond effectively. It is important for practitioners to discover their chosen style of teaching, have an insightful understanding of their curriculum, and be aware of each child’s individual needs, in order to successfully promote strong learning behaviours in their environment (Powell and Todd, 2004).
To begin we must understand that learning is not exclusive to the domain of education and is something that starts in our lives long before we start school (Pritchard, 2013). Surprisingly, “learning behaviour” has much more to do with neuropsychology and how we can strengthen our relationship with our brain activity and abilities such as memory, attention and reasoning (Fuchs, 2009). As the EEF guidance report on SEL points out “Efforts to promote SEL skills may be especially important to children from disadvantaged backgrounds who on average have weaker SEL skills at all ages than their better off peers. This matters for a range of outcomes, as lower levels of SEL skills are associated with poorer mental health and academic attainment.” (EEF, 2021)
Learning behaviours: Equipping pupils and staff with the necessary tools
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