IndexThe role of school leadership in behavior management strategiesThe power of positive reinforcement in managing classroom behaviorFinding the role of teacher-student relationships and emotional intelligence in behavior managementConclusionReferencesBehavior management is one of the contemporary issues often faced by the school community and school leaders. Behavior problems within school communities lead to a poor environment and a sense of fear and frustration within the school culture. Disruptive student behavior can negatively affect both teachers and students. The Report on Behavior and Discipline in Schools states that “inappropriate and disruptive behavior in the classroom reduces children's ability to concentrate and absorb information; it upsets children and causes immense stress for teachers. Barbetta et al., point out that “the most effective way to eliminate bad behavior is to prevent its onset or escalation from the start.” The role of behavior management in the teacher-student relationship is presented in the following essay. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To combat bad behavior, school leaders need to ensure they have effective behavior management strategies to support teachers. Effective behavior management is found in many different forms in schools. The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) is seen to have a significant role in monitoring pupil behaviour, through policies, demonstrating behavior and organizing continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for staff. Therefore, the overall responsibility for student behavior falls heavily on the shoulders of the speech pathologist. However, teachers are at the forefront of implementing the behavioral policy and, within staff, there may be inconsistencies in its application. Teachers must feel that they have the support of the speech therapist in implementing the behavior management policy. Dr Patrick Roach of the NASUWT teachers' union adds cautiously that "having a policy and what happens in practice are two very different things, teachers in the classroom may feel that what the policy states is different to what is applied to everything the staff". Furthermore, behavioral policies can be rigid, leaving the teacher unable to be flexible in implementing their strategy. Therefore, the result is that teachers create inconsistencies in the delivery of behavioral policies. The role of school leadership in behavior management strategies The policies created by the SLT outline clear behavior management strategies which detail the ethos of the school and why good behavior is important. A 'good' school behavior policy, agreed and communicated to all stakeholders (staff, leaders, pupils, parents) and consistently applied, is the basis of an effective approach to behavior management. Accountability in its application should be applied at all levels of the school system. Failure to do so would result in inconsistent, incoherent and weak policy. I am under no illusion that I am incredibly lucky to work in an “exceptional” school. The ethos and expectations driven by SLT are one of kindness and mutual respect. One SLT initiative incorporated into the school is the “Random Act of Kindness” (RAOK). The practical implications of thisinitiative are constantly reminded to pupils through assemblies and modeled behaviour. Pupils and teachers are asked to talk about their recent RAOK to constantly remind pupils of the school culture. I had the opportunity to speak at the meeting about my RAOK. This initiative can benefit the behavior of my class, as it allows students to model the behavior of their teachers. Empirical research suggests that teacher behavior is an important predictor of student learning and behaviors. This SLT initiative helps spread a culture of positive behavior. However, expectations need to be exemplified in as much detail as possible and it could be argued that a single “RAOK” from teachers is not enough. Bennett states that "the problems of creating a strong culture are rooted in the mistaken belief that a vision has been clearly demonstrated when it has not been, or that an expectation has been made clear but remains only vaguely comprehensible to those its recipients". The SLT initiative's audience will have different perceptions of what these "expectations" mean, for example, "does demonstrating kindness constitute good classroom behavior?" Bennett argues that increasing positive behavior should be the desirable goal of SLT, but this should be achieved first through reducing negative behavior. From this point of view, this SLT initiative is reinforcing positive behaviors before canceling negative ones. In the UK, what is required of school teachers is codified in policy statements. Schools and teachers are expected to be familiar with and able to implement the multiple policies created for them by others. Teachers are held accountable for implementing each policy. Schools employ a range of adults who interact with and support students. Each individual may have different interpretations of what constitutes “bad behavior” and conflicting opinions on how to discipline students, leaving enforcement of policies inconsistent. Regardless of behavior management policies, behavior during lessons is guided by teachers. If a speech pathology member continues to teach, they are in a position to provide behavior management strategies. However, in my teaching environment, the more senior the SLT member, the less they teach. It is necessary to put into practice effective behavior management strategies; they need to be adapted and refined for different students, and if you don't teach, how do you learn what works and, more importantly, what doesn't work in each classroom. The effectiveness of behavior management strategies comes from the interaction teachers have with students. Despite working in an 'outstanding' school, teachers commonly face negative behavior that causes low-level distress. 'The behavior guru' - Bennet describes low-level disruption as anything that can disrupt the flow of the lesson and cause distraction for pupils. Bennet outlines one approach to combat this behavior: the use of sanctions. Sanctions ensure that pupils know what is expected of them and create clear boundaries. The use of sanctions is outlined by the SLT in the school's behavior policy. However, my experience in using sanctions is that issuing a "detention" will not help the pupil in the long term. In the short term, a sanction makes the pupil aware of illegal behaviour, but as teachers we must help pupils to develop holistically. Perhaps engage with the student to understand themotivations behind his behavior and trying to build a positive relationship with him would have a greater effect. The power of positive reinforcement in managing classroom behavior The belief that the use of sanctions is beneficial is contradicted by Dix who explores the idea that most school behavior policies should be heavily sanctioned and that pupils benefit more support (e.g. explanations on how to improve their behavior, showing them the bigger picture). Sanctions are a reactive approach and can be seen as counterproductive in encouraging pupils to work hard in class. Often the sanctions issued are not reasonable or proportionate to the circumstances and are seen as a quick fix by teachers. If they are too severe, delayed or inconsistent they will fail to have the desired effect, as is often the case. The behavior policy established by SLT provides strict guidelines, it is the classroom teachers who can be most effective in managing behavior. I used sanctions of various levels depending on the severity. But from my experience, being proactive rather than reactive behavior management allows me to anticipate and decrease any bad behavior. Nash et al., point out that adopting a more collaborative, problem-solving approach is more effective. Disruptive behavior is seen as an expression of emotional needs on the part of pupils, which requires a thoughtful and compassionate response from teachers, rather than a punitive reaction. Teachers are in a position to manage behavior by creating a positive and safe environment in which pupils can learn. Creating a positive and engaging classroom atmosphere is one of the most powerful tools teachers can use to encourage children's learning and prevent problem behaviors from occurring. While there are several factors related to a positive classroom atmosphere, the most important factor is how teachers track or respond to children's behaviors. Teachers' responses to children's appropriate and problematic behavior can help set the tone of the school environment and should be made at the establishment stage. If teachers respond reactively, harshly, and combatively to children's disruptive behavior, they will experience a similar combative response. This type of interaction can lead to emotional and coercive relationships between teacher and student and will negatively affect their relationship. In contrast, Conroy et al., argue that if teachers provided a proactive response by providing support and feedback to pupils on their behaviour, positive relationships could be created and, consequently, teachers might be more likely to have positive reactions from pupils. students. From this point of view, creating these positive interactions between teacher and student is the most effective behavior management strategy. Regardless of behavioral policy, it is the teacher's skill and emotional intelligence (EI) that can be most effective. A turning point this year was when I observed another member of staff teaching a misbehaving pupil in my lessons. . They made a comment that forced me to reflect on my view of managing bad behavior “catch them doing good to reinforce that positive feeling.” Reinforcing positive behavior in the classroom, in turn, can increase the chances of regular positive behavior. Scientific research provides evidence of this, Freeland found that providing praise following the behaviorapproved, shows that children are more likely to engage in the behaviors praised. It is recommended that teachers use behaviorally specific praise as reinforcement for students with behavioral problems. This provides clear evidence that the effectiveness of initial teacher responses in behavior management is more influential than the policy approach of reactive behavior. However, teachers need to be aware that constant intrinsic rewards for good behavior can result in “reward fatigue” in which students become desensitized to the benefits. Finding the Role of Teacher-Student Relationships and Emotional Intelligence in Behavior Management From the experience I have gained from observing other teachers and in my own practice, teachers with the best behavior management are those who have earned respect and built a strong relationship with the students. From reflections, I have found that the best way to do this is to act on both positive and negative behavior. Whitlam, reported that team management skills are based on “quality of relationships, knowledge of students and management of students.” The teacher should draw on these factors within the classroom to ensure their behavior management strategies are effective. The quality of the relationships I have built with my students is based on trust and fairness, built on my behaviors and emotion regulation with them. According to Mayer et al., one of the factors that influence classroom behavior management is emotional intelligence (EI). The education sector involves a significant amount of person-to-person interactions and emotional exchanges, especially between teachers and students. EI enables teachers to recognize and understand their own emotions in the classroom and to anticipate the effects of these emotional expressions on interpersonal interactions with others (i.e. pupils). The interest and empathy shown by teachers, according to Whitlam, has the potential to create a positive relationship with pupils, allowing for better group management. With my 10th graders, I found this theoretical framework of being emotionally self-aware to be essential to building positive relationships. For example, when I know I have had a stressful day, I need to make sure I control my emotions to maintain those positive relationships I have built with pupils. It would be easy to overreact to a small break in losing emotional control, but this would be to the detriment of the relationship. Furthermore, this may encourage the escalation of bad behavior. I have observed other teachers lose emotional control with students, this radiates through the classroom and often has the short term effect of regulating behavior but in the long term they have destroyed the relationship with those pupils. Sutton reports that teachers who lost control of their emotions had regrets about the incident as it damaged their relationships with pupils. Observing other teachers, the most effective at managing behavior are those who have earned respect through managing relationships. These teachers have strong classroom management skills based on their emotional intelligence and relationship strategies unique to each classroom. Teacher-student relationships provide students with a stable, safe, and supportive classroom atmosphere that improves overall growth, behavior, and academic success. However, it could be argued that SLP support in improving one's emotional well-being could influence a teacher's EI and ability to interact with"., 60, 130-141.