Behaviour for Learning

By Carla Cornelius

23.3.21

Training sessions dedicated to managing behaviour are highly popular, but I have always felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea of 'managing behaviour'.

In education, we have come to associate behaviour with the idea of containment. Once our magic wand of containment has been used, children will turn into predictable creatures ready to follow instructions and behave appropriately. Should this be our expectation?

Behaviour is everything that we express or show to others and is heavily influenced by our cultural norms. We could argue that behaviour has variants from culture to culture.

Being born and raised in Italy, I know that behaviour is much more than being contained. Attending a family meal in Italy is the clear representation of a different way of being social. People shout, rather than use their 'quiet, indoor voices', there is a lot of gesticulation. Manners, such as not interrupting someone talking, are not always followed in the heat of the moment. That is what it is expected in a jovial social gathering, which might not match the expectations of social gatherings in other parts of the world or of an educational environment.

As we live in a multicultural society, it is likely that children will bring to settings different implied social rules and expectations. We need to accept these differences and turn our attention to the idea of promoting 'behaviour for learning' rather than managing or containing behaviour. This means thinking about promoting skills which are necessary for children to enjoy and successfully navigate social environments.

This is particularly pertinent when children have additional needs or delayed communication and interaction. Children's behaviour, however difficult or challenging for us as educators it may be, serves a specific function. However, we need to also be aware that certain behaviours may stop the child from interacting, accepting new experiences or making friends, which are essential life skills. How can we make sure that children have their needs met while enhancing their ability to interact socially?