Q: What is the most valuable skill that many teachers would benefit from developing?

 

A: Positive Behavioural Influence (PBI).

 

 

Q: What is Positive Behavioural Influence?

 

A: A skill set and an ethos which improves the quality of teaching and learning by equipping teachers with the empowering mindset and practices required to lead their classes effectively and maintain warm, productive and respectful relationships whilst firmly upholding their school’s high standards and expectations. 

 

 

Q: How does this differ from conventional behaviour management training?

 

A: Whilst most behaviour management training provides strategies which help us ‘react and respond’ to negative behaviour, PBI is best described as a ‘prevent and promote’ approach. Behaviour management focuses on the execution of specific strategies and language patterns whereas PBI marries proactive strategic measures with the key transformative factors of awareness, mindset and personal state management. Hundreds of observations suggest that teachers who create a consistently positive climate for learning do not find themselves frequently dealing with disruption, reengaging distracted learners or deescalating conflict. Instead we see individuals whose presence, attitude, emotional intelligence, and genuinely high expectations of all learners allow them to establish themselves as respected leaders in the learning environment and promote consistently positive and productive behaviour as a result. Over the last 10 years Education X has extracted these seemingly intangible qualities and turned them into a logical, learnable, practicable skill set (PBI).

 

 

Q: What sort of things will the teachers learn?

 

A: One of the most valuable outcomes of the training is an empowering and ‘game changing’ shift in mindset. This comes in the form of an ‘Aha! moment’ as your teachers learn precisely how and why some individuals are able to lead their classrooms more effectively than others. Teachers have a powerful realisation as they make the crucial connection between their own thoughts and perceptions and their ability to lead and influence. In every teaching and learning relationship where poor behaviour for learning persists, the opportunity for transformation lies within five key areas. 

 

1. Awareness, ethos and perception.

2. State management, congruence and rapport.

3. Structure, clarity and consistency.

4. Standards, expectation and respect.

5. Effective engagement.  

 

As well as learning how to become the most engaging version of themselves, candidates will learn and implement classroom leadership strategies which will enable them to become competent and effective in these five key areas.

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Q: We have already established specific standards and routines which we expect all teachers to meet and carry out. Will we need to change these?

 

A: Whilst a review of your school’s complete behaviour strategy is available as an additional Education X service, the short answer is no. Over the last decade of helping schools to transform their climate for learning we have found that it is not so much the specifics of a particular routine which makes the difference e.g. lining up, standing behind chairs or immediate engagement with a starter activity, it is the quality, standard and reliability to which these routines are carried out across the school. As part of the ‘structure, clarity and consistency’ aspect of the training, candidates will carry out ‘behaviour storyboarding’ which involves planning and visualising expected behaviours for the various phases of their lesson. In this section your teachers will include your school’s expected practices and identify the specific behaviours and strategies that they themselves will demonstrate to ensure that these standards are met. 

 

 

Q: How do our staff access this training?

 

A: There are four models to choose from…

 

PBI Live Online Training  - Candidates access the full interactive PBI training course which is delivered live, online by an Education X PBI specialist. The course spans 12 sessions and candidates are tasked with implementing specific strategies each week. 

 

PBI Certification - Candidates embark on a challenging yet rewarding and empowering developmental journey throughout which they are coached in person by way of observation and feedback. In addition to learning the full PBI knowledge base and skill set, teachers have the opportunity to become PBI certified when they demonstrate that they can consistently…

 

• Access and maintain a warm, yet assertive and confident demeanour throughout the course of the lesson.

 

• Demonstrate effective relational skills and connect with all students in order to make them feel individually noticed and valued.

 

• Adopt and maintain a positive perception of all students in a way that highlights their potential, values their contribution and helps them to develop a positive and empowering self image.

 

• Maximise student participation and engagement through, creative questioning, positive acknowledgement and showing enthusiasm for the subject matter.

 

• Maintain an acute awareness of the needs, engagement and emotional state of all students and proactively support / reengage them whenever required.

 

• Carry out the school’s documented routines and expected practices correctly and consistently.

 

• Command and receive high quality attention from all students whenever required.

 

• Communicate precise expected working conditions for each phases of the lesson.

 

• Take steps to ensure that expected working conditions are adhered to by all students.

 

• Demonstrate high expectations of work and behaviour for learning throughout the lesson in a consistent and congruent fashion.

 

• Provide clear expectations for productivity at each stage of the lesson and actively monitor the quality and quantity of work being produced whilst providing feedback and motivating students where necessary. 

 

• Provide students who need additional help with high quality individual support whilst maintaining a positive climate for learning throughout the rest of the classroom. 

 

• Maintain a calm, dignified and self assured demeanour when experiencing unexpected challenge. 

 

• When necessary, speak assertively in a way which does not invoke hostility or verbal aggression but confidently seeks to protect the fundamental rights of teachers and students alike.

 

• Create a positive climate for learning where all students are keen to thrive and reach their potential. 

 

 

PBI Champion Training

 

Here you can nominate one or more PBI Champions who will become your school’s coaching resource to ensure that standards are maintained and that your staff have ongoing feedback and support relating to the PBI skill set. Once PBI certified themselves, your nominated champion(s) will undertake paired learning walks / observations with an Education X PBI specialist and be trained to identify opportunities for improvement and provide PBI specific feedback. 

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PBI for Leadership

 

It is clear and undeniable that the ‘lynch pin’ or ‘make or break factor’ in the success of any school’s plan to transform their climate for learning is the ability of leadership to unite, enthuse and motivate their entire staff body to act as one in a committed and determined fashion in order to bring about significant change in specific areas. The five key areas of ‘Positive Behavioural Influence’ are just as applicable to leading a team of colleagues as they are to leading a class of students. Your Education X PBI specialist will support your leadership with the strategic planning, delivery and monitoring of both behavioural and operational developments taking your school to new heights whilst raising standards and successfully embedding a refreshing new ethos.

 

 

Q: Who will be carrying out the training?

 

A: The training and support will be carried out by Ross Ritchie - Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and founder of Education X Behaviour and Relationship Transformation. Ross has 12 years experience in helping schools to achieve remarkable positive transformations and has been instrumental in many a school’s journey from special measures / serious weaknesses to good and outstanding.