Understanding Behaviour - Responding Safely

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka

A choppy sea can be navigated

What?

The training covers how to understand the ‘why’ of my own behaviour and the behaviour of the students I work with, so I can respond constructively to them.

So what?

Physical restraint should only be used if there is danger to the learner or others around them.

Take care of yourself first before you help someone else. Heath, the principal, to fill in the form and send it to MOE. Seclusion is a NO, NO. We work towards de-escalation.

We have a range of learners in an educational setting. They are expected to get along with other learners and teachers. We need to build positive relationships - what we say and how we say it helps to develop the relationship.

We need to understand why the behaviour occurs- it isn’t always obvious. It would be good to have perceptions & what the child is bringing. Relationships are also important. Looking for signs to know if the child is angry is important.

It is important to understand yourself and work towards understanding others. Think about "What’s gonna trigger my anxiety and how others perceive me."

If a child refuses to do something we need to think about why the child is refusing and we need to have a talk about it. Find our why & try to work it out together.

The student & staff will experience stress responses.

Adrenaline helps us to react faster. Cortisol helps our body to survive the response to be alert. A person in a heightened stage will trigger quickly.

As an educator I should understand Managing safety & create an environment where all learners can learn.

I should spend more time on teaching rather than managing behaviour.

How can we create a safe environment? If I experience a Personality clash with a learner I can let another LC deal with that. I can explicitly teach & reinforce behaviours I want to see. I will reward learners when I see change in behaviours.

Come down to their level. Give them space. Turn to your side. Invading personal space will increase anxiety.

There are 6 stages in the escalation.

1. Ready to learn

2. Out of sorts

3. Escalating

4. Out of control

5. Calming down

6. Ready to learn

Now what?

‘He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.’

‘What is the most important thing of the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.’