Challenging Behaviour and Students with Special Educational Needs: A Whole-school Post-Primary Seminar

Summary

This three-and-a-half hour whole-school seminar explores what is meant by challenging behaviour and how teachers can best manage incidents of challenging behaviour in mainstream post-primary classrooms in relation to students with special educational needs (SEN). It examines the importance of a whole-school approach in trying to minimise behaviours that challenge and explores classroom strategies that promote positive behaviour and minimise and/or prevent incidents of challenging behaviour.

Key Aims

The key aims of the seminar are:

To examine our thinking and our approaches to challenging behaviour and students with SEN
To raise awareness of how students’ profiles, strengths, difficulties, learning styles, personalities, traits and skills influence behaviour
To help understand how the emotional reaction of both students and teachers affects behaviour
To increase awareness that predictability and consistency are the most effective strategies for minimising and eliminating challenging behaviour
To provide strategies for creating a learning environment which is predictable and consistent in order to help eliminate or minimise repeated instances of challenging behaviour
To outline how Rules and Routines need to be set up, taught and implemented
To explain how a whole-school consistency of approach is needed as a basis for an effective system of behaviour management.
To provide participants with information on further reading, resources and materials to assist them in the effective management of students’ behaviour in post-primary schools.

Format of Event

This seminar normally takes place in school over three-and-a-half hours, including a 15 minute break. It consists of two parts.

Part one (approx. one-and-a-half hours) examines definitions of challenging behaviour and looks at what challenging behaviour means to teachers. It explores some of the behaviours associated with special educational needs and offers some reasons for the behaviours. It considers the impact of the behaviour on the student, teachers, other students and the wider community. The seminar then moves on to communicate the importance of a whole-school approach in the effective management of challenging behaviour.

Part two (approx. one-and-three-quarter hours) explores effective classroom strategies to minimise and/ or manage challenging behaviour. The presenter facilitates collaborative group work and provides opportunities for teachers to observe effective classroom management through DVD footage and discussion. Opportunities for questions arise throughout the seminar.

Availability

To avail of this seminar: Request the seminar through the SESS Supports Scheme (In-school Support).