Categories: News

Teaching for positive behaviour

Supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of our children and young people is a priority for all school leaders and teachers, according to the Ministry of Education.

With this in mind, the Ministry has just published a new resource written for teachers in all New Zealand schools and kura to help them support the behaviour, engagement, participation and learning of children and young people.

Teaching for Positive Behaviour includes sections on creating a supportive learning environment, encouraging reflective thought and action, facilitating shared learning, and providing sufficient opportunities to learn. Each section has a range of strategies for teachers to use along with an example of effective practice. The resource also includes activities designed to support staff professional learning and development and links to further information.  There is also a self-assessment tool at the back.

While this resource focuses on proactive and purposeful approaches to teaching and learning, wider aspects of school life also impact on a students’ wellbeing and their ability to focus and learn. 

The Wellbeing@School toolkit, wellbeingatschool.org.nz, it has been specifically designed to help schools identify how different aspects of school life contribute to a safe and caring environment and deter bullying. It can also suggest particular areas to focus on.

According to the Ministry, children and young people might appear okay when there is actually an underlying problem.  Local and international research suggests that bullying is a serious problem in our schools. The best way to find out how students genuinely feel about the environment at their school is to ask them through an anonymous student survey, such as the Wellbeing@School survey. It is now free of charge through until December 2018.

School News

School News is not affiliated with any government agency, body or political party. We are an independently owned, family-operated magazine.

Recent Posts

English curriculum draft out for consultation

The much-delayed English draft curriculum is now out for consultation, generating discussion from teachers.

2 weeks ago

Arts, culture and recreation positive for the wellbeing of rangatahi

Research from AUT demonstrates arts, culture and recreation have positive impacts on all aspects of…

2 weeks ago

School phone ban one year on: our student survey reveals mixed feelings about its success

How effective has the school phone ban been in achieving its aims? Researchers from the…

2 weeks ago

Learning growing and exploring with school camps and excursions

School camps and excursions deliver hands on learning experiences, helping to consolidate classroom learning.

2 weeks ago

Could an AV system improve learning outcomes and student engagement?

Innovations in AV technologies present new opportunities to engage with students. We look at how…

2 weeks ago

What makes a good teacher?

A new report from the University of Auckland’s Our Voices Project asks young people what…

4 weeks ago