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Behaviour and learning
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Practical approaches to strengthen behaviours that promote learning and minimise behaviours that disrupt and inhibit learning.
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- Understand
- Understanding how to respond to problem behaviour
- Foster positive relationships and partnerships
- Collaboratively develop a safe and caring culture and climate
- Supporting language and communication skills
- Support emotional wellbeing and positive mental health
- Enable access and participation in learning
- Respond safely to challenging situations
- Key resources
This guide is a companion resource to Teaching for positive behaviour: supporting engagement, participation and learning.
As learning, behaviour, and wellbeing are inseparable, this guide illustrates how to ensure students' strengths, interests, learning needs and preferences are considered in the design of learning environments.
The strategies within this guide:
- support The New Zealand Curriculum
- promote inclusive, culturally responsive practices
- are learner and whānau centred
- support schools to take a reflective, problem-solving approach
- promote self-regulated learning behaviours – in particular, the key competencies of relating to others, participating and contributing, and managing self
- support student-to-student interactions and relationships as well as teacher-facilitated learning
- are applicable to both traditional and more flexible, innovative learning environments
- can often be supported using appropriate digital technologies.
The strategies are underpinned by Universal Design for Learning, a framework that guides the design of flexible, barrier-free learning options and supports.
Understanding behaviour
Key concepts and terms related to behaviour and learning.
If students are learning successfully, if they are feeling connected, if they know that people care, they are less likely to behave in ways that jeopardise their opportunities to be part of that.
Ngaire Ashmore, Principal, Tangaroa College
Summary of important concepts:
Understanding how to respond to problem behaviour
When you understand the purpose of a specific behaviour, you can determine how to respond and intervene.
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A Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) identifies where, when, and the likely reasons why a behaviour of concern happens. It is used to inform a behaviour support plan that addresses the reasons for behaviour/s occurring.
Source: Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
Three suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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Gather information and problem solve
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Strategies for action
Six key strategies to support positive behaviours for learning.
Foster positive relationships and partnerships
Relationships foster a sense of belonging, which is an important basis for learning and engagement.
Kaiako talk about the importance of getting to know ākonga Māori and building trust to enable learning.
Four suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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Build relationships with students based on trust and mutual respect
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- Video
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Build collaborative relationships with families to support learning, safety, and wellbeing
Includes:
- Video
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Support positive peer relationships
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- Video
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Model positive and caring teacher-teacher relationships
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- Video
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Collaboratively develop a safe and caring culture and climate
The classroom environment makes a big difference to how students learn.
If students feel uncomfortable or unsafe in the classroom they are less likely to concentrate on tasks, be open to new learning, or to achieve.
Six suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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- Video
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Agree behavioural expectations
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Support authentic student decision making
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- Video
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Design the physical environment
Includes:
- Video
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Includes:
- Video
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Actively manage classroom behaviours
Includes:
- Video
- Resources
Supporting language and communication skills
Children and young people need well developed speech, language, and communication skills to enable them to participate and achieve.
The ability to communicate is an essential life skill for all children and young people … It underpins a child’s social, emotional, and educational development.
John Bercow
Six suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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Support behaviour and communication
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Support attention and listening
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Teach social interaction skills
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Includes:
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Support emotional wellbeing and positive mental health
Take a planned and empathetic approach to enabling students to strengthen their emotional wellbeing and positive mental health.
It’s vital for their identity. If they know who they are, they can have somewhere to grow from. They’re more responsive in the learning environment.
It’s setting them up with tools for life, with a mind-set to help them navigate the world. Being aware of what’s around them, making sure they maintain a respect for themselves that they can then give to others.
Ebony Repia
Six suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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Anticipate, monitor, and plan for responding to child stress
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- Video
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Teach stress management, anxiety and coping skills
Includes:
- Video
- Resources
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Offer relaxation options and downtime activities
Includes:
- Video
- Resources
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Teach how to recognise emotions and options for expressing feelings
Includes:
- Video
- Resources
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Providing support following traumatic experiences
Includes:
- Video
- Resources
Enable access and participation in learning
Consider how you will design a flexible learning environment that values and expects diversity and is effective for each learner.
Universal Design for Learning in action: A framework that guides the design of flexible, barrier-free learning options and supports.
Closed Captions
Five suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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Recognise and remove barriers to learning
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Activate student agency and ownership
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Support self management and independence
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Develop problem solving skills and asking for help
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Cooperative and collaborative approaches
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- Video
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Respond safely to challenging situations
Have belief and faith that learners learn new strategies. Prepare yourself to provide effective, responsive support.
He moana pupuke ka ekengia e te waka
A choppy sea can be navigated.
Five suggestions for implementing this strategy:
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Use de-escalating behaviour strategies
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Helpful teacher behaviours and communication
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Respond safely to physical aggression
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Collaboratively develop a behaviour plan
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Key resources

He māpuna te tamaiti: Supporting social and emotional competence in early learning
Read time: 160 min
This resource has been written for kaiako in Aotearoa New Zealand early learning services. Its purpose is to support you to understand and draw on effective practices that enhance children’s social and emotional competence, engagement, and learning.
Publisher: Te Whāriki Online

Teaching for positive behaviour: Supporting engagement, participation, and learning
Read time: 111 min
This resource supports teachers in all New Zealand primary and secondary schools to understand and draw on effective strategies that enhance students' behaviour, engagement, participation, and learning.
Publisher: Positive Behaviour for Learning
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Mental health education and hauora: Teaching interpersonal skills, resilience, and wellbeing
This resource supports teaching children and young people about mental health, wellbeing, resilience, and interpersonal skills. It includes lesson plans that work for multiple year and curriculum levels, and are particularly useful for years 7–11 health education.
Publisher: NZCER Press
Price: One off charge $85.00
Encourage positive behaviours
This resources provides strategies for encouraging positive behaviour in the individual, the classroom and school-wide.
Publisher: Positive Behaviour for Learning
How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: Behaviour and learning
Understand:
- Understanding behaviour
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Understanding how to respond to problem behaviourShow suggestions for Understanding how to respond to problem behaviour
Strategies for action:
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Foster positive relationships and partnershipsShow suggestions for Foster positive relationships and partnerships
-
Collaboratively develop a safe and caring culture and climateShow suggestions for Collaboratively develop a safe and caring culture and climate
-
Supporting language and communication skillsShow suggestions for Supporting language and communication skills
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Support emotional wellbeing and positive mental healthShow suggestions for Support emotional wellbeing and positive mental health
- Anticipate, monitor, and plan for responding to child stress
- Strengthen student identity
- Teach stress management, anxiety and coping skills
- Offer relaxation options and downtime activities
- Teach how to recognise emotions and options for expressing feelings
- Providing support following traumatic experiences
-
Enable access and participation in learningShow suggestions for Enable access and participation in learning
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Respond safely to challenging situationsShow suggestions for Respond safely to challenging situations