Sue Cowley, 'Getting the Buggers to Behave' book review
Sunday, 31 August 2008
You have to love that title, right?
What we have here is a book that tries to give practical solutions to real class room problems - well, fine, but it's another thing all together to actually put theory into real life practice - which is one thing that makes Learning Theories so hard to put into practice. But this book does have a lot to offer.
Sue Cowley has written a whole bunch of other books about what you can get *the buggers* to do. There's a humanism and a sense of humour to the titles: how to survive, getting them to think/write/behave - it suggests she's been there and done it and has a magical solution to all your problems. She doesn't, but it makes for an interesting read. Certainly more easy going than trying to take in some of the big textbooks I *read* last year. Reading books by Minton, Petty - and a host of others that I've already wiped from my brain - you were left with a feeling of alienation from the actual practicing of teaching. A big gap between theory and practice. A scary gap.
Cowley tries to fill that. She plays the role of an experienced mentor, giving advice on the 'Basics of Behaviour Management'. Something I know I need to know more about - given that sarcasm and random acts of cruelty and violence are apparently not acceptable from a trainee teacher when trying to discipline a classroom of noisy miscreants...
She tells us to be calm and consistent: ‘Children are extremely sensitive to the idea of fairness.’
Give them structure: ‘At home, their parents or guardians may not have set boundaries for them, or they may constantly move the goalposts, reacting in a variety of different ways to the same types of misbehaviour. Schools offer these young people a refuge, a place where hey meet adults who give them suitable and consistent guidelines about what good behaviour actually is.’
Your students must know what to expect when they come to your lesson. If you meet their expectations, you become a stable feature of their lives. This stability leads to increased trust and better relationships.
Yeah, that makes sense. I guess now it's my job to actually achieve that sort of relationship. Develop control, trust and - logical, interesting, useful lesson plans. The old problems, but Cowley does offer some interesting ideas.
A recommended read for trainee teachers feeling bogged down by overly wordy, overly theoretical text books...