I accidentally fell into “behaviour lead” roles in my schools’ and then was lead for a big behaviour support outreach service. More established teachers used to ask me what training course I’d attended or what bribes I used to get consistently good behaviour from my students.
I would say being dynamic definitely helped. Move around the classroom, have energy and passion for what you are teaching as these things are infectious.
Building in elements of play and movement as much as possible. Silly things that seem inconsequential - I worked in an old-school PRU for years. Our kids hated maths. When I let them write their work on their (wipeable) desks using whiteboard pens, everyone suddenly wanted to do maths! A bit daft but play and having fun occasionally really works!
Respect and trust - I always followed through on any consequences i gave but always with a calm, friendly tone. Kids respond really well to that and it’s non confrontational. Allow students (I was in secondary) the chance to put their behaviour right by consistently explaining what is expected and expecting them to do better.
Perceived compliance is an oldie but a goodie - “thank you for doing xxx” rather than “please can you do xxx.”
Be kind and take a genuine interest in children’s’ lives. They realise you care and this builds trusting relationships. Humour but never sarcasm.
No fancy reward systems because, in places I’ve worked, they become a crutch and the rewards have to get bigger and bigger to sustain the external motivation required. Teach intrinsic motivation for a job well-done … use genuine praise. Call home randomly to praise a child’s effort. Worked in PRUs and even secure accommodation! Everyone likes to be praised for a job well done / great efforts. But be genuine. Don’t dumb down your expectations for the children. Expect them to do better and they will.
I am a massive fan of calm classrooms - controversial but i never had masses of stuff on the walls / on the surfaces. Just key information, a simple board for showing off great work and spare resources such as pens etc. because kids are human and are allowed to forget these things occasionally.
routines and predictable structure. That’s likely what the stern school mistress and chilled “teacher mum” from a PP had in common. Predictability and routines. Especially for consequences.
Make mistakes (I used to do this intentionally) and be honest with students - sometimes it is OK to say “I don’t know” as the adult in the room. They won’t suddenly pounce on you!
Correct behaviour in private / quietly but firmly … “firm on the boundary and gentle on the child”. And “connect before correct” - make eye contact or stand close to a child who is distracted or point at the question they need to move on to if they are distracted. Make a connection with them “I love how you’ve written that…” then the correction “and I know you’ve already moved onto the next question.” Always follow through on consequences calmly without rupturing the relationship. Never, ever make an empty threat.
The biggest help by far though is explicitly teaching and revisiting your standards and expectations. As adults I think we sometimes forget that children don’t always know what “ready to learn” or “good listening” actually are. Model it. Show how this looks in your classroom and your routines.
Have high expectations for all children, no matter age, stage or ability. Children can and should be taught independence, should be trusted with hard things and allowed opportunities to make mistakes.
Active engagement is magic, especially for high energy classes or disruptive students but I found this difficult to sustain all day every day so I found lazy ways to do it.
“Cold calling” - sensibly asking random students for their views at random times. I would never do this if a child was anxious or worried to talk in class.
Participation - we used yes/no cards, ABCD laminated cards or even asking kids to go to a different side of the room depending on their answer. Anything to keep the class “on their toes” and avoid long periods of independent tasks.
Other examples include: everyone answers / writes, no opting out (useful for children who start every sentence with no or I can’t), insert deliberate mistakes into your work as kids love to catch you out, agree/disagree polls, silent debate, timed activities…
Be curious about why a child is behaving in a particular way. Even better, ask them. “What’s making it difficult to start?” or “thanks for writing the next word.” Try to start a task or lesson with something that every child can succeed at. Even if it’s recalling or writing a single word.
Final thing - and massively ironic given the length of this post (!!) - clear instructions that are bordering on abrupt! So “pens down, look at me, thanks” instead of “Red Class, how many times do I need to ask you to stop and listen to my instructions? Please look this way or you’ll miss playtime.”
Oooh also, stickers. I am yet to meet a child or teen who doesn’t love a sticker.