PBS stands for Positive Behaviour Support and is an operational framework that aims to improve student academic and behaviour outcomes by ensuring all students have access to the most effective and accurately implemented instructional and behavioural practices and interventions possible.
Students in our school come from many different backgrounds and cultures that view “behaviour” differently. We cannot assume that students know how to behave appropriately when at school. Cassia Primary School has a significant number of students from low SEI backgrounds and/or in the care of CPFS. Many of these students have not been taught school behaviours at home, and therefore make mistakes at school.
Consequently, we must teach our students how to behave at school to ensure that they do make better choices. PBS views inappropriate behaviour in the same manner that problems in reading or math are viewed as a skill deficit. When a skill deficit exists, we must teach the appropriate skill. We view behaviour infractions as errors requiring teaching, rather than character faults to be fixed by punishment.
Some Core Beliefs about Behaviour:
- Behaviour is a form of communication.
- Behaviour is functional; it is not good or bad.
- Students are not “born with bad behaviour”.
- Students do not learn better ways of behaving when given aversive consequences for their problem behaviours (Alberto and Troutman, 2001; Sulzer-Azaroff and Mayer, 1994; Walker et al., 1996).
- Recurring misbehaviour happens for a reason (some students learn that problem behaviour is the best way to meet their needs).
- Identifying the function or purpose of the behaviour allows us to respond and intervene more effectively.
How we change behaviour in a PBS school:
- Recognise we can’t make students learn or behave.
- We can create environments that increase the likelihood that students will learn and behave.
- Environments that increase this likelihood are guided by a core curriculum which is implemented with consistency and fidelity and give consideration to:
- Design and layout of the physical environment.
- Explicit teaching of appropriate behaviour.
- Opportunity to regularly practise behaviour in the natural environment.
- Fostering positive relationships with students.
- Data driven classroom management practices.
- The constant modification of our own behaviour to elicit the desired response from students.
- Frequent, specific, skill focussed positive reinforcement.
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