PBL is a school-wide system of support that includes proactive strategies for teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviour, to create and maintain a positive school environment.
Positive behaviour support for all students within the school is implemented in areas including the classroom and non-classroom settings (hallways, bathrooms etc.). Attention is focused on creating and sustaining a variety of systems of support that improve lifestyle results for all students by making negative behaviours less effective, efficient and relevant, and making positive behaviour more desirable and functional.
Why PBL is important
Previously, school-wide discipline has concentrated mainly on reacting to specific student misbehaviour by implementing punishment-based strategies. Research indicates that the implementation of punishment and the absence of positive strategies are ineffective. Introducing modelling, and reinforcing positive social behaviour is an important step of a student’s educational experience. Teaching behavioural expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for them to occur before responding. The purpose of school-wide PBL is to establish a climate in which appropriate behaviour is the norm.
What PBL looks like at Mainsbridge
As a school, we have developed a set of expectations for our students to adopt. These expectations are:
- Each of these expectations are broken down into a matrix of skill based lessons and explicitly taught to the students using a variety of teaching strategies such as singing, role plays and video modelling. The four school expectations are reinforced in a diverse range of ways, every day. Students’ positive behaviour is rewarded in class, reinforced and acknowledged at weekly assemblies as well as in our school newsletter. Staff use a common language and visuals to support learning the PBL expectations.
- Our PBL team (consisting of teachers and school learning support officers) meets fortnightly to address short and long-term goals that will improve the quality of the educational experience of all students.
- We encourage parents and carers to embrace this approach to discipline in the home. Partnering with the school is an excellent way to support students in the development of positive behaviour across environments.