Product reviews for When the Adults Change, Everything Changes

"My reading viewpoint

I was lucky enough to hear Paul speak at a conference (Primary Rocks Live 2017) and was spellbound listening to him. He has a presence and he was talking sense - sense I rarely heard. This led to me wanting to read his book and luckily I finally got my hands on a copy.

Behaviour is not something I currently have to deal with in my role as I no longer work explicitly within a school but in visiting schools I see a range of behaviour policies, reward systems and sanctions. This and a general reflection on my own behaviour management strategies made me wonder if there was another way, or a -˜best' way to encourage positive behaviour and minimise low-level and more disruptive behaviours. I read this book with a view to enlighten me.

Summary

Dix's book is an easy read. I don't mean to dismiss the content however: the subject matter is complex and takes time to digest. What I mean is that the writing style makes it easy to read. Paul's voice comes through and the combination of advice and anecdotes makes it a page-turner - I even laughed! The chapter layout also helps this, with detail and anecdotes alongside lists and the end of each chapter summarises with areas to watch out for and the -˜nuggets' of the chapter.

Dix discusses strategies to improve the behaviour management in schools. The content is applicable for primary and secondary and, while the premise of the book focuses on the need for all adults to be -˜on the same page' there are pieces of advice that any teacher can pick up and use. The chapters are clear and linked and take you on a journey through how a school might change things for the better.

My key takeaways

1. Consistency is key. This means that all adults need to be on message all of the time. Now, Dix emphasises that this should be a whole-school change and, if you are in a position to do so, this book navigates how this might occur. However, I believe this applies to classrooms too and Dix later recognises the importance of individual routines in classrooms to meet individual class needs. The messaging around consistency of messaging can be applied to the microcosm of the classroom. In essence, if you are going to bring about change then consistency from every adult your pupils come into contact with needs to be the same - teachers, cover supervisors, teaching assistants, midday supervisors, everyone who works within your classroom needs to be clear on the practices you have in place in your classroom. The united front idea is a simple one, but one that I feel I overlooked in my practice.

2. Naming pupils who do not behave in the way you expect does not help. Dix himself notes that strategies such as -˜name on the board' or -˜sunshine or cloud' for pupils who do not behave as you expect occur in so many classrooms it appears to be something teachers just -˜know' to do rather than something carefully put into place. He argues it reinforces negative behaviour, providing a kind of celebrity status for some pupils, and therefore does not help combat the challenges. The chapter regarding -˜counter intuitive classrooms' is particularly useful for teachers who feel this is not the answer and would like an alternative.

3. Rewards are not the answer, either. This was interesting for me, as a teacher who used to give out house points and merits with no real thought. Dix argues again for consistency and suggests that no teacher can use rewards consistently and therefore their use becomes meaningless. He makes some useful observations and suggestions about the way in which these might be used or indeed phased out.

4. Don't react emotionally to bad behaviour. At all. This again sounds obvious, but I am willing to bet that every teacher can identify a time where they allowed emotions to creep in. I certainly can. Dix emphasises the importance of keeping calm and makes a number of suggestions to support this aim. He also emphasises the importance of tone and body language, something I think is often overlooked.

5. Consider a 30 day rule. I think this is really interesting, important, and does not just apply to behaviour. Dix argues that any change needs to be implemented for 30 days in order to have impact. He notes several examples and is a rule I intend to live by.

I think you should read this book if-¦

- You are in a position to change the behaviour policy in your school.
- You're not able to change your behaviour policy, but want practical advice to implement in your classroom.
- You're a trainee or NQT who has seen a number of behaviour policies and just aren't sure about any of them."

Click here to read the review on Lisa's blog.