Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) program
Baralaba State School is a PBL school. We have been reinvigorating the use of the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) program in our school. This form of behaviour management system varies from many historical behaviour management plans since it operates on the premise that children are learners of behaviour, as well as learners of literacy, numeracy and curriculum. Under this model, it is the role of teachers (and all school community members) to explicitly teach children appropriate behaviours and to set expectations.
Research into behaviour management programs indicates that 80% of any group of people make positive behaviour choices all of the time and only 5% of any group of people are those that require major support to make positive behaviour choices. Approximately 15% will occasionally demonstrate positive behaviour choices but also demonstrate at-risk behaviour.
In contrast, research on teacher time spent on classroom management indicate that teachers usually spend 80% or more of their time addressing inappropriate behaviour choices. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) seeks to counter and reverse this trend.
Why is it so important to focus on teaching positive social behaviours?
In the past, school discipline has focused mainly on reacting to specific student misbehaviour by implementing punishment-based strategies including reprimands, loss of privilege, office referrals, suspensions and exclusions.
Research has shown that the implementation of punishment especially when used in the absence of other positive strategies, is ineffective. Introducing, modelling and reinforcing positive social behaviour is a crucial aspect of a student’s educational experience. Research confirms that teaching behavioural expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive and effective approach than waiting for misbehaviour to occur before responding.
For the successful implementation of the PBL program at Baralaba State School, all staff need to be confident in their knowledge of its purpose and processes. All staff need to know what they are expected to do to ensure consistency of language and expectations as we implement the PBL program. This document is designed to summarise this information for all staff.
What is the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) program?
A major advance in behaviour management programs is the emphasis on school-wide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting behaviours that create positive school environments. Instead of using a patchwork of individual behaviour management plans, PBL provides a continuum of positive behaviour support for all students within all areas of a school (classroom and non-classroom settings).
The PBL Continuum has three tiers:
Tier 1: Universal Prevention—the most important aspect of a whole school approach that focuses on preventing problems and creating an environment that supports student learning and wellbeing.
Tier 2: Targeted Interventions—designed to build upon what has been taught to students at the universal level.
Tier 3: Intensive Interventions—intensive, individualised behaviour intervention plans implemented to reduce the intensity and severity of challenging behaviours.
The PBL program:
- addresses thediverse academic and social needs of every student
- enables schools to establish a continuum of support
- is team driven and uses a problem-solving approach
- establishes positive social expectations for all
- provides a framework for the school to collectively support the wellbeing of every student.
What are the elements of effective, school-wide implementation?
An effective school-wide system is only as good as the structures and processes that are in place to support their sustained use. Key components of a PBL system are:
- A school-wide team to guide and direct the process. This team should be made up of an administrator, teachers from across the school, teacher-aides and parents. Our school-wide team is called the PBL Team.
- Administrator (Principal) actively supporting and participating in PBL processes.
- Commitment and agreement from staff for active support and implementation.
- Continuous and responsive monitoring of behaviour data and systems (Data Manager).
- Implementation of an Action Plan that is informed by data-based decision making.
- Clarified processes, procedures and systems for managing behaviour to ensure efficiency and consistency of approach, so we all know what we are doing and why.