The other week, we spoke about the Quality criteria of the Ofsted inspection. This week we’re tackling Behaviour and Attitudes, perhaps some of the more nebulous concepts to address and assess during Ofsted inspections. We’re eager to show you just how technology can serve as a positive force for enforcing positive attitudes and monitoring behaviour. To do this, we will begin with an example.
Picture this: A bustling classroom, filled with the loud chatter of learning. The students are doing group work, working on a history project. During this time, two of the students get into a tense debate on what their project should look like. A third student chimes in, calmly restating each of their points of view and suggesting a third alternative, a satisfying compromise, making all parties feel understood.
This behaviour, unfortunately, was missed by the teacher, who was preoccupied with another group. Had he seen it, he would have lauded the third student’s empathy, poise and ingenuity.
In a normal classroom, this would have been missed, along with countless other examples of good behaviour.
This classroom, however, had adopted a new way of working. The two students who were previously arguing were so impressed by the third student’s performance that they both gave her a “credit” on her Lengo card, highlighting the reason for the credit. This would then be recorded and sent to the teacher, who would receive it on the platform and commend the student later.
This is but one example of how new digital tools can transform the way we capture, monitor and change student behaviour.
How do you deal with behaviour?
What have you done to encourage a positive attitude in your school? To address behavioural issues? What has the outcome been?
These are some of the questions the Ofsted inspector will be looking to answer as he examines your school. Needless to say, behavioural change is a long-term challenge that cannot be addressed in a day. It needs continuous monitoring, communication and timely response. New digital solutions can support each of these activities to build more positive school culture.
Monitoring
While many people imagine having a Management Information System to simply hold basic information on student academic performance, the modern learning experience goes far beyond that. Today technology is allowing us to capture more nebulous and elusive phenomena like behaviour in more ways than were previously possible. For example platforms like Firefly can offer a more holistic view of students, to include this behavioural data as well as academic performance through their student profile page.
Communication
Timely and consistent communication with a student’s parents and teachers is key to successfully addressing behavioural issues when they arise. For this reason, it is important to have a reliable communication tool that can connect these different parties seamlessly, and even share some of the data gathered about the student. Firefly enables parents to remain in the loop and play a more active role in their child’s education, allowing for deeper and more meaningful behavioural change.
Timely Response
Keeping your hand on the pulse of your students’ behaviour can enable school leaders and teachers to intervene in a timely manner. Rather than waiting for performance and behavioural issues to come to the surface only during parent-teacher conferences or end of year reports, tools like Firefly ensure that you have a clear view of student’s academic and behavioural performance at any point in time.
Positivity
While perhaps not the most intuitive role one would imagine technology playing, tools that encourage positive pedagogic practise can reinforce a positive attitude among students. Lengo provides a clear example of how technology can encourage positivity, collaboration and constructive feedback among students. Firefly’s modern learning experience platform can facilitate smooth feedback between teachers and students, making sure that this positive culture is built beyond just face-to-face interactions.
While behaviour and attitudes are a mammoth of a task to change in your school, technology can help facilitate this transformation. This often starts with having a clear and holistic view of your students and where they stand, a task which Firefly Essentials is well-positioned to do. Sign up for a free demo to see how Firefly can support you and your students to adopt a positive school culture.
