UNIT 1: What is Behaviour for Learning?

UNIT 1: Behaviour Management - Behaviour for Learning (B4L)



What is Behaviour for Learning?

Let's hear from teacher Gaudence talking about how Behaviour for Learning helps teachers at Umubano Academy to think about the reasons why learners have challenges with their behaviour, before they move on to give them consequences:

Here’s a definition of the term Behaviour for Learning (B4L):

Behaviour for Learning (B4L) is an approach that can be used throughout the school, by everyone in the school community. It provides the teacher with a way of looking at WHY a learner is behaving in challenging ways before responding with a consequence. By first reflecting on the reasons why learners misbehave, the whole-school community contributes to developing a positive, safe and supportive learning culture. The B4L framework assists schools in finding ways of improving the social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for their learners.

Reflection  reflection

Think back to your own school days. 

  • Did you ever misbehave? What misbehaviour did you get involved in, and why? What did the teacher do in response to your misbehaviour? How did you feel afterwards?
  • Maybe you never misbehaved, but do you remember other learners who misbehaved a lot in the class or outside? Why do you think they misbehaved? How did the teachers manage their poor behaviour? What effect did the other learners’  poor behaviour have on you?
A learner may show patterns of poor behaviour for a number of different reasons, and the teacher will need to think through these reasons and respond in the best ways, to manage that poor behaviour and to ensure the rest of the class is not affected negatively. 

The B4L framework supports teachers to reflect on, and the learners to develop skills within, three essential pillars or focus areas that are related to behaviour. These three pillars are based on ‘relationships’ or the ways that a learner sees her/himself and interacts with the world around her/him. These three pillars describe the learner’s relationships as follows:

  • Relationship with SELF (their self-confidence, self-esteem and how they value themselves)
  • Relationship with the COMMUNITY (how they interact with the people around them in the family, in school, and in the wider community)
  • Relationship with the CURRICULUM (what they believe about their ability in the subjects they study within the CBC and the subject content they must master; their overall attitudes to their own learning and progress)

Last modified: Monday, 8 January 2024, 1:29 PM