Inside: Read the review of a must-read positive behaviour management book for any teacher that needs straight-forward and actionable strategies to get a handle on classroom management.
Assertive discipline: Positive behaviour management for today’s classroom
Author: Lee Canter
Available as a Kindle Edition and book
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Do you need help with positive behaviour management?
I love this book. It’s one of the best positive behaviour management books since I left university.
It actually saved me so much time, particularly when I nearly quit after an atrocious first year teaching placement.
It has easy to follow instructions to walk-you-through setting up a positive behaviour management plan from start to finish. I’ll explain a bit more here…
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Why I needed this positive behaviour management book to guide me
My first year out from university, my behaviour management was shocking! Couple this with an extremely difficult grade 7 class and it added up to me losing control of the class.
The students were in control of the classroom, not me!
I remember going home every night wanting to quit, in tears to my husband.
I tried to get help from much more experienced colleagues at my new school and asked for their suggestions, but all I gained was a very loud voice...I would just scream at the kids because that’s what I heard other teachers doing next door to me.
Yuk! I honestly didn’t want to be that kind of teacher, especially a new teacher beginning her career.
After leaving this night-mare contract position only one term later, to essentially recover from a minor burn out, my mind was telling me to leave the profession.
What a waste of my degree! Pretty tough, considering I had started late in life and it was my lifetime goal to be in the classroom helping kids.
I obviously had studied behaviour management at uni and I had read other behaviour management books too, but they hadn’t resonated with me and the classroom environment I wanted to create.
After deep thought and reflection, and sharing my behaviour management failures with my son, I found this book.
My son and I discussed my situation in-depth. It helped so much that he was a new teacher too. He was so wise in his outlook and thoughts on classroom management and we brainstormed many great ideas that could assist me in set up my classroom for my new placement the following year.
He also suggested I read this book – Assertive discipline: Positive behaviour management for today’s classroom by Lee Cantor, a resource that he was using.
What a godsend!
I was so keen, I downloaded the Kindle version immediately and followed it like a bible. It was exactly what I needed. It was so good, I later bought the companion teaching book to go with it too with wonderful blackline masters and behaviour supports to use with my students.
Why is this positive behaviour management book so helpful?
The book taught me so much about how to gain the student’s respect and offered many practical suggestions to set up a safe and supportive classroom for my students. A must for any teacher to work smarter in the classroom.
And it gave me all the necessary skills I would need to explicitly teach my classroom management plan to my students that I previously missed in my room.
I also found that I was much calmer as a teacher and I felt much more in control of what happened in my classroom. Plus, I was able to instil in my students a sense of ownership of their own behaviour and for them to be responsible for this, not me.
You’ll find that much of what
Some of the topics in the book:
- Be an effective classroom manager
- Develop your teacher’s voice
- Positive support actions
- Teach students to manage their own behaviour
- Reduce disruptive behaviour
What I learnt about positive behaviour management that I still implement today:
After reading this great book, it sparked confidence and enthusiasm in me, ready to start my new placement the following year.
I found my assertive, but calm teacher voice – not the screaming one! and how to project my voice that gained command and respect from my students.
I still dig out this great book even after over 8 years of teaching – especially if I need some reminders with strategies for challenging behaviours.
It is such a terrific resource, I think any experienced teacher would gain wonderful knowledge to change the life and atmosphere of their classroom for the better!
I still use the strategies for positive behaviour management in my classroom today.
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Great positive behaviour strategies to follow:
- Classwide Positive support – for whole-class and individuals
- Effective management of a variety of student behaviours
- Beginning the school year – Establishment of rules, Consequences and Rewards (including Policies and Procedures)
- Developing a Responsible Behaviour Curriculum
- Effective methods to communicate explicit directions
- Attention-getting signals – read my post about fun attention-getters + free printable
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Final words about this must-read positive behaviour management book
I thoroughly recommend Assertive Discipline: Positive Behavior Management for Today’s Classroom (Building Relationships with Difficult Students) to all teachers.
Grab yourself a copy and learn some sensible ideas to regain control of your classroom and build your skills with positive behaviour management.
Let me know what you think of this book. Leave your comments below.
Remember you are worth it!
Michelle x
Related Articles:
12 Strategies for a Successful Classroom Management Plan
Easy Tips to Manage a Talkative Class
Classroom Jobs: How to Effectively Use Student Helpers
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