Helping with Behaviour Establishing the positive and addressing the difficult in the early years (The Nursery World Routledgefalmer Essential Guides for Early Years Practitioners)

168 Pages·2005·0.68 MB·English

by  Sue Roffey

Helping with Behaviour
Helping with Behaviourshows how to establish good practice in early
years settings, so that allchildren are supported in developing posi-
tive interactions with each other.
Sue Roffey explains the features of an ‘emotionally literate’environ-
ment that meets the needs of more vulnerable children and looks at
how to respond effectively when children are distressed and hard to
manage, providing plenty of ideas and inspiration throughout.
Using accessible and down-to-earth language, this book looks at:
(cid:1) how to foster a sense of belonging and build self-esteem;
(cid:1) how we can help pre-schoolers learn to feel good about
complying and cooperating;
(cid:1) how children can become strong individuals as well as learn
to be good;
(cid:1) ways of working collaboratively to address the most
challenging behaviours.
This book is based on sound psychological theory and research but
written especially for early years practitioners,who will easily be able
to engage with the ideas presented and hence develop strong princi-
ples of positive behaviour themselves. The wide range of concepts
included here will be an invaluable source of inspiration,making this
book essential reading for anyone concerned with vulnerable young
children in their care.
Sue Roffey is a senior lecturer in educational psychology at the
University of Western Sydney.She also works internationally provid-
ing consultancy and professional development on issues related to
behaviour and emotional literacy.See www.sueroffey.com.
The Nursery World/Routledge Essential
Guides for Early Years Practitioners
Books in this series address key issues for early years practitioners working
in today’s nursery and school environments.Each title is packed full of prac-
tical activities, support, advice and guidance, all of which is in line with
current government early years policy.The authors use their experience and
expertise to write accessibly and informatively,emphasising through the use
of case studies the practical aspects of the subject, while retaining strong
theoretical underpinnings throughout.
These titles will encourage the practitioner and student alike to gain greater
confidence and authority in their day-to-day work,offering many illustrative
examples of good practice,suggestions for further reading and many invalu-
able resources. For a handy, clear and inspirational guide to understanding
the important and practical issues, the early years practitioner or student
need look no further than this series.
Titles in the series
Circle Time for Young Children
Jenny Mosley
Helping with Behaviour:establishing the positive and addressing
the difficult in the early years
Sue Roffey
Identifying Additional Learning Needs in the Early Years:
listening to the children
Christine MacIntyre
Observing,Assessing and Planning for Children in the Early Years
Sandra Smidt
Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in the Early Years
(forthcoming)
Diane Rich
Helping with
Behaviour
Establishing the Positive
and Addressing the Difficult
in the Early Years
Sue Roffey
First published 2006
by Routledge
2 Park Square,Milton Park,Abingdon,Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave,New York,NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 2006 Sue Roffey
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,mechanical,
or other means,now known or hereafter invented,including
photocopying and recording,or in any information storage or
retrieval system,without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Roffey,Sue.
Helping with behaviour:establishing the positive and addressing
the difficult in the early years/Sue Roffey.
p.cm
The Nursery world/Routledge essential guides for early years practitioners
Includes bibliographical references.
1.Classroom management. 2.Behavior modification. 3.Preschool
teaching. 4.Preschool children – Psychology. 5.Problem children –
Education (Preschool) I.Title. II.Series.
LB3013.R562 2005
372.139'3 – dc22 2005004367
ISBN 0-203-08767-4 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0–415–34290–2 (hbk)
ISBN 0–415–34291–0 (pbk)
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3111 This book is dedicated to my dearest son Ben who is now
4 working as a forensic psychologist,researching aspects of
criminal behaviour.He,as much as anyone,has a deep
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understanding of the importance of positive intervention
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in the early years.
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Contents
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3111 Preface ix
4 Acknowledgements xi
6 1 A privilege and a responsibility 1
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2 Learning to be ‘good’ 14
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9 3 Behaviour begins with a ‘C’ 26
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4 Once again with feeling 51
2 5 Learning, language and behaviour 79
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6 Healing the hurt 93
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7 Behaviours that challenge 104
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8 Working with families 122
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8 9 Looking after yourself and each other 134
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30111 Bibliography 146
Index 153
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Preface
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3111 ‘Helping with behaviour’means helping the children,helping each other
4 and helping with ideas. Here we explore how to establish good prac-
tice in early years settings so that all children are supported in developing
6 the positive interactions on which pro-social behaviour is founded.
7 The book is aimed at those who work with 3–5-year-old children,
8 although there are references to those a little younger and a little
9 older. It is written for an international readership and as such does
20111 not refer to nation-specific or statutory information. Terminology
varies between countries: in this book, the terms ‘early years centre’
2 and ‘pre-school’ apply to all establishments that cater for the 3–5 age
3 group and the term ‘pre-school practitioner’ is applied to all people
4 working in this field.The word ‘teacher’refers to anyone with a respon-
sibility in an early years setting even if they do not have the formal
6 qualifications.
7 The approach here is rooted in developmental,educational and social
8 psychology primarily from systemic, interactive and constructivist
9 perspectives. Some psychodynamic, social learning and behavioural
30111 approaches are also included.There is an emphasis on solution-focused
and strengths-based thinking.The content is informed by research,which
2 concludes that the way we position children and their behaviour deter-
3 mines what we address and how we address it.We look at what parents
4 and early years practitioners require of small children in different settings
and how to help pre-schoolers learn what is wanted in ways that make
6 them feel positive about complying and cooperating.It is important that
7 practitioners are aware of what is developmentally appropriate in behav-
8 ioural terms.We explain how children need to become strong individuals
9 as well as ‘learn to be good’ and ways in which that might be fostered
4011 without resorting to ‘strong discipline’.
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