From Behaving to Belonging

Challenging behaviour is one of the most significant issues educators face. Though it may seem radical to use words like love, compassion and heart when we talk about behaviour and discipline, the compassionate and heartfelt words, actions and strategies teachers employ in the classroom directly shape who students are – and who they will become. But how can teaching from the heart translate into effective supports and practices for students who exhibit challenging behaviour?

In From behaving to belonging, Julie Causton and Kate MacLeod detail how teachers can shift from a ‘behaviour management’ mindset (that punishes students for ‘bad’ behaviour or rewards students for ‘good’ or ‘compliant’ behaviour) to an approach that supports all students – even the most challenging ones – with kindness, creativity, acceptance and love.

Causton and MacLeod’s approach:

• focuses on students’ strengths, gifts and talents
• ignites students’ creativity and sense of self-worth
• ensures that students’ social, emotional and academic needs are met
• prompts teachers to rethink challenging behaviour and how they support their students
• helps teachers identify barriers to student success in the cultural, social and environmental landscape
• inspires teachers to reconnect with their core values and beliefs about students and teaching.

We need to transform our classrooms into places of love. To that end, this book represents a paradigm shift from a punitive mindset to a strengths-based, loving approach and encourages the radical act of creating more inclusive and caring schools.