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What is the ‘emotional temperature’ in your classroom and how does it affect your pupils’ behaviour? |
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Research taster
Managing behaviour to create a learning climate seems to be an issue which many teachers, particularly those starting their careers, find difficult. When teachers can draw on the experience of other colleagues or professionals from the LA or other schools to support staff, it helps raise their confidence and expertise in this area.  Can you identify areas for your own development that you would like to pursue with support from someone who is confident about managing behaviour so it supports learning?
Your evidence
You might like to explore the idea of ‘emotional temperature’ as applied to classroom climate. Consider the terms ‘warm/supportive’, ‘cool/detached’, ‘hot/angry’ and ‘cold/antagonistic’ in relation to your classroom. Observing other teachers could help you get to grips with the idea. As you observe you might like to consider the following questions:
• Is the emotional temperature constant or does it change in the course of a lesson? If there are changes what causes them?
• How did you recognise a change?
• Is the emotional temperature the same for all pupils?
• How do the pupils respond to changes in emotional temperature?
• You might like to consider the temperature of a tutor group session and of a subject lesson with the same teacher. Are there differences? If so what causes them?
What patterns emerge from your observations?
You could also ask a colleague or behavioural professional to observe your lessons and provide you with another perspective on the emotional temperature of your classroom. Were you deliberately raising or lowering the temperature? How consistent were you across the lesson and with groups and individual pupils?
(Adapted from Reflective Activity 6-1a)
Moving forward
Would you find it helpful to work with a colleague to create a more consistent and more appropriate emotional temperature in your classes? Are there particular individuals you need to plan for differently? Can you engage with these pupils and negotiate a pace and level of difficulty that they will find it easier to respond to? Would it be helpful to watch a behaviour professional model some strategies for establishing an emotional climate that supports everybody’s learning?
Find out more
 Hallam, S., Castle, F., Rogers, L., et al (2005) Research and Evaluation of the Behaviour Improvement Programme Research Report RR 702, London: DfES
Rogers, W. (2002) Classroom Behaviour London: Paul Chapman
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