well as pupils with different language needs and those from differing cultural backgrounds and home environments. We did this in class by having a Cultural Day, where pupils were encouraged to bring a sample of a dish, or other item, that represented their culture and beliefs; the class then discussed (and sampled!) the various items, while the teacher encouraged all pupils to express their thoughts and opinions respectfully. We finished the class by producing posters celebrating elements of different cultures, which we displayed on the wall.
However, even a useful tool like wall displays is not suitable for every class and every child, which shows there can never be a “one-size-fits-all” approach to goal setting. Recent research from Hanley et al. (2017) shows that for children in primary school classrooms, the presence of visual displays on walls “had a significant impact on attention for all children.” This was determined using eye-tracking software with high and low levels of wall displays. Furthermore, the study revealed that the negative impact of visual displays is even greater on children with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), resulting in poorer learning outcomes when compared with a classroom that had no or fewer visual displays. This shows that as teachers, we must take into account the individual needs of every pupil and carefully consider how our exercises, such as wall displays and posters, may affect the attention spans or learning outcomes of children, especially those with Special Educational Needs such as ASD.
Standard 7 involves the management of classroom behaviour to provide “a good and safe learning environment”. This is a fundamental prerequisite of high-quality learning outcomes. Steer (2009) puts it succinctly: poor behaviours cannot be tolerated in any classroom because all children have the right to learn without disruption. All schools must have a behaviour policy (DfE 2012a). Once teachers are familiar with their school’s policy, they can devise strategies to manage behaviour in line with it.
Rogers (1990) states that for the implementation of rules to be effective, they must be “discussed and formulated on a whole class basis in the establishment phase of the school year”. I observed one fruitful approach in class. The teacher produced a “rewards and sanctions” document, put into age-appropriate language for her pupils. This was a poster that the teacher discussed with all students briefly at the start of class, and then referred to again when intervening to manage infractions. The statements on the poster were positively worded (for example, “Speak kindly to one another”, instead of “Don’t use mean words”). The poster explained the potential impacts of poor behaviour in terms the pupils could understand, using few rules and short sentences, and it was displayed prominently, accessible to all pupils. McBer (2000) confirms that this method of communicating clear boundaries to pupils in line with the school’s behaviour management policy “allows for the maximum engagement of pupils in the task at hand, thus promoting optimum o
