Changing Negative Behaviour

National Curriculum Links

This lesson primarily addresses the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education statutory requirements for Year 8 students, specifically focusing on:

• PSHE Association Programme of Study: Core Theme 1 – Health and Wellbeing
• Building self-awareness and emotional regulation to manage behaviour
• Developing strategies to change negative behaviours and promote positive relationships
• Understanding consequences of behaviour on self and others

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 40-minute session, students will be able to:

• Define negative behaviour and identify its common causes
• Recognise the impact of negative behaviour on themselves and peers
• Apply at least two practical strategies to change poor behaviour into positive actions
• Reflect on their own behaviour and set simple behaviour improvement goals

Materials

• Flip chart or whiteboard and markers
• Behaviour scenario cards (4 cards, each describing a common negative behaviour situation)
• Reflection worksheet (with prompts to identify behaviour impacts and improvement strategies)
• Small reward tokens (optional)

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Engagement (5 minutes)

• Begin with a friendly class greeting. Explain today's focus is on understanding how to change negative or poor behaviour.
• Briefly discuss what “negative behaviour” means and brainstorm examples (e.g. interrupting, being disrespectful, bullying, lack of effort). Write examples on the board.
• Emphasise importance in school and life of understanding behaviour and choosing positive actions.

2. Understanding Causes and Impact (10 minutes)

• Present 4 behaviour scenario cards, one for each student. Examples might include:
  • Interrupting in class
  • Refusal to follow instructions
  • Name calling
  • Avoiding work or responsibility
• Each student reads their card aloud, then as a group discuss:
  • What might cause this behaviour? (e.g. frustration, seeking attention, misunderstanding rules)
  • How might this behaviour affect others? How might it impact themselves?
• Record key points on the board, linking causes to impacts to promote empathy and self-awareness.

3. Strategies to Change Behaviour (15 minutes)

• Introduce two evidence-based practical strategies, aligned with PSHE outcomes:
  1. The STOP method (Stop, Think, Options, Proceed) to pause and choose positive behaviours
  2. Positive reinforcement & self-talk to encourage and reward good behaviour
• Role-play activity: In pairs, students pick one scenario card and act out the negative behaviour quickly then re-enact it using one of the strategies above to change the outcome.
• Teacher facilitates feedback and highlights successful use of strategies.
• Discuss additional tools like deep breathing, counting to ten, or speaking to a trusted adult.

4. Reflection and Goal Setting (8 minutes)

• Distribute reflection worksheets. Prompts include:
  • Describe a time when you acted negatively. What happened?
  • How did your behaviour affect others? Yourself?
  • Which strategy from today could you try next time?
  • Set one personal behaviour goal for the next week.
• Students complete individually. Teacher circulates offering support.

5. Plenary & Assessment (2 minutes)

• Quick round: Each student shares their chosen behaviour strategy or goal.
• Teacher provides positive reinforcement and encouragement.
• Collect reflection sheets for formative assessment—checking understanding of causes, impacts, and strategies linked to PSHE objectives.

Differentiation

• For students who need more support: Provide sentence starters on reflection sheet for writing.
• For more confident students: Challenge them to come up with additional personal strategies or advice for peers.

Evidence of Curriculum Coverage

• Developing self-regulation and managing emotions (PSHE Year 8 Health and Wellbeing)
• Empathy and respect for others (Core theme 1)
• Reflective learning and goal-setting (promoting growth mindset)

This plan promotes active learning through discussion, role-play, and self-reflection, encouraging students to practically apply behaviour management strategies while meeting statutory PSHE outcomes for Year 8 under the National Curriculum for England. Its small group size (4 students) allows personalised attention and meaningful participation, maximising impact within 40 minutes.