Product reviews for Changing Perceptions

Graham’s book is a bold and ambitious clarion call for teachers to ‘change their perceptions’ of several things; to change their perceptions of what lies behind the behaviour of the students they teach; to change their perceptions of the most effective language to use when describing the behaviour of the young people in their class; to change the perceptions of what approaches work to get better behaviour; and, above all, to change their perceptions of the young people they work with, especially those young people with the most ‘challenging’ behaviour. And there is a clear starting point for these changed perceptions and that is with all of us being a little more ‘fiercely curious’.

We originally bonded over a book. I first met Graham during lockdown – schools closed so I was able to join a Twitter online book club, partly because I had the time but also, because I was self-employed at the time, I wanted to keep in touch with a community of teachers. The book group was originally formed around a reading of Bruce Perry’s The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog, and this book and the several others we read (and are still reading together) was a gateway to hearing Graham’s ideas, his passion for doing behaviour a different way and his professional and personal experience of getting the best behaviour out of all young people. The book club still meets, and I now get to work closely on behaviour with Graham. This book will allow you to read and hopefully implement the many useful strategies the book contains.

Maybe 20 years ago, we didn’t know much of the specialist and expert research we now have from neuroscience, psychology, therapy, pedagogy and other academic fields (it is to Graham’s credit that his book is full of the most up-to-date research from many different areas), but it has always been the case that the most successful teachers knew that the best classroom behaviour is achieved with staff and students working together, based on relationships built on the right balance of support and challenge and a shared set of values and goals.

Graham’s book also contains a lot of really good questions but, more importantly, lots of really good answers. In fact, the book is written with solutions in mind. Words matter to Graham as well as the positive actions – take for example ‘mistakes’ – instead of a young person’s mistake instigating a cycle of shame or guilt with the associated negative labels that some young people are more than willing to live down to, Graham suggests that we try seeing a ‘mistake’ as a ‘learning opportunity’ and use the language of restoration and behaviour recovery to begin the process of real behaviour change.

There is brave leadership and fierce curiosity in equal measure in Graham’s book. Schools should be a place of growth, where all young people are able to thrive because of the approaches to better behaviour that comes with effective challenge and support. This book brings his personal experience as well as the latest educational research to help you work with young people with empathy and respect. But this is not easy. Look at Graham’s end-of-chapter recipe cards for better behaviour and the ingredients that should feature in a teacher’s response to behaviour – flexibility; letting go; inclusivity; self-control; a positive mindset; but, above all, repeated at the end of nearly every chapter, is patience and an open mind. Not easy, but with a changed perception this can start in your classroom with a sequential approach.