The Unteachables Podcast

#68: Turning your classroom into an island of safety for every single student (oh, and for yourself as the teacher, of course)

• Claire English • Season 5 • Episode 68

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Consistency in classroom management is more than just a routine; it’s a pathway to creating an "island of safety" for your students. From the moment students walk into the classroom to the way lessons are structured, consistency can significantly reduce anxiety and foster a supportive learning environment.

In this episode, I delve into the fourth pillar from my book, It's Never Just About the Behaviour, focusing on proactive classroom management through increased predictability and consistency.

Listen in as I discuss how teachers can create a neurologically safe learning environment for their students. I explain how predictability helps regulate students neurologically, making them feel safer and more prepared. This sense of security is crucial for mitigating challenging behaviours and creating an atmosphere conducive to learning.

To help you implement these strategies immediately, I outline how to establish a strong, predictable, and calm start to lessons. After all, if you win the start of the lesson, the rest becomes much easier.

Here are some of my favourite routines to start a lesson on a calm and positive note (and the ones I walk you through in this episode):

  • Welcoming students with predictability and consistency.
  • Using seating plans as a proactive, rather than reactive, strategy.
  • Using learning maps to enhance students' ability to anticipate upcoming activities, ultimately decreasing anxiety and the stress response.
  • Providing a consistent, quality, accessible, and concept-driven starter activity.


I discuss all of these in depth in Pillar 4 of my book, It's Never Just About the Behaviour.

The biggest takeaway? Understanding that reducing the activation of the amygdala—the part of the brain responsible for the fight, flight, or freeze response—leads to an immediate decrease in challenging behaviours. One of the best ways to achieve this as a teacher and create a calmer, more focused learning environment is by following the golden rule: "minimize the unknown."

Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!

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Claire English:

When you start the lesson, when things are really chaotic, just say something happened out on the playground or it's windy, or you know there's a bloody bird flying around the building. You are going to have a really hard time bringing it back from that. Oh hi, teachers, welcome to Unteachable's podcast. Congratulations. You have just stumbled across the best free professional development and support you could ask for.

Claire English:

I'm Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher, author, teacher mentor and generally just a big behavior nerd, and I created the Unteachables podcast to demystify and simplify classroom management. I want this podcast to be the tangible support, community validation, mentorship, all those pretty important things that we need as teachers to be able to walk into our classrooms feeling empowered and, dare I say it, happy and thrive, especially in the face of these really tough behaviors. So ready for some no-nonsense, judgment-free and realistic classroom management support? I've got your teacher friend. Let's do this. Welcome back, lovely teachers. And guess what? We are now the fourth episode, deep into the series where I take you through the pillars of my book. It's an evidence about the behavior which is soon to be released, like in the next couple of weeks, and my mind is just exploding because it's been such a long road and I'm so excited. So if you haven't on pre-order, they are hopefully getting them ready and packaging them all up as we speak. I haven't gotten my hands on my copies yet, so I'm really excited to. I should be getting a delivery of a big box soon, so, fingers crossed, I can't wait to get my hands on it as well. If this is the first episode you're listening to in this series, just go back to episode 65 and start from there, if you can, unless you're doing something right now, like driving, and you can't go back. But it's okay because this will still stand alone as its own episode.

Claire English:

But before I get started, I also just really want to ask a little favor. If you're a listener of the Unteachables podcast and you're getting something of value which I trust you are if you're listening to this podcast, I really hope that you are getting something every single episode that is of value. That is what my goal is. I always want to give you something really actionable. It would mean the absolute world for me if you just head over and leave me a five-star review, of course, if you're safe to do so.

Claire English:

At the moment, I pour a lot of time and love into the Unteachables podcast, because I know how much teachers need access to this important information on the go for free, just having a way to scrub up on certain things or something to implement that might help them in the classroom to change something, to be a cycle breaker. I remember being in the classroom feeling like, what the hell do I try now? I've got nothing. I've literally got nothing in my backpack to try right now. And when I went into recording the Unteachables podcast and really wanting that to be something that I did, I was thinking about me in that classroom going what the hell do I try next? Because I wanted to be able to be something that someone could listen to every week and go oh, that's what I can try. Sweet, I'm not like left feeling hopeless. I've got something to make me feel empowered. So I really hope that that's how you feel and I just really want to make sure that I can reach as many teachers like you as possible. So please go and leave me a review. It'd be so lovely. And while you're at it, just make sure you're subscribed or following the show so you're not missing any episodes. And it's just one less thing to think about, which is always good as a teacher. So pillar four, pillar four, is be consistent. Remember, each of the pillars is just a way of being as a teacher, a values system that kind of underpins the action and the strategy, and this pillar is about being consistent. So this is about the specific routines and strategies that we can use consistently in our practice to create felt safety in our classrooms. So this is how I open up the pillar and it gives you a bit of an idea around like what the pillar is actually about.

Claire English:

I say students feeling safe neurologically and being safe physically are two different things. They're vastly different concepts. To teach and reach all students, our classrooms must be islands of safety, places where consistency and predictability rule. I'm sure you've heard about me talking about our classrooms as islands of safety before. I love framing it in that way because a lot of teachers come to me saying well, like my values as a teacher conflict with the overall behavior approach of the school and I always say like your classroom is your island of safety, like you can do things in your classroom to foster that fell safety no matter where you work. So that's why I love talking about our classrooms as islands of safety that we can create for our students.

Claire English:

So why consistency and predictability? Well, on a neurological level, predictability helps us to regulate and anticipate. When we're able to anticipate what's coming up, it reduces the activation of the amygdala, which is that part of our brain that sends all that fight, flight and freeze hormones out, all those signals out in our body, and it promotes a calmer state even before we do anything. So this is helping us to mitigate challenging behaviors just by providing consistency and predictability in our classroom. When we're able to anticipate something, our body releases certain chemicals called biomediators, such as ACTH, cortisol and adrenaline, which help us cope with and prepare for the upcoming situation. So just say, even if a lesson is a stressful thing for a student, or they've got a test coming up, or they've got something else, or maybe like there's a group activity they hate doing group activities even if the lesson itself is something that is really challenging, the predictability in a in being able to say, okay, I know that's coming up, supports them in preparing for it, so it's not going to get to that part of the lesson. And then them go f this, I'm leaving, and then their fight response all of a sudden kicks in or their flight response and they're, you know having a go. They're running out, they're trying to be provocative with people, they're being disruptive. It mitigates it because they're able to prepare for that challenge.

Claire English:

What it also does is it activates the reward pathways in the brain. When students know what to expect in the classroom through consistent routines and expectations, it releases that really feel good hormone, dopamine. So just through being able to implement more consistency and predictability in your practice, students are naturally experiencing learning in a more enjoyable and rewarding way. So dopamine is that hormone. Like we're kind of chasing, we want that dopamine hit, so we do things to get that dopamine hit and it's really rewarding for us and that's the kind of thing that helps us to keep doing things when we get that dopamine hit. So it's really important for us to be able to provide that for our students because then they're going to see our class as something that's more rewarding to be a part of.

Claire English:

It also helps students in their executive functioning. So think, planning and maintaining focus and thinking deeply and all of those things. Executive functions are impaired by stress. So when we have a higher level of consistency in our classrooms it does support them with their behavior and their learning because they're helping their executive functions, and consistency and predictability naturally meet a student's needs, so it meets their survival needs, it meets their power needs, it helps them to take control and achieve so on so many different levels. Having more consistency and predictability will help, will significantly help to reduce the behaviors that are challenging in our classroom. That is what this classroom management approach is all about, teachers. It is about providing an environment for our students where they can succeed and thrive. That does not mean you're not going to see any behaviors popping up. It just means you're creating an environment where you're going to be mitigating the things that don't have to pop up because you're already making them feel safe and secure and all the rest of it.

Claire English:

So what does being consistent and predictable look like in action in the classroom? Because we can talk all day about the why, the values and all the rest of it, but you're here to get some action. So what is the action? What can you do? So in the book I take you through your consistent classroom toolbox, and this toolbox helps to craft a predictable and calm start to each lesson through the following so this toolbox is all about being able to have a start of the lesson that is predictable and calm and just wonderful in setting up the rest of the lesson in a really positive way. If you can nail that first five minutes, then you've nailed the lesson. It's so much easier to go into the lesson. If you can nail that first five minutes, then you've nailed the lesson. It's so much easier to go into the lesson. If you've nailed that first part, then you're golden. So I'm going to go through a couple of strategies. Just know that in the book I go into these in depth. This is the toolbox I'm going to be taking you through now, but I'm going to be presenting it to you in a way today that helps you to reflect on the kind of things you're already doing in the classroom and giving you an idea of where you can start to strengthen these things to then have a really nice, calm, predictable start.

Claire English:

So the first thing is a consistent welcome. When your students arrive to your class, where are you standing when they walk in? When they see you, do they know what to expect? Are you welcoming them in with a smile? Are you flipping about the room with a coffee, like just being a little bit frantic? Like every lesson, do they know where you're going to be and how you're going to show up and how you're going to present yourself. So just think about those things. A consistent welcome is the first you are front facing to that class. What are they seeing first up when they arrive to your classroom? The next is a seating plan. These might seem a little bit old school. I still use a seating plan, not just for breaking up those dynamics and obviously it is really beneficial to break up dynamics in the classroom and to be able to subtly kind of make adjustments for learning and all the rest of it.

Claire English:

But I use seating plans as a tool for predictability and consistency because when students come into my lesson I don't want them just to be pulling up any old chair and having a seat. I don't want them to have to finish up a chat and unpack. I don't want them to be changing up where they're sitting every day. Mainly it's for the students who feel really uncomfortable and go, oh, where am I sitting this lesson? They might feel anxious or, you know, there might be having a fight with their friend and that day, where am I going to sit? Like you just don't want to have to, or I don't anyway. I don't want to have to be creating an environment where they have to choose. I would like for them to know when they go to Miss English class, whatever's happened during the day, I'm going to be sitting in that chair, at that table and I'm going to be learning in that space. That is my learning space. So I use seating plans for predictability and consistency. So think, when your students come in, do they pull up any old chair? Do they have a seat anywhere? Do they look unsettled and they finish their chats and they're unpacking really slowly? Are they changing up where they sit every day? Does there seem to be any kind of discussion around where they're sitting? Being able just to go into the classroom and know exactly where you're going, exactly where you're sitting, there's so much value in that. I'm not saying every single classroom needs a seating plan, but I definitely use it in mine. I then get them to move around the room. If I want them to work in different groups, if I want them to have more flexible seating, if I want them to do something else. I then say, okay, everybody, we are going to move into groups, we're going to move into this space, but I always start in that same location, just for the predictability and consistency.

Claire English:

The next one is a learning map. A learning map is something that I use every single lesson. Think about it when students walk into your room, is there somewhere they can look up and see what's happening in that lesson? This, remember, feeds into the whole idea of whether or not they can anticipate what is going to happen. Do they know what they're going to be learning that lesson? Do they know how they're going to be learning it?

Claire English:

A learning map can look like anything. It can just look like a checklist for the lesson. It can look like a step-by-step, it can be a visual, it can be. It can be anything. It can be as simple as a lesson outline, and a lesson outline gets a lot of flack from people because they're like oh you know, our admin are making us do a lesson objective up on the board or a lesson plan up on the board. I don't see it as something negative if you are going to use it as a really proactive tool for making sure students and it has to be in student-friendly language I don't see the value in putting you know something up on the board that is straight out of the curriculum they're not going to understand. Put something up on the board. They will understand step-by-step start with an action verb, you know. Identify this. Working groups here watch this video so they know exactly what's going to be happening throughout that lesson. So have a think whether or not you have somewhere where they can look up and they see what's in store, where they know what they're going to be learning when they know when they're going to be doing it and how they're going to be doing it.

Claire English:

The next thing is a starter activity, again, something that is so seemingly simple, very deceptively simple, and something that is so incredibly powerful when done right. So when a student comes into your lesson, when they're starting the lesson, are they just sitting there waiting for further instructions or immediately are they pen to paper because they know what to look for and what to do? A good starter activity also needs to be something that every single student in that room can achieve. It needs to be something that's not hinging on prior learning, because you don't want those students who weren't there the previous lesson to be sitting there not knowing what to do. It should be driven by concept, driven by some kind of relatability. It should be something that every single student can achieve, no matter who they are. Because if you have a student and they are really anxious and school is a place for them that psychologically feels quite unsafe or emotionally feels very unsafe, if they know that in Miss English's room, they know where they're sitting, they know that when they sit down they have a task in front of them, they can get started, pen to paper that they can be successful at and that might be the only time they might feel successful that day. That is so powerful in mitigating behaviors that are because of the stress response.

Claire English:

So yet another thing that is you know it's consistent, it's predictable, it's something that they can look to and go. Yes, I know that that's going to happen in Miss English's class. So remember, in the book I go into each of those in great depth and I, you know, give examples and explanations and really like clear how-to steps. So please don't feel like, if you heard those things, that you're like I don't really get it a hundred percent from this episode. It definitely takes a lot more than me just kind of talking through each one for one minute for you to absolutely nail it and feel like really, really confident in it. So please don't think that you should be taking this away right now and being able to implement all of them. That's not what I'm expecting. I just wanted to give you a really good introduction into them. So remember the consistent classroom toolbox. Really think about that.

Claire English:

Start of the lesson. You know where are you welcoming students? Do they know where you're going to be standing? Do they know what you're going to be doing, what to expect from you as their teacher Seating plans when they come in, are they knowing where to sit? And if you don't have a seating plan, do you have a procedure for them to follow so they can come in and settle quite quickly? Learning maps when your students walk into the room, is there something they can look at, somewhere they can see what's before them in the lesson, for them to expect? What kind of activities Is there? A group activity? Is there like a test? Is there something that they're going to be doing? Where can they look? Can they see what's coming up? And make that a really predictable and consistent part of the lesson. Starter activities when your students come into the lesson, are they waiting for further instruction or are they just hitting the ground, running, able to unpack, able to sit there with a pen paper and do the do now the starter activity really quickly and just cracking on with it. So those things are so powerful for creating a really calm, wonderful start to the lesson and, as I said, if you nail those first five minutes then the rest of the lesson is going to be so much easier for you to follow on with. When you start a lesson in a place of calm, the rest of the lesson is much easier to maintain that calm.

Claire English:

If you start the lesson from a place of chaos, getting back, I'm sure you know this. I'm talking to people who are in the classroom. You are a teacher. When you start the lesson when things are really chaotic, just say if something happened down on the playground, or it's windy, or you know like there's a full moon or anything that's happening, there's a bloody bird flying around the building. When you start the lesson from a place of chaos, you are going to have a really hard time bringing it back from that. So these are just some strategies to help that really calm, predictable, consistent start.

Claire English:

Okay, wonderful teachers, that was pillar four. Be consistent. And if you are ever in doubt, I have a golden rule for each of the pillars and I'm going to share this one with you the golden rule for this pillar is minimize the unknown, because when you minimize the unknown you minimize challenging behaviors. So go through your lesson, your practice, see where you can minimize the unpredictable, the inconsistent. It's life. There's always going to be things that pop up that are unpredictable. But it's how we create and craft that island of safety when our students walk into our classrooms and it gives us the best possible chances of regulation and success. So that's it for this episode.

Claire English:

If you would like to pre-order a copy of the book, it is officially out, apparently next week, according to Amazon, according to Barnes and Noble, according to Booktopia, according to everywhere that I can see my book popping up.

Claire English:

It is officially out next week, so you won't have to wait too long. Hopefully you can head to the dash on teachablescom forward slash book or find the link in the episode description or just Google it. It's never just about the behavior. Clear English and it will pop up, because people comment saying, like you know, it's not in my country, I can't find it in Canada, I can't find it in, you know Wales. But just Google it and it'll pop up in your wherever it is available in your country. And hopefully it is, because it's amazing. I'm so excited to share this labor of love for the world. That's all lovely teachers. Next week I'm going to be diving into pillar five, which is be clear, and I freaking love this one, so I will see you there next week with number five of this series in my little deep dive into. It's never just about the behavior. Have a good week.

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