Looking Forward: Supporting Student Behaviour and Implementing Restorative Practices
The area of behaviour in the Irish educational context is multifaceted, with terminology and approaches that have evolved over time in response to increased advocacy, greater awareness, and a collective shift toward fostering positive and inclusive school environments. The complexity of behaviour in schools has gained significant attention in recent years, reflected in the development of updated guidelines, frameworks, and policy documents aimed at supporting student wellbeing and promoting holistic development. Most notably, the reframing of behaviour through the lens of dysregulation has shifted educators are guided to respond.
​
“Our ability to self-regulate can be impacted by the amount of stress in which we are tolerating. Stress can be thought of as extra loads. Stuart Shanker (2012) categorises these stressors into five domains (biological, emotional, cognitive, social and prosocial). Considering these stressors supports us to reframe behaviours as a stress response, rather than as a ‘misbehaviour’. Behaviours are often a response to the level of stress an individual is tolerating.” (NCSE, 2025, p.19)
I consider this a more compassionate and supportive understanding of student behaviour and its implications for how I wish to develop as newly qualified teacher. Understanding behaviour so that I can best support all students in my classroom is an area I have identified as central to my future professional learning.