@TeacherToolkit
Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2007 and is widely recognised as one of the leading influencers in education in the UK and across the world. In 2015, he was named among The Sunday Times/Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain for his impact on…
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Is managing behaviour costing teachers more time than they save?
When dialogue is structured, progress becomes clearer, workload reduces, and responsibility shifts to the recipient.
For teachers managing behaviour, workload, or attention span, developing a verbal feedback script you can use time and time again is a lifesaver!
Start by watching this 4-minute video walkthrough to apply it to your day-to-day work immediately.
After 26 years teaching in London secondary schools, I found this technique excellent for managing attention, and for providing feedback, reducing workload and conflict, especially in behaviour conversations. I wish I had discovered something like this, much earlier on in my career …
Supporting resource
In schools, conversations matter. Whether it is with colleagues, students, or parents, the way we frame our words can determine whether a dialogue leads to progress, defensiveness, or silence.
Inside this resource, I explore how structured conversations support teacher development, professional dialogue, and improvement within classrooms. There are a number of techniques in this resource, all suitable for working with students, and parents and families. The video above highlights one of the techniques inside this 23-page PDF.
In behaviour conversations, especially when emotions run high, scaling reduces the chance of conflict and creates an opportunity for calm, solution-focused discussion.
Questions for teachers
- How do you give verbal feedback during lessons?
- Do you have a verbal script you can repeat time and time again?
- What technique can you use with students that is transferable across the workplace?
- Could school leaders apply this verbal feedback script to lesson observation feedback?
- How could scripts reduce workload in post-lesson feedback?
- How could the techniques be used to support behaviour management?
- How might scripts be integrated into SEND or EAL reflection routines?
- What training do staff need to confidently use scripts for sustaining attention span?
Teachers can revisit this technique each term to support consistency in feedback. The routine nature of the script helps build trust, save time, and improve student outcomes.
Read the research:
Structured conversations create clarity, reduce conflict, and build accountability. This is a perfect tool for managing attention span behaviour and feedback conversations…
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