Page 6 - Unit 10 Getting Brain Clear

Expectations: Our 7 Key Principles

1 Teach Explicitly teach what pro-social and pro-learning behaviours sound and look like
(don’t assume children know).

2 Meaningful Focus on the purpose of expectations:
a) Now: so it is a happy and calm environment for everyone in the family

b) Future: so the child has the skills to be a great friend, partner, neighbour and
work colleague in the future.

3 Collaborative Get children’s buy-in by agreeing the expectations with children – don’t just set
rules (or pretend to collaborate).

4 Honest Acknowledge that they may find it really difficult to keep to these expectations –

use our ‘Shaping the Brain’ unit to explain why.

Give you child the opportunity to think about a) what they might find difficult and
b) what might help them to keep to the expectations everyone agrees are right.

5 Real Focus on the natural consequences of non pro-social and non-learning
behaviours e.g. If you keep interrupting, people will become frustrated and not
want to discuss things with you so much.

6 Rigorous & Make sure children know that you will follow-up every time they don’t meet an

certain expectation - because it is vital to unpick the issues and work out how to make
things work better next time. They deserve this level of support to do better.

7 Impactful Make sure follow-up is about helping children work out the stressors and develop
the skills, strategies and scaffolds to do better next time.