General thoughts

Should I have a seating plan?

The simple answer is yes. It makes it much easier for you to learn the names of your students and you will be able to experiment with different combinations. Don’t be scared to change your seating plan around if you get difficult combinations though; sometimes it’s good to change it a few times throughout the year anyway as it reminds students that you are in charge. It can be unsettling for them - but in a good way.

Should I seat my classes boy/girl?

This is worth experimenting with to see what sort of response you get but it may not necessarily bring about better behaviour. Your younger students will probably dislike the arrangement immensely; the older ones may enjoy it far too much, both scenarios bringing about different behavioural issues to deal with. It may be an idea to trial this with one group at a time to see what reaction you get and then take it from there.
 

Can Differentiation improve behaviour?

Differentiation is important in all lessons and it is your responsibility as a teacher to ensure that all students in your class can access the curriculum you deliver.

A lot of low level disruption can be as a result of students not being able to complete the work you have set them. If the work is too hard for them to try independently, they look for other things to do in order to occupy their time. This type of behaviour can usually be managed through the use of better, more accessible resources.  

Equally, if the work is too easy for students, they will finish quickly and then be bored waiting for the next part of the lesson. A common mis-conception is that bright students do not mis-behave, however, many do because they are not feeling challenged in the lesson. Their behaviour can be a lot more subtle and therefore very difficult to pinpoint. The advice here is to bombard them with work to do in order to keep them occupied - this should work with most.

Sometimes students just cannot do the work that you have set, even after you have differentiated it. This could be due to them having learning difficulties. It is important that you identify students with learning difficulties as soon as possible so that you can get advice on how best to support them within your classroom. Students with learning difficulties that go unidentified can display quite difficult behaviour as they attempt work avoidance at any cost. This is why you should seek support for them and yourself as soon as possible.

If you are unsure on how to meet the needs of some of your students with your resources there are people you can approach within your school that can help you. You could try speaking to your Head of Department or if it is an SEN concern, try to make some time to speak with the SENCo as they will be able to give you specific advice and maybe even give you resources to use. Another option could be to locate the students’ IEP and identify the strategies suggested on there as a starting point.