"Normal" doesn't really apply to Betta spawning. None of them are normal.
It is good that they haven't tried to tear each other up. Betta's breeding can get pretty violent. He probably won't breed with her as long as they are acting like that. The female has to take a submissive posture. I have tried to breed several different pairs of Bettas. One female I had wouldn't submit to any male I tried and she never bred. She always got fat and full of eggs but she was too bullheaded and mean to breed.
First, ideally, you condition both prospective parents for a couple of weeks on live and or frozen bloodworms, black worms, daphnia, etc.
What is supposed to happen next is, you put the female in his breeding tank where they can't really get to each other but they can see each other. Usually this is done by putting the female in the breeding tank in a glass "chimney" for 2 or 3 days. The sight of the female in close proximity prompts the male to make the nest ready. The sight of the male for the female causes her to grow the eggs ready. All during these few days they will do much displaying and dancing for each other.
Also you need to exchange the water from the outside breeding tank and the water the female is in inside the chimney, but not let the fish actually in the same water. The reason for this is that there are pheremones that the male gives off that actually cause the eggs the female is carrying to be able to mature and "ripen" enough to become fertile.
The actual breeding tank should either be heavily planted or have lots of artificial caves/hiding spots, etc. When they get together it can get pretty hairy and they often will injure and possibly kill each other if there isn't plenty of escape routes.
When the eggs in the female are ripe and she is trying to jump out of the chimney and get to the male you can try letting her out. Usually the first few actual in person meetings with the male are somewhat violent, it is normal for them to do their crazy little dance and fight a little back and forth, but basically the point is for him to establish his dominance over her, if the female accepts, she takes a submissive stance (fins clamped, head down) under the bubble nest.
If this is not what happens, say they continue to fight too violently after several meetings, or the male still runs from the female after several meetings, get the female out of the breeding tank.
TO BE CONTINUED....
