A new range of free resources will help school leaders implement whole-school approaches to managing classroom behaviour, the Federal Government has announced.
The announcement comes as reports show more than 70% of Australia’s principals work with teachers on classroom discipline problems at least once a week. Leaders also report more frequently spending time on discipline problems than other leadership issues.
The new resources will help school leaders create safe and supportive learning environments to promote teaching and learning. They will also support school leaders to consider how their current approaches align with evidence-based approaches and identify areas of current practice to strengthen.
A growing body of evidence shows the impact of effective classroom management is strengthened when it is practised as part of a consistent, effective whole-school approach. This in turn can increase positive student behaviour, reduce negative behaviour and improve learning outcomes for all students.
Helping leaders set clear expectations across the whole school
This is the second set of ‘Engaged Classrooms’ resources developed by the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) in consultation with teachers and classrooms management expert, Dr Tim McDonald, and complements the first set of free resources for teachers released last December.
The new resources include a whole-school approach facilitation guide and professional learning resources, and are available at AERO’s website.
“By providing these resources to principals and school leaders we can help them to set clear expectations around behaviour across the whole school, which is good for teachers and good for their students,” Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, said in a statement.
“When students are fully engaged in the classroom, they learn at their best and teachers have more time to teach. The resources released today build on those already available to teachers, and they will help to further limit classroom disruptions, which is good for teachers and good for students.”
General strategies fall short for significant disabilities
Matthew Johnson, president of the Australian Special Education Principals Association, said while the new resources offer valuable consistency and support for classroom discipline, students with significant disabilities often require more than general strategies.
“These students need interventions that are highly tailored to their unique needs,” Johnson told The Educator. “For students with complex needs, such as those with autism or other developmental disabilities, behaviour support plans must be highly individualised.”
Johnson said these plans typically include specific interventions that address each student’s individual triggers, sensory sensitivities, and communication challenges.
“While the whole-school approach has the potential to reduce negative behaviours and enhance learning outcomes for many students, its true effectiveness for students with complex needs lies in its ability to incorporate specialised, individualised behaviour support strategies,” he said.
“Educators need to emphasise the importance of adapting these practices to meet the distinct behavioural challenges that students with disabilities face.”
Workload pressures may prove a limiting factor
Andy Mison, president of the Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) said the new resources were a welcome development for a profession eager to ensure the smooth running of classrooms.
“ASPA welcomes the efforts by the Federal Minister for Education to support the critical work of teachers and school leaders in establishing safe and supportive learning environments for all students,” Mison told The Educator.
“AERO’s ‘Engaged Classrooms’ resources provide useful evidence-based strategies that can be easily customised for professional development according to local context.”
However, Mison said current workload pressures faced by many school leaders and teachers may limit their capacity to fully engage with these excellent resources, particularly the pre-requisite handbook readings.
“We note also that many of the complex behavioural challenges faced by schools require a broader range of support and investment beyond classroom management strategies, and we urge all levels of government to collaborate in providing the necessary resources to ensure the wellbeing and success of every student.”
More funding is needed to ensure the resources make an impact
Pat Murphy, president of the Australian Government Primary Principals Association (AGPPA), said having highly effective Behaviour Management in every school is critical to delivering a safe and engaging learning environment for every student.
"All staff who work with students in a school need to have a range of behaviour management strategies in their toolkit if they are to deliver engaging pedagogy," Murphy told The Educator. "The Australian Government Primary Principals supports the launch of these behaviour resources for schools."
Murphy said AGPPA's members have over many years been provided a range of resources in a host of disciplines, but many of these "grow dust on library shelves as they have been unfunded."
"To ensure these resources do make a difference and enhance student behaviour in every school, it's vital that funding and additional staffing are provided to primary schools," Murphy said. "To deliver this in our schools, the federal Government must ensure that the schooling resource standard is fully funded for every government student in the country."
The third set of resources are set to be released in early 2025.