Providing additional support to teachers and principals in controlling escalating poor behaviour in Australian classrooms is vitally important, according to a British school behaviour expert visiting Australia. Source: UNDA.
Tom Bennett, the independent behaviour adviser for the UK Department of Education, has travelled to Australia to deliver three lectures sponsored by The University of Notre Dame Australia on classroom behaviour – one of the biggest issues facing schools.
Poor classroom behaviour ranges from violence against staff and students, theft, vandalism and the sale of drugs to shouting, distracting teachers and other pupils, walking out without permission and using mobile phones.
Mr Bennett said many of these problems could be “nipped in the bud” by good classroom management practice, including having clear and consistent guidelines on how students are expected to behave, clear boundaries and predictable penalties, and a culture of positive praise.
“Children flourish in environments that are safe, calm and dignified, and leaders and teachers need the powers to be able to create this,” he said.
Titled The State of Education, the lectures will cover historic and current myths in school behaviour, the systems that promote the best behaviour and how future teachers can be prepared to make good decisions.
The first lecture was held in Fremantle last night, with Mr Bennett to speak in Sydney on May 14 and Melbourne on May 16.
Notre Dame’s Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education and Philosophy & Theology, David de Carvalho, said effective classroom management was arguably one of the most important issues facing Australia’s education workforce.
“It has implications not only for the effectiveness of student learning, but also for teacher and principal wellbeing, recruitment and retention,” Professor de Carvalho said.
“Tom Bennett’s lectures will be both informative and provocative, and it’s vitally important that all those involved in schooling critically engage with the ideas that he will putting forward.”
Details: notredame.edu.au/tombennett
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Expert calls for support to tackle classroom behaviour (UNDA)
