‘It kind of flies in the face of all the research’: Education leaders push back against new behaviour initiative

Leaders in South Australian education, including the Education Minister, have expressed concerns around the new proposed behaviour curriculum.

South Australian education leaders remain sceptical about a national move to explicitly teach expected behaviour to students, including how to line up, keep quiet and be still.

Australian students will be explicitly taught how to enter the classroom quietly, how to sit, how to listen properly and how to ask questions, with strategies varying from school to school.

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) is distributing evidence-based teaching material to education departments around the country outlining practical steps to teach children how to behave.

But Education Minister Blair Boyer was among leaders in SA who have pushed back against the new model, based on a behaviour curriculum in the UK which incorporates strategies including a red and yellow card system of warnings for disruptive children.

Education Minister Blair Boyer expressed concerns about the new proposed behaviour initiative. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

“It kind of flies in the face of all the research I’ve seen around Australia,” Mr Boyer said.

“You run the risk with that approach with kids basically just disengaging and not coming back.”

He said in SA, behavioural measures are difficult to implement if students are “not rocking up to school”.

However, Mr Boyer said he was “open to anything that works”.

Catholic Education has already been rolling out a similar behaviour curriculum, which monitors rule breaking, in its more than 100 schools.

So far 40 schools have started the program, called the Positive Behavioural Interventions and Support, which have reported success following its introduction.

And while teachers have been crying out for a safe and uninterrupted environment, Australian Education Union SA branch president Jennie-Marie Gorman said, any proposed behaviour program “must support teachers”.

“Student complexity, which includes inappropriate behaviour, must be addressed holistically with early intervention and ongoing support for students,” Ms Gorman said.

She said the change must “not increase workloads which are already excessive”.

Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA) chief executive Anne Dunstan said the behavioural approach is not new. Picture: Supplied

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said some schools will benefit from the new behaviour initiative. Picture: Kelly Barnes

The approach is not new, Association of Independent Schools of SA chief executive Anne Dunstan said.

“All schools are doing this, it’s just about how explicit (behaviour is taught).

“Some will be embracing this explicit approach but there’s more than one way to address behaviour.”

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said it has potential to benefit some schools “massively” but also that “there are schools that may not need it”.

“Schools that are managing behaviour well should not be forced (to implement it),” he said.

Originally published as ‘It kind of flies in the face of all the research’: Education leaders push back against new behaviour initiative