Download this fact sheet: Proactive classroom management [PDF: 51 KB]
Number 3.7 November 2004
for teachers
Introduction
Teachers can have an important influence on the school environment by adopting teaching strategies and classroom practices that encourage good behaviour. There is substantial evidence that improving school environments can enhance learning outcomes and reduce the likelihood of problematic drug use.
There are a number of programs and packages available to assist teachers in developing resilience in young people. This fact sheet provides a summary of the programs that have been shown to be effective.
Do behaviour management plans work?
Some behaviour management plans have proven to be effective in reducing drug use by young people. The types of programs that work include the following elements:
- Promote a supportive school environment.
- Promote a learning and teaching environment that encourages the development of positive aspirations, relationships and values.
- Encourage mutual respect among all individuals at the school.
- Develop students’ ability to take responsibility for their own behaviour and the consequences of their actions.
An effective program must also take account of the time and resource constraints of schools. Activities that can be easily incorporated into the classroom curriculum are more likely to be effective than short-term interventions.
What does the research say?
Published studies evaluating school organisation programs for their impacts on drug use by young people have mainly concentrated on United States (US) programs. Available evidence suggests that despite the differences between Australian and US schools some of these US programs can be effective in Australian schools.
Improving primary school environments has been the focus of much educational research in Australia, but at this stage there are few published reports. The following is a summary of some Australian and US programs that have been evaluated.
Program: Fast Track Program
Purpose: This US classroom curriculum program attempted to increase emotional regulation and positive social relationships, and to reduce antisocial behaviour in primary school children. Grade 1 children exposed to the intervention, demonstrated lower levels of aggressive child behaviours compared to control classrooms.
Audience: Primary students
Program: The Gatehouse Project
Purpose: The Gatehouse Project is a Victorian school-based primary prevention program using curriculum strategies to enhance understanding and skills for dealing with difficult situations and emotions and whole school strategies to address risk and protective factors in the school environment. There was a 3–5 per cent reduction in substance use for those exposed to the intervention 2–3 years after the intervention began.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT)
Purpose: This US program was composed of four elements: (1) classroom social skills instruction for 1 hour twice a week for 10 weeks; (2) playground behaviour monitoring; (3) six sessions of parent education; and (4) parent communication. Effects on behaviour were particularly pronounced for the children who were most aggressive.
Audience: Primary students
Program: Schools and Families Educating (SAFE) Children
Purpose: This US program included a 20-week family group curriculum and a twice-weekly individual tutoring program through the first year of school. Those in the intervention group showed a significant increase in academic achievement over the two-year period.
Audience: Primary students
Program: Seattle Social Development Project
Purpose: The Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) supported teachers by offering workshops and information on enhanced methods of classroom management and instructional techniques. The evidence suggests that changing teacher and classroom practices led to improvements in student academic achievement and school bonding.
Audience: Primary students
Program: The Good Behavior Game
Purpose: This US program comprised a classroom game designed to reduce aggressive/disruptive behaviour and an enriched curriculum aimed at increasing reading achievement. At a 6-year follow-up boys in the intervention group were significantly less likely to start smoking than boys in the control group.
Audience: Primary students
Programs available in Australia
There are a number of programs available in Australia that draw on local and overseas research and consultation with teachers, students and parents to identify strategies for successful classroom management. The following is a summary of some of the programs that are available in Australia. Not all of these programs have been evaluated.
Program: Bounce Back!
Purpose: The Bounce Back! Classroom Resiliency Program provides practical classroom strategies to help young people cope with the complexity of their everyday lives and learn to “bounce back” when they experience sadness, difficulties and frustrations.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: Confident Kids (Exploring Together)
Purpose: The Confident Kids Program is a group program for children aged 6 to 14 years. The program is targeted at children exhibiting impulsive, aggressive, or bullying behaviour, those who are withdrawn, anxious or depressed, and/or those who have problematic peer relationships. It involves six to 10 children participating in 10 consecutive weeks of group work.
Audience: Young people aged 6–14 years
Program: Friendly Kids, Friendly Classrooms
Purpose: This program has been produced by the same team that produce Bounce Back! It has been developed to teach children social skills. The program aims to improve communication and interactions with others, via the promotion of pro-social attitudes and behaviours. The authors have chosen 21 social skills considered important for successful classroom and playground interactions.
Audience: Primary students
Program: Friendly Schools, Friendly Families
Purpose: The program provides “many small moves” from which schools can systematically implement and tailor strategies for the whole school, classroom, individuals and families to reduce bullying.
Audience: Children aged 4–13 years
Program: Friends
Purpose: The Friends program helps children and young people develop skills to cope and manage anxiety more effectively, builds emotional resilience, encourages peer learning, builds peer support networks and promotes self confidence. The program takes 10 class periods to complete.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: Heart Masters
Purpose: A series of resources for teachers to help build resilience and emotional intelligence in students from junior to middle years of secondary school.
Audience: Secondary students
Program: MindMatters
Purpose: A resource and professional development program to support Australian secondary schools in promoting and protecting the social and emotional wellbeing of children.
Audience: Secondary students
Program: REDI
Purpose: Resilience Education and Drug Information (REDI) is a set of resources designed to support the implementation of a resilience approach to drug education in Australian schools, as part of promoting the health and wellbeing of students and school communities.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: Resilient Kids
Purpose: Resilient Kids contains lesson plans, discussion guides, worksheets and interactive activities on the key concept of “Encountering Disappointment: Thinking and Acting Positively”.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: Skills, Mentoring and Resilience Training (SMART program)
Purpose: This school and community based program uses a manual to guide young people through a series of workshops and discussions. The program focuses on self-esteem, anger management and understanding and responding to bullying.
Audience: Young people aged 10–17 years
Program: START
Purpose: START resource kit provides activities and strategies to assist students to develop resilience and successfully make the transition from primary to secondary school. The START resource was produced by the Victorian Department of Education and Training and was sent to all schools in 2003.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: Stop Think Do
Purpose: The core of the program is the Stop, Think, Do social problem-solving method. Children learn this method for resolving child-to-child conflicts with adults adopting the role of a third person facilitator in ongoing peer conflicts.
Audience: Primary and secondary students
Program: You Can Do It – Program Achieve
Purpose: This is a curriculum of lessons to teach students how to develop social-emotional-behavioural wellbeing. There are four focus areas: confidence, persistence, organisation and getting along. A by-product of the program is an improvement in student behaviour.
Audience: Primary and secondary students