In March, amidst his already jampacked schedule, our CEO Dr Tim McDonald took on the mantle of educator and advocate, delivering three keynote sessions across Sydney and Melbourne.
These sessions, held at the Sydney Morning Herald Schools Summit, The Hatchery Student Behaviour & Classroom Management conference, and Research ED at Ballarat Clarendon College, focused on promoting an evidence-based approach to classroom management.
Tim’s argument was to encourage a shift in the paradigm, policy, and practice towards student behaviour in Australia. His argument was supported by three key points in this shift.
- Managing student behaviour is about learning
- Behaviour needs to be taught explicitly to all students
- Behaviour as a curriculum needs to be the norm across Australian schools
During his presentations, Tim shared insights from his own work in classrooms, where he has implemented strategies to cultivate a calm and orderly learning environment. Due to these efforts, teachers reported having more teaching time and heightened student engagement.
In addition to this, Tim also referred to his role as subject matter expert for The Engaged Classroom initiative at AERO, sharing insights and best practices for creating calm and orderly classrooms through simple routines and teacher skills.
Tim believes it is possible to shift the way we approach student behaviour in our classroom with simple changes in teacher practice underpinned by evidence and the science of learning.
“The conversation is not only at the classroom and school level but needs to be adopted at the system level as well as by the government to direct policy and legislation to provide an opportunity for all children to flourish in calm and orderly classrooms”, said Tim.
As Tim's advocacy continues to gain momentum, it marks a significant step toward reshaping educational practices and policies in Australia to foster engaging and inclusive learning environments for all students.
The next keynote session will be in May at Sharing Best Practice in NSW Illawarra.