Teachers play a key role in creating safe, supportive and inclusive learning environments, including preventing and responding to disengagement and disruption. Many factors influence students’ engagement and participation, and some students may require targeted support from their teachers to help them engage, participate and stay focused on learning. This practice guide will assist you in supporting students to focus on learning when a range of factors impact their engagement and attention and lead to persistent disengagement and disruption across multiple lessons.
Supporting students to focus on learning, including when they experience persistent difficulties with engagement and attention across multiple lessons, requires ongoing consideration and adjustments to practice. You can use this guide to identify your strengths and prioritise the area for refinement you’ll focus on first.
This practice guide is part of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)’s suite of classroom management resources and guidance for supporting students’ diverse needs, which supports teachers and school leaders in establishing learning environments where all students can thrive and achieve. These resources can be used individually to reflect on and refine your own practice, or as shared resources to support mentoring and a whole-school approach to classroom management. They’re designed to inform and complement rather than replace existing school and system policies, procedures and guidance.
Keywords: student behaviour