Effective classroom management creates safe and supportive learning environments for all students. This explainer is part of a suite of foundational resources for beginning teachers, teachers working in new environments, or experienced teachers who want to refine or refresh specific elements of their classroom management practice. They can be used to individually reflect on and refine one’s own practice, or as shared resources to support mentoring and other collaborative and whole-school approaches to improving classroom management.
The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)’s guidance is based on a synthesis of the most rigorous and relevant research evidence and guidance on classroom management from a wide range of research experts and expert practitioners across Australia and internationally.
Teachers with high expectations for behaviour believe and communicate that all students are capable of demonstrating safe, respectful and learning-focused behaviours. These expectations are expressed in daily routines, rules and behaviours in the classroom, which students are explicitly taught and supported to demonstrate. Examples include assembling quietly outside the classroom before entering, raising their hands when they have a question, quietly putting away equipment and following the teacher’s instructions when transitioning between activities.
High expectations for behaviour are best developed and implemented through a whole-school approach so they’re consistent across different classes and year levels. They should also be demonstrated by all staff members. This provides consistency and predictability so students and their families know what’s expected of them and what they can expect from all staff across all settings (AERO, 2024).
High expectations for student behaviour are best supported by teacher–student relationships that value and support students’ strengths and capacity to achieve (Stronger Smarter Institute, 2017). These relationships help teachers have high expectations for students, rather than of them, supporting students to demonstrate the high expectations (Stronger Smarter Institute, 2020).
Students will need varying levels and types of support from teachers to meet high expectations, including removing barriers and providing scaffolds for students. Different point-in-time expectations may be needed for some students as they develop their skills. This reflects the requirement to provide reasonable adjustments so students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers (Disability Discrimination Act 1992; Disability Standards for Education 2005; 2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education 2005) and Australia’s commitment to equity and excellence in education (Alice Springs [Mparntwe] Education Declaration, 2019). When different point-in-time expectations are in place, it’s important they still ensure a safe, supportive, learning environment for all students.
To explicitly teach high expectations for behaviour:
- Introduce your expectations for behaviour – aligned with your school’s expectations – or ask students to recall them if already known. Discuss with students why these high expectations are important and how they can demonstrate them.
- Model and explicitly teach these expectations (for example, in your routines and rules).
- Reinforce and maintain the high expectations through acknowledgement, praise and practice and by providing support and adjustments when needed.
- Regularly reflect on your own behaviour to ensure you’re consistently modelling high expectations yourself.
Effectively implementing high expectations requires alignment with the whole-school approach, consideration of students’ diverse needs and a range of skills, including acknowledgement and praise, circulation, clear communication, deliberately pausing, non-verbal correction, scanning and voice control.
Adapted from Archer and Hughes (2011), Bennett (2020) and McDonald (2019).
The importance of high expectations for student behaviour
High expectations for behaviour are important because they provide students with clear guidelines – along with support – for how to behave safely and respectfully and focus on learning in the classroom. Students come to school with a range of different experiences, values and beliefs (Bennett, 2020) and have learnt social norms outside of the classroom that may be similar or different to what’s expected in the classroom. When behaviour expectations are clear and students are taught and supported to meet them, students feel more secure because they know what’s expected and can better predict how others will respond (DeNobile et al., 2021).
High expectations for students’ behaviour show they’re cared for, offer them hope of success and support achievement for all (Bennett, 2020; McDonald, 2019).
High expectations for behaviour and learning are interrelated, mutually reinforcing and built on the premise that all students will be supported to achieve success. When teachers also hold high expectations for students’ learning success, it can lead to increased effort and engagement in learning (Goss et al., 2017).
Having high expectations and supporting students to achieve them increases the likelihood that students will meet or exceed those expectations. High expectations encourage students to learn, take responsibility for their actions and understand the impact of their behaviour (Australian Government Department of Education, 2023). High expectations are also associated with positive outcomes, such as improvements in behaviour, keenness to attend school and academic performance (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, 2020).
Establishing and maintaining high expectations for behaviour
Establishing and maintaining high expectations for behaviour involves knowing students and valuing their strengths, and providing them with predictability, structure and support. Students may be unsure about teachers’ expectations at the beginning of the school year or when they join the school. Sharing and explaining expectations for behaviour early is vital, as it supports students to be cooperative and comfortable as quickly as possible (De Nobile et al., 2021). Early communication also provides opportunity to work with students and families to identify any required support or adjustments.
Helping all students achieve the high expectations requires similar planning to teaching classroom rules and routines (McDonald, 2019). It’s important to model, teach and reinforce high expectations every day, not only by telling students to do something, but showing them how to do it and allowing them opportunities to practise with support (Bennett, 2020). ‘I believe you can do it’ must be used in conjunction with ‘And here’s how you can do it’ (Archer & Hughes, 2011; Bennett, 2020).
Students are quickly able to distinguish between intended boundaries and actual boundaries in the classroom (Bennett, 2020). They recognise consistency and fairness in expectations and responses. When monitoring and reinforcing high expectations for behaviour, it’s important to support students when needed, recognise student effort, acknowledge and praise specific behaviours, and view mistakes as learning opportunities to teach students the skills needed to meet expectations in the future (McDonald, 2019).
Scenario
This scenario provides a practical example of the evidence summarised in this explainer. It provides insight into one teacher’s approach to having high expectations for all students to create a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment.
Ms Barry notices that her students’ behaviour varies across lessons. Sometimes students demonstrate safe, respectful and learning-focused behaviour and, at other times, unsafe behaviour, disruption and disengagement occur. She feels she has good relationships with her students and has taught the classroom expectations, routines and rules. However, her students don’t always follow them, especially in the afternoons.
She reflects on how she can ensure she’s supporting her students to develop the skills to demonstrate the expectations. She identifies that she needs to focus on this at key times in lessons, including when students assemble at the start and when they leave the classroom.
She reminds herself to be particularly focused on supporting students to meet the expectations in the afternoons, noting that these times are just as important for student safety and learning as earlier in the day. She makes adjustments to more effectively manage students’ cognitive load by breaking instructions and tasks into smaller parts, communicating clearly and concisely, and providing written and visual prompts for students to follow.
To strengthen the high expectations within her entrance routine, Ms Barry makes sure she’s on time for lessons herself, greets students as they arrive, acknowledges students assembling with their belongings in a calm and orderly way, and reminds students of the expectations. This helps her connect with students and identify early any difficulties they’re experiencing so she can make adjustments or provide assistance.
When she gains students’ attention, she deliberately pauses to ensure she has everyone’s attention before continuing. She also ensures her instructions are clear, concise and include student participation where possible.
She sets clear expectations before activities, explaining to students why these expectations are needed. At certain times when students have previously had difficulty meeting expectations, Ms Barry makes sure she reminds them of the expectations and closely monitors and supports them. She checks students are okay, offers support, reteaches expectations and routines when needed, and has students practise specific behaviours, providing support and feedback to reinforce the safe, respectful and learning-focused behaviour expected in her classroom.
At the end of lessons, she ensures she leaves enough time to wrap up the learning task and pack up calmly. She monitors students carefully during this time as this is when unsafe behaviour is more likely to occur. When students finish packing up, she gains their attention, acknowledges their efforts and thanks them for their safe, respectful, learning-focused behaviour. She invites them to privately let her know if they have any information or feedback to share or are experiencing any difficulties. She reminds them of the expectations for leaving the classroom and monitors students inside and outside the classroom as they leave, acknowledging and praising individual students’ efforts as they leave with a thumbs up, nod of acknowledgement, smile or quick verbal interaction.
Ms Barry notices that her presence, connection with students, offers of support, reminders and reteaching help prevent and effectively respond to some of the unsafe, disengaged and disruptive behaviours she had been experiencing. She finds that her early responses help students adjust their behaviour and prevent it from escalating or involving more students. She acknowledges that students are still learning and developing, and that experiences outside her classroom may influence how they behave in her lessons. As a result, she recognises that she will need to continue providing reminders and support so students continue to develop the skills to demonstrate the high expectations for safe, respectful, learning-focused behaviour.
For more guidance
The following resources in AERO’s classroom management suite provide practical guidance and support related to high expectations for student behaviour.
Practice guides
- planning for classroom management
- setting behaviour expectations for completing learning tasks
- responding to low-level disengaged and disruptive behaviours
- escalated behaviour
- persistent disengaged and disruptive behaviour.
Professional learning resources
AERO has resources that support a whole-school approach to classroom management. These include:
- facilitation guide
- evidence-based approaches slide deck
- our whole-school approach slide deck
- practical refinement: setting behaviour expectations for completing learning tasks
- practical refinement: responding to low-level disengaged and disruptive behaviours.
Reflection resources
Bennett, T. (2020). Running the room: The teacher’s guide to behaviour. John Catt Educational. (pp. 205–211)
De Nobile, J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2021). Positive learning environments: Creating and maintaining productive classrooms. Cengage. (pp. 89–93)
Dowley, M., & Lovell, O. (2024). The classroom management handbook. (pp. 24–31; 41–43). John Catt Educational.
Lemov, D. (2021). Teach like a champion 3.0. Josey-Bass. (pp. 419–424)
McDonald, T. (2019). Classroom management: Engaging students in learning. Oxford University Press. (pp. 118–122)
Sarra, C., Spillman, D., Jackson, C., Davis, J., & Bray, J. (2018). High-expectations relationships:
A foundation for enacting high expectations in all Australian schools. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 49(1), 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2018.10. (pp. 40-42)
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2018). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (5th ed.). Harry K. Wong Publications. (pp. 49–57)
References
Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. Guildford Press.
Australian Education Research Organisation. (2024). Rules and routines. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/ guides-resources/practice-guides/rules-and-routines
Australian Government. (1992). Disability Discrimination Act 1992. https://www.legislation.gov.au/ C2004A04426/latest/text
Australian Government. (2005). Disability Standards for Education 2005. https://www.education.gov.au/ disability-standards-education-2005
Australian Government. (2021). 2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education 2005. https://www.education.gov.au/disability-standards-education-2005/2020-review-disability-standardseducation-2005
Australian Government Department of Education. (2023). Teacher Education Expert Panel discussion paper. https://www.education.gov.au/quality-initial-teacher-education-review/resources/teachereducation-expert-panel-discussion-paper
Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. (2019). The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. https://www.education.gov.au/indigenous-education/resources/alicesprings-mparntwe-education-declaration
Bennett, T. (2020). Running the room: The teacher’s guide to behaviour. John Catt Educational.
Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. (2020). Classroom management: Creating and maintaining positive learning environments. https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/education-data-andresearch/cese/publications/literature-reviews/classroom-management
De Nobile, J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2021). Positive learning environments: Creating and maintaining productive classrooms. Cengage.
Goss, P., Sonnemann, J., & Griffiths, K. (2017). Engaging students: Creating classrooms that improve learning. https://grattan.edu.au/report/engaging-students-creating-classrooms-that-improve-learning/
Lemov, D. (2021). Teach like a champion 3.0: 63 techniques that put students on the path to college. Josey-Bass.
McDonald, T. (2019). Classroom management: Engaging students in learning. Oxford University Press.
Stronger Smarter Institute. (2017). Implementing the Stronger Smarter Approach: Stronger Smarter Institute Position Paper. https://strongersmarter.com.au/stronger-smarter-approach/
Stronger Smarter Institute. (2020). When challenged, how do you respond? Educators taking responsibility for change: Stronger Smarter Institute Limited position paper. https://strongersmarter.com. au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/PUB_Resp-for-Change_2020_final.pdf
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2018). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (5th ed.). Harry K. Wong Publications.
Keywords: classroom management, engagement, disruption, disruptive behaviour