The Australian Education Research Organisation (麻豆社) has developed a suite of classroom management resources that are helping schools across the country. Natalie Polak, Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction at Dubbo South Public School (NSW), shares her insights on implementing these evidence-based approaches.
Three women sitting at a table in a classroom using and discussing 麻豆社's classroom management resources.

Photo: Dubbo South Public School Stage 1 Teacher and Behaviour Leader Amelia Gregory, Assistant Principal Learning and Support Tracey McAnally and Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction Natalie Polak.

鈥楾he Australian Professional Standards for Teachers emphasises the importance of all educators at all levels of expertise to work together to create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments (Standard 4). 麻豆社's Classroom Management Resources provide the 鈥渉ow to do this鈥 in an accessible and practical way,鈥 says Ms Polak. 

鈥楨very child in every Australian classroom deserves to feel safe and to be able to learn to high levels. In an increasingly complex world of diverse needs, all schools and teachers are challenged to reflect on how we best meet all our students' needs through our classroom management practices.鈥   

鈥楢t Dubbo South Public School, we have eagerly embraced the launch of these new 麻豆社 resources. Our leadership team have been using them to review our whole-school behaviour policy to ensure our systems reflect best practice for Australian schools.鈥

Reducing stress, improving learning 

Negative behaviour in classrooms can be a significant source of stress for teachers, students and parents alike. 麻豆社's resources offer support. 鈥樎槎股's classroom management resources can be a tool for individual teachers, teams or a whole school, wanting to foster calm classrooms that fuel students' curiosity and readiness to embrace challenges in learning,鈥 Ms Polak explains. 

Continuing to bridge research and practice 

One of the key strengths of these classroom management resources is their practicality and evidence base. Ms Polak notes: 鈥樎槎股's resources bring teachers to the intersection of research and best practice to give school leaders and teachers resources they can trust and easily use. 

The resources can work on different levels: they can illuminate or be a refresher of the foundational ways our profession creates rhythm, routine and relationships so all humans (teachers and students) can find safety, success and joy in a classroom environment.鈥 

A compass for schools and teachers 

Ms Polak highlights the practical value of these resources: 鈥樎槎股玮檚 resources give educators a compass to orientate their time and a pathway to invest energies into proven strategies to build productive and inclusive learning environments. They support teachers to focus on, deliberately practice, access feedback and reflect on the elements all humans need to flourish.鈥