Unit rationale, description and aim
Teachers, especially those new to the profession, consistently perceive classroom management as a serious challenge. Dealing with students who demonstrate challenging and confronting behaviour is a major cause of teacher stress, burnout and job dissatisfaction. In addition, many teachers feel their training in classroom management is lacking particularly in their preparedness for responding appropriately to students who may be unpredictable, unco-operative and potentially violent.
This unit builds teacher’s skills in managing potentially stressful and confronting classroom behaviours. The unit firstly expands on the foundational communication, management and organisational skills that are essential for effective teaching and the establishment of positive classroom learning environments including the promotion of engagement, achievement and wellbeing for marginalized students. Participants will examine the philosophies and practical strategies for the short-term de-escalation of potentially critical incidents involving students who demonstrate challenging and confronting behaviour, as well as longer-term strategies for engaging students who regularly display disruptive behaviour in classroom and school settings. The learning experiences of this unit build the participant’s self-efficacy for managing potentially stressful and confronting classroom environments and individual students. The flow on effects of this increased self-efficacy include increased teacher resilience, decreased escalation of critical incidents, better engagement and relationships with challenging students and a better classroom experience for all.
The aim of this unit is to provide current, and future teachers, with an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills that will equip them to better manage potentially stressful and confronting classroom environments and de-escalate critical incidents involving individual students.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify and discuss contemporary theories, princi...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically appraise a range of philosophies and st...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically appraise a range of philosophies and st...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
Module 1
- A review of foundational skills, philosophies and strategies relevant to the establishment and maintenance of positive classroom learning environments including the promotion of student engagement, achievement and wellbeing.
- Factors that contribute to challenging and confronting behaviour in classroom and school contexts, including socio-cultural and socio-historical factors, family, community, school, class and teacher factors.
- Codes of ethics and conduct, and legislative requirements related to student well-being, safety and classroom management.
- A review of a selection of theories and models of classroom management.
- Preventative approaches versus reactive approaches to classroom management.
Module 2
- Critical incidents in classroom/school contexts.
- Philosophies and practical strategies for the short-term de-escalation of potentially critical incidents.
- Philosophies and practical strategies for engaging learners who regularly display unproductive, unco-operative and challenging behaviour in classroom settings (including trauma-informed pedagogical theories and practices).
- Networks of support and collaboration to manage challenging and confronting behaviour.
- Communication strategies following a critical incident.
- Self-care and managing personal safety.
- Teacher well-being and mental health.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The purpose of this unit is to build the participant’s skills and self-efficacy for managing potentially stressful and confronting behaviour and classroom environments. A blend of formative and summative assessment will be used build the participant’s self-efficacy for managing potentially stressful and confronting classroom environments and individual students who may be unpredictable, unco-operative and potentially violent. The two assessment tasks in this unit are authentic in that they require the participants to engage with realistic scenarios and craft responses that demonstrate their knowledge of the philosophies and practical strategies examined in this unit.
In order to pass this unit, students are required to demonstrate achievement of the unit learning outcomes by submitting all assessment tasks, obtaining a combined final mark of at least 50 per cent., and receiving a passing grade on Assessment Task 2.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 Scenario Analysis You will be...
Assessment Task 1
Scenario Analysis
You will be provided with two scenarios.
For each scenario, you will need to identify codes of ethics and conduct, and legislative requirements regarding student well-being and safety that may inform a response. Then you need to critically analyse a variety of philosophies and strategies that support the positive management of the situation.
50%
Assessment Task 2 Scenario Analysis You will be...
Assessment Task 2
Scenario Analysis
You will be provided with two scenarios.
The first will describe a rapidly escalating ‘critical incident’ wherein a student is demonstrating some form of confronting behaviour.
The second will describe a situation where the learning environment is compromised by the long-term attitudes/behaviour of a class.
For each scenario, you need to critically analyse a variety of philosophies and strategies that support the positive management of the situation.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Grounded in a constructivist approach to learning, the unit recognises that participants bring diverse professional experiences and prior knowledge, which are integrated with new learning through reflection, dialogue and application to authentic educational contexts.
Learning activities encourage participants to critically examine theories, legislation, ethical responsibilities and evidence-based behaviour management practices, while reflecting on their own beliefs and approaches to classroom management. Through scenario-based learning, critical incident analysis and problem-based activities, participants apply theoretical concepts to realistic situations involving challenging student behaviour and classroom environments.
Teaching and learning approaches may include directed and self-directed readings, asynchronous online activities, discussion forums, recorded lectures and presentations, live online seminars, collaborative learning activities, role plays and simulations. These approaches promote active engagement, critical thinking, professional reflection and the practical application of knowledge to educational settings.
The learning experiences are designed to strengthen participants’ self-efficacy in managing stressful and confronting situations, supporting the development of teacher resilience, effective decision-making and positive learning environments. The unit has been designed to ensure students undertake approximately 150 hours of learning to achieve the required learning outcomes and assessment standards.