Australian parents are debating whether “old school” discipline should be reintroduced to classrooms in a bid to stop rowdy behaviour.
The fierce debate between parents, academics and teachers was sparked by a Senate inquiry into classroom behavior which recommended a return to “old school” discipline to improve the way students behave in school.
The recommended guidelines, which have been made available to schools across Australia, include teaching primary and secondary school students how to enter a classroom, sit properly and ask questions.
The desks will also be lined up in a row facing the teacher.
Students will be encouraged to practice “super walking,” which involves walking single file around the school.
Some parents believe that the problem begins at home and others agree that children must be disciplined.
It comes after research by the Australian Education Research Organization (AERO) found teachers spent 20 per cent of their day dealing with disruptive behaviour.
Dr Jenny Donavan, chief executive of the Australian Education Research Organisation, told FEMAIL that teaching students how to act in class goes hand in hand with the explicit teaching model being rolled out in New South Wales this week.
The former teacher, who spent a decade in the classroom before working for the Department of Education and taking on her current role, said students must be explicitly taught how to behave.
Following a Senate inquiry, parents shared their views on introducing strict tactics in schools to teach children how to behave.
Some parents believe that the problem begins at home and others agree that children must be disciplined.
He added that teachers must then force them to practice these skills, and that what is asked of them must be taught and practiced constantly throughout their time at school to maintain a high level.
These behaviors can be taught and are part of classroom management, he said.
Following a Senate investigation, AERO proposed changes to the way primary and secondary teachers discipline students.
The new guidelines will be available in all Australian states, but it will be up to the teacher how the methods are implemented.
To be honest, I think parents need to be spanked. That’s where it is for me. “Children are a product of their mom and dad or their parents…discipline starts at home,” one parent told Sunrise.
‘They need to be taught to listen and learn to follow instructions. There is simply no respect (in the classroom). That is the biggest problem,” added another.
Former director Adam Voigt spoke to Nat Barr on Monday and described the issue as a “complex problem” (file image)
Former director Adam Voigt spoke to Nat Barr on Monday and described the issue as a “complex problem.”
Voigt said achieving consistency across schools would be helpful, especially to prevent teachers from leaving the profession.
And while it may seem like a quick fix to adapt a “red card” approach and send a misbehaving student directly to the principal’s office, Voigt argued that may not be the answer.
He stated that some answers lie in the present and future method rather than turning to the “old days.”
