Behaviour Support

The first thing to recognise about behaviour is that behaviour has a purpose.

Usually, the purpose of behaviour is to seek something or avoid something.

Best practice requires a dual approach towards students with behaviours of concern. The first part of a best-practice approach is to implement school-wide positive behaviour support practices which teach and encourage pro-social behaviour.

The second element of a best-practice approach requires teachers to gather information about the individual student and provide specific, targeted support to reduce the behaviour of concern. Once the teacher has enough information, it is possible to plan some specific strategies to address behaviours of concern. One very common approach is to teach the student to choose an alternative, more helpful behaviour which meets their needs. This is called teaching replacement behaviour.

 All government schools in Victoria are moving towards implementing a School-Wide Positive Behavioural Support model in compliance with Department of Education and Early Childhood Development requirements. For more information about Victorian government schools and school-wide positive behaviour support, click here.