Student Motivation and Acknowledgement Systems - Jennifer Payne

Australian teachers estimate losing an average of nine minutes of learning time for every 30 minutes of teaching due to classroom disruption. What does this reveal about student behaviour in Australian schools? In this episode of the Behavioural Deep Dive, Jake Lewis is joined by Blaise Joseph, Director of the Education Program at the Centre for Independent Studies, to unpack findings from his research report, Classrooms in Crisis: Australian Teachers’ Perspectives on Student Behaviour. The conversation explores the impact of low-level disruption, the importance of explicitly teaching behavioural expectations, and the role of consistent schoolwide systems in supporting teachers and students. Blaise also shares insights from his research into high-performing disadvantaged schools, highlighting the relationship between student behaviour, school leadership and academic achievement. Together, they discuss what schools can learn from the research and how evidence-informed approaches can create more positive and productive learning environments.

What does it actually mean to design instruction around how students learn? In this episode of the Behavioural Deep Dive, I sit down with Brendan Lee, educator, consultant and host of the Knowledge for Teachers podcast, to explore instructional design and the different types of learning that sit behind successful student performance. We discuss psychomotor, simple cognitive and complex cognitive learning, and why being precise about the learning we want to produce matters for the way we teach it. Brendan also unpacks the Instructional Hierarchy and the importance of identifying the prerequisite knowledge and skills students need to successfully engage with intended learning. We explore what this means in practice, including why the difficulty we observe may not always be where instruction needs to begin, how fluency can reduce the effort required to complete more complex tasks, and why teaching a definition or procedure does not necessarily mean students can generalise their learning. We also discuss the connection between instructional design and student behaviour, including how repeated experiences of high effort or failure can shape a student’s learning history and influence their willingness to engage with similar tasks in the future. A fascinating conversation about looking beyond the final learning outcome and thinking carefully about how we design the pathway students need to get there. In this episode: • Different types of learning • Psychomotor, simple cognitive and complex cognitive learning • Prerequisite knowledge and skills • Acquisition and fluency • Generalisation and adaptation • The Instructional Hierarchy • Designing for conceptual understanding • Instructional design and student behaviour • Translating evidence into classroom practice Full show notes YouTube Guest: Brendan Lee Host of Knowledge for Teachers Podcast Subscribe to the Behavioural Deep Dive for conversations exploring behaviour science, implementation science and evidence-informed practice in schools.

Opportunities to Respond (OTRs) are often talked about as a way to increase student engagement, but their impact goes much further than simply keeping students involved. In this episode of Behavioural Deep Dive, I’m joined by Karina Stocker to explore how Opportunities to Respond create the practice opportunities students need to acquire and strengthen both academic and behavioural skills. We unpack why “the doing is the learning” and explore what effective OTRs actually look like in the classroom. Karina discusses why both the quantity and quality of opportunities matter, how educators can combine group and individual responding, and how prompting and fading can be used to differentiate instruction and support successful learning. We also dive into: Creating clear classroom routines for responding Cold calling, student anxiety and building a history of successful participation What effective error correction should look like Acquisition, fluency and generalisation Why inconsistent performance may indicate a student still needs teaching and practice Using OTRs as ongoing formative assessment Practical ways teachers can monitor and improve their use of OTRs

Behavioural escalation is one of the most challenging situations educators face, but effective responses don't begin at the point of crisis. In this episode of Behavioural Deep Dive, I sit down with Paul Leitch, an educator with more than 35 years of experience supporting schools, to explore practical, evidence-informed approaches to preventing and responding to escalating behaviour. Drawing on his experience as a classroom teacher, behaviour consultant, regional leader and Guidance Officer, Paul explains why the most effective de-escalation begins long before a student reaches crisis. Together, we explore how productive classroom environments, proactive behaviour support and effective instruction create the conditions for student success while reducing the likelihood of behavioural escalation. We also unpack the escalation cycle, discussing how the purpose of an educator's response changes as behaviour progresses from calm through to recovery. Paul shares practical strategies for recognising the early signs of escalation, responding effectively at each stage, avoiding common mistakes that unintentionally escalate behaviour, and helping students successfully return to learning following an incident. Whether you're a classroom teacher, school leader, school counsellor or behaviour specialist, this episode is packed with practical strategies that you can immediately apply to create calmer classrooms, strengthen relationships and keep students engaged in learning. In this episode, we discuss: Why prevention is the foundation of effective de-escalation Practical strategies for maintaining productive classroom environments Understanding and applying the escalation cycle Matching your response to each phase of escalation Common mistakes that unintentionally escalate behaviour Supporting student recovery and successful re-entry to learning Full show notes and resources, click here. Watch the full episode on YouTube. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd really appreciate it if you could follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with a colleague. Every share helps us reach more educators and continue bringing practical, evidence-informed conversations to teachers, school leaders and behaviour specialists. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode of Behavioural Deep Dive.

School attendance is one of the biggest challenges facing schools today; but why do students stop attending, and what can schools actually do to help? In this episode of Behavioural Deep Dive, I sit down with Associate Professor Lisa McKay-Brown, teacher and leading researcher in school attendance, to unpack the growing issue of school attendance problems and the practical, evidence-informed strategies schools can use to improve outcomes. Together, we explore the different types of school attendance problems, the early warning signs of school avoidance, and why understanding why a student is absent is far more important than simply recording that they are. Lisa also explains how schools can apply a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to attendance, including universal prevention, early intervention, targeted supports, effective partnerships with families, and data-based decision making. Throughout the conversation, she challenges schools to shift from an accountability mindset towards one of continuous improvement, where attendance truly becomes everybody's business. Whether you're a teacher, school leader, behaviour consultant, wellbeing practitioner or educational psychologist, this episode is packed with practical insights that can help schools better support student engagement and attendance. Topics covered: • School attendance and school avoidance • The four types of attendance problems • Early identification and prevention • Applying MTSS to attendance • Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports • Partnering effectively with families • Data-based decision making • Building whole-school attendance systems If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share it with a colleague who is passionate about improving outcomes for students.