Sharpening our skills in Behavioural Leadership

Written by Mr Chris Graham (Assistant Principal- Secondary)

22 April 2026

Keeping staff up to date and reflecting on their practice is something that Aitken values highly and invests in a great deal. Staff are encouraged to identify their own learning needs, be it through selected professional development, or carefully curated whole staff events.

Term Two started with staff gathering to engage with renowned educational consultant, Dr Bill Rogers. For over forty years, Dr Rogers has been at the forefront of research and presentation on discipline and behaviour management issues; classroom management; stress and teaching and colleague support.

His work is known especially for his commitment to a skills-based approach and the emphasis on a colleague support focus across the school for the development, and maintenance, of positive behaviours within a rights, responsibility, rules focus.

During an informative morning session, Bill spoke to the entire staff about ensuring every student felt safe by treating every student with dignity and respect, whilst ensuring that the class maintain a high expectations and outcomes for all members.

After a short break, Bill worked with secondary teachers on ideas and strategies specific to teenagers and early adult years. After lunch, he undertook a similar session with our Primary staff, focused on developmental understanding for younger students.

The day contributes to our staff reviewing and maintaining their Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) as required by The Victorian Institute of Teaching.

This week’s professional learning specifically addressed:

PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Outcome 1: Know learners and how they learn

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Outcome 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

Outcome 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT

Outcome 6: Engage in professional learning

As the day ended, staff had time for individual preparation while our senior leaders gathered for a staff Leadership Summit Session.

This ongoing professional learning program has allowed senior staff, in positions of added responsibility, to identify their leadership style/s, explore how they could be more effecient leaders and establish how varying leadership styles can work together most effectively, for the benefit of all staff and our students.

A new Principles of Leadership document is being developed to help guide all staff in how to be more effective. It will be finalised and released in the coming weeks.