Rethinking classroom discipline: How routine and structure improve student learning

Creating a structured, engaging, and disciplined learning environment is an ongoing challenge for educators. At Aquinas College, the introduction of Classroom Mastery is transforming the way students and teachers experience learning, fostering a calm, predictable, and highly effective classroom environment.

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Brendan Chapman, Head of Teaching and Learning (PK–12) at Aquinas College, has played a pivotal role in implementing this approach. With 20 years of experience in all-boys education in Australia, Chapman has seen firsthand the impact that intentional classroom routines and high expectations can have on student outcomes.

“Routines and rules are essential elements of our classrooms. They provide a predictable structure to reduce cognitive load, which improves students’ working memory to focus on learning. This allows teachers to devote more time to effective teaching and providing additional learning support where needed. These routines and rules are taught as explicitly as academic content, ensuring that they become an established habit for students.” Brendan Chapman

Moving beyond traditional discipline

Unlike conventional disciplinary methods that react to student behaviour, Classroom Mastery proactively creates structured environments that reduce disruptions and increase learning time.

“Classroom Mastery adopts a consilience approach to research, integrating insights from multiple disciplines to create a learning-focused environment,” Chapman explains. By teaching and implementing behavioural routines that allow students to develop automaticity, distractions are reduced, and engagement is increased.

Students are already seeing the benefits:

“I found the new changes beneficial, as they helped implement more structure, which means more learning for students. I feel like I am getting more time in class as students are more attentive.” – Year 8 Student

“Initially, it was a challenge getting used to the new routines; however, these routines have now reduced the amount of distractions, which I am so grateful for.” – Year 7 Student

Why Aquinas College chose classroom mastery

One of the driving factors behind this initiative is the understanding that students need to feel safe in their learning environment. A calm and orderly classroom is essential for academic success. Chapman highlights a growing concern among new teachers, many of whom feel underprepared to handle student behaviour in modern classrooms.

“Anecdotal evidence from graduate teachers in recent years suggest that they do not feel adequately prepared to tackle the challenges of student behaviour in schools. Aquinas College has therefore chosen to explicitly teach student behaviour to address this need,” he says.

To achieve this, Aquinas College partnered with behavioural expert Dr Tim McDonald to refine and implement Classroom Mastery strategies. Some key elements include:
• Structured entrance and exit routines to create a smooth transition into learning. Students are greeted by the teacher and engage in warm-up work that is provided on the board. Before the students can leave, they are asked to answer a review or reflective question to check their understanding.
• Cold-calling and non-volunteer questioning to ensure all students are actively engaged. Students are not asked to raise their hands if they know an answer. Instead, the entire class must be prepared to be called on at any time.
• High behavioural expectations that minimise classroom disruptions.

Essential skills for teachers

To successfully implement Classroom Mastery, teachers at Aquinas College have developed a range of classroom management skills, including:
• Effective communication techniques, such as deliberate pausing and voice control.
• Non-verbal corrections to maintain focus without disruption.
• Classroom scanning to ensure all students remain engaged.
• Acknowledgement and praise of good work and behaviour.
• Clear and consistent reinforcement of rules and expectations.

Chapman emphasises that these skills are explicitly taught and refined through ongoing professional development. “Ongoing teacher professional learning and a sequenced classroom observation and coaching process has been instrumental to implementation and embedment,” says Chapman.

Supporting students with self-regulation challenges

A core principle of Classroom Mastery is that strong teacher-student relationships lay the foundation for effective learning. When students feel safe, respected, and supported, they are more likely to engage in learning and develop self-discipline.

For students who may struggle with their self-regulation, the program offers support by giving students certainty about expectations. The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) supports this approach, noting that structured classroom routines improve student focus by reducing cognitive load.

“Aquinas College teachers strive to build relationships through positive interactions, getting to know each student individually, and maintaining open communication with families and carers,” explains Chapman. “Every interaction, from a warm smile to a positive tone of voice, contributes to building trust and connection in the classroom. The predictable routines in combination with calm, orderly environments appeal directly to the disposition of these students.”

“AERO has published useful resources for schools, crafted through contemporary educational research and industry-leading advice on classroom management to support improved learning environments,” he adds.

Measuring impact and looking ahead

To assess the impact of Classroom Mastery, Aquinas College conducted student and staff surveys. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the importance of consistent routines and high behavioural expectations in supporting student learning.

“It has impacted my learning in a very positive way, because I can maximise my class time and get as much out of my teacher as possible without any disruptions from other students… It is less disruptive, there is more structure…” – Year 10 Student

As the program continues to evolve, Chapman remains confident that Classroom Mastery will enhance learning outcomes and empower teachers with the skills they need to manage behaviour effectively.

“The power of the collective efforts of all teachers [is] minimising the cognitive variance for students whilst increasing predictability. This moves what is good practice from good teachers… to consistent high-quality practice with high impact.”