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"Empowering schools to implement proactive, data-driven supports to improve student wellbeing"
Function-Based Thinking in Schools - Dr. Russ Fox
In this episode of Behavioural Deep Dive, I sit down with Dr Russ Fox to explore function-based thinking and how it can be applied in classroom settings.
The conversation focuses on understanding behaviour as a response to the environment and how this can support more effective practice.
Show Notes
Understanding behaviour in context
A central idea explored in this conversation is that behaviour is shaped by the environment. Rather than viewing behaviour as something that sits within the student, Russ describes behaviour as a response to what is happening around them.
This includes what occurs before the behaviour, the context or situation the student is in, and what follows the behaviour. By paying closer attention to these patterns, educators can begin to build a clearer picture of why students respond in the ways that they do.
This shift moves the focus away from simply describing behaviour, and towards understanding the interaction between the student and their environment.
Behaviour is adaptive
Another key idea discussed is that behaviour is adaptive, even when it appears challenging or disruptive.
Russ explains that students are always responding in ways that make sense within their current context, based on the skills they have and the situations they are navigating. In this way, behaviour can be seen as working for the student in some capacity, even if it comes at a cost.
Viewing behaviour through this lens can help educators move beyond labels and instead consider what the behaviour may be doing for the student, and how the environment may be influencing that response.
A strengths-based perspective
The conversation also highlights the importance of taking a strengths-based approach when thinking about student behaviour.
Rather than focusing only on what students are not doing or where they are struggling, this approach encourages educators to recognise what students can do, the skills they already have, and how these can be built upon.
When combined with function-based thinking, this perspective shifts the focus towards supporting students more effectively by creating environments where they are more likely to be successful, rather than relying on reactive responses to behaviour.
From description to understanding
A key takeaway from the episode is the importance of moving beyond simply describing behaviour, and instead working to understand it.
Function-based thinking provides a way for educators to ask more useful questions about what is happening in the environment, how students are responding, and what might need to change to better support them.
This approach supports more informed, effective decision-making and helps create classroom environments where both behaviour and learning can be better supported.
Resources
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Classwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Second Edition: A Guide to Proactive Classroom Management (2025) - Brandi Simonsen and Diane Myers.
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2026 Positive Behaviour for Learning Conference. Website link: https://pblqld.eventsair.com/pbl26/
Contact Dr. Russ Fox
Dr. Russ Fox is a Lecturer in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Monash University, with experience supporting schools to better understand and respond to student behaviour.
He has worked as a primary teacher, in alternative education settings with students at risk of disengagement, and in capacity-building roles coaching educators and leaders. He has also held a senior policy role within the Victorian Department of Education focused on reducing restrictive practices.
Russ completed his doctorate at Monash University in 2021, examining the conditions that support the successful implementation of Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports.
Email: russell.fox@monash.edu