Classroom management was a huge
struggle for me when I first started teaching. Okay, It may or may not have
escalated to the point that I found myself crying in the back hallway because I
just couldn’t face my first period class.
But thankfully that’s not the end of the story. I finally found some classroom management strategies that actually worked and eventually turned things around.
Here a top 10 classroom management
strategies for New teachers and experienced ones
1- Model Ideal Behavior
Make a habit of
demonstrating behavior you want to see, because modeling effectively
teaches students how to act in different situations.
A
straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation
with an admin, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking
about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:
*
Use polite language
*
Maintain eye contact
* Keep phones in your pockets
*
Let one another speak
uninterrupted
*
Raise concerns about one
another’s statements in a respectful manner.
After, start a class discussion to list and
expand upon the ideal
behaviors you exemplified.
1- Model Ideal Behavior
Make a habit of
demonstrating behavior you want to see, because modeling effectively
teaches students how to act in different situations.
A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation with an admin, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:
*
Use polite language
*
Maintain eye contact
* Keep phones in your pockets
* Raise concerns about one another’s statements in a respectful manner.
After, start a class discussion to list and expand upon the ideal
behaviors you exemplified.
2- Let students help establish guidelines
Encourage all students to help you build
classroom rules, as you’ll generate more buy-in than just telling them
what they’re not allowed to do.Near the start of the year or semester,
start a discussion by asking students what they believe should and shouldn’t
fly. At what points are phones okay and not okay? What are acceptable noise
levels during lessons? This may seem like you’re setting yourself up for
failure, but — depending on the makeup of you class — you may be shocked at the
strictness of some proposed rules. Regardless, having a discussion should lead
to mutually-understood and -respected expectations.
2- Let students help establish guidelines
Encourage all students to help you build
classroom rules, as you’ll generate more buy-in than just telling them
what they’re not allowed to do.Near the start of the year or semester,
start a discussion by asking students what they believe should and shouldn’t
fly. At what points are phones okay and not okay? What are acceptable noise
levels during lessons? This may seem like you’re setting yourself up for
failure, but — depending on the makeup of you class — you may be shocked at the
strictness of some proposed rules. Regardless, having a discussion should lead
to mutually-understood and -respected expectations.
3- Document Rules
Don’t let your mutually-respected guidelines go
forgotten.Similar
to handing out a syllabus, print and distribute the list of rules that the
class discussion generated. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing
this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to
them. And when a student breaks a rule, it’ll be easy for you to point to this
document.If you’re feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student
handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information.
3- Document Rules
Don’t let your mutually-respected guidelines go
forgotten.Similar
to handing out a syllabus, print and distribute the list of rules that the
class discussion generated. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing
this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to
them. And when a student breaks a rule, it’ll be easy for you to point to this
document.If you’re feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student
handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information.
4- Avoid Punishing The Class
Address isolated behavior issues instead of
punishing an entire class, as the latter can hurt your relationships with
students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize other classroom management
efforts.Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:
- “Do you have a question?”, not “Stop talking and
disrupting other students”
- “Do you need help focusing?”, not “Pay attention
and stop fooling around while I’m talking”
This basic approach will allow you to keep a
friendly disposition, while immediately acknowledging poor behavior.
4- Avoid Punishing The Class
Address isolated behavior issues instead of
punishing an entire class, as the latter can hurt your relationships with
students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize other classroom management
efforts.Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:
- “Do you have a question?”, not “Stop talking and
disrupting other students”
- “Do you need help focusing?”, not “Pay attention
and stop fooling around while I’m talking”
This basic approach will allow you to keep a
friendly disposition, while immediately acknowledging poor behavior.
5- Encourage initiative
Promote growth mindset, and inject variety
into your lessons, by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short
presentations to share take-away points.Almost inevitably, you’ll have
some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they’d like
to get ahead from time-to-time. For example, if you’re reading a specific
chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the following one too. When they
deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next chapter on your
behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.
5- Encourage initiative
Promote growth mindset, and inject variety
into your lessons, by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short
presentations to share take-away points.Almost inevitably, you’ll have
some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they’d like
to get ahead from time-to-time. For example, if you’re reading a specific
chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the following one too. When they
deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next chapter on your
behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.
6- Offer praise
Praise students for jobs well done, as doing
so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent
research review and study. When it is sincere and references specific examples
of effort or accomplishment, praise can:
- Inspire the class
- Improve a student’s self-esteem
- Reinforce rules and values you want to see
Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students
to repeat positive behavior. Let’s say a student exemplifies advanced
problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem. Praising his or her
use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues to
use these tactics. Not to mention, you’ll motivate other students to do the
same.
6- Offer praise
Praise students for jobs well done, as doing
so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent
research review and study. When it is sincere and references specific examples
of effort or accomplishment, praise can:
- Inspire the class
- Improve a student’s self-esteem
- Reinforce rules and values you want to see
Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students
to repeat positive behavior. Let’s say a student exemplifies advanced
problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem. Praising his or her
use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues to
use these tactics. Not to mention, you’ll motivate other students to do the
same.
7- Use non-verbal communication
Complement words with actions and visual aids to
improve content delivery, helping students focus and process lessons.Many differentiated
instruction strategies and techniques are rooted in these communication
methods. For example, running learning stations -- divided sections of your
classroom through which students rotate -- allows you to deliver a range of
non-spoken content types. These include videos, infographics and physical
objects such as counting coins. Paper airplanes fly across the room.
Students race between desks. You can’t get a word in, as they yell over you.It
doesn’t have to be this dramatic, like a movie scene you’d watch in a media
literacy lesson, but poor classroom management will almost assuredly
elevate your stress and burnout rates.
7- Use non-verbal communication
Complement words with actions and visual aids to
improve content delivery, helping students focus and process lessons.Many differentiated
instruction strategies and techniques are rooted in these communication
methods. For example, running learning stations -- divided sections of your
classroom through which students rotate -- allows you to deliver a range of
non-spoken content types. These include videos, infographics and physical
objects such as counting coins. Paper airplanes fly across the room.
Students race between desks. You can’t get a word in, as they yell over you.It
doesn’t have to be this dramatic, like a movie scene you’d watch in a media
literacy lesson, but poor classroom management will almost assuredly
elevate your stress and burnout rates.
8- Give Tangible Rewards
Reward specific students at the end of each
lesson, in front of the class, as another motivational and
behavior-reinforcement technique.Let’s say a few students are actively
listening throughout the entire lesson, answering questions and asking their
own. Before the class ends, walk over to their desks to give them raffle
tickets. So others can learn, state aloud what each student did to earn the
tickets. On Friday, they can submit their tickets for a shot at a prize that
changes each week -- from candy to being able to choose a game for the next
class party.
8- Give Tangible Rewards
Reward specific students at the end of each
lesson, in front of the class, as another motivational and
behavior-reinforcement technique.Let’s say a few students are actively
listening throughout the entire lesson, answering questions and asking their
own. Before the class ends, walk over to their desks to give them raffle
tickets. So others can learn, state aloud what each student did to earn the
tickets. On Friday, they can submit their tickets for a shot at a prize that
changes each week -- from candy to being able to choose a game for the next
class party.
9- Build Excitement For Content
Start lessons by previewing
particularly-exciting parts, hooking student interest from the get-go.As
the bell rings and students settle, go through an agenda of the day’s
highlights. These could include group tasks, engaging bits of content and
anything else to pique curiosity. For example, “Throughout the day, you’ll
learn about:”
- How to talk like you’re a teacher (sentence structure)
- Why you don’t know anyone who’s won the lottery
(probability)
- What all the presidents of the United States have
had in common (social analysis)
The goal of this classroom management technique
is to immediately interest students in your agenda and thereby dissuade
misbehavior.
9- Build Excitement For Content
Start lessons by previewing
particularly-exciting parts, hooking student interest from the get-go.As
the bell rings and students settle, go through an agenda of the day’s
highlights. These could include group tasks, engaging bits of content and
anything else to pique curiosity. For example, “Throughout the day, you’ll
learn about:”
- How to talk like you’re a teacher (sentence structure)
- Why you don’t know anyone who’s won the lottery
(probability)
- What all the presidents of the United States have
had in common (social analysis)
The goal of this classroom management technique
is to immediately interest students in your agenda and thereby dissuade
misbehavior.
10- Adress Bad Behavior Quickly
Avoid hesitation when you must address bad
behavior, especially when a student breaks a documented rule.
Acting sooner than later will help ensure that
negative feelings -- whether between students or you and a student -- won’t
fester. Failure to act can result in more poor behavior, leading to
needlessly-difficult conversations.
But keep in mind: It’s usually best to talk
to the student in private. Emerging research shows that punishing
students in front of peers has “limited value.”
10- Adress Bad Behavior Quickly
Avoid hesitation when you must address bad
behavior, especially when a student breaks a documented rule.
Acting sooner than later will help ensure that
negative feelings -- whether between students or you and a student -- won’t
fester. Failure to act can result in more poor behavior, leading to
needlessly-difficult conversations.
But keep in mind: It’s usually best to talk
to the student in private. Emerging research shows that punishing
students in front of peers has “limited value.”
