We know the feeling. It can be draining when our wonderful students seem incapable of staying on task and getting work done. Rest assured, you’re not the first teacher to have a rough day. We have collected some strategies teachers can use to improve their classroom management skills.
Ever heard that failing to plan is planning to fail? Effective planning can eliminate many behavioural issues before the students walk through the door.
“Effective teachers have a classroom management plan with all the procedures necessary for a classroom to run consistently and smooth for learning to take place.” ~ Harry Wong
Across the world, studies consistently indicate that teacher reflection is crucial to better classroom management. Reflection is about improving teaching practice and learning from experience. Becoming a more effective teacher is facilitated by:
Reflection will help you to stop internalising the poor behaviour of your students and start thinking about what they’re actually communicating. Are they bored? Is the work too difficult? Do they need extra support?
2. Set clear expectations
Researchers regularly state that classroom rules are integral to effective classroom management. Keeping your students aware of expectations can be supported by:
Provide encouragement to your class when they are meeting expectations and remind them when they could be doing better.
3. Set up your classroom
You can use your classroom layout to your advantage in a variety of ways to make teaching easier for you. When setting up your room, it’s highly worthwhile considering:
Finally, don’t allow students to move the furniture around unless they have permission and have them leave the room as they found it.
4. Use settling activities
After lunch and Friday afternoons can be difficult periods for students to focus. Starting these classes off with a settling activity will help your students get into the mindset for classwork. For example, as developing our students’ literacy and numeracy skills is every teachers’ responsibility, they can be built into daily warm-up activities like:
Reading and comprehension
Watching an introductory video
Vocabulary spelling quiz
Re-writing sentences correctly
Googling 3 facts
Defining keywords
For peace and quiet, try dimming the lights and leading mindfulness activities to calm things down for 5-10 minutes before diving into lesson activities.
5. Make your lessons consistent
Consistency from you allows your students to predict what will happen in their classroom and create a sense of safety. Being consistent in classroom management requires a commitment from you to:
Respond the same way every time
Keep things simple
Not hesitate
Respond, then move on
Practice, practice, practice
Consistency also means having your activities ready to go before the class starts and implementing procedures to keep each lesson running smoothly.
6. Ensure students come to class prepared
Students consistently failing to bring the required equipment to class is frustrating. While the expectation should always come into class prepared to work, try teaching them a procedure to follow that includes:
Students handing out/collecting books/equipment each lesson
Borrowing from a friend first
Borrowing from you (include consequence)
Maintaining records
Calling home if the problem persists
Your school may even decide to include a portion of each subjects’ final grade to students coming prepared.
7. Decide on fair consequences
Let the students know what actions have what consequences and stick to them. Studies have shown that using logical consequences in your classroom is important because students can:
See the link between their behaviour and the consequence
Reflect on their behaviour
Predict and prevent re-occurrence
Think about how they treat others
Fix their mistakes
Maintain their dignity
Be firm, but fair because students will quickly learn how much they can get away with-with any teacher. They also will call foul if you’re not consistent, so if it’s good for one, it has to be good for all.
During class: Dealing with low-level classroom management and behavioural issues
Serious issues should be sent up the flagpole; however, professional teachers will be expected to deal with the everyday issues as they arise during a class. The following strategies are aimed at assisting teachers with minor issues that arise during class.
What you already may know about the benefits of cracking a dad joke in the classroom is backed by plenty of evidence. Research indicates that humour in the classroom can facilitate student engagement and their learning. Further, laughing as a management strategy works because it:
Relieves tension
Increases motivation
Creates a positive learning environment
Facilitates communication
Improves focus
Builds rapport
Encourages resilience
Finally, a comprehensive New Zealand study found it is important that the humour used in your classroom remains appropriate, so always use your professional judgement and maintain respectful boundaries.
2. Simply wait
Waiting for your students to quieten down is not just a funny meme. Think of it more as an alternative to constantly calling out every negative behaviour (the students will probably ignore this anyway) which can exacerbate problems with your students. It’s better to stay calm, be patient, and just wait. Trying the following strategies out can also help:
After a minute or two they should start self-calming and re-focus. Resist the urge to engage in verbal battles. If you refuse to be drawn in, students will learn that there’s no point baiting you.
3. Communicate
The louder you get, the louder they are going to get. Talking clearly, calmly, and confidently will encourage students to quieten down and hear what you are saying. Dr. Bill Rogers offers detailed advice to teachers including:
Using verbal and non-verbal cues
Using tactical pauses
Repeating clear, calm instructions
Avoiding requests/pointless questions
Reinforcing expectations
Ignoring secondary behaviours
Don’t be embarrassed to practice this in front of a mirror.
We also have some great videos in our library for teachers interested in improving their communication with students with autism and people with disabilities.
4. Proximity
Still not focused? Walk quietly and position yourself close to disruptive students. Your position in the classroom will impact the behaviour of your students, so it’s worth considering:
Having clear pathways in your room
Being accessible to every student
Developing non-verbal cues
Not hovering too long
Not standing over students
Crouching to student level
By circulating naturally, you imply a sense confidence and comfort, and you can be more observant of what’s happening in your classroom. Don’t hide behind your desk forever!
5. Check-in
If you know of some students that have problems settling in general, check-in with them, ask if they have understood the instructions or require help. Checking-in allows you to:
Build connections
Refocus the student
Check understanding
Provide clarification
Support progress
Encourage appropriate behaviour
Ask them how their day has been going. Give them a moment to respond and when they’re attentive, re-focus them to work and be available to help them if needed. Keep interactions positive as much as possible.
6. Positive reinforcement
Students will constantly seek the attention of their peers or teacher. There is growing evidence that acknowledging and rewarding positive behaviour is effective in motivating student compliance. Positively reinforcing students involves:
If students want your attention, teach them they’ll only get it if they’re doing the right thing. Devise a reward system to motivate students if it’s appropriate for your school.
7. Reflect and communicate
When you have had a chance to decompress after a stressful day, it’s important not to internalise things. Taking proactive steps to help address behavioural issues can include:
Whether your class is small or large, the strength of your relationship with each student directly influences their behaviour. It’s worth putting in the effort.
Obviously, teachers need to be well-aware of and abide by their school’s behavioural policies. Remember to be patient. Nobody becomes an expert in classroom management overnight and by practicing strategies and building consistency, you will see results. Remember too, that they are just kids. Don’t sweat a sweaty teenager—it probably isn’t personal. Don’t worry if they take several lessons before they learn to quieten down—you will get there. Vent. Talk things out with your colleagues. Teaching is a challenging career and ClickView is always here to help you meet those challenges.