You have your lesson plan set, your seating arrangement is in place and your room is decorated, what could go wrong? Well as many teachers learn, classrooms can be unpredictable and throw you some curve balls you aren’t expecting. Whether it’s a slow learning curve with your lessons, or a few disruptive students, there are some tricks of the trade that you can turn to. In this article, we will share ten of these tips for managing your classroom.
Establish rules and enforce them—On the first day of class, establish clear rules and follow through with them. Have a set standard of specific rewards for good achievements and consequences for misbehavior. While it may seem hard to always enforce rules, this is important. If you allow one student to get away with misbehavior without enforcing a consequence, students may think they have negotiating room and that future misbehavior will be tolerated. Make sure you tackle rules full force at the beginning of the year when students are placing trust in you.
Have a plan—A successful classroom begins with clear lesson plans. At the beginning of each day, you should provide clarity as to what students should know and what you are going to do by the end of the class period. Every moment of the day should be propelling you to the end. When you have a plan, students know where they are going and what is expected. Praise is a powerful tool—Never underestimate the power of praise, research has shown its successful use in the classroom.. It can be used to transform a student’s image, reinforce values that you want to promote in your classroom and uplift the entire class. While praising students, remember that it is important to be specific and encourage behavior that is repeatable. For example, if you are praising a student for writing a great paper and you praise them for doing a great job, that student will always be conscious of the quality of their writing every time they turn in a paper.
Learn to deal with disruptive students—If you’re dealing with disruptive students, try remembering the three R’s: recognition (certificates of recognition, uplifting comments, being helpful with students), rewards (positive feedback, free handouts) and respect (treat students as you would like to be treated, don’t talk down to them). If students are talking during your lesson, walk around their area as you lecture. If they keep talking, ask them if they have a question. Usually, the answer is, “No,” and the awkwardness will make them stop.
Learn how to organize your classroom—There are many ways to organize your classroom depending on the age group and the topic that you teach. Set up an organized station where students can turn in their homework, correspond with you and collect handouts. Display a daily schedule to let your students know what to expect. You can even leave it up if a substitute is in your classroom, or to remove any confusion if schedules change. Being organized will save you time and will make your students feel more at ease.
Create a safe learning environment—Create the kind of classroom environment in which students are required to be respectful to each other. Your classroom is a tiny world. It’s important to demonstrate what kind of world you would run if you were given the chance. In a respectful environment, students are responding to and listening to each other. Try asking open-ended questions that encourage a dialogue among students. As a teacher, don’t ever tolerate impatience, mocking, cruelty or disrespect demonstrated toward another classmate. Find out more about creating a safe learning environment here.
Welcome feedback from students—Receiving feedback can be as simple as asking, “How was your homework last night?” Another idea to receive feedback is to hand out a survey asking simple questions such as “How can I teach you more effectively?” and “What is your learning style?” If you have already tried this as a teacher, you may have discovered that this is invaluable for your professional development. Surveys are best distributed as written, individual surveys either once or twice a year. Also, ask verbal questions about tests and homework to the entire class on a regular basis.
It’s all about questions—Let your students know that they can and should be asking questions all the time. In your classroom rules, consider adding a rule stating what students need to do to ask questions, such as raising their hands. When you are teaching lessons and lecturing, you should not be so focused on making your points that you are not open to questions. If needed, stop and ask students if they have any questions before preceding to new sections of a lecture.
Address behavior issues quickly and wisely—As you may already know, bad feelings can quickly grow from molehills into mountains. To prevent this, make sure you are quickly addressing issues between you and a student or between two students. To handle these kinds of conflicts wisely, wait until after class to have the discussion to avoid disrupting the rest of the class. Be caring, and ask how you can help the student. When this happens, the student may become disarmed because they are expecting you to be angry. In the case that two students have a problem, try asking them to meet with you before school, after school or during lunch. Try to be a neutral mediator to help them resolve the problem.
Time management—Learning time management is a skill that will benefit students for the rest of their life. It’s important to know how to manage time. If you are struggling with time management, try taking a time management course or making small time management goals each day. Once you have tackled time management, try passing this skill onto your students. This can be demonstrated in how you organize your lessons and the flow of the day.
While some of these steps are time-intensive and definitely not easy, it will be worth the effort invested in managing your classroom well. Students will be thankful for a well-organized teacher that is dedicated to help them learn.
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