Students yelling in class while you struggle to get a word in, nobody willing to follow instructions—these are only some scenarios that can turn out to be a teacher’s worst nightmare! Poor classroom management can turn out to be a great threat to effective learning while also being extremely stressful for the teacher. Effectively managing children in the classroom has been one of the main issues faced by teachers. There are moments when even seasoned teachers find this problematic. Effective classroom management calls for clear expectations and informing students of the advantages and disadvantages of addressing this problem. Using classroom management strategies can assist in regulating behavior problems both within and outside the classroom. As an educator, you possess the capacity to positively influence your pupils’ lives via your behavior and mannerisms—the ability to control student behavior. At the same time, teaching is essential for effective classroom management.
Here are some classroom management strategies and approaches that work well-promoting a positive classroom environment and academic engagement.
Table of Contents
Classroom Management Strategies for Educators
1. Model desired behavior
Children learn far more from what they observe than from what they are told to do. The most important thing to do is, therefore, to model the right behavior in the classroom. The biggest lesson that students can learn is from how they are treated in the classroom. They tend to follow the same when they see respect, discipline, and more being modeled. Students in classrooms also observe teachers using polite language, being respectful to each other, and picking up many behavioral tips. In addition, observing you dealing with other students and the subsequent teacher and student conversation gives them the right behavioral cues.
2. Get their buy-in
While it may sound easier to draw out a set of rules and expect the students to follow them indiscriminately, the fact is that it always helps if students are involved in building classroom rules. When you have their buy-in in establishing rules, the chances of them following it are much higher. While this may sound counterproductive, the fact is involving children in an age-appropriate manner in a discussion on what works and what doesn’t is a great strategy.
3. Establish rules and consequences
Once you have had the necessary discussion, remember to establish rules and their consequences. Having set the consequences, what is essential is to follow them through. An inability to do that leads to students taking the rules very lightly and flouting them. It will also help to ensure that the rules are documented and readily available for all to refer to.
4. Address inappropriate behavior
Every so often, when teachers see general misbehavior in the class, they tend to punish the class at large. Instead, it works far better if you address individual discipline issues. For instance, if you notice a child not paying attention when you are teaching, asking them if they require something to help them focus works well.
Do remember that failure to address inappropriate behavior timely will lead to more poor behavior.
5. Encourage students to be co-facilitators
It always helps if you ask students to make short presentations about your teaching topics. That way, there will be variety in class. The methodology will also prompt students to study the lesson and present it innovatively.
Peer teaching can also help engage students who are otherwise disruptive. You can also take to activities such as pairing students together.
6. Praise to reinforce rules
Praise always works as a tool to help students repeat positive behavior. It ensures that the positive behavior is reinforced. Not only will it fill the student with self-confidence, but it will also inspire the class to emulate it.
You could also consider offering other tangible rewards to reinforce behavior.
7. Ensure you cater to different learning styles
Ever so often, the deemed misbehavior in the classroom may be a result of the fact that the teaching methodology does not cater to different learning styles. Do remember that your classroom can have a mix of learners-visual, auditory, kinesthetic and more. If the classroom teaching caters to these learning styles, you will suitably engage students. Some tools that can come in handy include:
- Making videos, .audiobooks, etc., a part of your study material.
- Having group games to teach concepts.
- Following up a concept with a hands-on project.
- Offering a designated quiet time for students to absorb the learnings.
- Allowing students to work in groups.
- Use of gamification.
8. Build Excitement
Last but not least, ensure you build excitement around your lesson plans. Monotonous lessons often leave children feeling bored, and they tend to disrupt the class. Instead, if you can find ways to build excitement for what you will teach and ensure that the lesson lives up to that excitement, you are more likely to have a more involved class. For instance, if the lesson for the day has an exciting project around it, that could keep the children in anticipation of the lesson. Creative classroom chart ideas and more can also help in this task.
To Sum Up
Classroom Management in today’s times is more than stating a set of rules and expecting students to follow them. From student buy-in into the rules to using innovative methods to keep the class engaged, it is key. Some aspects are non-compromising; students must show dignity and respect while dealing with others. On the other hand, you do not want to raise a class that has no power to think independently and follow directions or is intimidated to follow them.
At Pragyanam, one of the best CBSE schools in Gurgaon, where school admission is highly coveted, our aim is to raise curious learners, ones who do not shy away from asking questions but who also have the basic values of empathy and respect for their fellow beings.
