A Comprehensive List of Classroom Management Techniques

It’s an important lesson you want to cover in the class today, but the students won’t help you. Paper airplanes fly across the class, and students won’t stop chattering, no matter how many times you tell them to be quiet.

The whole classroom feels like a fish market, and you feel helpless as a teacher, failing to get hold of the students. All this will eventually stress you out and increase the burnout rates.

What’s more, a 2006 study found that teachers often report a decrease in professional development support for bettering classroom management. But the silver line is you can always implement a few strategies to get your class in order.

These strategies can help improve prosocial student behavior and academic engagement, resulting in better classroom management. Before that, first, understand why it is important.

 

Importance of Classroom Management for Teachers

Simply put, when you do not specify the rules, the students will act in ways that are not good. For example, students might not be able to work hard because they are talking to other students, and the teacher cannot get them to stop. The teacher also has more stress when their classroom does not have proper rules.

 

Classroom Management Techniques Schools Must Implement in Their Classrooms

Now that you’re aware of how sideways things can go if the classroom isn’t managed properly, let’s look at a list of techniques to bring order to your classrooms as a teacher or School principal.

Keep the Students Busy

This means ensuring that the students have something on their plate at all times. This can be anything from worksheets to group work, and it will help keep them on track. You can also help them with their problems along the way, ensuring that they do not give up on their tasks midway because they couldn’t get the help they need.

If you’re using worksheets, make sure that the students complete them and not just copy the answers. You can do this by asking them questions about the worksheet once they’re done.

Here are some fun ways to ensure students complete their worksheets:

• Have a contest to see who can finish first
• Give a small prize to the student who finishes first.
• Let the students work with a partner and award extra points to the team that finishes first—more on this in the following point.

 

Positive Reinforcement

When a student does something good, reward them with positive reinforcement. You can do this with anything from verbal praise to small gifts like gifting them an Apsara pencil helping the student feel good about themselves. They’ll be more likely to repeat the desired behavior in the future if they know those good things will happen as a result.

You can also use a point system wherein the student gets a certain number of points for every good deed. These points can be redeemed at the end of the semester for small rewards, like a new pencil or an extra five minutes of break time.

While doing this activity, make sure you do not make these mistakes:

• Do not give points for things that are already expected, like coming to school on time.
• Do not give points for things the student cannot control, like the weather.
• Do not take away points for bad behavior, as this will only serve to reinforce the desired behavior negatively.

 

Group Work

Group work is a great way to get the students to interact and learn from each other. It also allows you to move around the classroom and provide individual attention to those who need it. Group work also ensures that students learn to collaborate to achieve the desired results.

Make sure that the students are working in groups of two or three, as this will help them stay on task and have fewer chances of getting distracted by their classmates. You can also give them a list of tasks that need to be completed by the end of the class so they know exactly what is expected of them.

 

Set Rules and Consequences

This is one of the most important techniques, as it will help the students understand what is expected of them. The rules should be simple and easy to understand, and the consequences should also be made clear. This will help the students know what they can and cannot do, and they will be less likely to break the rules if they know the consequences.

Make sure that the rules are fair and reasonable and that the consequences are appropriate for the broken rule. For example, if a student is talking in class, the consequence could be that they have to sit out of the next class activity.

 

Give Students a Voice

This means allowing the students to share their opinions and ideas with you and their classmates. This will help them feel like they are a part of the classroom and that their opinions matter. It also allows you to get to know your students better and understand their needs.

Make sure that you give each student a chance to speak, and that you listen to what they have to say. You can also ask them questions about their ideas to get a better understanding of where they’re coming from.

 

Be Consistent

This is one of the most important techniques, as it will help the students know what to expect from you. If you are constantly changing the rules or the consequences, it will only serve to confuse the students and make them less likely to follow your instructions.

Make sure that you are consistent with your rules and consequences, so the students know what to expect. You can also post the rules and consequences on the notice board, so the students can refer to them if they need to.

 

Be Organized

This means having a plan for each day and each class, so the students know what to expect. It also means having a place for everything in the classroom, so the students can find what they need when they need it. This will help the students feel comfortable in the classroom and make it easier for them to learn.

Make sure that you have a daily plan posted in a visible place, so the students can see what is expected of them. You can also create a labeled storage system, so the students can easily find what they need.

 

Use Technology

This means using technology to help you. You can do this in many ways, including using a computer to keep track of attendance or a projector to display the day’s lesson plan. This will help you save time and keep the students engaged in the lesson.

Make sure that you use technology to be beneficial to both you and the students. For example, you can use a projector to display the day’s lesson plan, but you should still write it down so the students can refer to it later.

 

Be Flexible

This means being willing to change your plans if something isn’t working out. For example, if you plan to do a lesson on fractions, but the students have trouble understanding it, you might need to change your plans and do a different lesson. This will help the students learn better and make them less likely to get frustrated.

Make sure that you are willing to change your plans if something isn’t working out. You can also ask the students for their input on what they would like to learn to make sure that you are teaching them what they want to learn.

 

Be Patient

This means being patient with both the students and yourself. It can be difficult to manage a classroom, especially if you are new to it. The students will make mistakes, and you will make mistakes. But as long as you are patient and keep trying, you will be able to manage your classroom successfully.

Make sure that you are patient with both the students and yourself. You can also ask for help from your colleagues or online resources to get the support you need.

 

Work With the Student Behavior

Part A: Good Behavior

This means rewarding the students when they behave well. This can be done with verbal praise, stickers, or small prizes. This will help the students feel acknowledged for their good behavior and make them more likely to continue to behave well.

Make sure that you reward the students when they behave well. You can also ask them what kind of rewards they would like to make sure that you are giving them something that they will appreciate.

 

Part B: Can Ignore Minor Misbehavior

This means ignoring minor misbehavior, such as a student talking out of turn. If you focus on every little thing, the students will get overwhelmed and won’t be able to focus on the lesson. But if you only focus on serious misbehavior, the students will know that they can get away with minor misbehavior.

Make sure that you ignore minor misbehavior. You can also remind the students of the rules and consequences, so they know what will happen if they break the rules.

 

Part C: Deal With Serious Misbehavior

This means dealing with serious misbehavior, such as a student who is constantly disruptive or who is violent. This can be difficult, but it is important to deal with the behavior, so the other students can learn and feel safe in the classroom.

Make sure that you deal with serious misbehavior. You can also ask for help from your colleagues or online resources to get the support you need. You can also try to find out the reason for the behavior and address that, so the student can start to behave better.

Use Positive Language

This means using positive language when you are talking to the students. For example, instead of saying, “Don’t run in the hallways,” you can say, “Please walk in the hallways.” This will help the students feel respected and more likely to behave well.

Make sure that you use positive language when talking to the students. You can also ask them to use positive language when they are talking to each other, so they can start to create a positive classroom environment.

 

Be a Role Model

This means setting a good example for the students to follow. If you are impatient, angry, or disrespectful, the students will be more likely to act that way too. But if you are patient, respectful, and calm, the students will be more likely to behave that way too.

Make sure that you set a good example for the students to follow. You can also ask them to set a good example for each other, so they can start to create a positive classroom environment.

 

Make Positive Phone Calls to Parents

This means calling the parents of the students who are behaving well to tell them how well their child is doing. This will show the parents that you are working with their children and that they are progressing in school. Connecting with parents and giving them positive updates about their child’s progress will give the parents peace of mind that their efforts are paying off.

Make sure that you do not give wrong or forced updates. It’s important to stay true to the efforts and be a role model to the students as well. If they see honesty in your actions, they will likely follow suit.

Here is a list of updates you can give to the parents:

• Tell the parent about the student’s progress in a particular subject.
• Update them about the student’s class participation.
• Tell the parents that the student is behaving well in class.
• Update them about the student’s assignment completion and tell them that the student is consistently following the assignment rules.
• Tell the parents about improving student grades.

 

Have a Great Classroom Design

This means having a classroom design that is inviting and calming. This will help the students focus on the lesson and behave well. Some elements of a good classroom design are: having a clear and concise space, having an inviting and calming atmosphere, having comfortable furniture that promotes focus, and having plenty of storage for materials.

Make sure that you have a great classroom design. You can also ask your colleagues for their ideas so that you can get inspiration. You can also try to find out what type of atmosphere the students prefer. Some students prefer a more relaxed atmosphere, while others prefer a more formal atmosphere.

 

Benefits of Classroom Management Techniques

Only knowing the various techniques might not suffice. As a teacher or school principal, you need to understand the applications and benefits of these techniques to get the most out of them. Here are some benefits to watch out for.

 

Safety

Children are supercharged with both constructive as well as destructive energy. If not guided properly, their small rifts can quickly turn into full-blown fights, leading to chaos in the classroom. Half the disorder in your classroom dissipates when you have a good set of classroom rules in place.

When you successfully implement your discipline rules, the other half also disappears, and your students are less likely to inflict harm on one another during class time.

 

Positive Learning Environment 

Students don’t inherently know how to support their peers in the classroom. Teachers have to set some ground rules so students can learn to accept others’ opinions with grace. When you employ classroom management techniques to make your classroom a safe space to share information, you allow every student to speak their mind without hesitating about not being welcomed.

 

More Teaching Time

As an educator, you are at the school to impart knowledge and help students grow, not deal with constant disruptions in the classroom for hours. Good classroom management allows you to predict most of the disruptions you might face during your time in class and take ideal steps to manage your students’ behavior.

This approach, in turn, creates a highly productive ambience where everyone is engaged in meaningful learning activities.

 

Open Communication 

Most classroom interruptions stem from a lack of proper communication between students, teachers, and peers. When you set aside time to speak to every student and learn about their hurdles more personally, you give them a chance to improve their communication skills.

Additionally, students imitate what they see. So when you model good communication among students, they respect their peers and build better relationships in the classroom.

 

Enhanced Responsibility 

Classroom management is not about disciplining your students by any means possible. It’s about giving them the decision to make their own decisions but within the boundaries of your rules and expectations. This system helps them become productive citizens who can follow the rules properly.

It also helps them understand that they are responsible for following their community’s guidelines and the restrictions are not to keep them confined but to help them grow in the best possible way.

 

Good Emergency Planning 

An important aspect of classroom planning for teachers is preparing backup plans. You might have all the lesson plans figured out for the rest of the month, but there’s still a chance that your schedule might be changed abruptly.

What if you have to take an unplanned leave or a school activity suddenly pops up and all your classes are rescheduled for the week? You can prepare for a rainy day if you have good classroom management techniques up your sleeve. This can save you a lot of stress in the classroom.

 

Better Flexibility 

Do you know what the best thing about classroom management planning is? Every teacher can have their version of it. It’s great because every teacher is different in personality, and they manage their classes differently. The classroom handling system allows you to tweak your techniques and do what’s best for you and your students.

 

Room For Diversity 

Just like different teacher personalities, there are varied student personalities, and they need to be managed differently. Students in a class might differ in their learning pace or general conduct.

You can have different learning activities or give them different amounts of your attention depending on their needs. When you use appropriate classroom management techniques to drive a diverse group of students, you give them a much-needed social and academic growth structure.

 

Happier Parents

Do you think that the benefits of classroom management end in the classroom? You’re wrong! When you are efficient at handling a classroom, your students’ parents notice it. They feel confident about their child’s educational journey and work towards building a stronger relationship with the teachers.

They also become more involved in their children’s learning when they see that you put in your best efforts. This approach ultimately helps you provide an even better learning experience to their children because now you have the support of the parents.

 

Coherent Academic Structure 

Schools are nothing if not captives to structure and order. A school can only run efficiently if all of its teachers and students have a structure they can follow every day of their academic year. And the teachers must create these measurable goals and structures for their students.

As a teacher, classroom management can help you do just that. You can create easy roadmaps for your students to help them cover their coursework without getting overwhelmed. You can also create goals for yourself, so you don’t burnout from haphazardness in the classroom.

 

Final Word

Managing a classroom full of energetic kids who won’t listen to you, no matter how much you slam your duster on the table, can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. We are sure that implementing the above tips will help better classroom management and reduce stress levels!

About LEAD

LEAD provides teachers with the latest ed-tech solutions to improve their teaching. With ready-made teaching tools, observational feedback sessions, and continuous training, LEAD helps you innovate your teaching techniques for the best. LEAD Academy is the culmination of rigorous efforts by LEAD to equip our teachers to become best-in-class and to stay at the top of their game with the help of training and development.

It broadly comprises of:

• A 3-year certification program for teachers and leaders
• Teacher development workshops
• Online training through webinars