Teacher Education
Every teacher wants their students to succeed. And success begins with a well-managed classroom.
According to the American Psychological Association, effective classroom management techniques promote students’ self-regulation, reduce the incidence of misbehavior, and increase student productivity.
Three classroom management techniques you need to adopt Share on XEffective learning can’t take place in a poorly managed classroom. And let’s be honest, a teacher isn’t going to accomplish much if they can’t keep things under control. But we’ve got good news: classroom management is an area where small changes can make a huge difference.
So what are the most effective classroom management techniques? Here are three tried-and-true methods to consider.
Students are more inclined to perform well when they feel valued. Building a positive relationship with your students is a key classroom management technique.
In the book Educator’s Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems, Mark and Christine Boynton share their top tips for developing positive student-teacher relations:
Relationships are central to teaching and learning. Students are more likely to engage themselves when they feel respected, and a strong student-teacher relationship fosters an environment where learning can take place.
The second chapter of Educator’s Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems discusses the importance of establishing clear rules:
It is critical that you formally teach and enforce both a discipline plan and rules of conduct from the very first day of school.
What’s the difference between a discipline plan and rules of conduct?
A discipline plan is a catch-all. The rules apply to all students in every situation. Boynton and Boynton share six steps to implement an effective discipline plan in your classroom:
Rules of conduct are clear-cut and apply to specific rules apply to specific activities. The Boyntons suggest splitting rules of conduct into three categories: academic, classroom, and special situations.
It’s important to incorporate a discipline plan and rules of conduct in your classroom, but don’t just establish the rules. Make sure you teach and reinforce them as well.
A lesson plan is your guide for classroom instruction. Without a plan, your lesson can easily get off track, opening the door for student shenanigans. And it can happen faster than you think.
But lesson planning isn’t always a walk in the park. That’s why we’ve taken four tips from Edutopia to guide you through the process. Here are a few elements to consider when creating your own lesson plan:
Your objective is what you want the outcome of the lesson to be: “At the end of the lesson, students will be able to _____.”
Your materials are the list of resources or articles you need. This helps you organize everything prior to the lesson.
The bulk of the lesson includes your activation or assessment of prior knowledge, teaching and learning activities, and questions to guide students thought.
How do you know they got it? You can use various methods to find out. Remember though, assessment happens throughout the lesson so you can see what your next step should be AND at the end so you can see if you met the objectives.
The saying “fail to plan, plan to fail” holds true in the classroom. Don’t underestimate the power of a planned lesson when considering classroom management.
Set your students up for success with these classroom management techniques Share on XClassroom management techniques create a strong foundation for effective teaching. So try out what you’ve learned here, persevere if things don’t go perfectly, and remember that striving for great teaching will set your students up for success.
For more information on classroom management, check out 5 Prolific Myths on Managing a Classroom.
