Classroom Management

Classroom management is one of the most important aspects of teaching because it can either maximize or hinder student learning in a very big way. During class instruction, educators must employ a variety of strategies to deal with disruptive behaviours and distracted students. However, this practice isn't only about dealing with unruly behaviours. Classroom management covers everything from decorating the classroom to assigning jobs to maintaining respect at all times. It is the teacher's responsibility to create a learning environment that contributes positively to student learning and student behaviour. Classroom management does not have a starting and ending point; it is a constant practice that cannot be left to chance. The teacher must actively work at managing the bodies in the room as well as their working methods during learning.

Starting the School Year

Setting Goals

Prep Week

To create a positive and healthy learning environment
To plan and prepare lessons and units

First Day

To make children feel at ease and welcome
To establish rules, routines, expectations and schedules

First Few Days

To informally assess students
To maintain routines
To encourage independence

First Few Weeks

To enforce rules
To delve deeper into subject matter
To unite as a class

Setting Strategies

In order to start the school year on the right foot, teachers can employ some useful management strategies in order to increase chances of a smooth transition into the new school year. Different methods should be used during the prep week teachers have before school begins, on the first day, during the first few days and over the first few weeks. Here is an overview of these useful tips and strategies, in the form of a staircase. As you climb up the stairs, which represent the beginning of the year, you get closer and closer to the final step, which represents the results of employing all these strategies.

Setting Up the Classroom
Physical Layout

There are so many different ways to set up a classroom, and it all depends on the teacher's preferences, room size, grade level, group size, furniture/decorations available, etc. However, every classroom should be inviting, colorful, bright, and visually attractive because all of these qualities create a space that encourages learning. Visuals are an invaluable part of the physical space and should be present in all classrooms. They can serve as learning aids, reminders, embellishments, and inspirations for students.

Here are some examples of classrooms that I've taught in (either as a student teacher or as a substitute teacher). I chose to showcase these particular rooms because they were welcoming, filled with visuals, and geared towards the students' needs and interests.

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During the preparatory week, teachers can take this time to set up their classrooms and create a welcoming environment for their future students. Sometimes, teachers must start from scratch and bring their classrooms from a bare area to a fully functioning learning space. To the left you can see the BEFORE and AFTER of a classroom I set up with the help of my cooperating teacher during my third field experience.

Calendars and Schedules

Library Corner

Tools in the Classroom

Here are some examples of the kinds of tools and strategies that I've used that teachers can set up in their classrooms to use for the rest of the year.

Classroom Rules

Comfortable Reading Corner

Word Walls/Alphabet

Reward Systems

Decorations

Other

Educational Posters/Reminders

Resources

Learning Centers

Evaluation Criteria

Management Strategies Throughout the Year

All teachers need to have classroom management strategies, many of which have already been explained above. The strategies I use at the start of the school year are illustrated through my staircase metaphor, but there are also techniques that can be implemented throughtout the year in order to improve the learning environment. These strategies can be preventative or they can remedy a situation or problem that has already occurred. Below are more in-depth looks into some of the strategies I've used in my own classroom in order to effectively manage my students.

Class Meetings

Classroom meetings are a great way of checking in with students at least once a week to address any problems, get a sense of how the children are feeling, make clarifications, update students on new projects or events at school, and especially to resolve any issues students are having. I've also used this time with my class to give them little pep talks if I noticed that many of them were not performing to the best of their abilities. Such meetings also improve classroom unity and are meant to be a safe space where students can share anything, either good or bad.

In addition to classroom meetings, teachers can have weekly recuperation periods, during which students work independently to catch up on any missed or delayed work. The teacher is available for questions and support, especially for students who were absent or for students who need to catch up due to learning difficulties.

Class Meeting Notes

Upcoming Personal Project Due

Santa Claus Breakfast Event

Incompleted Homework Issue

Conflict between students during recess

Review Classroom Rules

Attention Grabbing Strategies

As I started teaching, I quickly realized that I would need a couple of effective ways to get my students' attention and to quickly quiet them down. For example, if students are working in groups and I want the groupwork to cease, I need a way to announce this without yelling over their voices. I try to avoid talking over my student as much as possible because it never really works since students don't respond well to yelling and no one usually hears me. Here are some quick tricks to experiment with in the classroom. Depending on the group of students, different techniques will work better than others.

Rainsticks
Turning on/off the lights
Key phrases
- If you can hear me, clap once. If you can hear me, clap twice.
-Saying "Allo!" and having students respond "Coucou!"
Bells or Alarms
Hand clapping patterns

If you can hear me, clap once. If you can hear me, clap twice. If you can hear me, clap three times.

Homemade rain stick (empty lint roller filled with grains of rice)

Reward Systems

Ideally, students should be motivated to produce their best work and to follow rules because of intrinsic reasons and not extrinsic ones. However, most students need some sort of external motivator that will push them to do their best academically and socially. I try to avoid using tangible rewards as much as possible, although there are times that I give physical prizes as well. Reward systems can involve punishments as a way of discouraging negative behaviours. I'm always curious about methods that other teachers use, which means that I sometimes ask teachers what they do. Read one of my discussions about reward systems with another teacher here. Below are some examples of reward/punishment systems I've employed in my own classroom.

Group Rewards

Students are placed in groups and are assigned group names. When there is group work to be done, the teacher observes students and decides which group worked the best (in terms of productivity, collaboration, noise level, etc.) The teacher gives that group a sticker. At the end of the month, the group with the most stickers wins a privilege or reward.

Star System

Students start each month with 5 stars. They lose stars for several reasons: uncompleted homework, being late, disruptive behaviours, bullying, etc. If they lose all 5 stars in one month, they can't participate in any special events for the next month. Students can never regain a star; once it is lost, it is permanently lost.

Fake Money

The teacher has a set of fake money of varying values (5$, 10$, 20$). Students are given bills for positive behaviours, such as kind actions towards others, excellent improvement, good behaviour, big accomplishments, etc. These actions are general, but the teacher can choose to reward students with money solely for kind social actions, such as collaboration, helping others, bullying prevention, etc. At the end of a certain period of time, students can buy rewards or privileges with their money.

Group Rewards

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Team-building Activities

Taking the time to engage in team-building activities and to unite students at the beginning of the year can have amazing benefits in the long-run. Students in the same group spend almost the entire day together and should therefore feel safe, be comfortable, be friendly, and be open with the other children in the group. As a way of building a classroom unit and bringing students closer together, teachers can lead short, team-building activities. These activities can be squeezed in to fill in extra time between lessons, to end lessons on a positive note, and especially to motivate students. I've learned of different activities to use, especially through a workshop I attended at the QPAT 2015 Convention entitled "Movement, Motivation and Classroom Management."

Thumball
Jenga Q&A (each tile has a question that students ask each other)
Games with wine corks
Card Games
Dry erase board activities

Reflections

Picture from QPAT workshop

QPAT Nametag

Thumball

Without realizing it, teachers develop classroom management skills every day with their students. A classroom full of kids needs constant supervision and management, which means that teachers always need to be aware of what's going on and how to properly deal with it. As soon as I greet my students in the morning, my management skills kick into high gear because students start vocalizing all kinds of issues and problems. Knowing how to put out "mini fires" all over the place has definitely helped me develop quick thinking skills because these are not problems I've planned for. Nevertheless, classroom management also requires teachersto plan some systems and strategies that are used to create the most productive environment for students to learn in. When I set up my classroom, I'm already thinking about managing my students and how the physical space can help do this. Often, classes have students with unique needs, with adds a whole other level to classroom management.

Tips and Tricks

Use wow words
When students read or discuss with others, they take note of interesting words that they come across. These are "fanicer" words than just basic words. For example, a wow word to replace "said" could be "exclaimed". Display these words in the classroom, as student can use them in future writing productions.
Clothesline of ideas
During class discussions, display student ideas on pieces of paper and hang them on a piece of string attached to the ceiling/walls. Put the name of the student who gave the idea on each paper. Students will be proud to see their ideas displayed for the whole class to see.
Accepting ideas
If the same couple students are the only ones participating and contributing ideas during a discussion, announce that you will only be accepting answers from those who have not spoken yet in order to move the conversation along. Eventually, a student who has not spoken will volunteer ideas
Quiet Critters
These are little fuzzy creatures that the teacher places on students' desk when they should be doing quite work. Explain to students that quiet critters don't like noise and will run away if it gets too loud. Place a quiet critter on the desk of a child you want to work silently. If the student is talkative and not concentrated, the quiet critter gets moved to the other side of the desk. If they continue to be dispruptive, the quiet critter runs away and is put back into its jar. At the end of the class, students who still have quiet critters on their desks are the ones who worked quietly and can therefore get points or a reward of some kind.
Secret Star Student
Tell students that you will observe one student for good behaviour either for a whole day or for a whole week, but do not tell them which student it is. Observe the student for good behaviour including rule following, respect towards others and teachers, kindness, etc. At the end of the observation period, decide if the secret student has behaved well or poorly. If the student has behaved well, tell the class who the student was and either give that student a reward or the whole class the reward. If the student has behaved poorly, do not announce who the student was, in order to avoid disappointment or humiliation, and do not give any rewards. Choose another student and start the process again.