Are you looking for ways to manage your classroom and create an environment that’s safe and conducive to learning? Good classroom management not only helps minimize disruptions but also promotes a positive learning atmosphere. Luckily, there are several approaches that have been successful in encouraging students’ academic development. In this blog post, we’ll look at the best strategies for effective classroom management so you can make your teaching efforts as productive and rewarding as possible!
Start with Routines and Procedures
Establishing effective routines and procedures can be a key part of classroom management throughout the school year. Having effective strategies in place is helpful to create a feeling of order and structure so that students can focus more on their learning.
Knowing what’s expected of them will help students to be successful throughout the course of the year. From having effective rules, setting up agreed-upon behavior expectations, and establishing consistent consequences for breaking the rules – these all work together to support effective teaching practices in the classroom.
Cultivate classroom community
Cultivating a classroom community is a great way to create an inclusive learning space and foster student success. Building a strong community requires respect, open communication, and teamwork. By teaching students to work together and discuss in meaningful ways, everyone can feel comfortable asking questions and expressing ideas without fear. Some ideas for cultivating a classroom community include:
- Class meetings (morning meeting, closing meeting, weekly meeting)
- Avoid punitive punishments
- Provide opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving
- Allow students to take part in classroom decisions
Review Expectations
Exploring effective expectations in the classroom can lead to great leaps forward for both students and teachers. Taking a few moments to go over expectations can ensure that everyone involved is on the same page, leading to improved communication, collaboration, and respect. Having effective expectations allows each student to thrive and use their individual skills in supportive ways which will help them succeed academically.
Discussing these expectations should be done in a professional yet kid-friendly way so that everyone understands their importance while feeling comfortable with bringing up questions or concerns. Behavior Stories are the perfect tool to help you review expected versus unexpected behavior in and outside of the classroom. It includes fictional stories about students making a combination of positive and negative choices. Your students will LOVE picking out what they need to improve and what they are doing well.
Implement Logical Consequences
Logical consequences are an effective way for teachers to help guide students in the classroom. By using logical consequences, teachers provide students with an immediate natural consequence for their actions, helping them understand why a certain behavior is unacceptable or wrong.
I love using the book series “What Should Danny Do?” by Ganit and Adir Levy. They quickly become classroom favorites and are the perfect story for helping students understand logical consequences. I have created some materials to supplement the book which will help you teach about logical consequences. Although it may take time for students to learn and apply effective logical consequences, by using them consistently, students will soon begin to understand what types of behaviors are acceptable and which aren’t!
Introduce Novelty
At some point, your class may need some new motivation to keep student behavior on track. This could be during a challenging time of the school year (think December or the last few weeks of school). One of my favorite classroom management strategies is implementing a classroom behavior incentive! These adorable monthly whole-group incentives will help encourage positive behaviors in a fun way! Read more about Whole-Class Behavior Incentives.
Purchase in Website Store
Purchase on TpT
These strategies for effective classroom management are definitely not an exhaustive list, but they’re a great starting place for new and experienced teachers alike. Do you have any favorite behavior management solutions that work well in your classroom? How do you keep your students engaged and on task? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below or on our Facebook page. And be sure to check out our blog for more articles like this one.
