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Seventeen Effective Classroom Management Strategies for Teachers to Keep in Mind

Tutoring can be both tedious and rewarding— it all depends on the chosen classroom management strategy. An ideal classroom management strategy is vital for a successful formal education; it requires patience, instinct, boundaries, and good timing. If you are a tutor or wish to go into the teaching profession, this article will outline the appropriate strategies to keep your students under control and improve their learning.

What is classroom management?

Achieving order in the classroom is one of the primary duties of teachers. Class management is the range of techniques and skills used by teachers to curtail distracting behaviors of students and ensure that there’s order in the classroom.

An effective way to manage a class is to create a structured system that clearly outlines the expected behavior standards. Students will be accountable for their actions and face some form of sanction if they go against the rules. Furthermore, a standard pattern of behavior in the classroom is the best way to maintain order and achieve a conducive learning environment.

Classroom management requires a plan, and this classroom management plan varies depending on the age of students, subject, and tools used in teaching. For example, classroom management techniques for science students will be different from those for art students.

Having an effective classroom management plan in a game-based learning system is essential. And teachers have the responsibility to maintain a productive and focused classroom. However, this task is challenging when teaching students using games and exercises that keep them active. The teacher’s personality will also matter as a strategy that works for a routine-focused teacher may not work for a roll-with-the-punches laid-back tutor.

Why is classroom management important?

Proactive classroom management is essential in managing students’ behavior and ensuring order in a classroom full of active children. Furthermore, it creates a peaceful ground for learning, boosts kids’ competence and skills, and accelerates their social and psychological development. You can easily trace the importance of classroom management to students and tutors in a gamified learning environment.

You can curtail time wastage by pre-planning activities with the best classroom management strategies. Pre-planning and watching out for signs of problems like truancy puts you in charge of the class and serves as a morale booster.

Successful classroom management ideas prevent disruptions. For example, rather than watching kids sulk or cheat at games, you will make them focus on learning.

What are the strategies for classroom management?

You can control students even during game time or group activities. But you need to know the suitable strategies to ensure they don’t go overboard with the excitement of game-based learning.

Maintain a balance between kindness and firmness

Don’t be tricked into believing you have to decide between being pleasant and disciplined. Being both disciplined and kind is the best way to maintain order in the class. If students get noisy, stand up and calmly but authoritatively ask them to quieten down.

There is a reason many teachers believe the authoritarian style is among the most effective classroom management styles. To ensure calmness in the classroom, you must be firm, friendly, and fair to your students at the same time. If you keep this up, you will have a classroom full of willing learners.

Emphasize respect

Most teachers want students to like them, but you will encounter challenges if you make this desire your primary concern. Though creating a relationship with your pupils is essential for trust and understanding, there must be a balance.

Concentrate on winning your students’ respect and providing a conducive learning atmosphere, not necessarily the one that gives them unbridled liberty. Furthermore, if you make being loved your primary objective, it becomes easy to lose control of leadership in the classroom.

Be a mentor rather than a friend to your pupils

Every teacher desires to provide their students with everything they need to succeed, help them through difficult times, and make a difference in their life. However, if you believe that becoming their buddy is the best strategy, you will unintentionally cause more difficulties than you can solve.

Consider yourself a teacher and a mentor assisting, encouraging, and advising your pupils. Create a leader-follower relationship rather than a peer-to-peer connection. However, check your expression of this relationship to avoid turning tyrannical.

Use cues and reminders

The use of sounds and reminders is an excellent example of a classroom management strategy that helps active kids focus and follow instructions. This classroom management strategy for elementary students effectively makes kids, especially older ones, follow instructions without coercion or control.

Cues can also come in handy for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classroom management

strategies. You can use signals like turning a lightbulb on or off to signify when it is time to be quiet or play a tune to signal kids to pay attention. Furthermore, you can use hand signals to make kids sit down.

Take charge of students’ seating positions

Arrangement of seating positions is one of the best management strategies for kids, particularly older kids. When you let kids pick where to sit by themselves, you may be unwittingly giving them license to disrupt classroom activities. For example, if they choose to sit beside their best friends, they will spend more time chatting than learning; similarly, you will spend more time curtailing disturbances rather than teaching.

In some cases, letting kids stay wherever they want and having clear standards for conduct can have unexpectedly good consequences for students’ learning and performance. Furthermore, setting up a comfortable environment may help to alleviate anxiety while also improving focus. When the classroom is orderly, let your kids pick any seat they prefer; if they go against the expected standards, you can temporarily rescind that privilege.

Praise kids for specific behaviors

Praising your kids for exhibiting good behavior is one of the most effective incentives for students. It follows the Jones Model, one of the seven classroom management models. Rather than focusing on the “model” students, show support for all the students. For example, use statements like, “You did an awesome job on your assignments over the weekend.”

Positive affirmation is an unrivaled kindergarten classroom management tool because kids at this stage are highly impressionable. They behave appropriately, expecting more praise and encouragement for their behavior and actions. Your encouragement provides extra motivation and makes children attentive to activities and exercises.

Let them join the rule-making process

Rather than presenting complex rules to guide kids’ conduct, engage them in a conversation on the importance of those rules and the reasons to obey them. The conversational approach of presenting standard behavior to students is in line with the  C.H.A.M.P.S classroom management style.

Students get used to hands-on systems and active participation in a game-based learning environment. So, encouraging your kids to participate in developing classroom rules is a better approach than just reciting the regulations. This approach is one of the most effective classroom management tools and is particularly important for new instructors.

If you are a new instructor, begin your lesson with a conversation with your students. Agree on what is accepted, when to use computers, and how many times kids can exit during a class. This approach may not seem ideal; however, it is effective because students will respect rules more when they are part of the decision-making process.

Write down rules

Don’t allow the mutually agreed-upon rules to get buried amidst the paperwork. Show your kids the importance of regulations by documenting, printing, and distributing copies to them. You must go through the rules with your pupils to ensure they understand them perfectly.

If a student goes against any rule, you will easily refer them to the rule paper. Additionally, you can include sanctions for different actions in the rule book to make decisions easy and unbiased.

Don’t sanction the entire class

It is best to deal with disciplinary issues individually rather than disciplining a whole class as the latter approach might affect your classroom management goals. Should your students go against the expected standard, question them individually, and if sanction or punishment is required, let it be individual. Remember that kids must face sanctions depending on the gravity of their misconduct.

Also, use kind words when correcting kids. Rather than saying, “Stop disturbing the peace of my class,” use “Do you have something to say?” This approach will help you maintain a kind demeanor and still spot and correct misconduct.

Encourage inventiveness

Boost the mentality of your students by adding variation to your courses to ensure that your kids don’t lose interest. Also, rather than coming to class and teaching strange topics, introduce an issue beforehand and let your kids prepare ahead. You can have them prepare presentations, ask questions, or pose questions for them to answer.

Reward good conduct

Rewarding is one of the best practices for classroom management. Occasionally, reward students for making an effort in class, paying attention, or answering questions to motivate other students. But rewarding them in secret won’t do the trick; instead, announce what the kids did to get the gift.

Call or write to students’ parents occasionally

Surprising your students with visits, calls, or letters is one of the critical classroom management philosophies. Regularly contact your students’ parents and notify them when their kids are progressing with learning, whether in academics or conduct.

When parents get positive feedback from the school, they’ll applaud their children who in turn will be anxious to get more positive remarks; therefore, they will try even harder. Also, if a child is exhibiting negative behavior, you must inform their parents to ensure that such behaviors are curbed.

Build interesting curricula

Preschool classroom management involves building an exciting curriculum for kids. This approach uses games and colorful math worksheets to make math enjoyable for kindergarteners and first to fifth graders. You can also begin your class by sharing exciting information. That way, your students will be eager to learn.

Provide free study hour

Students who find it difficult to process information quietly will benefit from free study hours. If you notice such kids in your class, divide the class into distinct solo and team groups. Provide audiotapes of content relevant to your lectures, then prepare a quiet area for pupils to take notes and finish their work.

Afterward, they can partake in group activities or practice skills while experiencing the benefit of working together in groups. Students will benefit if these types of classroom management activities are provided, and the approach will, without doubt, ensure a relatively calm learning environment.

Draft and sign agreements

Writing classroom decorum contracts and getting kids to sign them will help to ensure a calm learning environment. Before kids sign the agreements, educate them on its content, the repercussions of going against its terms, and the traits of an ideal student. This classroom management strategy is suitable for older students who understand what it means to sign an agreement.

Use open-ended assignments in your classroom

Encourage pupils to take on projects on their terms. Create a list of topics and let them pick one for the assignment. Then, outline what is expected from students to complete a project and provide tips for doing it correctly.

Rather than making an effort to make the class fun, focus on making the class mentally stimulating, especially for third graders and above. Challenge them regularly with assignments, quizzes, and questions that will make children excited. As kids delve into the project, encourage them to come to you for clarification or guidance.

Monitor struggling students and help them feel at home

Sometimes, failure may affect students’ learning and make them lose interest in the subject. Rather than just leaving the dreaded ‘F’ on their test sheets, encourage kids having difficulties and design systems that suit them better.

Observe your students’ performance to know whether they are improving or not. You can also encourage kids to speak out and seek help from their peers. Feeling at home in the classroom will help children relax and not feel ashamed or timid.

Conclusion

An effective classroom management strategy is the key to helping students and teachers achieve their academic goals, especially in a game-based educational system. With the ideas above, you will build an engaging learning environment. Irrespective of where you use these strategies, your classroom will be more conducive — much to your students’ and your delight.