How to Plan for Effective Classroom Management

Organization is key for effective classroom management.

Effectively managing a classroom can be difficult without proper planning, a set structure and clear-cut expectations; undisciplined students are notorious for taking advantage of their teacher's lack of preparedness through unruly behavior and disrespectful speech. To ensure you aren't pulling your hair at the roots by the end of the school day, follow a few simple rules and outlines for planning effective classroom management.

Things You'll Need

• Stimulating classroom environment
• Posted rules
• School regulations handbook
• Incentives

Instructions

1. Create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable, welcomed, accepted and stimulated. Decorate with vibrant colors; there should be several educational tools posted on the walls, such as diagrams, posters, explanations and positive words and phrases. Place educational resources for easy access, such as novels, poetry, encyclopedias and reference books. Aim to have no bare or white space on the walls. Wherever students look, they should see something to stimulate their minds.

2. Let students know exactly what is expected of them. Post rules in a central, highly visible location in the classroom, and outline them on the first day of classes and periodically throughout the school year. Maintain respect by enforcing all classroom rules and regulations; review rules carefully before posting and do not post any rules you are not willing to enforce on all occasions. Review school handbooks carefully and slowly, so students are also aware of what other teachers and school administrators expect of them.

3. Begin the lesson by waiting for students to realize it's time to be quiet, first announcing that it's time to begin and asking for all eyes to focus forward. Remain perfectly quiet for three to five seconds after students have settled down, to reinforce the need for quiet. Begin talking in a quieter-than-normal tone, so that students are forced to pay extra close attention.

4. Keep reprimanding between yourself and the individual student as much as possible; use eye contact and body language to keep students in line. If students are distracted during the lesson, include their names in the lesson, such as, "Sheila, we're now going to subtract five from the equation to get our final answer." Although the child hears her name and is jolted back to attention, she won't feel as if she's been reprimanded. Use positive phrases, such as "I expect you to..." or "I need you to..." instead of "You need to stop..." or "You can't keep on...", as these types of phrases automatically put children in a defensive mode and create a communication barrier, making classroom management difficult.

5. Reward students to ensure they will continue to put forth positive effort. Constantly acknowledge when students do what is asked of them. Occasionally, dispense special treats, prizes or privileges to students who go above and beyond what is expected. These treats should eventually go to most people in the classroom; if you find awards are consistently going to the same people, create new categories that are more inclusive, such as "most improved student," "most punctual," "most helpful" or "most eager class participant."

References

• Adprima: Classroom Management and Managing Student Conduct
• Pro Teacher: 11 Techniques for Better Classroom Discipline