Classroom Management Ideas for Student Teachers

Student teachers should prepare a strict policy on cell phones in the classroom.

The University of Georgia surveyed candidates for student teaching and found that before their teaching placement they worried significantly about managing a classroom for the first time under the supervision of someone else. Concerns included disciplining students, student relations, lesson-plan delivery and teacher evaluation. Student teachers face many unknowns in their first teaching placement. Consider some tips on class management to help you enter that first classroom with confidence.

Plan Ahead

Students, depending on their ages, will assess a new teacher on his or her preparedness. Students in high school especially can sense when a new teacher is unprepared, flustered or uncertain of what to do next. Students may begin whispering and snickering to each other if a student teacher is hesitating or stumbling over his words. The more prepared a student teacher is, however, the more confident and organized he will be in front of the class. Know your material inside out and plan your lesson and activities carefully to earn students' respect and attention.

Have a Backup Plan

All teachers need to prepare for setbacks. If your lesson is largely based on a power point presentation or involves other technological media, have a backup plan in case of technical failure. Keep an alternative paper version of the lesson ready, or be prepared to write notes on the chalkboard instead of on the overhead projector. Students will quickly lose interest if they see you are unprepared. Also, if your entire lesson relies on technology and you have no backup, you may panic when in front of the class and not know what to do next.

Discipline

Every student teacher worries about how to discipline unruly students in the classroom. You may feel a certain way about discipline but are worried your supervising teacher will approach problem students differently. Discipline approaches vary among districts and teachers. Take your cue on discipline from your supervising teacher. Observe how she handles difficult students. You can even ask her directly what her policy is on students who talk rudely or cause trouble. Ask her what she feels merits a trip to the principal's office or after-school detention so you can follow her suit. The more synchronized your discipline methods are with the teacher, the more authority this will give you in the students' eyes.

Classroom Control

Beyond individual troublesome students, all student teachers will, at one time or another, face the problem of getting an entire noisy class to settle down and pay attention. Talking and laughing can sometimes be contagious until the whole class is distracted from a lesson. How old your students are will affect which one you choose, but come up with a visible classroom-control method that gives students incentive to quiet down. For example, when you have completely lost the class's attention, write numbers on the board, beginning with one, until every student is quiet. Whatever number you finish writing at will be the number of minutes you deduct from recess time. Eventually students will quiet down faster and faster when they realize what you are doing.

References

• "The Student Teacher's Handbook;" Sara L Schwebel; 2007
• Scholastic: Teachers: Inside Jennifer's 1st Grade Classroom