13 Best Classroom Management Strategies To Use From Day One
Classroom management is a vital skill for teachers. Whether you’re new to teaching or just looking for ways to improve discipline in your classroom, these classroom management strategies will help.
A well-managed classroom is every teacher’s dream. Imagine yourself entering a classroom and delivering the lesson as you had planned, without any interruption. But managing a classroom is not so simple. I have seen some highly knowledgeable teachers struggling with classroom management. I have also observed students fully engaged, and disciplined in a fresher teacher’s class.
My B.Ed. professors used to say that it is easy to control and engage a room full of students if you do it from the start. And it worked from the day I stepped foot in the classroom! Want to know how? Use these 10 best classroom management strategies from day one for a smooth teaching experience.
What’s Classroom Management?
Classroom management is a process teachers adopt to ensure that the activities in their classrooms run smoothly. Teachers use techniques for classroom management to:
- Keep unruly student behavior in check.
- Control disturbing students.
- Better engage students with ADHD and other special needs.
- Make the best use of classroom time.
- Avoid wastage of time and energy.
Why should Classroom Management start early?
You need to come up with effective classroom management strategies well before the academic session starts.
As per Research at the University of Connecticut(2008),
Classroom management begins long before the students come into the classroom. Effective teachers plan their classroom management before the school year begins.
But why?
Good habits and self-control develop from a young age.
A child can be disciplined from the time he starts crawling, according to the Health Encyclopedia of the University of Rochester Medical Center.
But you don’t have the children that young.
You have them as soon as they put their first steps in school, or when you begin teaching them.
Start from there.
The sooner you start developing habits of discipline, self-control, good behavior, and respect, the easier it will be to practice them.
A recent study published in the journal Neuron states that flexibility decreases with age.
This sums up why kids become less agreeable and out-of-hand post-adolescence.
Pro Tip: I am not in favor of becoming a dictator.
But adopting an authoritarian teaching style will benefit you and your students in the long run.
Want to manage your classroom like a pro?
Scroll down to know how!
Best strategies for classroom management
1. Define rules from the beginning
Set your classroom rules from the start:
👉 Wait for your turn.
👉 Don’t speak out of your turn.
👉 Raise your hand to ask a question.
👉 Keep books back in their place.
👉 Don’t bring fancy stationery from home.
Write the rules and display them, like this.
2. Be the change you wish to see
Do you want your students to be-
👍respectful
👍polite
👍empathetic
👍disciplined, and
👍the best version of themselves?
Then practice what you preach.
Young minds learn what they see.
Your students will walk, talk, laugh, and behave like you. So be at your best behavior in front of them.
I know it gets challenging to always portray the role of a teacher. But there’s no harm in inculcating good values, isn't it?
3. Change the seating plan
Don’t underestimate the power of seating arrangement.
Yes, how your students sit in the classroom can affect their learning.
Curious to know how?
There has been extensive research on how changing seating plans improve academic performance.
In a 2020 study by Kali Rogers(Louisiana State University), it was found that altering the classroom seating layout impacts student participation and performance.
Plan different unique seating arrangements for your students. Try them and find out what works best for them.
No seating plan is perfect. It depends on many factors:
🪑Class strength
🪑Type of Activity/Task
🪑Ease of movement
🪑Number of CSWN in your classroom
Keeping in mind the above factors and the needs of your students, you can choose a good seating arrangement from the following:
- Rows
- Pairs
- U-Shape
- Circle
- Semi-Circle
- Groups
Pro Tip: You can also keep a combination of seating arrangements. I preferred rows and circles in my classroom and a combination of both.
Keep changing the desk arrangement according to the activity, so that students don’t get bored with the routine.
4. Have Multiple learning stations
Learning stations are the latest but the most sought-after trend in education.
Does it sound like an alien term to you? Let me explain what it is.
A Learning Station is a physical location in your classroom where you can teach a topic and then plan activities related to it.
They are various activity corners of your classroom where you move step by step from one corner to another.
For instance, see this picture to understand the various learning stations in a Maths class.
➡️Groups are divided.
➡️Student groups rotate from one learning station to another.
5. Use Technology
Educational Technology aids in learning. Choose the best EdTech tools that suit your learners and lesson.
⭐Manage student work and projects on digital portfolios.
⭐Create your own digital portfolio for students and parents. They can find the latest assignments, projects, and classwork on it.
⭐Make your lessons fun and interactive by using Google tools in your class.
Read my article to know how to use free Google tools like Google Lens, AutoDraw, Jamboard, Google Expeditions, and Virtual Tours 👇
⭐Don’t have time to plan your lessons with technology tools?
I have a simple and easy idea for you.
Use an interactive whiteboard in your class!
If you think tech tools do no good for the students then read this article on why you are wrong 👇
⭐Technology also helps you effectively manage special learners.
⭐Give quick verbal feedback to students using tech tools.
6. Praise and Appreciate Often
Do you like to be complimented? We all love a few words of appreciation, don’t we?
👏That pat on your back from your parents!
👏That ‘well-done’ from the Principal when your students win an interschool competition.
👏That ‘wow’ your colleague says after seeing an interesting worksheet you made.
Your students love praise and appreciation too. Applaud them for:
- displaying good values- empathy and compassion.
- doing good deeds- helping others.
- showing good behavior- being disciplined and respectful.
- showing improvement in behavior and academic performance.
7. Send Positive Feedback Home
Do you write complaint notes in student diaries?
Do you make complaint calls to parents or call them to school?
Then why not do the same when a child does something positive?
Inform parents about their child’s improvement, and send appreciation emails, letters, calls, and notes.
8. Keep Changing Your Desk Position
Students become lazy and inattentive when they know you’re not watching them.
✅Keep rotating in the classroom.
✅Shift your teacher’s desk.
✅Take rounds and keep a check on back-benchers.
Your students will be alert all the time.
9. Take Care of Your Mental Health
A happy teacher makes a happy classroom.
If you are not happily entering the classroom then your students will also be disinterested in learning.
Whenever I was energetic and clear-headed, my students could sense my mood. On the contrary, whenever I was upset or stressed, it affected my teaching.
Your mood and mental health will affect your teaching and energy.
Keep a check on your mental health and stay a motivated teacher motivated by
➡️Listening to positive teacher podcasts,
➡️Reading motivational teacher blogs,
➡️Doing meditation or yoga, and
➡️Exercising regularly and eating healthy.
10. Point out unruly behavior in private
Would you like it if your faults and mistakes are pointed out publicly in the staff meeting?
Then NEVER scold your students for bad behavior in front of their peers.
Always appreciate good behavior in public and discourage unruly behaviour in private.
11. Give them ALL your attention!
I’ve tried multitasking in class.
👉Taking attendance
👉Listening to problems
👉Taking doubts
— All at the same time.
But it doesn't work, you see.
Your students need all your time and attention. In the 30–40 minutes you spend with them, be with them.
Even be with them mentally.
How?
When in the classroom:
❌don’t do any administrative work,
❌checking and marking papers
❌one-on-one doubt sessions or counseling.
12. Morning motivation works for you AND them.
Share positive and motivating thoughts, quotes, and stories in the morning with your students.
Make it a part of your class assembly.
Spare some time in the morning or before your lecture, for motivational talks.
13. Give respect, get love.
This holds true for your students also.
As humans, they like getting respected and valued.
From day one:
✅make efforts to remember their names
❌avoid calling them ‘you’, ‘that boy’, ‘that girl’
✅respect their feelings
❌don’t disregard their emotions
✅believe them and they won't lie.
Key Takeaways
Classroom Management is not a mammoth task if tackled from the start. If you don’t manage your classroom discipline from the beginning, the students can even become disruptive.
There are many classroom management strategies that you can apply to keep your students disciplined. Remember, the idea is to actively engage them and not passively control them.
Now that you know these classroom management tricks, why don’t you try them in your classroom?
Do let me know in the comments what worked or didn’t.
What is your go-to classroom management strategy?
Please write in the comments.
Have any teacher friends? Share these tactics to help them reach the right people.
Did you find these tips helpful?
I have also written blogs on:
- How to write simple and easy lesson plans.
- How to make the perfect teacher resume.
- How to digitally organize your files.
By Manika Pant
A Content Writer, EdTechxpert and Education Enthusiast! Manika Pant is a trained teacher, having done B.Ed. and M.A. Education. She has 8+ years of school teaching experience. Creator of ‘Learning with M’, a Math educational YouTube channel, Manika is a content creator in the morning, a nature lover in the evening, and a poet by night.
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