Strategies in Successful Classroom Management
It sometimes seems that all to often it is the beginning of an activity that is the most critical component to its success. The momentum is shifted in favor to the team that shows strength right out of the gate. Whether it be that the weaker team shows its chinks in its armor, or the better team gets the excitement that it needs to continue on to victory, it is sometimes the opening statement that speaks the loudest. Especially when it comes to classroom management, and the beginning of the school year.
This year I have been lucky enough to watch the opening of a brand new school year, and a successful approach to management within the classroom. With this experience, and the readings about management, I have been able to set a precedent for how my future classes should look, act, and feel.
Before the year starts it is important to begin management strategies. The general look of the class, along with its feel, will be an important key in how the class reacts to its environment. If the desks are not organized, and the class feels like an empty cell, the students will start to resemble their surroundings. For my class, I feel that it will be important to have the class set up so that each persons desk is in an order so that they can easily work in group activities. Even during moments that are not for working together the students should be able to find resources with their other classmates. During the moments when students do not want to work with each other, they should have an area designated to individual study or concentration. Movement should be able to easily flow from one part of the class to another with little to no obstacles.
The general look of the class should be so that the class is warm and inviting while also giving off the feel of a place to learn. Resources should always be available for students and clearly marked. Not one student should find it difficult to locate a dictionary, or any other form of literature. There needs to be space for student work on the wall, so that each child in the class feels that they are contributing to the look of the class, therefore making it feel like it is their place to belong. If the kids are not comfortable or do not feel like they own the class, then learning will not happen there as easily.
When the year starts off, and the kids show up, It will be critical to spend the first week or two going over the rules of the class. I believe that by using the classes ideas for rules and regulations, the teacher will have an easier time controlling the behavior of his/her pupils. By asking the class what they believe the rules to be, the instructor gives off this feeling of handing over some of the control to the students. The students will feel that the rules and the outcome of breaking the rules are all their ideas and not just something that the teacher is making them do. At this time, if something happens and a rule is broken, then the student has broken their own rule and the punishment is expected based on how they have established this outcome. This strategy was used at the beginning of the year during my student teaching, and I noticed that the students rules are very similar to that from which I would have used if I was in charge of posting the rules myself. From no cheating to treating everyone with respect, these fifth graders have shown that they know what it takes to make a successfully ran class.
When the year starts off, and the kids show up, It will be critical to spend the first week or two going over the rules of the class. I believe that by using the classes ideas for rules and regulations, the teacher will have an easier time controlling the behavior of his/her pupils. By asking the class what they believe the rules to be, the instructor gives off this feeling of handing over some of the control to the students. The students will feel that the rules and the outcome of breaking the rules are all their ideas and not just something that the teacher is making them do. At this time, if something happens and a rule is broken, then the student has broken their own rule and the punishment is expected based on how they have established this outcome. This strategy was used at the beginning of the year during my student teaching, and I noticed that the students rules are very similar to that from which I would have used if I was in charge of posting the rules myself. From no cheating to treating everyone with respect, these fifth graders have shown that they know what it takes to make a successfully ran class.
Even though the students make the rules, distractions are one of those annoying little aspects of the classroom that will never completely go away. Students have issues with all sorts of little things that will inevitably cause the momentum of the class to shift from offense to defense. Being able to control the problem and stamp it out (the problem not the student) gives the educator the ability to keep the ball in his/her court. It is best, if possible, to pull the student aside and talk with the student. Find out from him/her what the problem is and what they think can be done to control it. This tactic will allow the teacher to speak one on one with the child, so the child will not feel embarrassed by being spoken to in front of his/her peers. This will hopefully allow for instruction to continue on with evanescent problems.
Management is going to be one of those things that will always be worked on. It will be something that a teacher has to do everyday, every year, throughout the entirety of his/her career. There will never be a secret potion that will make it disappear. So striving to figure a way to beat it would be like attempting to find a way to stop the rivers from trying to reach the ocean. We are not in the career to find that cure, all we can do is take measures to make managing our classes easier. To create the ability for each one of our students to get the most out of their education.
Management is going to be one of those things that will always be worked on. It will be something that a teacher has to do everyday, every year, throughout the entirety of his/her career. There will never be a secret potion that will make it disappear. So striving to figure a way to beat it would be like attempting to find a way to stop the rivers from trying to reach the ocean. We are not in the career to find that cure, all we can do is take measures to make managing our classes easier. To create the ability for each one of our students to get the most out of their education.
