Classroom Management Strategies

Contributed by:

Jonathan James Mon, Jan 10, 2022 06:06 PM UTC

What is classroom management:
– It’s an effective discipline
– It’s being prepared for class
– It’s motivating your students
– It’s providing a safe, comfortable learning environment
– It’s building your students’ self-esteem
– It’s being creative and imaginative in daily lessons

1. Classroom
“THE FAB 15”

2. WHO ARE YOU??
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
• Record 3 statements about
yourself.
• 2 of the statements should
be truthful
• 1 should be a lie
• We will try to spot the lie!!

3. BEST IN SHOW
Identify the best teacher you ever had (K-College
name isn’t important) and why they were the best.
What is one strategy that teacher used for
classroom management?
Now identify a teacher that you would consider one
of the worst teachers you ever had (K-College) and
Definitely do not give any names on this one!!
Identify specific actions that you feel have earned
them this title.

4. What is Classroom
Management?
– It’s effective discipline
– It’s being prepared for class
– It’s motivating your students
– It’s providing a safe, comfortable
learning environment
– It’s building your students’ self
esteem
– It’s being creative and imaginative
in daily lessons
– And . . .

5. . . . It’s different for
EVERYONE!!
WHY?
– Teaching Styles
– Personality/Attitudes
– Student population
– Not all management
strategies are effective for
every teacher
• Try different strategies to see if
they work for you

6. QUIZ TIME!!
What is your classroom
management profile?

7. WHICH POOH CHARACTER
ARE YOU??
• Rabbit
• Owl
• Piglet
• Eeyore

8. SELF ASSESSMENT
• Fist-to-Five…Where are you with classroom
management?
• A fist indicates you are still thinking?
• One finger indicates extremely frustrated.
• Two fingers indicates frustrated.
• Three fingers indicates that you are
surviving.
• Four fingers indicates that you are pretty
comfortable and things are working well.
• Five fingers indicates that your classroom
runs smoothly with very few issues. What
are you doing here?? 

9. Why is Classroom
Management Important?
• Satisfaction and enjoyment in
teaching are dependent upon
leading students to cooperate
• Classroom management issues
are of highest concern for
beginning teachers
• Classroom management and
effective instruction are key in
ensuring student success and
learning

10. THE FAB 15…
LET’S BEGIN!

11. FAB 15…NUMBER 1
“EXPECT THE BEST…
TEACH THE REST”

12. YOU SET THE TONE
• Set the tone for everything…behavior,
procedures, grades, work ethic, attitude…
everything!!
• Teach students to manage their own
behavior
• Students LEARN to be on-task and engaged
in the learning activities you have planned
for them…REMEMBER THIS…
“It is more natural to be off-task than on!”
• Teach, teach, and re-teach routine
classroom procedures
• Model/provide exemplars for excellence in
student work and attitudes

13. FAB 15…NUMBER 2
I KNOW, I KNOW, YOU HAVE HEARD
THIS A MILLION TIMES..

14. FFC
• Be fair, firm and consistent…
remember that students are, by
nature, the morality police.
• They can spot inconsistencies a
mile away and take joy in calling
you out on it!!
• Students may not enjoy
consequences of inappropriate
behavior but they will respect your
decisions if they know that you are
fair and apply
discipline/consequences fairly

15. FAB 15…NUMBER 3
ACCENTUATE
THE POSITIVE

16. POSITIVE IS A PLUS
• Build a positive, PROFESSIONAL
rapport with students
• Establish a positive classroom
environment…greet students at
the door everyday with a smile
• Model the positive behaviors and
attitude you desire in your
students

17. FAB 15…NUMBER 4
“IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PLAN,
THEN YOU ARE PLANNING TO
FAIL!!”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

18. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
• Planning engaging, purposeful
lessons is one of the best recipes for
a smooth, orderly classroom
• Over plan your lessons to minimize
down time…down time is every
teacher’s worst enemy
• Plan lessons that address multiple
learning styles and allow all students
to experience success

19. FAB 15…NUMBER 5
THE BOY SCOUTS SAID
IT BEST…

20. BE PREPARED!!
• Be organized
• Be on time
• Be prepared for changes to your
even the “best laid plans”
• Have a plan B
• Have a plan C
• Anticipate possible hiccups in your
lessons and activities
• In other words…winging it is not an
option!!

21. REFLECTIVE PLANNING

22. DEVELOP EFFECTIVE
BEHAVIOR CUES
• Focus attention on entire class
• Don’t talk over student chatter
• Silence can be effective
• Use softer voice so students
really have to listen to what
you’re saying
• Raise your hand

23. FAB 15…NUMBER 6
“TIME IS OF THE
ESSENCE”

24. Transition vs. Allocated
Time
• Allocated time: the time periods you intend
for your students to be engaged in learning
activities
• Transition time: time periods that exist
between times allocated for learning
activities
– Examples
• Getting students assembled and
attentive
• Assigning reading and directing to
begin
• Getting students’ attention away from
reading and preparing for class
discussion

25. Transition vs. Allocated
Time
• The Goal:
– Increase the variety of
learning activities but
decrease transition time.
• Student engagement and on-
task behaviors are dependent
on how smoothly and efficiently
teachers move from one
learning activity to another

26. FAB 15…NUMBER 7
K.I.S.S.

27. KEEP IT SIMPLE SUGAR
• Make classroom rules simple
• Keep classroom procedures
simple
• Give clear and simple
instructions during classroom
activities
• Remember that even adults can
only process 3-4 instructions at
a time effectively!!

28. FAB 15…NUMBER 8
EDUCATOR “FENG SHUI”

29. CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT
• Make sure all students can see
and hear clearly (and you can
see them clearly)
• Arrangement is determined by
learning activity (lecture, class
discussion, small group work,
etc.)
• Allow room and easy access for
proximity control
• Think through class procedures
and learning activities and
arrange the room in the best
possible way

30. FAB 15…NUMBER 9
“WITH-IT-NESS”

31. WITH-IT-NESS
• Withitness refers to a
teacher’s awareness of
what is going on in the
classroom

32. A teacher has “with-it-ness” if:
• When discipline problems occur, the
teacher consistently takes action to
suppress the misbehavior of exactly
those students who instigated the
problem
• When two discipline problems arise
concurrently, the teacher deals with
the most serious first
• The teacher decisively handles
instances of off-task behavior before
the behaviors either get out of hand
or are modeled by others

33. With-it-Ness (continued)
• When handling misbehavior –
make sure all students learn
what is unacceptable about
that behavior
• Getting angry or stressed does
not reduce future misbehavior
• Deal with misbehavior without
disrupting the learning activity

34. FAB 15…NUMBERS 10 & 11
“ACTIONS SPEAK
LOUDER THAN WORDS”

35. PROXIMITY AND BODY LANGUAGE
• Eye contact, facial expressions,
gestures, physical proximity to
students, and the way you carry
yourself will communicate that
you are in calm control of the
class and mean to be taken
seriously.
• Be free to roam
• Avoid turning
back to class

36. DEVELOP EFFECTIVE
BEHAVIOR CUES
• Focus attention on entire class
• Don’t talk over student chatter
• Silence can be effective
• Use softer voice so students
really have to listen to what
you’re saying
• Raise your hand

37. FAB 15…NUMBER 12
“THE BEST DRIVERS ARE
DEFENSIVE DRIVERS”

38. PROACTIVE VS. REACTIVE
• The best teachers use all of the Fab
15 strategies already mentioned and
more to ensure that their classroom
runs like a well-oiled machine.
• By using proactive teaching and
classroom management strategies,
more time is spent on teaching and
learning and less on reacting and
putting out fires.
• Being proactive means paying it
forward before class starts but
receives huge dividends in the end!!

39. FAB 15…NUMBER 13
“LAUGHTER IS THE
BEST MEDICINE”

40. USING HUMOR
• Use humor when appropriate
• Be able to laugh at yourself
• NEVER use sarcasm
• Sarcasm puts students on the
defensive and damages your
relationship

41. FAB 15…NUMBER 14
A STELLAR PERFORMANCE

42. EVERY PERFORMER
NEEDS A STAGE
• Confrontation gives students a
“stage” to perform
• Avoid power struggles…no one
wins
• Give students a dignified way to
get out of a bad situation
• Pick your battles
• Address behavior issues in
private whenever possible

43. FAB 15…NUMBER 15
DEVELOP A THICK SKIN

44. IT IS NOT PERSONAL
• Kids make poor choices…that is
what they do!
• Kids misbehave…that is their job!
• Kids test boundaries and limits…it is
a natural part of growing up!
• Kids don’t always do what we want
them to…no matter how much they
like us!
• DON’T TAKE IT PERSONNALY!!

45. THE HONEYMOON
IS OVER!!
Dealing with
Misbehavior

46. Functions of Behavior
• Every behavior has a function
• Four primary reasons for
disruptive behavior in the
classroom
– Power
– Revenge
– Attention
– Want to be left alone (i.e.,
disinterest or feelings of
inadequacy)

47. Functions of Behavior
• Many misbehaviors exhibited by
students are responses to a behavior
exhibited by the teacher
• Do not tolerate undesirable
behaviors no matter what the excuse
• Understanding why a person exhibits
a behavior is no reason to tolerate it
• Understanding the function of a
behavior will help in knowing how to
deal with that behavior

48. Dealing with off-task
behaviors
• Remain focused and calm; organize
thoughts
• Either respond decisively or ignore it all
together
• Distinguish between off-task behaviors
and off-task behavior patterns
• Control the time and place for dealing
with off-task behavior
• Provide students with dignified ways to
terminate off-task behaviors
• Make specific references to behaviors,
do not make it a personal attack

49. Dealing with off-task
behaviors
• Remember that continuing with
classroom instruction is always
the main priority!!
• Avoid playing detective
• Utilize alternative lesson plans
• Utilize the help of colleagues
• Communicate and enlist the
help of parents/guardians

50. Power Seeking Behavior
• Power-seeking students
attempt to provoke
teachers into a struggle of
wills
• In most cases, the teacher
should direct attention to
other members of the class

51. Attention Seeking Behavior
• Attention-seeking students
prefer being punished,
admonished, or criticized to
being ignored
• Give attention to this student
when he or she is on-task and
cooperating
• “Catch them being good!” – and
let them know you caught them

52. Behavior: Rambling -- wandering
around and off the subject. Using far-
fetched examples or analogies.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Refocus attention by restating
relevant point.
 Direct questions to group that is back
on the subject
 Use visual aids, begin to write on
board, turn on overhead projector.
 Say: "Would you summarize your main
point please?" or "Are you asking...?"

53. Behavior: Talkativeness -- knowing
everything, manipulation, chronic whining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Acknowledge comments made.
 Give limited time to express viewpoint or
feelings, and then move on.
 Make eye contact with another
participant and move toward that person.
 Give the person individual attention
during breaks.
 Say: "That's an interesting point. Now
let's see what other other people think."

54. Behavior: Sharpshooting -- trying to
shoot you down or trip you up.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Admit that you do not know the
answer and redirect the question the
group or the individual who asked it.
 Acknowledge that this is a joint
learning experience.
 Ignore the behavior.
 Speak to the student in private…take
the stage away
 KNOW YOUR CONTENT!!

55. Behavior: Grandstanding -- getting caught up
in one's own agenda or thoughts to the
detriment of other learners.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Say: "You are entitled to your opinion,
belief or feelings, but now it's time we
moved on to the next subject," or
 "Can you restate that as a question?"
or
 "We'd like to hear more about that if
there is time after the presentation."

56. Behavior: Overt Hostility/Resistance --
angry, belligerent, combative behavior.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe
hostility as fear to depersonalize it.
 Respond to fear, not hostility.
 Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper
in check.
 Don't disagree, but build on or around what
has been said.
 Move closer to the hostile person, maintain
eye contact.
 Always allow him or her a way to gracefully
retreat from the confrontation.

57. Behavior: Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry,
belligerent, combative behavior (continued)
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Allow individual to solve the problem
being addressed. He or she may not
be able to offer solutions and will
sometimes undermine his or her own
position.
 Ignore behavior.
 Talk to him or her privately during a
break.
 As a last resort, privately ask the
individual to leave class for the good
of the group.

58. Behavior: Griping -- maybe legitimate
complaining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Point out that we can't change
policy here.
 Validate his/her point.
 Indicate you'll discuss the
problem with the participant
privately.
 Indicate time pressure.

59. Behavior: Side Conversations -- may be
related to subject or personal. Distracts
group members and you.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
 Don't embarrass talkers.
 Ask their opinion on topic being
discussed.
 Ask talkers if they would like to share
their ideas.
 Casually move toward those talking.
 Make eye contact with them.
 Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by
participant a question so that the new
discussion is near the talkers.
 As a last resort, stop and wait.

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