Classroom Management are systems or processes that a teacher has in place to

make sure a lesson runs smoothly and students stay on track.

This system should also be useful in preventing disruptive behaviour with the use of
reward/punishment tactics.

Please share any tips, tricks or websites you use that are effective.

Useful Websites
https://www.edmodo.com/
https://www.classdojo.com/
https://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/classroom-management

Questions to Ask:

- do you have a clear system of rewards and consequences that are communicated and
understood by the students?

- are you consistent with it?

- if not, why not? Is it confusing/time consuming? do you not have faith in it?

- are students given praise or positive reinforcement frequently enough during a lesson?

- do you have one to one conversations with the students about their behavior?

- what routines do you have in place?

- how do you use the space in the class?

- do you have a balance between stirring and settling activities?

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/stirrers-settlers-primary-classroom

- what do you do to show your students they are valued and respected?

- do your students understand the aims of the lesson?

http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management-discussion-methods

WHOLE CLASS: Beginner - Intermediate Rule Set-Up

Effective with 1A-3B levels

● T writes own name and TA’s name on the board.

● T - S ‘what’s the date?’ - T writes date on the WB.
● T - S ‘there are 4 rules’ - T shows respect, questions and happy face cards.
● T elicits - ‘respect, ask questions, have fun’ and writes on WB next to cards.
● T has 3 language boxes ‘English, Vietnamese and Both’ on a card and ticks the
language they can speak for each activity.
● T shows a piece of cheese card and sticks to the top of the WB.
● T shows a picture of a mouse and sticks in the middle of the WB.
● T has a student draw a cat/monster at the bottom.
● T explains that when students follow the rules the mouse can get to the cheese and
when the students misbehave the mouse gets closer to the cat.
● When the mouse gets the cheese - students can play a game/watch a video with task
● When the mouse gets eaten by the cat - students fill out worksheets

*watch the video to see the silent rule approach (can only be done silently after setting up in
the first lesson) https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_zxNWz_yrPnMzlUSURFZ3ZpbEE

Reflection - this system is very effective for the first lesson or 1 off cover classes. After this
has been set up and students have been reminded after 2 or 3 lessons - this can then be
used in silent teaching as students will know the cues from the cards or position the teacher
points to on the board.
Students will encourage each other to behave well and adhere to the rules because they all
receive praise or punishment as a collective.
Students are usually thrilled that the mouse gets to the cheese - this is sometimes enough
reward in itself and games/videos/sweets are not necessary.
Drawbacks - This CM system does not allow for students to have choice over the rules nor
does it give individual praise/punishment but works on the whole class working together.
This system is difficult to set up halfway through a course.

WHOLE CLASS: Intermediate - Advanced Rule Set-Up

Effective with 3A - 6B levels.
 ● T uses ‘Top-5’s game as an introduction to rule set-up
(see Classroom Management drive for PPT)
● S are in teams with a mini WB.
● T uses ‘Top-5 PPT’ - S have 1 minute to write the ‘top 5’s to each category and win
points.
● The final ‘top-5’ is ‘What Are The Top 5 Classroom Rules’
● S brainstorm what the best 5 should be.
● T goes through their own top 5.
● S brainstorm what the consequences should be if the rules are broken.
● T then goes through classroom expectations and what makes a good teacher/good
student.
● S can brainstorm own ideas and whole class can agree on a rules system and the
consequences.
● T can print the classes agreed rules and have students sign their names. This can be
stuck on the wall every lesson as a reminder.

Reflection - this system is effective with intermediate - advanced students as it gives them
autonomy and choice over the rules. It also brings in their own ideas and gives them a
chance to be individually responsible when they break the rules.
This setup can be used at any point during a term, although it is most effective when used in
the first lesson, as it starts off as a group game and feeds in rules later - it can be used as a
rule reminder halfway through a term if students are becoming disruptive.
Students will encourage each other to behave well and adhere to the rules because they all
receive praise or punishment as a collective.
Drawbacks - It does not give individual praise/punishment but works on the whole class
working together.
Students may argue about the rules and consequences so the teacher has to be strict with
their final say.

INDIVIDUAL Classroom Management Ideas

Online
https://www.classdojo.com/ allows students to create avatars and the teacher can award
points to each student depending on their behaviour each lesson. Parents can also keep
track at home.
Benefits - individual chart allows students to watch their own progress during a term and it’s
online so parents can see at home.
Drawbacks - It requires time for the teacher to keep on top of it.

Printed Sticker Charts - https://www.pinterest.com/rmedica/sticker-charts/?lp=true

Benefits - individual chart allows students to watch their own progress during a term.
Drawbacks - It does require more time for the teacher to keep on top of it.
This article - https://www.theartofed.com/2011/08/11/ditch-the-sticker-chart-and-7-other-
management-tricks/

One to Ones - having moments that are just the teacher and the student can be
exceptionally beneficial. We have these in the form of MPR’s in week 10 but teachers can
take opportunities all throughout a lesson to have time with 1 student.
During individual activities teachers can sit next to or crouch down to speak directly
with a student. Finding out personal information or how they are getting on with an activity
and then using this information to personalise lessons or for feeding back answers is a
confidence building reward unlike any other to most students.

That 1 Difficult Student.

- given responsibility
some problem students can rise to the occasion and feel like they have a level of importance
in the class. Anything from handing out mini whiteboards, teaching a grammar or vocab point
to encouraging other students to turn to the right page in the book can help to improve
disruptive behaviour, especially with very high energy students.
- kill em with kindness
- difficult students might be acting up because they crave the attention that they haven't
been given elsewhere. Giving them praise for every action: even if it seems the smallest
thing, like opening their books, speaking English for the previous activity or half attempting
some homework - shows them a level of gratitude and attention they may not have
experienced, that might help ease them off their poor behaviour and negative habits in time.

- proximity
- have the difficult student sit near you at all times and put careful thought into the group or
team that they work with.

Useful Websites

http://www.teachhub.com/10-ways-deal-difficult-students

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2015/09/8_tips_for_dealing_with_proble
m_students.html

https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2011/04/23/7-rules-of-handling-difficult-
students/

http://www.nea.org/tools/handling-disruptive-students.html

Truly Terrible Tactics

● Physical punishment - students should not associate poor behaviour with physical
punishment. There are countless scientific studies into the negative effects of using,
even the simplest, physical punishment. Students doing squats, standing on 1 leg or
running up and down stairs for misbehaving is never an appropriate CM system.
 ● Only punishments - students who are given no incentive or reward for good
behaviour will have nothing to strive for but only reminders of what they are doing
wrong. This has huge consequences for their own confidence levels or their ability to
feel comfortable making mistakes.
Every CM system should be based on praise over anything else.

● Intimidation - shouting, glaring, humiliating, pressuring or belittling students are all

harmful and unnecessary - if a teacher is using any of these, they’re doing something
wrong. https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2012/08/18/why-intimidation-
is-a-terrible-classroom-management-strategy/

● Candy Rewards - incentives and bribes are different. Incentivising students is about
rewarding good behaviour for the joy of behaving well. Giving out sweets as a reward
will connect the feelings of ‘getting something correct’ with sugar. And these kids
don’t need any more sugar in their lives. https://expertbeacon.com/why-rewarding-
children-sugar-or-treats-big-mistake#.WdnId1SCzcs

● Too Many Systems - if it’s difficult to stick to your system and find after a few
lessons it’s faded off into oblivion - maybe you have too many systems, they’re too
complicated or too time consuming. It can be worth ditching a system that’s not
working and bringing in a much simpler one, even if you’re a few lessons into a
course. Students won’t uphold a system that their teacher doesn’t, so pick a strategy
and stick to it from day 1.

Quotes

★ “research suggests that all students are motivated to learn, as long as there are
clear expectations, the tasks and activities have value, and the learning
environment promotes intrinsic motivation (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995; Eccles
& Wigfield, 1985; Feather, 1982; Kovalik & Olsen, 2005).”

★ “Teachers who have the best managed classrooms are those who spend the first
two weeks of class teaching and practicing their procedures and routines”
 (Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003).”

★ “The ultimate goal of classroom management should not be on simple obedience,

but on having students behave appropriately because they know it’s the right
thing to do and because they can understand how their actions affect other
people” (Hardin, 2008, p. 142).

★ “Rather than creating rules, (the) students (will) engage in conversation about the
type of community they wish their classroom to be” (Hardin, 2008, p. 150).

★ “When did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first
you have to make them feel worse” (Jane Nelsen)

★ “In an effective classroom students should not only know what they are doing,
they should also know why and how” (Harry Wong)

★ “I would caution student teachers to always be flexible with kids, but not to leave
them with no structure, because many times we are the only structure these kids
have.” (Kouzes and Postner)

★ “Teenagers are a funny bunch, they think they know everything but feel like
they’re worth nothing. And the trick to teaching them is showing them they know
nothing but are worth everything” (Okay I said this, Lizzie,… it sounded smart at
the time)