CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Good classroom management goes hand-in-hand with student discipline. Educators from the

novice to the experienced need to consistently practice good classroom management to reduce
student behavioral problems.

To achieve good classroom management, educators must understand how social and emotional

learning (SEL) influences the quality of teacher-student relationships and how that relationship
influences classroom management design. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional
Learning describes SEL as "the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively
apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and
achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive
relationships, and make responsible decisions."

Classrooms with management that meets academic and SEL goals require less disciplinary action.
However, even the best classroom manager can use a few tips at times to compare his or her
process with evidence-based examples of success. These seven classroom management tactics
reduce misbehavior so teachers can focus their energy on making effective use of their
instructional time.

1- Plan for Blocks of Time

In their book, The Key Elements of Classroom Management, Joyce McLeod, Jan Fisher and
Ginny Hoover explain that good classroom management begins with planning the time available. 

Discipline problems generally occur when students become disengaged. To keep them focused,
teachers need to plan different blocks of time in the classroom. Allocated time accounts for the
total span of teacher instruction and student learning. Instructional time covers the time
teachers spend actively teaching. During engaged time, students work on tasks on their own.
And in academic learning time, teachers prove that students learned the content or mastered
a particular skill.

Each block of time in the classroom, no matter how short, should be planned. Predictable
routines help structure blocks of time in the classroom. Predictable teacher routines
include opening activities, which ease transitions into class; routine checks for understanding and
routine closing activities. Predictable student routines work with partner practice, group work,
and independent work.

02- Plan Engaging Instruction

 Engaging instruction is a key component to good classroom management.

According to a 2007 report sponsored by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher

Quality, highly effective instruction reduces but does not fully eliminate classroom behavior
problems.

In the report, Effective Classroom Management: Teacher Preparation and Professional

Development, Regina M. Oliver and Daniel J. Reschly, Ph.D., note that instruction with the ability
to encourage academic engagement and on-task behavior usually has:

 Instructional material that students find educationally relevant;

 A planned sequential order that is logically related to skill development at students'
instructional level;

 Frequent opportunities for students to respond to academic tasks; 

  Guided practice;

 Immediate feedback and error correction.

The National Education Association offers these recommendations for motivating students, based
on the premise that students need to know why the lesson, activity or assignment matters:

 Give students a  voice.

 Give students a choice.

 Make instruction fun or enjoyable.

 Make instruction real or authentic.

 Make instruction relevant.

 Use the technology tools of today.

03- Prepare for Disruptions

A typical school day is loaded with disruptions, from announcements on the PA system to a
student acting out in class. Teachers need to be flexible and develop a series of plans to deal with
anticipated classroom disruptions, which rob students of precious in-class time.

Prepare for transitions and potential disruptions. Consider the following suggestions:

 Place lesson objectives and resources in an area of the classroom where students can see
them. Tell students where they can find lesson information online. In the event of a fire
drill or lockdown, students know where to access information.
 Identify the typical times for student disruptions and misbehavior, usually at the start of
the lesson or class period, when topics change or at the conclusion of a lesson or class
period. Be ready to re-task students when they get off the established routine(s).

 Greet students by name at the door to get a feel for their moods/temperament. Engage
students immediately with independent opening activities.

 Diffuse conflicts (student-to-student or student-to-teacher) in the classroom with a series

of steps: by re-tasking, by engaging in dialogue, by temporarily relocating a student to a
designated  "cooling off" area or, if a situation warrants, by speaking to a student as
privately as possible. Teachers should use a non-threatening tone in private talks with
misbehaving students.

 As a last resort, consider removing a student from the classroom. But first alert the main
office or guidance department. Removing a student from the classroom gives both parties
a chance to cool off, but it should never become a routine practice.

04- Prepare the Physical Environment

 Classroom layout can help reduce discipline problems when teachers can easily access all areas to
supervise. Getty Images

The physical environment of the classroom contributes to instruction and student behavior.

As part of a good classroom management plan to reduce discipline problems, the physical
arrangement of furniture, resources (including technology) and supplies must achieve the
following: 

 The physical arrangement eases traffic flow, minimizes distractions and provides
teacher(s) with good access to students.
   The classroom setup assists with transitions between various classroom activities and
limits distractions. 

 The classroom setup supports quality student interactions for particular classroom
activities.

 The design of the classroom physical space ensures adequate supervision of all areas. 

 The classroom setup contains clearly designated areas for staff and students.

05- Be Fair and Consistent

 For successful classroom management to work, educators must be perceived as being fair and
consistent. Fuse/Getty Images

Teachers must treat all students respectfully and equitably. When students perceive unfair
treatment in the classroom, whether they are on the receiving end of it or just a bystander,
discipline problems can ensue.

There is a case to be made for differentiated discipline, however. Students come to school

with specific needs, socially and academically, and educators should not be so set in their thinking
that they approach discipline with a one-size-fits-all policy.

Additionally, zero tolerance policies rarely work. Instead, data demonstrates that by focusing on

teaching behavior rather than simply punishing misbehavior, educators can maintain order and
preserve a student's opportunity to learn.

It is also important to provide students with specific feedback about their behaviors and social
skills, especially after an incident. More »

06- Set and Keep High Expectations

 Setting high expectations is important to good classroom management. JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty

Images

Educators should set high expectations for student behavior and for academics. Expect students
to behave, and they likely will.

Remind them of expected behavior, for example, by saying: "During this whole group session, I
expect you to raise your hands and be recognized before you start speaking. I also expect you to
respect each other's opinions and listen to what each person has to say."

According to the Education Reform Glossary: 

The concept of high expectations is premised on the philosophical and pedagogical belief that a
failure to hold all students to high expectations effectively denies them access to a high-quality
education, since the educational achievement of students tends to rise or fall in direct relation to
the expectations placed upon them.

In contrast, lowering expectations -- for behavior or for academics -- for certain groups

perpetuates many of the conditions that "can contribute to lower educational, professional,
financial, or cultural achievement and success.

07- Make Rules Understandable

Establish classroom rules :  Students should have a voice in creating classroom rules.
Always do your best

Use kind words and actions

Always have homework and supplies

Follow dress code policy

Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself

Don’t cheat.

Make your expectations clear

Students must raise their hands when asking a question

Students must be point by the teacher before answering a question

Lay out the consequences (eg : detention)

Get students buy- in

 Students should have a voice in creating classroom rules.

Classroom rules must align with the school rules. Revisit them regularly, and establish clear
consequences for rule-breakers.

In making the classroom rules, consider the following suggestions:

 Involve students in all aspects of creating the classroom management plan.

  Keep things simple. Five (5) simply stated rules should be enough; too many rules make
students feel overwhelmed.

 Establish those rules that cover behaviors that specifically interfere with the learning and
engagement of your students.

 Keep the language appropriate to the developmental level of the students. 

 Refer to rules regularly and positively.

 Develop rules for various situations in and out of school (fire drill, field trips, sporting
events, etc.).

 Use evidence-based practices to see how rules work -- or not. Monitor the effectiveness of
school-wide rules using data.

Address Problematic Student Behavior

Reports of problematic behaviors are on the rise nationally, not only in the classroom but in society at
large (Kowalski, 2003).
Some of these immature, irritating, or thoughtless behaviors or “classroom incivilities” include:
 lateness or leaving early
 inappropriate cellphone and laptop usage in class
 side conversations
 disregard for deadlines
 grade grubbing
 sniping remarks
 cheating
These behaviors are not just instructors’ pet peeves; they have real costs including:
 distracting other students and instructor in class
 reducing student participation
 lowering other students' and instructor’s motivation in or out of class
 affecting fairness in grading
 using instructor or TA time unproductively
 feeling disrespected as a fellow learner or authority figure
Possible causes
In order to limit or deal effectively with these behaviors, it is important to understand the factors that
cause or facilitate them.
The cause can be:
 contingent on individual student situations
 structural to the course
This distinction is important because it orients us towards the causes we can control.
Contingent on individual student situations:
 Students can engage in problematic behaviors because of health problems, personal or
family problems, adjustment or developmental issues (e.g., “immaturity” or self-esteem issues),
or general academic difficulties. These factors are not controllable, but instructors who feel those are
issues are at play can certainly refer students to the appropriate support services on campus:

 Health Services
 Counseling and Psychological services
 Academic Development
 Office of the Dean of Student Affairs
 Cultural or generational issues can also play a role. The culture of the US classroom is not
homogenous, and expectations for classroom conduct can vary greatly, but they are all informed by the
same basic academic values. Students from other cultures who don’t share the same values might not
understand implicit expectations for classroom behaviors. MORE on cross-cultural issues.
 Furthermore, the millennial generation brings to college a whole new set of values,
sometimes quite at odds with the values of previous generations, which can create some friction.
In particular, some sociologists point out that some students seem to watch a lecture the same way they
watch TV. This would explain why they think they can arrive a little late or take a break in the middle
of lecture, or why they can have side conversations or otherwise multi-task – none of these behaviors
impairs the ability to get meaning out of a movie, and the screen barrier between the audience and the
actors makes it so that the actors’ performance is not affected by the audience’s behavior. (Jaffee,
1999) > MORE on the Millennial generation.
Structural to the course:
Some of the uncivil behaviors can be inadvertently facilitated by the instructor’s behavior or the
course structure. Boice (1998) researched classroom incivilities across a range of courses and
reported several findings.
 Professors disagree with students about what counts as uncivil behavior, apart from a few
egregious situations. Moreover, there is significant disagreement among different professors, as there
is among students.
 Instructor’s age or teaching experience are not a significant determinant of incivilities.
Young/novice instructors experience the same average level of incivilities as older/experienced
instructors.
 Two factors mainly predict classroom incivilities.
1. The choice of motivators.
Instructors who use negative motivators (e.g., fear, guilt, embarrassment) experience more classroom
incivilities than instructors who use positive motivators (e.g., encouragement, praise).
2. The number of “immediacy” behaviors (verbal and non-verbal signs of warmth and
friendliness).
Instructors exhibiting few immediacy behaviors experience significantly more incivilities compared to
instructors who exhibit several of those behaviors. In other words, if students perceive the instructor
has disengaged from the course and from their learning experience, they disengage in turn, exhibiting
the attendant problematic behaviors. Other factors correlate negatively with incivilities, including
perceived worth of teaching, clarity and organization, and pacing.
Possible Strategies
Based on these findings and a comprehensive literature review, Sorcinelli (2002) suggests 4 principles
to reduce incivilities. The principles are broad enough that each one can be used to generate several
concrete strategies.
Define expectations at the outset.
Explicitly letting students know how you want them to behave in class avoids incivilities due to
mismatched expectations.
 Define your policies on the syllabus. Clearly articulating your policies and their rationale in a
respectful tone can curb undesirable behaviors. See the page on writing the syllabus for more
considerations on tone. This link provides some language for policies such as cell-phone and laptop
usage.
 Make good use of the first day of class. Use the first day to create the right climate for
productive interaction. Highlight the policies on the syllabus and model the behaviors you’d like to
see. Follow this link for more on the first day of class.
 Allow student participation in setting ground rules. Having students participate in setting the
rules for classroom behavior and interaction might not be feasible for every class but it has the benefit
of making the students more invested in the rules. Ask the students to reflect on classes with bad
 discussions or other students’ behaviors that have been distracting and not conducive to their own
learning. Use that list as a starting point for your ground rules. You, of course, retain final decision
power.
Decrease anonymity.
Especially in large classes, students can sometimes engage in thoughtless behaviors because the
atmosphere feels very depersonalized. You can try several techniques to build connections with
students:
 Learn and use names consistently. You can request a photo roster from the HUB, which will
make it easier to associate names to faces. Learn a few more names every day, and let students know
that you are trying to memorize their names in the first weeks.
 Engage students one-on-one. Use the time right before and after class to make small talk with
students. Ask about the weekend, or the homework, or common interests. Some professors schedule
lunches with small groups of students throughout the semester to get to know them and to present
themselves as more approachable.
 Take advantage of office hours. The one-on-one nature of office hours greatly augments
possibilities for interaction, even in larger classes. Some professors have a mandatory office hour
during the first week, which they use to meet the students individually and to make themselves
available for help when needed.
Seek feedback from students.
Some student incivilities are due to perceived instructor incivilities – instructor’s own lateness or
disorganization, rudeness or interruptions when students are speaking.  Seek feedback to double-check
student perceptions of you. You can use early course evaluations, or quick in-class anonymous
feedback with one –minute papers. You can also designate some students to be class representatives
and meet with them periodically during the semester, when they can let you know of general student
concerns. See more on assessing your teaching.
Encourage active learning.
Meaningful engagement has obvious benefits for student learning and performance, but it can also
bring some side benefits with respect to student behavior in the classroom. In fact, Sorcinelli (1991)
points out that in classes that use active learning effectively, students
 feel more responsible for coming to class, and coming prepared
 perceive they pay more attention in class
 feel more responsible for their own learning.
The section on instructional strategies has several suggestions on ways to incorporate active learning in
your courses.

References:
Jaffee, D. (1999). I am not a TV: Confessions of a professor. Retrieved July 6, 2007, from
http://www.cte.tcu.edu/144.htm.
Kowalski, R. M. (2003). Complaining, teasing, and other annoying behaviors. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.
Boice, R. (1998). "Classroom incivilities." In K. A. Feldman & M. B. Paulson (Eds.), Teaching and
learning in the college classroom (2nd ed.) (347-369). Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster
Custom Pub.
Sorcinelli, M. D. (1991). "Research findings on the seven principles." In A. Chickering & Z. Gamson
(Eds.), Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. New Directions
for Teaching and Learning, 47, 13-25. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Sorcinelli, M. D. (2002). "Promoting civility in large classes." In C. Stanley & E. Porter
(Eds.), Engaging large classes: Strategies and techniques for college faculty (44-57). Bolton, MA:
Anker.
7 Characteristics and Qualities of a Good
Teacher
A good teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.— Henry Adams

Every teacher wants to be a good teacher, but what is this myth about being a "good teacher"? Who is it? What are
the characteristics? And how can you become one?

Teaching jobs are often lucrative and satisfying for people who love to teach. I am a teacher too, though I do not think
myself as a very good teacher, but I know for one thing that majority of my students do love me, and I guess this is the
point where good things start to happen.

I was thinking about what are the characteristics of a good teacher and how can I one. Or which characteristics and
qualities should a good teacher possess? So I came up with some qualities which I found most relevant for a person
involved in a teaching job. I believe if a teacher possesses the following characteristics and qualities, he/she can
become a very good teacher with large fan base too.

1. Friendliness and Congeniality

I think the most important characteristic of a good teacher can have is to be friendly and congenial with his students. It
is a plus if his students can share their problems with him, without being afraid or hesitant. I think students have
always thoughts of their teachers as their enemies (in a funny sense though :p). With this mentality, they can never be
close to each other, and besides that how many teachers did you like who were NOT friendly, and were rather
arrogant and rude?

2. A Good Personality
A good teacher has a very good personality; there is no second thought about it. Students always get attracted to
teachers with good personality which leads to better communication, understanding, and ultimately good results.
Everyone can have a good, decent, likable, and presentable personality. Just dress sensibly well, smell good, and be
a little gentle and kind. That's all.

3. Deep Knowledge and a Great Education

Another important characteristic of a good teacher is his knowledge and own education. There is a saying that 'a
teacher is only as good as his knowledge is.'After all, he is doing a teacher's job, which is to teach. If he himself
lacks in the knowledge of a certain subject that he teaches, he is never going to make a name for himself. So, sign up
with only that subjects which you have really good expertise; and it is a moral duty too. Otherwise, it is not worth it.

4. A Good Communicator
One of the very important characteristics of a good teacher is his communication skills. He should be a very good
speaker. This characteristic will provide benefits in several ways. For example:

1. If his communication skills are good, he can convey his lectures with better skill and results.
2. If he is a good speaker, his class strength increases automatically. People love to hear a person who he can
speak well enough. There is always a shortage of good speakers in the world ;)

5. A Good Listener
Apart from being a good communicator, a good teacher should also have the characteristic of being an even better
listener. As there is  Turkish proverb:

"If speaking is silver; then listening is gold."

Remember, a good listener will always have many friends and fans. Because people do not want to hear every time,
they need people who can listen to them as well. And when a good teacher develops this patient quality in himself, he
starts to become a great teacher.
6. A Good Sense of Humor
A good teacher should also have the quality and characteristic of having a good sense of humor. It is a logical fact
that a person generally teaches the next generation and as they are younger than the professor, they are expected to
have more fun in the class too. So, a good teacher is the one who can keep up with his sense of humor, and with his
strong communication skills and personality, can also maintain the discipline of the class.

7. Kindness
The last but obviously one of the most important characteristics to have in his box of qualities: he should be a gentle,
kind, chivalrous, and benevolent person. Students should love him, and when they do love him, they idolize him. Then
ultimately, they will respect him, will do the homework, and eventually will bring greater outputs and results.

Which is the most important characteristic of a good teacher?

 Friendly and Congenial

 A Good Personality

 His Knowledge and Education

 A Good Communicator

 A Good Listener

 Having A Good Sense Of Humour

 Gentle and Kind

Be gentle, be kind, take care.

Riddles