Effective Classroom Management Strategies for New Teachers
It’s time to teach, but you need to manage your classroom in order to do that well.
Check out these 7 effective classroom management strategies for new teachers that will work for ALL teachers!
This article contains affiliate links to things that you might like.
7 Classroom Management Strategies New Teachers Need
In an ideal world, your students would enter class ready to learn.
They would sit quietly and attentively and work to the best of their ability.
But kids aren’t robots, and this rarely happens. (And, sometimes, quietness is way overrated!)
Kids are people; they have lives and concerns outside of the classroom that affect their in-class behavior, and the school day is long and tiring. I can guarantee that if you’re tired at the end of the school day, so are your students.
So, how do you bring out the best in your students?
You need classroom management techniques that work!
A teacher has to do more than teach; they need to manage the classroom.
This takes experience, nuance, and sensitivity. Don’t worry if you’re new to teaching, though! You can jump to the head of the line with the effective classroom management strategies below.
Strategy #1: Set the Example
This one may seem obvious, but it’s at the top for a reason.
You need to model the behavior you want to see in your students.
Do you want them to be kind and respectful?
You need to be that, too.
Do you want them to be hardworking and attentive?
It starts with you.
Don’t lose your cool in class (at least not in front of them).
Be engaged in what you are doing.
You set the tone for the classroom; your students will take their cues from you.
Strategy #2: Make Your Guidelines Clear
You want to establish your rules and guidelines on the first day.
You need to be clear. This is not the place for vague or lofty language. Students need clear, precise guidelines and rules.
This means printing the guidelines and handing them out, posting them in the classroom, and talking through them on the first day. And the second day. And the third…and for the first few weeks of school.
Send them home to parents as well.
This way, everyone knows what the rules of the classroom are and there’s no guessing as to what’s allowed and what’s not.
Strategy #3: Offer Genuine Praise
Positive reinforcement works. Let me repeat that. Positive reinforcement works and is needed.
When you hear a student answer a question thoughtfully, praise them.
If they work well in a group, let them know.
Did they pour effort into a presentation or greatly improve over their last performance? Communicate that you notice!
By giving genuine and specific praise, your students will try harder.
Remember, too, that praise has a trickle-down effect.
Call a parent or write a note offering specific praise for their child.
The parent will likely communicate that conversation to the student, and the student will walk in the next day eager to do well.
Your kindness and positive reinforcement can be transformative for your students.
Strategy #4: Promote Listening Skills
You need your students’ attention in order to teach.
By developing listening skills in your students, you can accomplish more as a teacher, and your students can learn and grow more quickly.
An easy way to snag their attention is through call and response.
You train your students to respond to a phrase in a certain way.
Usually, these are silly phrases like “Hocus pocus…everybody focus!”
The call phrases can also promote a growth mindset: “If you believe it…you can achieve it!”
Strategy #5: Keep Them Interested
No one wants to be the teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
You need to keep your students interested. Part of being a good teacher is being a good performer. Because, make no mistake about it, the classroom is your stage!
When you start a lesson, begin with a hook that grabs your students’ attention.
Do a demonstration, begin with some fun facts, ask a “Would you rather?” question, or use a visual aid.
When I was in the classroom, “Would You Rather?” questions were my favorite way to not only begin the school day, but also to hook students into lessons.
I found that the questions would get them thinking, making a choice (which made them invested – a VERY important and often overlooked thing!), and their answers would help them feel connected to other students. It sounds so simple, but those questions truly helped to build community and student buy-in.
If you’d like to use them too, grab a free copy of some of my favorite seasonal WYR questions by entering your email below.
In addition to verbal communication, don’t forget to rely on non-verbal communication.
Remember, there are different types of learners and it’s your job to reach them all. You didn’t think teaching was easy, did you?!
Use activity stations, motions, high fives…whatever it takes to engage multiple senses and teach more dynamically.
Strategy #6: Quickly Redirect Negative Behavior
If you communicated your expectations on the first day, you need to hold your students to those standards.
Quickly tamp down any negative behaviors or your students will learn that you’re not going to enforce the rules.
The best advice I ever got about starting the year and management was from my mentor teacher when I was student teaching. She said, “It’s easier to start the year strict and ease off on things throughout the year as needed versus starting the year being lax on the rules and then trying to enforce them later on. The latter scenario is an uphill battle all the way and one that you will very rarely win.” Thanks, Ms. Tuck!
One of the best ways to redirect behavior is by asking questions.
If you notice side chatter, say, “Do you have a question?” not “Stop talking.”
If a student is distracting others, ask, “Do you need help focusing?” rather than “Sit still.”
You can even offer that student something quiet to fidget with or allow them to change seats if that’s going to help them succeed.
By showing students you are for them and not against them, you can stop negative behavior in its tracks and win them to you at the same time.
Strategy #7: Motivate with Fun
Students crave fun and diversion, and you can use that to help you with classroom management.
Use incentives, like desk pets, a treasure bin, or scratch-offs, to motivate your students.
Throw a simple class party every now and again as a reward for doing well.
The important thing is that you make learning fun and memorable for your students.
Remember, every day that your students step into your classroom they should know that they will smile, laugh, be encouraged, be challenged, and be supported. That’s what teaching is all about.
Effective Classroom Management Techniques
The seven effective classroom management techniques above will help your classroom be a place of fun and learning while also being a safe space where students know what is expected of them.
With some simple strategies in place, your students will learn and thrive in your classroom. You have the power to shape the the entirety of the school year. Use it wisely.
Want More Things to Help with Classroom Management? Try These!
