To teach your students, you must know how to manage your classroom. Check out these classroom management tips for the start of school.
Why You Need Classroom Management Tips
It’s the beginning of the new school year. Before you can teach a thing, you need to create a positive learning environment.
Classroom management has two components:
- Fostering an atmosphere of respect and cooperation
- Responding correctly when behavior gets off track
These classroom management techniques will help you start the year off right.
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Create a Welcoming Environment
Classroom management begins before students set foot in a classroom.
You can help create a positive learning environment by setting up your classroom in a way that promotes learning.
Organize your classroom so it is clean and tidy.
Put thought into your bulletin board design.
Add colorful artwork or homey touches like lamps, rugs, and bean bag chairs to make your space a place where students want to learn.
Display Your Classroom Rules and Expectations
On the first day, go over your classroom rules and expectations.
You should post this list somewhere in the room and hand these out to students and parents.
Here are 10 classroom rules and procedures to teach on the first day.
Make sure your students know what you expect of them.
Convey Consequences Clearly
Consider your classroom rules. What will happen if a student breaks one of them?
Think through your response ahead of time, and communicate that to students.
Will there be a grace period? A warning system? What will happen if a student consistently disobeys a class rule?
When you convey the consequences clearly, you can be matter of fact when a transgression occurs.
The student is less likely to take the consequence personally, and you stand a better chance of preserving a positive relationship with the student.
Build Positive Relationships with Students
It takes time to build relationships with students, but you can begin on the first day.
Stand by the door and greet your students will a smile. You can introduce yourself and get their names on the way in.
Eye contact, a friendly word, and a smile go a long way in establishing rapport.
When you have that positive relationship in place, your students will do their best to please you.
Build Positive Relationships with Parents
Parents are your partners in the education of their children.
When you have their support, your classroom experience will go better.
Communicate early and often with parents.
Write a newsletter, write brief handwritten notes, get connected during Back to School Night, etc.
Establish a Routine
Students do well when they know what to expect.
From the first day, start a pattern that you will repeat.
This could be anything from attendance questions or an interesting quote or puzzle on the board to a time and place to put backpacks and papers from home.
Figure out how you will handle transition time and picking up at the end of the day.
Start as you mean to go on.
Have Class Control Techniques in Your Back Pocket
When behavior gets off track (and it inevitably will at some point), you must have a bag of tricks to help redirect your students.
You can also use positive reinforcement techniques to incentivize good behavior.
Be proactive and learn from these class control tips for teachers.
Use Hands-On Activities
It’s a simple fact that students are most likely to act out when bored.
The solution: keep kids busy!
Start your year with engaging hands-on activities that require the attention and participation of students.
Be Consistent
Start your year with a plan, and keep it going.
Be consistent in all you do.
Follow the rules you laid out.
Keep up the routine of the day.
Make sure you are calm and in control of your own self.
When you are consistent across the board, your classroom will be a stable learning environment.
Start the School Year with These Classroom Management Tips
These classroom management tips will help you start the new school on the right foot.
You will have calm students, a positive atmosphere, and learning will happen!