When students walk into Mr. Taylor’s classroom for the first time, he is often wearing a suit of medieval armor or an ancient Roman tunic. He is passionate about teaching history and loves to share that enthusiasm with his students. When speaking with Mr. Taylor at the beginning of the year, he indicated he would love to work on deepening engagement in his classroom. Through classroom visits, it was noted that his presentations of historic artifacts were interactive and his students seemed genuinely engaged during these moments. Mr. Taylor also had clear rules and expectations for his classroom, which he explained and modeled for students. He took time to get to know his students and built rapport with them during the first few weeks of class. But once Mr. Taylor began lecturing about early human history, he noticed a pattern: students sitting toward the back of the room started to disengage. They weren't taking notes and one or two of them appeared to be falling asleep. Mr. Taylor spoke with each of these students outside of class and reminded them of the class rules and expectations. However, the students still struggled to stay focused during his lectures, even when he included props and roleplayed historic figures.
This situation is probably familiar to teachers. When students are distracted or unfocused, our go-to response is often to redirect the students’ behavior. If they are distracted by a neighbor or on their phone, the teacher offers instructions or models how to get back on task. But this approach doesn’t always address the underlying cause of the behavior.
Through multiple classroom visits, it was noted that Mr. Taylor didn't stray from the front of the room very often. Even when his students were working in groups, he usually walked around the perimeter of their desks and then returned to his own. When we discussed this matter during our coaching sessions, Mr. Taylor agreed that he felt limited by the size and arrangement of his classroom. He decided to rearrange the desks so he could more easily approach all of his students. He also committed to circulating the room more often, checking in with everyone, and praising positive behavior. After he implemented these changes, he noticed a considerable difference in levels of engagement during lectures. He also noticed that the students who usually sat in the back started to participate more and followed along with the lectures.
Like Mr. Taylor, teachers can take proactive steps at the beginning of the year to plan for and prevent disruptive behaviors. The first day of class, and the initial weeks that follow, are the perfect opportunity to make a positive impression on students and set the tone for the rest of the year. Effective classroom management not only decreases the frequency of disruptions and misbehavior, it can also significantly increase students’ learning potential.
The Power of Effective Classroom Management
According to a recent report by the National Council on Teacher Quality, teachers lose as much as 144 minutes of instruction time a week due to disruptive behaviors. Over the course of a year, that can add up to nearly three weeks of lost time. Think back to the opening example. If Mr. Taylor stops lecturing every time one of his students has a side conversation or pulls out a cell phone, it will likely result in multiple interruptions over the course of a class period. While those daily interruptions might seem insignificant, the total loss over time can have a massive impact, especially when we consider that most teachers are already short on teaching time.
The good news is: teachers can reclaim that lost instruction time through more proactive and intentional classroom management techniques. According to Robert Marzano, effectively managed classrooms have the potential to increase student achievement by 52 percentile points. With this in mind, it’s crucial that we create and maintain an optimal learning environment, which includes a plan for classroom management. If teachers establish this essential component early on, they can help set their students up for not only behavioral achievement, but academic achievement as well. It’s a win-win for teachers and students.
Tips to Enhance Classroom Management
To begin, teachers can establish a strong foundation of classroom management by following the Eight Be’s:
1. Be Proactive
When intentionally planning the rules and routines of their classroom, teachers should think about the kind of learning community they would like to create. What should students do when they first enter the room? How should they behave during group work? Where do they turn in their work? Thinking proactively about how students will engage with and contribute to the classroom community allows teachers to lay out a clear plan for acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. When teachers take time to anticipate students’ needs and possible obstacles, they can often prevent disruptive behaviors from happening in the first place.
One way to be more proactive at the beginning of the year is by building meaningful relationships with students. According to the research, teachers who take the time to develop meaningful relationships with their students have 31 percent fewer disruptions and behavior challenges in the classroom; plus, students often learn better from those they have authentic relationships with.
Relationship-building can start on day one. Greet students at the door using verbal and non-verbal acknowledgments, such as a smile, handshake, or high-five. Learn students’ names right away and make an effort to get to know them. Invite students to complete student interest inventories and use their responses to inform your interactions and classroom activities. Many relationship-building strategies don’t take much time, but can have a significant impact on the atmosphere in the classroom.
2. Be Specific
Students often need explicit instruction on how to behave. What are appropriate and inappropriate behaviors in the classroom? How are your expectations different from another teacher’s? Provide clear guidelines for students, model the behaviors, and let students practice them. Teachers can introduce specific rules, routines, and procedures by giving an interactive tour of the classroom. The teacher will explain expectations and demonstrate how students can be successful at them. For example, they might demonstrate how students should unpack their backpack after they arrive or how to line up at the door when their name is called. Establishing clear routines and procedures helps students feel comfortable and develop more independence. Note: you do not have to cover all expectations on day one.
3. Be Calm and Confident
Even with the best preparation, disruptions can and will happen. In these moments, remember to be calm and confident. Respond to the behavior right away and take control of the situation. Use clear and confident body language (stand up straight, face the student); choose a respectful and appropriate tone; speak clearly; keep emotion out of your voice; and take action and/or apply consequences. Students often mirror the teacher’s level of emotion, so projecting a calm exterior and voice can help mitigate the situation. Teachers can also use nonverbal interventions, such as making eye contact with the student, using gestures, or walking toward the student. Another strategy is to call out the behavior the teacher desires to see anonymously: I appreciate the eyes that are staying focused on the text. Let's all come together and remember our classroom expectations for focusing on the text. Or, I appreciate those who are not chattering during class time. Let's remember, our guidelines for our group work are…These approaches help establish a collaborative community culture where students are encouraged to self-regulate.
4. Be Consistent
When designing a classroom management plan, remember that the same rules should apply to all students. Additionally, once you’ve made the plan, you should stick to it and follow through. If you make exceptions early on, it’s often harder to enforce the rules later. Whereas if you establish routines and predictability from the start, there will be room for flexibility and adaptation as the school year progresses. One way to promote consistency and inclusion is to invite students to co-create a list of class rules. Have them identify key values and explore how those values should be demonstrated in the classroom. For instance, everyone might agree that respect is an important trait. But what does it mean to be respectful in the classroom? Students might make a list of behaviors, such as: respectful students follow directions, use respectful language, are patient with themselves and others, and avoid teasing and harassment.
As the busyness of the school year gets going, it can also be helpful to check in with students regularly and reinforce classroom rules and expectations. To help with this, teachers can set a monthly reminder in their calendar to go over classroom rules, offer some reflection time, or have a class meeting to discuss how things are going. They might ask students to share important reminders about a particular routine, allow them to ask questions about it, and reinforce why it matters.
5. Be a Model
Creating a safe, welcoming, and productive learning environment involves more than setting expectations for student behavior. Teachers must also be mindful of how they behave. Building a culture of civility, kindness, and growth starts with the teacher modeling those traits. As the classroom example, teachers can demonstrate acceptable and unacceptable behaviors for students and discuss how they affect the learning environment. For example, teachers might introduce an icebreaker at the beginning of the year where they model the behaviors they’d like to see in the classroom, along with those that students should try to avoid. These kinds of activities allow students to have fun while learning the rules and routines. It also helps build relationships and illustrates how students can be successful.
6. Be Positive
Praise students when they follow the rules or exhibit good behaviors. Name the specific behavior and explain why it’s beneficial. Calling out good behavior helps create a culture of positivity and instills a growth mindset. It can also help redirect more challenging behaviors. Try this: the next time you see a student following directions, offer them verbal praise for their efforts. You can also give them air high-fives or show enthusiasm for the behavior.
7. Be Accommodating
As we know, classrooms are full of diverse learners with different strengths, abilities, and needs. Effective classroom management takes into account students’ learning needs, interests, and preferences and uses them to encourage positive behaviors and redirect challenging ones. Teachers can avoid some common disruptive behaviors by building students’ confidence, giving them multiple chances to succeed at a task, and celebrating diversity. When students believe their needs are being met, they’re less likely to misbehave in class. Teachers can try designing lessons and tasks that incorporate multiple learning styles, such as reading a text, watching a video, and doing hands-on practice. They can also offer flexible seating options so students can choose where to sit and/or complete their work, such as moveable desks and chairs, cafe tables, bean bags, or floor pillows.
8. Be Reflective
We work with human beings who are constantly shifting and changing. As such, successful classroom management is an ongoing process, one that involves regular reflection and adjustment. Take time to pause and reflect on your classroom environment and behaviors. What’s working, what isn’t, and what might need some tweaking? Similarly, students will also need time to reflect on their learning environment and how they can grow as a learner. Set aside designated time for them to think about and discuss how they feel they're growing as a learner, how they are persevering through a task, and/or what they are doing to promote their own learning. These reflections can happen one-on-one with the teacher, in small groups, or in writing exercises.
The beginning of the year is a great time to establish a solid foundation of classroom management that will carry you through the rest of the year. But remember that effective management doesn’t happen overnight. It’s an ongoing process, one we should reflect on and revisit often, and adjust as needed to meet the needs of our students.
For those of you who’d like to go deeper into classroom management, my new book Intentional Instructional Moves will feature a chapter dedicated to designing more effective classroom management practices. Included in that chapter are strategies and tools to support educators as they elevate their instruction. Be watching for its release by October 2024.
For more information on coaching effective instructional practices, see my previous book, Coaching Redefined.
Get in Touch
Please connect with me to share your own classroom management ideas or ask for assistance. We truly are all in this together.
Twitter: @Sherrystclair
Facebook: Sherry St Clair
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Website: Reflective Learning, LLC
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