Imagine it's the first day of class. You've organized your materials, created a lesson plan, and even decorated your classroom. But no amount of prep could have readied you for the chaos that ensued as soon as the students walked through the door. Whether it's unruly behavior, constant chatter, or difficulty transitioning from activity to activity, classroom management issues can derail even the best teachers' plans. Fortunately, effective classroom management strategies can help you address these issues so you can get back to the business of teaching. This article will explore practical approaches to establishing and maintaining order in your classroom.
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23 Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques
1. Model Ideal Behavior: Set The Standard For Classroom Conduct
Make a habit of demonstrating the behavior you want to see. Many studies show that modeling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations. A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is by holding a mock conversation with an administrator, other teacher or student helper in front of the class.
Talking about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:
- Use polite language
- Maintain eye contact
- Keep phones in your pockets
- Let one another speak uninterrupted
- Raise concerns about one another’s statements in a respectful manner
- Start a class discussion to list and expand upon your ideal behaviors.
2. Let Students Help Establish Guidelines: Foster a Sense of Belonging
Encourage all students to help you build classroom expectations and rules, as you’ll generate more buy-in than just telling them what they’re not allowed to do. This is especially essential for new teachers. Near the start of the school year or during the first day of a semester, start a discussion by asking students what they believe should and shouldn’t fly regarding appropriate behavior.
- At what points are phones okay and not okay?
- What are acceptable noise levels during lessons?
This may seem like you’re setting yourself up for failure, but depending on the makeup of your class, you may be shocked at the strictness of some proposed rules. Regardless, having a discussion should lead to mutually understood and -respected expectations for your classroom culture.
3. Document Rules: Write It Down
Don’t let your mutually respected guidelines go forgotten. Like handing out a syllabus or printing and distributing the list of rules generated by the class discussion. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to them. And when a student breaks a rule, it’ll be easy for you to point to this document.
If you haven't already, you'll likely want to post these rules up in your classroom for occasional reference. If you’re feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information, too.
4. Avoid Punishing The Class: Address Misbehavior On An Individual Basis
Address isolated discipline problems individually instead of punishing an entire class. The latter can hurt your relationships with on-task students and thereby jeopardize other classroom management efforts. Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner.
For example:
- “Do you have a question?”, not “Stop talking and disrupting other students”
- “Do you need help focusing?”, not “Pay attention and stop fooling around while I’m talking”
This basic approach will allow you to keep a friendly disposition, while immediately acknowledging inappropriate behavior.
5. Encourage Initiative: Promote a Growth Mindset
Promote growth mindset, and inject variety into your lessons by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short presentations to share take-away points. Almost inevitably, you’ll have some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they’d like to get ahead from time to time.
For example, if you’re reading a specific chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the following one, too. When they deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next chapter on your behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.
6. Offer Praise: Use Positive Reinforcement
Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study. When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:
- Inspire the class Improve a student’s self-esteem
- Reinforce rules and values you want to see
Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students to repeat positive behavior. Let’s say a student exemplifies advanced problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem. Praising his or her use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues to use these tactics. Not to mention, you’ll motivate other students to do the same.
7. Use Nonverbal Communication: Speak Less and Communicate More
Complement words with actions and visual aids to improve content delivery, helping students focus and process lessons. Many differentiated instruction strategies and techniques are rooted in these communication methods.
For example, running learning stations—divided sections of your classroom through which students rotate—allows you to deliver a range of non-spoken content types. These include:
- Videos
- Infographics
- Physical objects such as counting coins
8. Hold Parties: Celebrate Student Success
Throw an occasional classroom party to acknowledge students’ hard work and motivate them to keep it up. Even if it’s just for 20 or 30 minutes, they should be happy with snacks and a selection of group games. Clarify that you’re holding the party to reward them, and they can earn future parties by demonstrating ideal behavior, collectively scoring high on assessments, and more.
9. Give Tangible Rewards: Make Good Behavior Count
Reward specific students in front of the class at the end of each lesson as another motivational and behavior-reinforcement technique. A few students actively listen throughout the lesson, answering questions and asking their own.
Before the class ends, walk over to their desks to give them raffle tickets. So others can learn, state aloud what each student did to earn the tickets. On Friday, they can submit their tickets for a prize that changes each week—from candy to the ability to choose a game for the next class party.
10. Make Positive Letters and Phone Calls: Contact Home For the Right Reasons
Keep students happy in and out of class by pleasantly surprising their parents, making positive phone calls and sending complimentary letters home. When the occasion arises, from academic effort or behavioral progress, letting parents know has a trickle-down effect.
They’ll generally congratulate their kids, and their kids will likely come to class eager to earn more positive feedback. This can also entice parents to grow more invested in a child’s learning, opening the door to at-home lessons, which are a mainstay element of culturally responsive teaching.
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11. Build Excitement For Content and Lesson Plans: Hook Student Interest
This one works well no matter the grade level: elementary school, middle school, or high school. Start lessons by previewing particularly exciting parts, hooking student interest from the get-go. As the bell rings and students settle, go through an agenda of the day’s highlights for the class.
These could include group tasks, engaging bits of content and anything else to pique curiosity. For example, throughout the day, you’ll learn about:
- How to talk like you’re a teacher (sentence structure)
- Why you don’t know anyone who’s won the lottery (probability)
- What all the presidents of the United States have had in common (social analysis)
This classroom management technique aims to interest students in your agenda and thereby dissuade misbehavior immediately.
12. Offer Different Types Of Free Study Time: Provide Structure For Students
Provide a range of activities during free study time to appeal to students who struggle to process content individually in silence. You can divide your class into clearly sectioned solo and team activities. In separate sections, consider:
- Providing audiobooks, which can play material relevant to your lessons.
- Maintaining a designated quiet space for students to take notes and complete work.
- Creating a station for challenging group games that teach or reinforce standards-aligned skills.
- Allowing students to work in groups while taking notes and completing work, away from quiet zones.
13. Write Group Contracts: Promote Accountability
Help student group work run smoothly and effectively by writing contracts that contain guidelines having everyone sign. Group contracts should be based on students' expectations for each other, and you have for them. You can gather the class’s thoughts by discussing what the ideal group member does, and how he or she acts.
Once you’ve written the contract, encourage students to devise consequences for violating expectations. By having them sign a fresh contract before each group task and project, you empower them to hold each other accountable.
14. Assign Open-Ended Projects: Encourage Student Choice
Encourage students to tackle open-ended projects that don’t demand a specific product. This will allow them to demonstrate knowledge in ways that suit them inherently. Start by giving the class a list of broad project ideas and asking each student to choose one. Be sure to provide a rubric for each project that clearly defines expectations.
By both enticing and challenging students, you should notice they’ll:
- Work and learn at their own paces
- Engage actively with appropriate content
- Demonstrate knowledge as effectively as possible
15. Give Only Two Scores For Informal Assessments: Lighten the Load
Recall when you saw a big “F” in red ink on your work. You were probably too upset to review mistakes and feedback, as are your students when they see the same. So, consider avoiding standard marks on informal and formative assessments. Instead, just state if a student did or did not meet expectations.
Then, provide struggling students with a clear path to improve. For example, pair classmates who didn’t meet expectations with those who did, giving them a review and practice activity. When strugglers are confident they understand key concepts, encourage them to tell you. Provide a new assessment, allowing them to prove their competency.
16. Proximity Control: Move About The Classroom
Move around the classroom often. Proximity control can redirect off-task behavior and promote focus in a non-confrontational way. As proximity control becomes consistent, students are more likely to be on task because they know you could be near their desk at any point.
17. Praise Publicly and Correct Privately: Promote Student Confidence
Celebrate a student’s achievements in front of the class to boost their confidence. Individual adverse behavioral issues should be addressed privately. Public redirection can incite the instinct to defend oneself. The goal here is to redirect quickly so that learning can continue.
18. Classroom Layout: Organize the Physical Space
Organize desks and materials to minimize distractions and allow free flow of movement from door to desk. Considering natural foot traffic flow reduces disruptions. Designate specific areas for different tasks, like:
- Reading corner
- Group work area
- An individual workspace
Clearly define these zones using furniture, rugs, or visual markers. This helps create an environment conducive to learning.
19. Use Humor: Lighten the Mood
Add appropriate humor to lessons to boost student engagement. Be mindful of cultural sensitivities and individual preferences.
20. Nurture Positive Relationships With Each Student: Get to Know Your Students
Many teachers must manage large class sizes. This makes getting to know each student individually difficult, but you can still set aside a few minutes here and there. If, for example, Joan walks into class early, put down your notes and ask if she had a good weekend.
If Hector seems down in the dumps, take him aside to ask privately if he’s alright. These mini-conversations have nothing to do with the curriculum, but for a student to know that a teacher genuinely cares can make all the difference in the world.
21. Interact With Students Regularly: Build Rapport
Consistent interaction will help ensure rapport and reduce classroom management issues:
- Greet students as they enter the classroom
- Chat with them for a few moments
- Consider an opening class with a brief, casual conversation about a current event or something interesting from the homework
- Ask questions (giving plenty of wait time) and respond to student comments.
- Make eye contact with as many students as possible during class.
22. Confront Inappropriate Language: Address Microaggressions
If a student makes an inappropriate comment—racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive—letting it go without intervention can seem like a tacit endorsement of those views. Whether the slight is intentional or not, the impact is the same.
Letting such comments pass unchallenged can seriously harm students’ trust in you and their sense of belonging in the class and the university. Responding directly to microaggressions and other inappropriate language may feel uncomfortable, but our discomfort as instructors has less impact than the discomfort experienced by marginalized students.
23. Create a Learning Space That Matches Your Needs: Design Your Classroom
There are no set rules for what a classroom should look like. Consider your teaching style and create a classroom with matching areas. Do you do a lot of group work? Use tables or desks that can easily be rearranged.
Be sure to provide spaces for students to work independently comfortably and accommodate special needs. Ask students to help create the space that helps them learn, and be open to their suggestions.
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