Download - 73 suggestions
Handy tips for effective
classroom management
Suggestions for relating to students in a
positive manner
Operate on the assumption that
each student wants to be successful
Make it a point to find a way of
relating to each student in a
supportive manner
Be friendly but firm with students
Treat each student with kindness and
respect
Attempt to enhance the self-concept of each student by
building on his or her skills and optimism
When a student(s) act
inappropriately, remain calm and
composed
Identify three to five students during each lesson who you can
praise individually for successful work
Praise students as a group for good
work
Display a sense of humor
During each passing period between class
sessions be at the doorway to greet
and chat with students
Be available to talk to students before and after school to help or ‘just talk’
Display respect and dignity for each student
To encourage appropriate
behaviour, establish realistic behaviour
standards, including consequences
Insist that students are respectful of themselves and
others
Through discussions ensure that students
understand the fairness/reasons for
all established standards
Keep a supply of ‘loaners’
(pens/pencils/glue etc.) on hand for
students who forget theirs & don’t make a
big deal out of it
Communicate to students that
trivial offenses will not be escalated into major issues
Be impartial and fair when working
with students
Interact with all students, not just a
select few
Give students a pleasing greeting each day and wish them a
pleasant afternoon/weekend/
vacation
Suggestions for preventing
student misbehaviour
Use preventative discipline – identify potential problems
before they develop
To monitor classroom activity, keep on your feet during class time
Expect students to listen attentively
while another student or the
teacher is talking
Keep class work and assignments separate
from student behaviour issues
If a student, after being corrected for
misbehaving, does the right thing,
praise/encourage them
When correcting student
misbehaviour, communicate in a
private, positive and respectful manner
When you detect student frustration or anxiety, adjust
the learning activity
When the class gets restless/noisy,
provide for a change of pace or activity
rather than scold the class
Communicate to each class that the entire
group will not be disciplined as a result of the actions of a few
students
Admit that at times, student
misbehaviour is a result of something
your fault
Find ways to motivate students,
including the reluctant learner
Carefully plan each classroom session so
that there is no ‘dead time’
Adjust lesson plans to take into account school
life situations when students often get restless (e.g. Friday
afternoon)
During each lesson, provide at least one learning activity in which all students
can experience success
During each class period, provide a
variety of learning activities (don’t use a
whole period to complete one activity)
Adjust daily lesson planning to take into
account the students’ span of
attention
Suggestions for handling student
discipline systems
Make discipline decisions that are appropriate and
realistic for the age level and infraction
Think through discipline decisions
before acting
Only make discipline decisions
that you can enforce
Make discipline decisions after the
‘heat of the moment’ has passed
When a student misbehaves, find a way
to correct behaviour privately (e.g. move near the student and whisper
a correction)
Seek assistance from the administration
before allowing misbehaviour problems
to become acute
Suggestions for providing
classroom leadership
While taking attendance/admi
n, ensure students are on
task
Establish time-saving routines for collecting
papers/distributing materials and
supplies
Make directions for any learning
activity brief and concise
Use visual aids to help present and review concepts and directions
After giving directions for guided/independent
practice, move around the classroom observing
effectiveness of directions and providing assistance
Show sincere enthusiasm for the subjects you teach
Provide a neat classroom that
gives students the idea of orderliness
Present a professional
personal appearance in the
classroom
Insist that students maintain high
standards in work and behaviour – have
realistic and attainable standards
Use many different teaching methods
as there is no ‘best’ one
Homework assignments must have a
purpose
To assist students with their homework, teach
students how to study by showing them a variety of
study skills
Ensure that student work is displayed in
the classroom
Provide ways of giving students responsibility
Be patient with students and be willing to reteach concepts that were not understood when first
taught
During each class, summarize or have students summarize the day’s learnings
The work that is assigned to
students is within their capabilities
and power
Use pre-tests or other procedures to ascertain what students already
know
Involve students in setting learning goals for each teaching unit
Ask students to propose test
questions and other types of evaluative
activities
Involve students in peer-teaching
situations, cooperative learning and small group instruction
Limit the lecture method of teaching – any “teacher talks”
are to be <10 minutes long
Adapted from:Brainard, E. (2001).
Classroom management: Seventy-three suggestions
for secondary school teachers. The Clearing House. 78(4): 207-210.