Because we are aspiring teachers, I thought that we would need a lot of help with classroom management. They say that not only is classroom management learned but has to be practiced on a daily basis. On this site, Top 10 Tips for Classroom Discipline and Management, they give ten tips to new teachers about classroom management.
Tip #1: “It’s easier to get easier”, although the title is kind of confusing the tip is to make sure that you have a complete, well thought out discipline plan from the start. Students will realize what they can and cannot get away with quickly. If you have a poor plan to start out with it may be quite difficult to create a new, effective plan during the year or semester. So the title pretty much means that if you set up an effective discipline plan from the start, it is easier to lighten up as the school year progresses rather than toughening up.
Tip #2: “Fairness is Key”, Students have a keen eye for what is or is not fair. Be sure to treat all of you students the same so that you are not viewed as unfair by your students. Even if you best student misbehaves, be sure to punish him/her just like you would your worst student. This also helps with making sure that your students follow your rules. If you are viewed as unfair, students are less likely to follow your rules.
Tip #3: “Deal with disruptions with as little interruption as possible”, If you have to deal with classroom disruptions be sure to do so immediately without stopping or interruption the lesson. If you interrupt the lesson you are stealing time away from those students who want to learn. Instead, try different techniques that stop the disruption, but keep the flow of the lesson such as calling on a student who is talking.
Tip #4: “Avoid confrontations in front of students”, Be careful to handle issues with a student in private rather than in front of the class. Calling out a student for his/her misbehavior may let other students get the hint, but you may be discouraging the student who you are making an example of. Also when you handle confrontations in front of the class, the student may feel that he is being made the center of attention (negative attention) in front of his/her peers.
Tip #5: “Stop disruptions with a little humor”, Using a little humor can help to get a class back on track with the lesson. However you are urged to be able to tell the difference between good humor and sarcasm. Be aware of student’s personalities and what they may view as humor or sarcasm. Sarcasm could hurt a teacher-student relationship.
Tip #6: “Keep high expectations for your class”, Keep a positive attitude about your class, “My class will behave today”. These attitudes can go a long away in your overall attitude throughout the day. Also let the students know your expectations. If you expect your students to sit quietly and raise their hand during the lesson, tell them before the lesson to sit quietly and to raise their hand.
Tip #7: “Overplan”, Avoid free time by over planning. The article claims that by having free time you are telling your students that you care little about your subject. Although I do not agree with this, take what you will.
Tip #8: “Be consistent”, You have to be very consistent with you students. Make sure that if you are getting on to students one day for their misbehaviors that you get on to them the next day for their misbehaviors. If you are inconsistent, your students may lose their respect for you as well as their attention.
Tip #9: “Make rules understandable”, Make rules and consequences clear and understandable to your students. Make the rules sweet and simple. I think that you AND your class should come up the rules and consequences that way they have a hand in their environment.
Tip #10: “Start fresh everyday”, Be sure not to carry anything over from one day to the next. The article gives an example of Julie who disrupts the class every day. Make sure you don’t go into the classroom expecting her to misbehave without giving her the chance to behave and thus treating her different from the rest of the class.
Just wanted to let you know that this was tough encouagement. It was a really tough day at school. It was a good reminder that tomorrow will be a new day and that I decide if it'll be good or not. I've also learned that we have to change the rules sometimes to make sure that your students can best learn. It's good to really explain waht it is that you are doing and remind them several times over a few days about the rules. It's a tough process but well owrth it.
ReplyDeleteThese are some really good tips for teachers to have for classroom management. If teachers would follow these guidelines, their classes will be interesting and fun without seeming stressful.
ReplyDeleteThose are really good! I think that all teachers should help eachother out to follow each of these. Guidelines are important for a classroom. I can't wait for us to be teachers!
ReplyDeleteI really like these because they are things teachers need to know. I feel if teachers follow these they will become better teachers for our students. It is important for us to have guidelines to follow. If we didn't we wouldn't know what is expected of us. I never knew how hard this job would be.
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips! These are all useful and would help anyone who is trying to manage almost anything. As a future educator I will definiatly utilize this list. Being consistent is probably one of my favorite rules listed. It is important for our students to know we are reliable and are not apt to change attitude, assignments, or atmosphere without warning.
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