Top Classroom Management Tips

Classroom management tips for teachers by real teachers. Solid classroom management is key to a teacher’s success in the classroom. Check out these classroom management tips from these great teachers.

Routines. Routines. Routine. I cannot stress that it is important for students to know what to expect when they arrive in your classroom. Start with bell work or silent reading, then move into the lesson structure. My daily lessons look like this: silent reading for 10 minutes, lesson for 15 minutes, and work time/guided instruction for 20-25 minutes. Kristy from 2 Peas and a Dog

When you’re asking a student to put their head up, get out an assignment, comply with an instruction, etc. and you think they might be argumentative about it, be super nice. “Hey, BOB, it looks like you’re really sleepy today. Are you feeling alright? I can send you to get a drink of water if you need to, or if you’re not feeling well I can send you to the nurse? I just want to make sure you’re ok, because if you’re here in class, I need you to wake up and stay with me, ok?” It sounds weird, but a lot of times they’re taken aback by the kindness and it’s harder for them to respond rudely when you’ve been nothing but nice. Meghan Mathis from Fun Fresh Ideas

Get to know your students and take a genuine interest in their lives. Go to their games, their events, their competitions. Ask them questions about everything. Get involved. It will make a difference in your classroom and it will make a difference in their lives. Michele Luck from A Lesson Plan for Teachers

Using a softer than average voice gains me much more engagement and attention when the class is beginning to lose control than raising it. Sara C. from The Responsive Counselor

Where I live every school uses PBIS. It’s great because the rules are universal. They include, “Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe”. I also have visuals for students in the classroom based on Whole Body Listening. It’s a great reminder to students of what it means to be a good listener. I teach K-6 grades and it works for all of my students. Creating a meaningful relationship with students is key. Letting them know you care, and you believe in them has been very effective. Laura Zank from Research Based Tools for Teachers

Bathroom passes…I see a lot of questions about when students should be allowed to go and what to do if they abuse the privilege. When students leave our class every single day, even if it’s just for five minutes at a time, they are missing out on valuable instruction and learning experiences. It’s an important issue to address. Here’s my solution: Every nine weeks, I give my students five restroom passes. I don’t print them off. I just explain that they have five times during that nine weeks that they can miss my class to tinkle without penalty. In order to document their usage of the passes, I have a chart on a clipboard by the door. The chart has six columns: one with students’ names in alphabetical order and five that are each titled “Pass 1” “Pass 2” and so on. Each time a student uses the bathroom, they write the date next to their name on the chart. This way, they don’t lose the passes, and there is a visible reminder of how many times they have gone. Melissa from The Reading and Writing Haven

Here’s a really simple tip that has worked to settle down my middle school students when they enter class. I have our daily Bell Ringer activity minimized on the whiteboard when they come in. The minute it’s time for class to start, I bring it up on the screen. At the same time, I turn off one of my two light switches, which dims the room slightly. Dimming the lights and popping the Bell Ringer up at the same time sets the “class has begun” atmosphere! I don’t have to tell kids to be quiet, sit down, or get out their notebooks. This start-up becomes the routine. I silently start looking out at the class, checking attendance from my seating chart, with the expectation that everyone is working. Then, after we’ve completed the warm-up activity (this could also be your free-writing topic), students are settled into class mode and I can transition into the rest of the lesson plan. Joy Sexton from Teaching with Joy

Have classroom agreements instead of rules. Classroom agreements are what everyone agrees they will need to be successful in the classroom. When someone misbehaves, it’s pretty powerful to say “I thought you said you needed to be {respectful} in order to be successful? Then why are you hurting your success?” Lisa Spangler from Mrs. Spangler in the Middle

Be firm, fair, and consistent. Students can read you like a book, so don’t make promises you can’t keep. Jenny Newberry from Bulletin Board Bonanza