10+1 Classroom Management Tips That Saved My Life

Now that the 2015-16 school year has officially begun for the entire country, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss classroom management.

The goal of classroom management is not just to create an organized classroom and stress-free days, but most importantly, effective classroom management aims for optimal student learning. Any seasoned teacher can readily agree classroom management goes hand-in-hand with student achievement. Although the content we teach is what we want students to walk away with, effective classroom management is the vehicle to help us reach the goal of student learning.

As teachers, we all have an arsenal of classroom management tools that we just can't do without and aide in student learning. Throughout my eight years of teaching, I have experimented with numerous classroom management techniques, tips, and routines; some worked and some did not. Here is a list of the 10 that have survived my experiments and are now a part of my permanent teaching repertoire:

10+1 Classroom Management Tips That Saved My Life

1. Assign student jobs: when students have responsibilities, they are more likely to feel acknowledged and appreciated. Having responsibilities also communicates to students that they are important, the teacher trusts them, and they have valuable skills.
2. Label: In my classroom, all items that students will need to access independently are labeled. This includes the area for lined paper, textbooks, workbooks, group supply boxes, sign/out book, etc. Most of the items in my teacher closet are in boxes and also labeled for easy access and organization. This helps keep me sane and eliminates wasted time trying to look for forgotten items.
3. Count down during transitions: Instead of asking students to please take out their notebooks, I might state, "Now it's time to take out your notebooks. Let's do that in 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. That was great." I have found that students spend less time transitioning because there's a mental timer; there's no time for conversations or completing transitions in a leisurely manner.
4. Greet students @ door and practice: Greeting students as soon as they enter class is invaluable; it sets the tone for the rest of the class time, and mentally prepares students for order and organization. It also helps the teacher acknowledge each student individually as people before getting into the seriousness of the day's lesson. On the first day of school I also have my students practice this routine; if students do not enter the classroom appropriately (e.g., straight to desks without wasting time, not jumping over desks, taking out their notebooks immediately, etc.) then I ask them to leave the room once again to practice until they get it right. I have found that eventually students practice less and less and within a few days have this routine down-packed.
5. Have an Admit Slip: Some schools call it Bell Work, others might call it an Admit Slip, but no matter what it may be called, this beginning-of-the-class activity also helps set the tone of organization, order, and no wasting time. As soon as my students greet me at the door, they are expected to sit down, read the Admit Slip activity directions, and begin completing the Admit Slip immediately. I try to vary the Admit Slip sporadically to keep students alert and interested in it. If all you have is a boring question every single day students will eventually disengage and will not be motivated to even look at the Admit Slip. Brain research shows that the human brain is constantly seeking novelty; therefore, varying the Admit Slip keeps students interested and engaged, which is part of the point of having an Admit Slip in the first place.
6. Post small group work rules: I have found that the general classroom expectations/rules aren't always specific enough for small group work behavior. Therefore, I have students help me design the classroom expectations/rules but design the small group rules myself. The rules are usually: -C3B4Me (see tip #8); -Speak only loud enough for your group to hear you; -Complete your work with excellence; -Avoid visiting other groups.
7. Setup an accordion folder for small group work: Since small group work can sometimes include a lot of materials due to its independent nature, I use an accordion folder like this one to help students stay organized and as independent as possible. The less time students spend asking me where something is or trying to figure out how a center works, the more time I am able to spend assisting and meeting with students. Why an accordion folder? It can hold more than one center at a time, labeling is easy, and setting up the folders takes less time than with a pocket folder. I only use pocket folders for simpler activities that require a very little amount of materials; otherwise, I stick to accordion folders.
8. Adapt the C3B4Me rule: C3B4Me stands for "See three before me." This means that if students have a question about the directions or need clarification on something, they must ask three classmates within their group before asking me, the teacher. This helps students become more independent as well as interdependent on their peers rather than on the teacher. It relieves me and I have found that more than half the time students' answers are answered correctly by their peers without having to ask me.
9. Invest in a large classroom timer: I use this Lakeshore giant classroom timer and haven't looked back since buying it. It is a little pricey but I think it is worth the investment; students can see the numbers clearly from afar, it is magnetic so it can be placed right on the magnetic whiteboard or any other magnetic surface, it can be stood on its legs on top of a table, and the volume is adjustable. I have used large online timers like the ones from this website, but it's yet another website I have to click on and I don't always have the projector/SmartBoard running, therefore the physical timer saves me time for those days when I don't have time or want to touch a computer.
10. Develop a relationship with your students: This final classroom management tip is perhaps the most important one because at the end of the day our students are human beings in need of attention, and yes, love; we teach humans, not machines. As much as I love my content, if I don't try to develop relationships with my students, they will not be as willing to learn and take responsibility in the classroom. When students perceive that they are more than just a number or a student to their teacher, they will respect the teacher more and be more open to learning new concepts. Tips #1 and 4 will assist in creating a positive rapport with students, but here are some more tips for developing an appropriate relationship with students: -make your first phone call of the year a positive one; embed some parts of your personal life that are appropriate into your lessons (for instance, I might share some details about the first and last time I went horseback riding during a creative writing lesson); -smile...yes, it's perfectly okay to smile; - avoid yelling. There are many more ways to develop a positive relationship with students, but perhaps I'll make that into its own post in the near future!
11. Focus on student-centered instruction: I know I said there would be ten tips, but I just can't help excluding this one. One of my teaching mottos is "The one doing the work is the one doing the learning." I strongly believe in this because I have found that students do the most learning when they are involved in it, doing something with their learning, and not just being passive receivers of information. I try to keep my lectures short and if I can skip a lecture altogether and have students learn the same information by having them do an actual activity, that's even better. Plus, when students get used to the idea that it's more about they can do versus what the teacher can do, they will be more likely to own their learning.

I hope these tips are useful to you as you embark on this new school year. Best wishes and love to you!