Classroom Management That Works

1. Effective Classroom Management Hinges on Teacher Influence

The results of this study will document that the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher.

Teacher's pivotal role. The book underscores the paramount importance of the teacher in shaping the learning environment and influencing student achievement. Effective teaching and learning are impossible in a poorly managed classroom, where disorder and disrespect prevail. The teacher's ability to create a well-managed classroom is the single most important factor in student success.

Creating a flourishing environment. A well-managed classroom provides an environment where teaching and learning can flourish. This doesn't happen by chance; it requires conscious effort and skill on the part of the teacher. The teacher is the architect of the classroom environment, setting the tone and establishing the conditions for student success.

Three major roles. Effective teachers perform three major roles:

• Making wise choices about instructional strategies
• Designing classroom curriculum to facilitate learning
• Making effective use of classroom management techniques

While all three roles are essential, effective classroom management serves as the foundation upon which the other two are built.

2. Rules and Procedures: The Bedrock of Order

Furthermore, inefficient procedures and the absence of routines for common aspects of classroom life, such as taking and reporting attendance, participating in discussions, turning in materials, or checking work, can waste large amounts of time and cause students’ attention and interest to wane.

Guiding student behavior. Rules and procedures are essential for creating a structured and predictable classroom environment. They provide clear expectations for student behavior, reducing ambiguity and promoting a sense of order. Rules define general expectations, while procedures outline specific behaviors.

Categories of rules and procedures. Rules and procedures typically fall into several categories:

• General expectations for behavior
• Beginning and ending the class day or period
• Transitions and interruptions
• Materials and equipment
• Group work
• Seatwork and teacher-led activities

Student involvement. The most effective classroom managers involve students in the design of rules and procedures. This fosters a sense of ownership and increases student buy-in. Rules and procedures should be viewed as a "contract" between teacher and students, negotiated and agreed upon by all.

3. Disciplinary Interventions: A Balanced Approach

Clearly, the results of these studies should permit schools to strike . . . a ‘healthy balance’ between rewards and punishments.

Addressing misbehavior. Disciplinary interventions are necessary to address student misbehavior and maintain order in the classroom. However, it's crucial to employ a balanced approach that combines positive and negative consequences. The categorical rejection of disciplinary techniques is not supported by research.

Categories of disciplinary interventions:

• Teacher reaction
• Tangible recognition
• Direct cost
• Group contingency
• Home contingency

Student and parent perspectives. It's important to consider the perspectives of both students and parents when implementing disciplinary interventions. Parents generally expect teachers to discipline their children, and students have a strong sense of "fairness" when it comes to behavioral expectations.

4. Teacher-Student Relationships: Building Bridges, Not Walls

Briefly, teachers should be effective instructors and lecturers, as well as friendly, helpful, and congenial.

Foundation of effective management. Teacher-student relationships are the keystone of effective classroom management. When students feel connected to their teacher, they are more likely to accept rules, procedures, and disciplinary actions. Without a good relationship, students may resist these elements.

Dominance and cooperation. An optimal teacher-student relationship involves a healthy balance between dominance and cooperation. High dominance is characterized by clarity of purpose and strong guidance, while high cooperation is characterized by a concern for the needs and opinions of others.

Addressing student needs. Effective managers tailor their approach to the unique needs of individual students. Some students need encouragement, while others need a gentle reprimand. Teachers should develop a set of "helping skills" to employ with different types of students.

5. Mental Set: The Teacher's Inner Compass

It was not whether she came in right away but whether she came in before something spread or became more serious.

Mindfulness and awareness. An appropriate mental set is essential for effective classroom management. This involves a heightened sense of situational awareness and a conscious control over one's thoughts and behavior. Teachers must cultivate a mindful stance relative to their "withitness" and "emotional objectivity."

Withitness and emotional objectivity. Withitness involves a keen awareness of disruptive behavior or potentially disruptive behavior and immediate attention to that behavior. Emotional objectivity allows the teacher to address disciplinary issues in an "unemotional, matter-of-fact" manner.

Developing withitness and objectivity. Teachers can enhance their withitness by:

• Reacting immediately to disruptive behavior
• Forecasting potential problems
• Observing master teachers

Teachers can maintain emotional objectivity by:

• Looking for reasons why students misbehave (reframing)
• Monitoring their own thoughts
• Taking care of their own emotional health

6. Student Responsibility: Cultivating Self-Governance

Self-discipline connotes internal motivation for one’s behavior, the internalization of democratic ideals, and is most evident when external regulations of behavior are absent.

Empowering students. Students should be given the message that they are responsible for their own behavior and provided with strategies and training to realize that control. This involves fostering self-discipline, self-management, self-regulation, and social skills.

Strategies for teaching responsibility:

• Classroom meetings
• Using a language of responsibility
• Written statements of belief
• Written self-analyses

Self-monitoring and control. Self-monitoring and control strategies involve teaching students to observe their own behavior, record it, compare it with a criterion, and reward their success. Cognitively based strategies involve examining one's thoughts, considering consequences, and selecting the most effective course of action.

7. Starting Strong: Setting the Tone from Day One

The beginning of the school year is an important time for classroom management because your students will learn behavior, attitudes, and work habits that will affect the rest of the year.

First impressions matter. The beginning of the school year is a critical time to set the tone for classroom management. What you do that first day sets a tone that can carry you through the rest of the year. This involves:

• Arranging and decorating the room to support effective management
• Beginning with a strong first day of class
• Emphasizing classroom management for the first few days

Room arrangement and decoration. The way you arrange and decorate your classroom communicates a great deal to students. The emphasis should be on functionality, creating a "learning" environment rather than a "pretty" environment.

First-day activities. On the first day of class, it's important to:

• Greet students warmly
• Present and discuss classroom rules and procedures
• Engage students in activities that convey a sense of the content and activities they will be engaged in

8. School-Level Management: A Unified Front

At all public school grade levels, effective classroom management has been recognized as a crucial element in effective teaching.

Beyond the classroom. Effective management extends beyond individual classrooms to encompass the entire school. School-level management provides the larger context in which classroom management takes place. This involves:

• Establishing rules and procedures for behavioral problems caused by the school's physical characteristics or routines
• Establishing clear schoolwide rules and procedures regarding specific types of misbehavior
• Establishing and enforcing appropriate consequences for specific types of misbehavior
• Establishing a system that allows for the early detection of students who have high potentials for violence and extreme behaviors
• Adopting a schoolwide management program

Ecological interventions. Ecological interventions are rules and procedures that counteract possible negative consequences of the school's physical characteristics or schedule. These interventions aim to prevent problems before they arise.

Schoolwide programs. Adopting a schoolwide management program communicates a strong sense of solidarity among school staff regarding management. This requires teachers to agree on a set of actions and strategies that all of them will use.

Last updated: March 3, 2025