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Hi everyone! My name is Olivia, and I am currently a second year at Wartburg college, looking to teach secondary education. I am looking for advice on how to start day one with good classroom management. I do feel it is important to start off with effective management, so that problems might be prevented. Also, that way I can try to establish a positive learning environment for my students. I'd love some suggestions!
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I feel like one tip is to try and learn how to be as organized as possible, tailored to your personal standards. I think it is essiential in having good classroom management skills.
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Hi Olivia! Something that I have noticed while out in the classrooms has been to state your classroom expectations/rules right away. This way you are starting off the class with letting your students know what you are expecting from them and also what they can expect from you!
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Hi Olivia!
I am a former FACS teacher and have taught 6-12th grade students and am now going back to school for elementary education. I was searching for the same advice when I went through my first round of college. Classroom managment was my biggest fear when I actually started teaching. One thing I would suggest is definitely having a routine. I started my students off every period with a Bell Ringer. I posed a question about what we would be learning that day or a review question from the previous day. This helped get the students ready for my class and also served as a check for understanding. I also laid out specific classroom rules and expectations from the beginning. I let the students know exactly what I was expecting from them. One piece of advice I was given from many veteran teachers was to start out tough on the students and then you can ease up, but it never works the other way around. If you start off too easy or too lax and try to be more firm later, it won't work.
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Hi everyone!
One thing that I find might be helpful is to make sure you post your main classroom rules somewhere that is clear and legible for your students to read. This way, if your students are ever confused about how they are supposed to behave, they could always refer back to the classroom rules. This could potentially prevent students from acting out. Also, having a classroom routine is GOLD in this situation. Students will always know what is coming to them, and it won't come at them by surprise. If something does change in a classroom, make sure to tell them beforehand so they can prepare themselves.
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Hi Olivia, I have previously worked at a school district as a library assistant and also as a tutor. What I have learned about teaching secondary education and having good classroom management is that you need to be clear on your expectations for the school year as well as try your best to stay organized. Meaning you could use a planner to track down the things you need to do. The reason why I say stay organized is because a lot of the times when the students see that the teacher is not able to keep up, some students may want to take advantage of this and break the rules. Although you should explain the rules of the classroom to the students, you must also be friendly and remind them that your job is to help them get to where they need to be. As a new teacher sometimes, I would see teachers jump into being strict and not welcoming. By being welcoming and letting your students know you care, you gain their trust and eventually see that they want to participate and be involved with what’s being taught. The best thing is to walk in with a plan but keep an open mind.
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Although I am still a pre-service teacher, advice I have been given includes being consistent with how you discipline across the board. Letting things slide at one point and then punishing the same action at a different time gives your students mixed messages and the inconsistency will only cause more problems for you down the road.
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Despite the fact that I am a pre-service teacher my lecturers always advise me to develop a routine. That's the golden rule. So in the beginning, set clear instructions and make sure students are aware of them. Being consistent with working with your students at any age is another.
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Hi Olivia,
Im not a teacher at the moment but I had visited classroms and I have observed how it is really important for the teacher to quickly set the rules of the classroom so that the students can know that, it is important for you to present to your students what are you expecting from them and create a relationship with your students.
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Hi Olivia,
I am currently a senior at The Pennsylvania State Univeristy where I have recently been learning about methods exactly for this. One idea that my fellow classmates and I were presented with includes making a classroom statement on the first day. To do this I suggest setting aside a few hours.
You will want to break your students into groups and have them address the following questions one by one: What should our classroom community LOOK like, SOUND like, and FEEL like? Give the students a few minutes to talk to their group and gather ideas/write down one to two word responses. Have each group share their answers aloud as you write them on the board. After each question is addressed, work with the whole class to summarize responses. Have students vote on which responses/words they like best, and then create your finished statement.
Ex. Our classroom community will LOOK inclusive, excited to learn, and bright, we will SOUND respectful, understanding and happy, and we will FEEL both safe and seen.
Then publish this somewhere in your classroom. Throughout the school year you can use the statement for reference as needed for behavior. Every student should be familiar with the statement as they took part in helping create it, so they cannot use not knowing your classroom's expectations as an excuse.
I hope this helps!
Adapted idea from: Abigail L Stibbins, [email protected]
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Hi Olivia,
I am a pre-service teacher but I have been in several classrooms for field experience now and in all of the classrooms that have successful classroom management the teachers were quick to set the rules and routines of the classroom. This way the students know what the expectations are right away and there is no room for guessing and messing as one teacher said. She establishes the rules and routines first so then she has the space and the time to create relationships with them without also having to manage everyone all the time.
best,
Emma Huisman
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From being in different placements I would start day one by setting classroom boundaries with the students and telling them you are their teacher and a friend but more a leader friend way. Create a positive environment through open minded and no judgment, along with no bias. Establish routines right away as they create structure for the students and shape the class. Keep everything organized either by colors, last names, files, or know where everything is in the classroom.
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Hello Olivia! This is a great question. I think one way to start day one with good classroom management is to make your expectations clear. You can do this by listing your classroom rules and expectations for students and explaining what they mean. One way to explain what they mean is to have the students help you explain what they each would look and sound like. For example, if one of your classroom rules is to 'Treat your classmates with respect', they may say 'This sounds like listening when they are talking' or 'This looks like keeping your hands to yourself.' You can also get the students involved in creating classroom rules and expectations by asking them what they would like their classroom to be like this year and creating rules and expectations surrounding their input.
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Hi Olivia, one strategy I would try doing is creating your own 'contract'. Get your students to create their own rules that they would like themselves and classmates to follow so they feel a responsibility to follow them since they are the ones that added them! Have them sign it and turn it in! It can be something collaborative and fun to do.
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Hi Olivia! I am currently in my student teaching, so I know that I may not have as much to offer because I'm not teaching yet, but wanted to give you a couple of suggestions based off what I've found helpful. First, always be consistent in how you start your morning. Middle level students thrive on routine, so be consistent in how you start your day. I think this will help eliminate classroom behvior issues, as students will know the expectations every day as they enter your classroom. Next, I would suggest focusing on building relationships with your students. While content is obsviously important, students need to see that you see them as a person before a student. Along with that, go into each year with an open mind. It can be easy to have preconceptions about students due to what you've heard from past teachers. Try your best to give each student a new start. Middle level students can see that and will treat you with respect. This will help with your classroom management. Lastly, do what works best for you! It can be easy to get overhwlemed when thinking about how you will 'structure' your classroom. While there are good resources available to you, and you should educate yourself, don't be afraid to just go with your instinct. If you have the passion and desire to teach, your students will love you. It's not always going to be easy, but if the passion is there, that will push you! Best of luck, middle level kids are the best!!
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Victoria,
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your insights. I really like what you said with keeping a normal routine at the start of my classroom, and viewing my students as a person, not just a learner. Thank you again, and i will definitely be taking your advice.
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Great ideas! Consistency is key when working with students of any age! I've always struggled with finding the balance between allowing students a little freedom and not letting them run away with it. A great piece of advice I've been given is to address classroom management first thing at the start of every class. Of course, you won't spend as much time explaining it as you get farther along, but it should always be mentioned so that it's on the minds of your students! Set clear expectations and make sure that everyone is very aware of them.
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Hi Olivia, I am not a teachet yet but based on my after care experience, I feel like organization, communication and rules are very important in a classroom. You need to create great habits starting when you first meet them. Also repetition is very important, Take 1-3 mins out of your class time to go over the classroom rules.
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Hi Olivia, I am in my third year of college for elementary education. I was recenty in a 5th grrade classroom and my teacher had a wonderful room where there was rarely any behavioral problems. She expressed to me that she thinks respect and kindness are crucuial to classroom management. Showing students that you respect them and showing them kindess goes a long way and they typically respond to you in the same manor.
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The most important thing to know about classroom management is to make sure that your expectations are clearly stated, easy to understand and follow, and consistent in enforcing those standards. I would shy away from complicated reward and punishment systems as they are unwieldy and create a lot of extra work on your end.
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Hello, Olivia. I am in my third year of college for bilingual elementary education at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Texas. From what I’ve experienced and learned in some courses, an effective classroom management begins when we, as teachers, establish and most importantly, sustain an orderly environment in the classroom because it increases the students academic learning and facilitates social and emotional growth. Like yourself, I also believe this concept is important and must be done since day one. I believe that although it requires patience, consistency, awareness, boundaries, good timing, and instinct, it must be done for the fewer behavior problems arise and instructional to properly be taught. I am not a teacher yet; however, I do have a couple of classroom management strategies in mind that I plan on following. For instance, I plan to prepare, model ideal behavior, document rules, encourage initiative, allow students to help establish guidelines, and avoid punishing the class because addressing isolated behavior issues do not jeopardize other classroom management efforts. I wish you the best of luck!
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Hello everyone!
I have only worked with elemenatry aged students but I think what is extreamly important in all grade levels is to start off strong in the begining and then go from there. Often time I have seen teachers not set boundries on the first week of school and this leads to students thinking they own the class. Setting up boundries and rules and implementing them the first month constantly can really help! I think it would also be great to ask a veteran teacher as well, I think they are always willing to give good advice as long as you ask.
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As a new teacher, you need to establish your expectations with the class and be sure that they understand what you are asking of them. Other teachers and authorities may not have the same expectations or meanings for rules. Teach them what respect means and demonstrate examples of what is good behavior and which is unacceptable. You have to reestablish your expectations each day to know they understand what is right and wrong. If you respect your students, they will respect you. For example, when starting a new job you would not like it if your boss yelled at you for doing something wrong. Students will not be perfect all of the time, therefore they shouldn't have to be silent the entire class. Students need time to talk and form relationships with their peers. They are not always disrespectful students, sometimes teachers need to adjust their techniques to stop the misbehavior. Teachers should take the time to thoroughly explain what they expect from their students and encourage them to succeed.
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It is definitely important to be consistent with your discipline. Students need consistency and clear expectations, and I feel that it is important to be firm. Be encouraging when they are doing, offer incentives, but also don't allow them to control you with their behavior. Also, find ways for them to have fun in the classroom with their learning, but also teach them the expectation to come back down into work mode when it is time.
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Hello, my name is Nikita Hatley, and I'm a student at Henderson State University, where I am an elementary education major. I learned many new things and resources regarding New teachers/ effective classroom management. I feel like it is important for us as teachers to make science important in our student's education. Also, if we don't make it important then our students wouldn't want to learn anything dealing with science.
I have a question about what are some ways or methods that can be used to make our students more involved with science and to make it essential in their education.
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Hi Nikita, I too am in school to become an elementary teacher. This is a question that is constantly going through every new teacher's mind I'm sure! There are a bunch of great tips in these responses. Thank you for asking the question and thank you to all those who shared their tips. In my current placement the teacher's two main points for classroom management is presenting the rules clearly and early and have them visible and review them every day for the first 2-3 weeks, and then as needed.
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Hi there, Olivia!
I'm a first year teacher this year and classroom management I think is the hardest part of being a teacher. Something that I've learned to help classroom management is to be consistent all of the time. This allows students to know exactly what they can expect in your class every single day. Another thing is proximity. Move around the room, stand near students during your instruction. If they're doing something like being on their phone, chances are they'll put it away if you get close to them. But remain with the front of your body facing the classroom so you can still easily see what is going on at all times.
These are just a few things I've learned to be helpful for me so far!
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Hello! I am a student teacher right now for a second grade classroom and something my Cooperating Teacher taught me was to be consistent and to dismiss unwanted behavior right away. She told me to tell the students what I expect from them during certain points of the day. We reward for good behavior and make that student a model for those around them. It works well for our classroom!
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Hi Olivia. It might be hard for you at first, but I'm sure you'll get through it. It's important to build respectful relationships with your students, and I suggest that you read the rules for color schemes in the classroom.You can use a https://eduzaurus.com/free-essay-samples/reconstruction-era-of-the-united-states/ with ready-made free essay samples, so you can use them to make assignments for students and learn how best to structure the learning process so that they can understand it better.
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First and foremost for me is a routine. Make sure you are prepared and organized as much as possible each and every day. My students know when they walk through the door to get their journal and answer the question on the board. It does not always have to be a question. I mix it up sometimes and put vocabulary words up or a fact/fiction discussion. As much as possible, go bell to bell. Set your expectations early and stick to them. If there are consequences, make sure you give them.
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Hello Olivia, as a pre-service teacher I believe classroom management is key. We need to be organized and prepared in this field. Another useful strategy is time management. Your classroom rules are key and they need to be enforced.
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Hey Olivia, I think the biggest thing for classroom management is communication. I think at all times you should communicate with the students and tell them exactly what you expect for every single thing. I think if you communicate your expectations and rules then the students will know and listen. If a student is not following the expectations or meeting your expectations then communicate that with them. Tell them what they should be doing and how what they are doing is not your expectation. I think this is a big key for classroom management.
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Hello olivia, one thing i have learned from my mentors is that as a teacher you should set standards not only for you but for your students as well. this way not only will they know what to expect from them but also keep yourself accountable.
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Students will behaved based on what is acceptable in your classroom. If you let certain things go they will assume that is the norm and acceptable. Once allowing those behaviors it is very hard to teach them that they are not acceptable in your room. Setting clear expectations, modeling those expecations and interviening right away when those expectations are not met are good ways to start.
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Great! Thanks for such good advice!
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Hello Olivia!!! From what I have learned, classroom management is key, but not all your tools may work, keep working at it. It takes time and patience. Also, another thing, come up with things as a class, when students feel involved, if things start going sideways, remind the students they helped come up with the rules and it puts it on them as well. Classroom management is key and establishing that from the beginning is key, but also giving your students rights as learners is important. Your classroom is a community and in order for a community to function everyone has to put thier part. Respect your students, do the opposite of what they are expecting, talk, having a very Zen additude when things seem to be falling apart shows complete controll. You got this and keep it up!! You are not the only one.
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Hello Olivia! I too am in the same situation and I understand where you're coming from. From what I have heard, setting the rules and expectations of your classroom should be reviewed during the first weeks. This sets the guidelines for students and less posibility for misbehaving.
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