Classroom Management Questions

As a student studying to be a teacher, one of my biggest worries is how I am going to manage my class. I know that there are hundreds of classroom management tools out there but I was wondering if there are any specific things that anyone has used that seem to be very effective?

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Permalink Reply by Grace on April 9, 2011 at 9:47pm

"The First Days of School" by Harry Wong is a tremendous resource! Consistent routines will help to eliminate a ton of management problems.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Hazzard on April 13, 2011 at 6:06pm

I believe I have that book actually! I haven't read much of it yet so that will definitely be on my to-do list! Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Mary Koch on April 13, 2011 at 6:17pm

I'd highly recommend looking into Responsive Classroom - I think it's, hands down, the best framework for classroom management, as well as for setting up a great learning environment. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Hazzard on April 13, 2011 at 6:23pm

That sounds perfect! Thanks for the suggestion!

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Permalink Reply by Dave Walsh on April 13, 2011 at 6:20pm

I am in a middle school and we are using a card system; Yellow (warning), Orange (warning) and Red (consequence) with a clear poster written in kids speak with the behaviors that we are asking for. The incentive to not get a Red Card is No Red Card Friday. Every other Friday, the science and social studies (non-tested subjects) teachers provide a fun activity for the kids that did not earn a Red Card. This model helps emphasize and reward the kids who make good choices and give the other students another chance to improve next week. The Red Cards are accumulate over the semester with escalating consequences.

A book that I enjoyed for quick, down and dirty tricks of the trade was Teach Like a Champion.

http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Champion-Techniques-Students/dp/04...

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Hazzard on April 13, 2011 at 6:28pm

I like that idea a lot because it gives the students a goal to work towards and an incentive to behave appropriately. Also, that book sounds great! I am always looking for quick but helpful things!

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Hazzard on April 14, 2011 at 6:29pm

Wow thank you so much! I love those! They are definitely all great things for students to learn, I will for sure check this out :)

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Permalink Reply by Bee Dennewitz on April 14, 2011 at 7:09pm

Harry Wong's book - The First Days of School is wonderful - I've been teaching for 14 years and I still use some of his techniques for classroom management.

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Permalink Reply by a.gama on April 14, 2011 at 8:06pm

Try reading Love and Logic as well

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Permalink Reply by Frank Gardner on April 15, 2011 at 11:14am

I would agree that these are excellent suggestions. Two aspects I would add, though, are consistency and fairness. These go hand in hand in that you do what is best for each child, not necessarily the same for all, and students need to see it on a regular basis. If they do not know where you stand, you will lose them. It really is that simple.

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Permalink Reply by Sal P on April 15, 2011 at 1:05pm

Well there are lots of great tools out there. LearnBoost has a grade book which looks good and Edmodo is very popular. I also built (full disclosure) Enterthegroup.com for virtual classrooms and for project based learning. You just have to figure out what will work best for you and your students. It will be a learning process.

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Permalink Reply by Jusin Stallings on April 15, 2011 at 11:04pm

I have, as of this post, only had experience as a student teacher. However, I still had my experiences with classroom management. The first thing I would recommended is that if there is an issue that you know of going on in the classroom, don't let it get to the boiling point--address the issue to the students or student and let them know the behavior or act they are demonstrating is not acceptable. Also, if the issue if just a particular student don't include the rest of the class in the discipline--i.e. don't call out the student in the middle of the classroom. Have the student leave the room or call them after class to come talk to you. It's no business of the other students on what you are correcting with the one particular student.