Creating an Actively Engaged Classroom
It Did What? 6 Secrets About Classroom Management
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Michelle May
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An Ideal Classroom – isn’t it?
What is Classroom Management?
“Classroom management is the process by which teachers and schools create and maintain appropriate behaviour of students in classroom settings. The purpose of implementing classroom management strategies is to enhance prosocial behaviour and increase student academic engagement (Emmer & Sabornie, 2015; Everston & Weinstein, 2006). Effective classroom management principles work across almost all subject areas and grade levels (Brophy, 2006; Lewis, et al., 2006).”
Some common challenges faced by teachers in the classroom!
If you are a seasoned teacher, you would have faced these situations and maybe found a solution to resolve them. But, if you are new to teaching, then classroom management could pose a challenge for you! Most often, I hear teachers complaining about
- The students’ behaviour.
- Less time to complete the lessons.
- Some of them carry books home for checking.
- Many a times, students are absent.
- A few are always uninterested.
- Students don’t listen in class.
- The classroom is always in a mess.
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The list can go on and on! What beats me is that rather than complaining (this only shows your ability in classroom management) all the time, isn’t it more practical and sensible to find solutions to your problems?
I am sure you will agree with me. So, what do I have for you here? Are you wondering?
Well, I am going to reveal 6 secrets about Classroom Management that are simple to learn, adopt, and test for yourself. I have learned them through my experiences as a teacher and today, I wish to share them with you. I am confident that by learning the 6 secrets, you will see changes in the classroom and among the students too!
So, get ready to dive into the 6 secrets about classroom management with me right away!
Hello, just wait a bit. Before I share them with you, let me give a few instances of what I experienced as a teacher in my career. These are real happenings in my classrooms, I say classrooms because I taught different subjects to different grades!
- It was time for my English class in grade 7. The students were walking around, having water, chatting away, and not yet ready for the class. I entered the room and waited patiently for someone at least to notice my presence. Slowly, one by one, all of them saw me, looked at my facial expression which was calm and smiling. They went back to their places and settled down after wishing me. It was obvious that something had happened, and they were disturbed. So, what did I do?I announced that I was to conduct a game in class where every student would get a chance to ask me a question. This was it! The mood of the class softened, and smiles flashed at me. The word ‘GAME’ was a game-changer.
Secret # 1: Games can uplift the performance of your students – make them a part of your teaching plan!
"Games are interesting – questions reflect the curiosity of students"
- The first day of school is always exciting as you go back to your friends, colleagues, and children. Students too are super-excited to meet their classmates again. They are ready to get set and take off. This is the right time to involve them in setting up the tone for the entire academic year.
Secret # 2: Set ground rules – 5 at least – and make it a point to involve the students to contribute to the list.
You can even ask them to autograph the chart on which the rules are stated. It is advisable to keep bringing in 5 new rules at regular intervals. This way, you will train them to follow all the rules that you have set along with them.
- Do you think that forming groups in class can make the learning more effective? I have tried and tested this several times. It works like magic as the students are delighted to be among peers and learn from one another!
Secret # 3: Form SFGs or ‘Small Focus Groups’ and assign work to every group such that you cover almost all the concepts to be taught and learned in a particular session.
Let’s look at these two scenarios :
- Class G has students who are bored, sleepy, and irritable as the teacher is delivering the lesson using the ‘chalk and board’ method.
- Class K has students who are given a few resource materials by the teacher, given instructions, and are working on their own. The classroom is alive!
Which of the two teachers are successful in the teaching – learning process?
Secret # 4: Include activities in your lesson plan – involve every child – adopt ‘Activity Based Learning’ as a teaching method and see how well your students learn. They will be so engrossed in the activity that managing the class will not be a challenge for you.
- I gave some notes to write as classwork to my students of grade 4. Teachers usually say that a few children don’t complete their written work in time. So, what I did was that I announced that those who complete their work in time would get a surprise gift. You can imagine the excitement! Everyone was charged up and competing for that gift. All the students managed to complete their work in record time and asked for the gift from me. I removed a bag full of toffees from my desk and went around the class distributing them. I don’t need to tell you the euphoric state that prevailed in the classroom that day – you can visualize that.
Secret # 5: Appreciate good work, timely submissions, reward the deserving students.This will motivate the non-performers to buck up and participate in the race to reach the goals set by you.And that was the last day of their misbehaviour. They took up the responsibilities well and went ahead to excel in class.
Secret # 6: Positive reinforcement is a sure shot way to make children become responsible and stop misbehaving.What next?Since all these secrets are now known to you, go ahead and apply them in your day-to-day teaching. Monitor the progress that you make in your work and how soon you can reach your goals.
It would be great to know how you are doing after adopting these secrets or mantras in your career as a teacher. Do leave your comments and share interesting instances with me as and when you can. I will be delighted to read them.
