Classroom management is the art of getting the pupils settled down, on task and working productively with the minimum distraction and fuss.
This means planning structured work, where pupils of all abilities can achieve something. It also means managing classroom behaviour when it falls below expectation.
I know from my own experience that classroom management is a difficult skill to develop. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice to get it right. Trainees are at a distinct disadvantage because they don't have the same time to build a rapport with the pupils that their full time colleagues do. Trainees are also seen as 'fresh meat' to the pupils, who will invariably test them out by pushing the limits of acceptable behaviour. Another factor against the trainee is that the pupils know they're just a trainee teacher who will be gone within a couple of months.
It's a sad reflection of British society today that a significant minority of pupils are rude and disrespectful to adults in general. Their attitude and behaviour towards teachers is no exception to this downward social trend. Even in allegedly well-behaved schools, of which I've experienced a few, some pupils' reluctance to learn and willingness to cause disruption is of serious concern.
Of course the overwhelming majority of pupils are receptive, compliant and eager to learn. Sadly their learning suffers if the disruptive minority aren't kept in check.
Even though I'm very new to teaching, I've spotted a few golden rules towards better classroom management.
Before the lesson:
You must be an effective planner, thinking not only about the next lesson but also about what's happening in 2 or 3 lessons time.
Before I start a new topic I always prepare a brief scheme of work outlining the learning objectives, possible activities (lesson chunks) and equipment needed for each lesson I'm going to teach.
Plan your work to fit the ability of the pupils and always have a couple of spare activities in case you make faster progress than expected.
If the pupils are kept busy in a pacey lesson then there's less chance they'll become distracted, chatty or attempt to wander around.
If it's a practical lesson always make sure the resources are set out correctly and positioned around the classroom. This will ensure that you're not short of anything and the pupils don't all stampede for the same thing at the same time.
At the start of every lesson it is good practice to have the pupils line up and settle down outside the room. Ask them to be quiet, line up smartly and wait. You may need to ask a couple of times but eventually the pupils will become quiet and wonder why you're stood there staring and waiting for them.
Remind them to keep silent as they enter the room and find their seats. Let them in either girls or boys first then the other sex. If they're a particular disruptive class you may wish to reinforce your control by walking noisy pupils back outside to repeat the process quietly.
Another trick I use is to position worksheets/exercise books along a bench. As the pupils enter the room they walk along the bench in single file and pick up the correct items. This saves time at the start of the lesson and gets them settled more quickly.
Rules:
Children are like puppies - they need to know the rules and as soon as they break the rules they need to be held to account.
Whenever you meet a new class you need to exert your personality on them and inform them, in no uncertain terms, what your expectations of their work and behaviour are. Keep your rules short and snappy so there's no confusion.
I make my classes write the following rules in the back of their exercise books:
I know from my own experience that classroom management is a difficult skill to develop. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice to get it right. Trainees are at a distinct disadvantage because they don't have the same time to build a rapport with the pupils that their full time colleagues do. Trainees are also seen as 'fresh meat' to the pupils, who will invariably test them out by pushing the limits of acceptable behaviour. Another factor against the trainee is that the pupils know they're just a trainee teacher who will be gone within a couple of months.
It's a sad reflection of British society today that a significant minority of pupils are rude and disrespectful to adults in general. Their attitude and behaviour towards teachers is no exception to this downward social trend. Even in allegedly well-behaved schools, of which I've experienced a few, some pupils' reluctance to learn and willingness to cause disruption is of serious concern.
Of course the overwhelming majority of pupils are receptive, compliant and eager to learn. Sadly their learning suffers if the disruptive minority aren't kept in check.
Even though I'm very new to teaching, I've spotted a few golden rules towards better classroom management.
Before the lesson:
You must be an effective planner, thinking not only about the next lesson but also about what's happening in 2 or 3 lessons time.
Before I start a new topic I always prepare a brief scheme of work outlining the learning objectives, possible activities (lesson chunks) and equipment needed for each lesson I'm going to teach.
Plan your work to fit the ability of the pupils and always have a couple of spare activities in case you make faster progress than expected.
If the pupils are kept busy in a pacey lesson then there's less chance they'll become distracted, chatty or attempt to wander around.
If it's a practical lesson always make sure the resources are set out correctly and positioned around the classroom. This will ensure that you're not short of anything and the pupils don't all stampede for the same thing at the same time.
At the start of every lesson it is good practice to have the pupils line up and settle down outside the room. Ask them to be quiet, line up smartly and wait. You may need to ask a couple of times but eventually the pupils will become quiet and wonder why you're stood there staring and waiting for them.
Remind them to keep silent as they enter the room and find their seats. Let them in either girls or boys first then the other sex. If they're a particular disruptive class you may wish to reinforce your control by walking noisy pupils back outside to repeat the process quietly.
Another trick I use is to position worksheets/exercise books along a bench. As the pupils enter the room they walk along the bench in single file and pick up the correct items. This saves time at the start of the lesson and gets them settled more quickly.
Rules:
Children are like puppies - they need to know the rules and as soon as they break the rules they need to be held to account.
Whenever you meet a new class you need to exert your personality on them and inform them, in no uncertain terms, what your expectations of their work and behaviour are. Keep your rules short and snappy so there's no confusion.
I make my classes write the following rules in the back of their exercise books:
- Do not talk when the teacher, or anyone else invited by the teacher, is talking to the class. Listen and pay attention.
- Be polite when speaking to the teacher or each other.
- When the teacher asks you to do something do it immediately.
- If you're unsure of anything don't be afraid to ask the teacher for help.
- Give every piece of work your best effort.
Anyone who breaks the rules must face the consequences. It can be difficult to do this because you'll find that some perfectly pleasant and hardworking pupils inadvertently break the rules. Conversely, you mustn't be overly critical of troublesome pupils just because you've had a bad experience of them in the past.
You must be seen to apply the rules fairly and equally to everyone.
Managing the lesson:
Good preparation, as mentioned above, can save a lot of hassle during the lesson. The use of praise and encouragement can also prove much more effective than being too heavy handed.
In the first 5 minutes you must get the class settled. Nominate some responsible pupils to give out the exercise books. Try and have a short task or puzzle on the board or pupils' desks to keep them busy while their books are being distributed.
There will be times when you want to bring the class to order. In a clear voice tell them to stop talking and wait. Keep waiting and staring and they should stop talking. If this process is taking too long you can single out a couple of the most persistent talkers and make an example of them. If you hit them hard, clearly announcing your displeasure and warning them of the consequences of non-compliance, then it should reign in the others. Avoid shouting because it gives the pupils the impression that you aren't in full control, which some of them will find humorous to your further annoyance.
For persistently disruptive pupils, of which every class has at least a couple, you have to warn them of the consequences before applying a sanction.
Sanctions:
As I said above, anyone whose behaviour falls short of the teacher's expectations must face the consequences.
Your first port of call should be the school's rewards and sanctions or behaviour policy. That will give you guidance as to what is acceptable practice in your school.
It's good practice to clearly warn pupils about their behaviour before you apply a sanction. That way they'll have less opportunity to claim "you're picking on me" or any such nonsense. It's another sad reflection of society that the same pupils who blatantly choose to ignore the rules of the classroom are the barrack room lawyers who try to stir up trouble for naive teachers.
After issuing a warning your next step is to move and isolate the disruptive pupils. In a large classroom you can put them somewhere out of way, ideally out of the line of sight of their mates. Lots of teachers have reciprocal arrangements with their colleagues, where they exchange troublesome pupils between their classrooms. In some schools it is acceptable to send the pupil outside the room, but that isn't ideal because you can't be sure what they're doing out there. A period of isolation should be followed by stern words of displeasure at the end of the lesson and a word with their form teacher.
Detention is a more serious sanction for persistent offenders. Most schools have a system of unofficial and official detentions. Unofficial detention often involves keeping the pupils in for 15-minutes at break or lunchtime. Official detention is usually after school and requires that the parents'/guardians' are informed at least 24-hours in advance. The law doesn't require the parents'/guardians' consent for the detention to take place - it just requires that reasonable effort is made to inform them of the fact it has been applied. In practice most schools are loathe to upset even the most argumentative of parents, so prefer to have their permission for official after school detentions.
Most schools also allow teachers to contact parents about any concerns they have about pupil progress or discipline. The vast majority of parents are supportive and will help the school tackle the problems raised.
The ultimate sanction in school is exclusion. In theory there are two types of exclusion - fixed period and permanent. In practice some schools send troublesome pupils home to cool off without making it an official exclusion. Exclusion is a rare decision that can only be made by the Head or Deputy/Acting Head in his/her absence.
For all but the most trivial of incidents it's important that records are kept so that trends in pupil behaviour are noticed and the correct action taken.
You must be seen to apply the rules fairly and equally to everyone.
Managing the lesson:
Good preparation, as mentioned above, can save a lot of hassle during the lesson. The use of praise and encouragement can also prove much more effective than being too heavy handed.
In the first 5 minutes you must get the class settled. Nominate some responsible pupils to give out the exercise books. Try and have a short task or puzzle on the board or pupils' desks to keep them busy while their books are being distributed.
There will be times when you want to bring the class to order. In a clear voice tell them to stop talking and wait. Keep waiting and staring and they should stop talking. If this process is taking too long you can single out a couple of the most persistent talkers and make an example of them. If you hit them hard, clearly announcing your displeasure and warning them of the consequences of non-compliance, then it should reign in the others. Avoid shouting because it gives the pupils the impression that you aren't in full control, which some of them will find humorous to your further annoyance.
For persistently disruptive pupils, of which every class has at least a couple, you have to warn them of the consequences before applying a sanction.
Sanctions:
As I said above, anyone whose behaviour falls short of the teacher's expectations must face the consequences.
Your first port of call should be the school's rewards and sanctions or behaviour policy. That will give you guidance as to what is acceptable practice in your school.
It's good practice to clearly warn pupils about their behaviour before you apply a sanction. That way they'll have less opportunity to claim "you're picking on me" or any such nonsense. It's another sad reflection of society that the same pupils who blatantly choose to ignore the rules of the classroom are the barrack room lawyers who try to stir up trouble for naive teachers.
After issuing a warning your next step is to move and isolate the disruptive pupils. In a large classroom you can put them somewhere out of way, ideally out of the line of sight of their mates. Lots of teachers have reciprocal arrangements with their colleagues, where they exchange troublesome pupils between their classrooms. In some schools it is acceptable to send the pupil outside the room, but that isn't ideal because you can't be sure what they're doing out there. A period of isolation should be followed by stern words of displeasure at the end of the lesson and a word with their form teacher.
Detention is a more serious sanction for persistent offenders. Most schools have a system of unofficial and official detentions. Unofficial detention often involves keeping the pupils in for 15-minutes at break or lunchtime. Official detention is usually after school and requires that the parents'/guardians' are informed at least 24-hours in advance. The law doesn't require the parents'/guardians' consent for the detention to take place - it just requires that reasonable effort is made to inform them of the fact it has been applied. In practice most schools are loathe to upset even the most argumentative of parents, so prefer to have their permission for official after school detentions.
Most schools also allow teachers to contact parents about any concerns they have about pupil progress or discipline. The vast majority of parents are supportive and will help the school tackle the problems raised.
The ultimate sanction in school is exclusion. In theory there are two types of exclusion - fixed period and permanent. In practice some schools send troublesome pupils home to cool off without making it an official exclusion. Exclusion is a rare decision that can only be made by the Head or Deputy/Acting Head in his/her absence.
For all but the most trivial of incidents it's important that records are kept so that trends in pupil behaviour are noticed and the correct action taken.