Classroom
Management
Survival
Guide: What Every New Member Should Know
The following information is selected from NYSUT's Effective Teaching Program (ETP) courses designed especially for new K-12 educators.
First Day Tips and Suggestions
- Greet students at the door.
- Direct students to assigned seats.
- Establish name identification through the use of nametags, introductions or roll call.
- Introduce students to the room arrangement; explain functions for different areas of the classroom.
- Introduce classroom procedures, model and post them.
- Introduce three to six classroom rules, explain and post them.
- Plan for maximum contact with students.
- Establish yourself as a leader of the class.
- Avoid distractions; stay with the class as much as possible.
- Learn students' names as soon as possible.
Effective Room Arrangements
Ensure that:
- High traffic areas are free from congestion.
- Students are always visible to the teacher.
- Storage space and necessary materials are accessible.
- Students can easily see instructional displays and presentations.
Establish and maintain a positive learning environment by:
- Thinking about the subject to be covered, composition of student group and the type of interaction expected.
- Planning lessons that are appropriate and meet the students' needs.
- Addressing the positive behavioral strategies included in the individualized education program (IEP) of students with disabilities.
- Addressing the learning needs of all students.
- Making smooth transitions from one activity to another.
- Avoiding unnecessary lapses from one activity to another.
- Using signals to prepare students for transitions.
- Conducting lessons at a brisk pace and providing continuous tasks for students to focus on.
- Avoiding long, drawn-out directions or information, lecturing on student behavior, or breaking activities into steps that are too small.
- Varying turn-taking approaches.
- Varying questioning techniques.
- Devising ways of checking that individual students are actively participating in the activity.
Effective classroom teachers establish clear and specific rules and procedures. Rules govern behaviors such as student talk and respect for others and their property; procedures apply to specific routines and tasks. Rules and procedures are taught to students as any other content area and are consistently reinforced by monitoring student behavior and applying reasonable and appropriate consequences. A hierarchy of consequences is established and re-evaluated throughout the year. Rules and procedures are clearly defined and modeled for students.
Effective classroom teachers prevent or discourage behavioral problems before they occur by:
- Knowing students' names and showing respect for them.
- Maintaining high levels of student involvement.
- Giving the impression of being with every student at all times.
- Frequently scanning the entire class.
- Directly interacting with students.
- Providing constructive feedback.
- Accurately targeting misbehaving students.
- Enforcing fair consequences for misbehavior.
NEXT: Survival Guide:
Parent Teacher Conferences (for
Teachers)
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