Positive classroom management is one of the most important things to master as a teacher. But it is definitely not easy! Read on to find out the best tried and true positive classroom management strategies.
Being able to effectively manage student behavior is the foundation of good teaching – without effective positive classroom management, great lessons simply cannot happen! As a teacher myself, I know that there is nothing more frustrating than having an amazing lesson that doesn’t go to plan because of poor student behavior.
In this post, you will learn the best positive classroom management ideas to help you build great relationships with your students, create an amazing classroom community and lead to overall better behavior.
This post is all about positive classroom management.
Positive Classroom Management
1. Have an organized and welcoming classroom
Okay, you might be thinking ‘what’s my classroom got to do with positive classroom management?’ But creating effective positive classroom management strategies starts with your learning environment.
A positive classroom environment is so much more than having a shiny, new classroom (although that would be nice, right!) It is about how your classroom looks and feels, the interactions that happen there and the community that you build as the teacher.
A key component to successively creating a positive classroom environment is to make sure the space is functional, clean and welcoming. Having an organized classroom helps set the tone for your learners. Clutter can be a visual distraction and having a classroom bursting with stuff that doesn’t have a home can be overwhelming for students, leading to poor behavior.
Make sure your classroom is an organized and welcoming space. Try to keep surfaces clear, don’t go overboard with the classroom decor and make sure you set up an organization system you can manage.
[Related Post: 9 Essential Steps To Complete Your Elementary Classroom Setup]
2. Classroom layout
Following on from point one, your classroom layout is actually a really important part of mastering positive classroom management techniques. You need to be able to circulate around your classroom freely to check on learning and engagement.
When setting up your classroom layout, try thinking of your classroom as zones. You will obviously have your main teaching and learning zone by the board. You may also have a technology zone, a reading area and a calm corner, depending on the size and layout of your classroom. Make sure there are clear pathways between the zones so you and your students can easily move around the room. If you have a small classroom, you may have to have some multi-purpose zones. For example, my reading zone doubles as my quiet area and affirmation station.
It may sound really simple but make sure all students have a clear view of you when you are teaching and that you can also see them. If not, this can lead to students becoming distracted and talking off task. A cluttered classroom in terms of furniture can make your classroom feel cramped and poky. This can also lead to that feeling of overwhelm for some students which can make it harder for them to make the right behvaior choices.
Part of your classroom layout is also getting your seating plan right. This is definitely a trial and error process and you probably won’t get it right first time around! But don’t be afraid to keep mixing it up until you find something that works for you.
3. Be clear on your expectations
Your students need to know exactly what you expect of them at all times throughout the day…if not, how can we blame them for not meeting them?!
Classroom expectations are something we teachers need to spend the time teaching properly at the start of the school year. Honestly, the more time you can spend on this, the better. Try to think of all the key moments in the school day and what you want your students to be doing at each of these points. For example:
- morning routine – where students should leave their belongings / what they should do as soon as they enter the classroom / what you expect them to do during attendance / what should be on their desks
- during lesson time – what should students be doing during input / what should they do if they need help / how much do you expect them to have produced in what timeframe
- during recess – where are students allowed to be / what games are they allowed to play
- transitions – how do you expect your students to move around the classroom / what is your attention getter and how should they respond / how you expect your students to move around school
- dismissal – how do students get their belongings / what should they be doing at the end of the day
And there’s probably way more day to day routines you want your students to know too! Now, this may seem like a lot and you’re definitely not going to want to teach these routines all in one go but honestly, it is doable. Start off with the most important ones to you and then drip feed the others in as you go.
It is also super helpful to have visual reminders around your classroom to help students remember what they should be doing. For example, have a poster on your classroom door reminding students what to bring into the classroom each morning or a picture in your book area reminding children how the shelves need to look after they’ve finished choosing a book.
If you have these visual reminders and you have taught the routines, students will know what you expect and it will reduce the number of times they need to ask you what to do (hallelujah!!) And for any students purposefully not following your routines and expectations, they cannot claim they didn’t know!
Being clear on your high expectations and holding your students to account is honestly one of the best positive classroom strategies you can implement.
[Check out my EDITABLE classroom rules posters on TPT!]
4. Make sure you teach routines and transitions
Okay, so you have decided what your expectations are for your kiddos and the routines and transitions you want to implement…now you need to teach them! And not just in the first week of term either!
Be sure to model what good behavior looks like in your classroom. If you are teaching your students how you want them to move from their carpet spot to their table, don’t just tell them but SHOW them! Show them what it should look like and have some fun with it by showing them what it shouldn’t look like too!
I always spend some time after a holiday recapping the rules and routines in my classroom because you’d be amazed how quickly the kids forget or slip into bad habits.
Teaching routines and transitions is super important for younger children. But it is also important you do this if you teacher older kids too.
5. Reward positive behavior often
We want to be rewarding positive behavior all the time in our classrooms. This is where we want to be focusing nearly all of our time and attention. And I know that can be easier said than done…trust me! I have had those tricky classes where it feels like all you are doing is playing whac-a-mole with poor student behavior!!
But by doing this, I was giving the undesirable behavior all the attention in my classroom and those poor students who were making the right choices weren’t getting any of my time. By rewarding the positive behavior, those students who are doing the right thing get the attention.
This could be anything from verbal praise, to stickers, certificates, dojo points or whatever else you want. Keep reading for more ideas for positive praise!
6. Redirect unwanted behavior
Following on from the previous point, try redirecting unwanted behavior from your students. Sometimes, simply ignoring it or giving the good old teacher stare (you know the one!) can be enough for the student to get the hint and stop what they are doing. But sometimes the stare just isn’t enough!
So what should we do then? Try redirecting student behvaior with as little talk as possible. Remove the item they are playing with and replace with a fidget toy, for example. Or direct the student to your calm down area when they need a brain break. You will be amazed how much of a difference redirection will make in your classroom! Remember, behavior is communication.
7. Build relationships with your students
The foundation of all positive classroom management is building good relationships with your students. You need to show them respect and that you care about them.
Take the time to find out about each of your students. What are their hobbies / who are their friends / who is in their family? When you take the time to get to know your kids, you are showing them you care about them. I bet you will find that once you have great relationships with your students, they won’t want to disappoint you!
Making your lessons fun and engaging will also help you get your students onside. Having fun with your kiddos is the best and a great way to get to know them better!
One of the best ways to build relationships with your students is explaining why you need them to do something. Explain why they need to walk in the corridor (it’s about safety etc.) so they know you don’t have rules just to be mean! And equally, if you do something wrong, APOLOGIZE! I don’t think there’s anything more powerful than this when it comes to building good relationships with your students. It shows them you are human too!
8. Create a classroom community
Building a classroom community is another really important part of positive classroom management. Help your students see that they are working as part of a team in your classroom!
Try giving your students some responsibility by giving them each a job to do in your classroom. Try using this editable classroom jobs chart from my TPT store to easily assign everyone a job. This will help your students see that they are in important and valuable member of your class!
Working together to earn a class reward is another great way to build a community amongst your learners….
9. Class rewards
This is one of my favorite ways to build a positive classroom and build relationships – the class reward! Get your students involved by asking them what they want the reward to be – e.g. extra recess, film afternoon etc.
Then make sure you have it up on display so your students have a visual reminder to see how close they are to reaching the reward! You could create a bulletin board display or have a physical class reward. One of favourites is building Mr Potato Head!
10. Group rewards
Another great way to reward students for their positive behavior choices is a group reward. I always have table points in my classroom and it works sooo well! Students work together to tidy their tables and remind their table partners to do the right thing to earn their table points. Then at the end of the week, the winning table can choose a 15 minute reward, such as iPad time.
11. Individual rewards
It is also so important to reward individual pupils. This could be as simple as saying ‘good job X!’ Or you could have certificates to give out to particular students who you have noticed doing the right thing.
This post was all about positive classroom management.
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