Classroom Management Techniques

Student behaviors like shouting out, not paying attention, task avoidance, disrespect, refusal, and engaging in power struggles take your focus away from teaching and students’ focus away from learning. In order to create and maintain a productive classroom setting and bring the focus back to teaching and learning, use these classroom management strategies to decrease disruption and increase compliance.

Understand Your Students.

Get to know each student as an individual. Build relationships with them based on trust and understanding. Be sure to let your compassion for each student reflect through your nonverbal behavior and your paraverbal communication.

Be Patient.

Keep in mind that you have a choice about how you respond to disruptive student behavior. Choose not to take the behavior personally, and use positive self-talk. For example, instead of thinking, “I can’t take this disrespect anymore,” think, “I’ve seen this before. Why am I letting it get to me today?”

Set Limits.

Be sure to post your classroom’s rules prominently. Keep to a few rules and make sure that they’re clear, simple, and positive. For example, instead of stating, “NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALLOWED,” state, “Please leave food and drinks in the cafeteria.”

Keep to the Schedule You Set.

Following your own rules is key to modeling timeliness and productivity. The more organized you are, the more opportunity there is to focus on teaching and learning. This will help your students respect schedules and work within designated time frames.

Be Aware of the Causes of Behavior.

Being mindful of Precipitating Factors and early warning signs helps you focus on prevention. One way to avert difficult behavior is to seat disruptive students strategically. For example, if a student tends to be loud, inattentive, or noncompliant, seat her away from others who might tempt her to challenge you or engage in a power struggle with you.

Walk Around.

When a student is inattentive, rowdy, or challenging, it distracts others. As you’re teaching, move toward the student while continuing to talk to the class as a whole. Most students will not continue being disruptive if you stand near them as you’re teaching. You can also try making friendly eye contact with the student.

Be consistent in your practice of these classroom management techniques. When students know what to expect from you, and what you expect from them, they’re more likely to be productive learners. Put these effective classroom management tips to use to manage disruptive behavior with confidence.