20 Classroom Management Strategies & Techniques for Teachers, Principals & Administrators

Educators usually have their hands full with back-to-back classes, creating or grading tests and planning lessons. However, one critical aspect of teaching skills is often underestimated. To build an engaging learning experience, teachers should be skilled at classroom management. Knowing the meaning of effective classroom management and using it to steer the class to achieve their learning goals is the hallmark of a successful educator.

This article aims to explain classroom management, explore different classroom management strategies, and the factors affecting classroom management in modern education.

What is Classroom Management?

Classroom management includes a wide range of skills and strategies that educators use to build a conducive learning environment for a group of learners in the classroom. Besides running the class smoothly, classroom management also encompasses elements like eliciting the proper response from learners, keeping disruptions to a minimum, and ensuring the best use of the available educational resources.

By the classroom management definition, there are six objectives of this teaching skill –

• Creating an organised and functional environment for teachers and students
• Finding lucrative opportunities for academic learning and personal growth
• Minimise classroom disruptions due to students’ misbehaviour and other reasons
• Efficient time management during the class by prioritising learning time
• Inspiring a focused, motivated, and productive attitude in learners
• Building an inclusive learning environment that caters to the abilities of all learners

The Importance of Effective Classroom Management

Classroom management skills are indispensable to teachers at all levels. Whether you are a teacher of kindergarten children or a professor in a college – effective classroom management can help you deliver knowledge to your learners in an engaging and positive learning atmosphere.

Building powerful classroom strategies is beneficial for both students and teachers. Classroom management enables teachers to complete their curriculum with minimal obstacles while forming stronger bonds with their students. Students appreciate a teacher who tries to bond with them and motivates them to learn better and gain new skills.

Teachers who master the skill of classroom management tend to feel more satisfied with their jobs and experience less work-related stress or anxiety. Similarly, students in a well-managed class learn more quickly and retain their knowledge better.

 Factors Affecting Classroom Management

1. Classroom Environment: The environment in the classroom, including factors like the physical layout, seating arrangement, and ambience, are essential factors that influence student behaviour and learning in the classroom.
2. Classroom Organisation: How well the materials, resources, and routines are organised in your classroom plays a significant role in classroom management. Efficient organisation and structuring can improve classroom management.
3. Teacher-Student Relationship: The nature of the teacher-student relationship is vital to effective classroom management. How you handle classroom management depends on how respectful and friendly your teacher-student relationship is.
4. Student Characteristics: Students have unique personal characteristics, behaviours, and learning styles. Identifying student characteristics and addressing students’ individual needs can heavily influence classroom management strategies for teachers.

Key Classroom Strategies and Techniques

Effective Classroom Management Strategies for Teachers

1. Build an Authoritative Personality: The teacher’s personality can make or break the classroom management strategy. When a teacher is confident, well-dressed, and has a strong presence in the room, learners are compelled to respect them and adhere to their word.

2. Establish a Behaviour Management: Teachers must be prepared to counter any behavioural issues, including consequences for misbehaviour. Think about the typical scenarios for behaviour management and decide your reaction beforehand, then enforce the determined consequences without emotion.

3. Build Positive Relationships with Your Students: Good classroom management starts by establishing positive relationships. When teachers understand their students’ learning needs, interests, and ambitions, they can build trust and garner student cooperation for good classroom management.

4. Create a Solid Lesson Plan: Subject matter expertise and lesson planning are the foundations of strong classroom management. Teachers should plan lessons at the beginning of the term. It will enable you to give the class a roadmap and adapt your approach as needed. Extramarks Smart Class Plus program offers lesson planning support with a comprehensive curriculum and NEP-ready content for all boards. Teachers across the nation leverage our digitally powered solutions for effective lesson planning.

5. Keep a Consistent Teaching Style: Once you determine your students’ learning styles and the best pedagogical approach for your class – create a teaching style around it and be consistent. A consistent teaching style enables students to understand your expectations and respect your boundaries.

6. Adopt Interactive Teaching Techniques: Blending interactive teaching techniques in your pedagogy can be a helpful classroom management strategy. Unconventional learning methods excite students for the lesson, making them less likely to disrupt the class. Extramarks offers various interactive digital learning solutions teachers can use to create immersive learning experiences tailored to different needs.

7. Consider Peer Teaching: Peer teaching is an innovative classroom management strategy wherein students with high confidence and sound knowledge are paired with students who are shy or have poor interpersonal skills. It enables students to improve their self-esteem and clarify their concepts without hesitation.

8. Gamify Personal Learning Plans: Gamification is a popular classroom management technique in modern education. It helps continuously engage and incentivise learning for students. Extramarks Smart Class Plus uses game-based learning with pop quizzes, in-video quizzes and other stimulating activities to make learning fun and engaging.

9. Positive Feedback and Rewards: Positive feedback from a teacher can motivate and inspire students to work harder in their pursuit of knowledge. Teachers often use this technique to improve class participation, attention, and motivation. Share positive feedback with parents and reward students with bonus marks, small gifts, or chocolates.

Effective Classroom Management Strategies for Principles

Even though classroom management is associated chiefly with teachers, in truth, Principals play a vital role in creating a conducive learning environment. When school leaders such as principals and directors participate in effective classroom management, they foster a positive and productive learning environment in the whole school. Here are some critical aspects of a principal’s role in classroom management –

10. Start with a Positive Greeting: A cheerful greeting in the morning can help anyone start their day well. Principals should try to greet everyone they meet with a smile to show a positive attitude and an openness for conversation wherever required.

11. Setting Clear Expectations: Making your expectations clear to the school staff and students at the beginning of the year can lay the foundation for effective classroom management. Communicate policies, procedures, and practices clearly to ensure preventive discipline and clear communication.

12. Supporting Teachers: Principals must provide teachers with the proper tools and resources for classroom management. Teachers should also get opportunities for professional growth and advancement. It helps improve classroom management strategies and enhances the learning experience for the entire institution. Extramarks Smart Class Plus supports teachers with its handy classroom management features:

• It offers interactive whiteboards with geometrical tools and drawing instruments to create an engaging delivery style.
• It enables teachers to create class recordings to share all their lectures with the students for review.
• Teachers can easily create and grade assessments for extra practice with shareable answer keys.
• Detailed analytics with a comprehensive dashboard for every class enables teachers to mould their classroom strategy to suit the learning needs of the students.

13. School-Wide Policies: Principals are responsible for drafting and communicating school-wide policies to address disciplinary procedures, consequences of misbehaviour and indiscipline, and promoting positive conduct. When implemented well, these policies espouse classroom management for all teachers.

14. Parent Engagement: Principals must take the initiative to involve parents to supplement the school’s classroom management initiatives. Providing clear communication about school policies and setting the right expectations can help teachers and parents work together to achieve learning objectives in the school. The Extramarks Parents App provides the school and parents with a seamless channel of communication that enables them to collaborate and support the student’s academic journey.

15. Positive School Culture: Principals are responsible for establishing a positive school culture by setting an example. Schools should have a mutual respect and cooperation culture to support classroom management strategies.

Effective Classroom Management Strategies for Administrators

16. Establish the Edtech Platform: School administration is expected to invest in and establish the edtech platform for the school. They must partner with education technology specialists to identify the school’s technological needs and adopt the latest digital solutions for their school. Extramarks offers customised edtech solutions for schools looking for cutting-edge classroom management solutions. If you would like a technology partner for your school, talk to our Edtech experts today!

17. Policy Development & Implementation: Administrators are responsible for drafting and enacting education policies that support classroom management. Administrators should aim to create policies that align with the learning goals of school students and enhance classroom management for teachers. Administrators must consider the acceptable code of conduct, disciplinary procedures, and the path to successful implementation while drafting new policies.

18. Allocating Resources: Administrators are also in charge of the reasonable allocation of resources. They must decide on resource allocation to support effective classroom management strategies, behaviour support and professional development of teachers. They should allocate funds judiciously between purchasing materials, technology, and other resources that aid classroom management.

19. Training & Workshops: Training and development are essential for teachers, students, and school staff. Research and best practices can help administrators decide the most beneficial topics for training. For example, topics such as conflict resolution, positive behaviour support, and crisis intervention may be helpful for teachers’ classroom management. Partnering with education experts and professional development providers can help the administration promptly ensure their teachers and staff receive the requisite training and development.

20. Collaboration with Principals: When administrators and principals work together, they can ensure proper implementation of all school policies and effective classroom management. There should be regular meetings and well-defined communication channels for principals and administrators to facilitate the exchange of information and quick enforcement of policies.

Why Extramarks?

Extramarks leverages technology to transform traditional teaching-learning methods in the classroom and beyond. Smart Class Plus by Extramarks is designed to aid effective classroom management using integrated learning technologies and illustrative content. Our applications can be customised to fit the learning needs of the students and classroom management techniques of the teachers. Here is a look at the noteworthy features of the Extramarks Smart Class Plus –

1. Classroom Management Dashboard: The one-stop solution for teachers to manage attendance, send notices, and view all student information for critical classroom management decisions.
2. Detailed Student & Class Reports: Teachers and principals can generate detailed insights into students’ performance and progress by tracking their responses, scores, and interest levels in the lessons. It can help create more effective classroom strategies for students’ preferred learning styles.
3. Test Creation Simplified: Easy and quick test creation tools, including readymade templates, enabling hassle-free assessments for virtual and in-class learners.
4. Unlimited Class Practice: Unlike traditional study resources, Extramarks Smart Class Plus provides teachers with unlimited practice tests with unique questions. Teachers can ensure that their students get sufficient practice for every concept learned in class.
5. Game-Based Learning and More: Extramarks solutions leverage game-based learning in various subjects to improve student engagement and motivation. It also includes pop quizzes, in-video quizzes and other stimulating activities and projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the Three Cs of Classroom Management?
   

   Successful classroom management strategies need consistency, compassion, and connection. Teachers can create innovative strategies for running their classes, but without the main three Cs, their classroom management may lack the elements for success.

2. What is a Classroom Management Plan?
   

   A classroom management plan is a comprehensive rule book explaining how the teacher wants the class to operate. It includes the acceptable code of conduct, consequences of misbehaviour, and schedules to be followed. It guides teachers in implementing new classroom rules and procedures whenever required.

3. What are the Essential Parts of Classroom Management Strategies?
   

   The four essential elements of a good classroom management strategy are autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance.

Last Updated on March 21, 2024