CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Introduction 1. Greeting. Write CM on the board.

Ask them to discuss in groups of threes and fours what CM is in their opinion. 2. Ask for feedback. Write them on the board. 3. Write your definition: CM is how you react to whatever happens in the class. 4. Ask for a few things that they feel are disruptive in the class. Not what ought not to be done, but rather what in their view is a disruptive problem. Write just two or three on the board. The purpose is not to prepare a list, but to be ready for the next step. 5. Ask them what emotions the disruptive behaviours bring up in them. Anger 6. It is a foregone conclusion that a teacher has to deal with any problem that arises in the class. The question is, what should the teacher deal with: behaviour or judgement? 7. Write Behaviour v Judgement on the board. 8. What is the difference between the two? Lets say two students are fighting. What is the behaviour and what is your judgement of it? 9. What should a teacher deal with? Behaviour or judgement? Answer: Behaviour. 10. We must learn to deal with behaviour, not your judgement of it. 11. A student is reading a magazine in class. Dont judge his behaviour, like, This is wrong. He shouldnt be doing this. Dont judge. Just think What is my responsibility in this situation. What do I have to do? Your responsibility is to take the distraction and thats all there is to it. 12. If you are not part of the answer, you are part of the problem. 13. The things that dont bother you, you deal with quite effectively, because you look at the problem objectively, without any anger. The problems that bother YOU, you dont deal with them effectively.

10 PRACTICAL STEPS TO MANAGE THE CLASSROOM 1. You need to develop a certain amount of tolerance for student interaction that is not focused on you, because its simply going to happen. If you let this bother you too much, you might not be in the right job. If the interaction is not disrupting the class, wait and see how it turns out. 2. Dont think that it is imperative to take action on each and every thing that happens. Maybe the best thing to do is not to do anything. Not doing anything about a problem is an option. Its a choice. 3. Help the students to develop the habit of ignoring disruptive behaviour if it is not hurting anyone and not damaging any property, or causing them stress. 4. It happens frequently that a student who causes disruption in one teachers class is an angel the class of some other teachers. In this case, asking for advice from those other teachers or asking them to discuss the students behaviour with that student is a very good option. 5. Sometimes it is a very good option to talk to the student alone and tell him/her Look, I need your help. I am finding it very difficult to teach while you are disturbing the class. Can you please suggest anything? Is there anything about me that bothers you and makes you act in a disruptive way? Is there anything I could do to make you feel better in class? I need your help. More often than not the student will apologize and suggest some practical way out. 6. In most cases, how you say what you say to the students makes a world of difference. Lets say a back bencher is acting disruptively. Instead of saying Stand up and come in the front row right NOW! , you could say Can you please come and sit in the front row. Just for this period, if you dont mind. You can go back to your seat as soon as we finish this lesson You can feel the difference in their attitude. 7. When deemed appropriate provide choices. For example: if a child does not stay on task and complete his work, you could say, Do you want to finish it during free time or recess? Or, if a child is being disruptive, you could say, Would you like to sit in the front row or at your desk with your head down? .When given a choice, students tend to feel respected and are more likely to comply. However, allow only a short time for the choice to be made and if the child does not choose, make the choice for him/her. As much as possible, have the consequence directly relate to the offense. 8. It is extremely important to know about the situation of a students family. Often when a St is unruly in class it is because he/she is having problems at home. 9. Some students become very docile when they are given a warning. To make the warning look official, write his/her name on the board first, and take appropriate action if the same student misbehaves again.

10 A Classroom Management Plan Worth Trying

Write Good Class on a part of the white board where it would remain for the rest of the day. Each letter represents one period; thus, eight letters stand for eight periods of the day: G for P1, O for P2, O for P3, D for P4 etc. If the students behave well during P1, the teacher puts his/her signature under G; if they behave well in P2, the teacher who took the second period will sign under O. The day the students get all eight letters signed they would get some kind of privilege, perhaps going for break five minutes earlier the next day. It could be made more challenging by giving the students a star for eight signatures of a day. They would have to get three stars for getting the privilege. Thus, three days good behaviour = privilege.