Effective Classroom Management Strategies: Setting the Tone for Learning

Before we became teachers, when we were young and had dreams aplenty, we probably thought of all the awesome things about teaching – changing lives, inspiring futures, sharing our love for learning. But we probably gave little thought to where we spend so much of our time and expend so much of our energy: on classroom management and developing and executing our classroom management strategies.

Indeed, teachers are many things (counselors, experts, scapegoats, etc.)–but in the classroom, we are first and foremost managers. And what do managers do? (Queue the snarky student response here: ”They manage.”)  

Indeed, teachers, as classroom managers, come to class with a classroom management plan. 

Indeed, everything that happens in the classroom happens because conditions were created for learning, for activity, for conversation, and–indeed–for fun.  That all begins with classroom management strategies and the teacher.

What is Classroom Management?

Let’s look at a classroom management definition from Harry Wong, the author of The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (a book we have probably come across at some point in our teaching careers, perhaps when we have reflected on our classroom management styles).  

In an interview with Education World, Wong notes, “Classroom management is the practices and procedures that allow teachers to teach and students to learn.”  

We should note, then, that classroom management, according to Wong, doesn’t include “rules” or “consequences.” Instead, Wong’s classroom management theories and classroom management techniques center on setting up the conditions for learning and teaching, not micro-managing the classroom with a long-list of rules and a looming threat of consequences for stepping out of line.  

Think of it this way: Effective classroom management strategies create conditions that proactively address issues or problems that might pop up later. It’s about setting the norms to create a safe, predictable environment that’s best for student learning and best for student behavior.

Classroom Management Examples

In the same interview noted above, Wong posits, “Procedures reduce the need for rules and discipline.”  What, then, is an example of a procedure we could consider one of our classroom management strategies for problematic behavior?  

Here are two proactive classroom management ideas and examples to promote positive student behavior:

Idea #1: Have a procedure and practice where–every day–students begin the class both hands-on and minds-on. One of the best classroom management strategies I can give is to have students begin work on something as soon as they walk in the door. 

Now that doesn’t mean they do the same thing every single day–but the constant is doing something every single day. 

Perhaps today it’s a bell-ringer question on the board to answer in a journal. Maybe it’s a daily check-in form.

Maybe tomorrow it’s a subject you want them to research for a few minutes online. The next day it could be a puzzle you want them to solve or a conversation you want them to have with a tablemate.  

I love starting my classes with 7-10 minutes of independent reading every day. Students come in the room, put their phones in the caddy, get out their books, and settle into class.

The key is routine, procedural. Students know that each day they need to get to work right away, which can make sure they are in their seats, have their materials ready, and put them on the right path right from the first minute of class.

Idea #2: Consider what classroom management tools and procedures you want to use to manage transitions between activities.  

For example, some teachers use the “Give Me Five” technique. The teacher says, “Give me five,” and the students, in kind, follow set procedures: 1) eyes on speaker, 2) quiet, 3) be still, 4) hands free, 5) listen. Here, with just a quick request, the teacher engages students in a series of actions to set them up for success. (Other teachers use variations of this with light-switch-flicking or raising hands–but any way we do it, these classroom management tools are invaluable to minimizing distraction and disruption to learning.)

I love using quick trivia games during transition time. Students move quietly because they want to hear the answers. One of my favorites is Linkee because it’s not only a trivia game, but also requires creative thinking to link all of the answers together.

Caution: Active vs. Passive

The classroom management ideas above sound good on paper and are effectively sound in the classroom–but a procedure does not become procedural by creating a poster for the classroom wall and telling students to follow it.  

No, instead, these procedures must be introduced, explained, modeled, practiced, rehearsed, and reflected on repeatedly. 

It’s like anything that we do for the first time–at first, it’s new and uncomfortable and uncertain, but with practice and reflection, it becomes second-nature. That’s where we want students to be with our classroom management plan – in the sweet spot where active modeling has become a daily habit.

So, then, how do we move from classroom management strategies to executing the plan and procedures in the classroom, all the while improving our classroom management skills?  

To do that, consider the classroom management tips below.

Classroom Management Tips

1. Establish clear expectations and procedures:  Make sure students understand the expectations and procedures and the reasons behind them.  Make sure students know where, how, and when to follow a specific procedure.  One classroom management tip for teachers to think about is what variables are present in the classroom and how you can eliminate them with a procedure.  For example, do students know how to turn in written or digital work?  Do students know how to move into groups?  Do students know what materials they need at the start of class?  Do students know when to raise their hand?  Having clarity and routines will eliminate questions and confusion.
2. Build positive relationships: Take time to get to know your students individually, showing interest in their lives, hobbies, and interests. Positive teacher-student relationships create a supportive and trusting classroom atmosphere.  Consider how you might recognize students in the classroom in a routine, predictable way.  For example, when it’s a student’s birthday, perhaps you give the student a happy birthday sticker, play a YouTube birthday video with the student’s name in it, and take a minute to have the student share what he/she/they are going to do to celebrate.  
3. Incorporate interactive activities: Integrate games, hands-on activities, group discussions, and interactive technologies into lessons to make learning more enjoyable and memorable.  Our students aren’t built for lectures and note taking, so how can we engage them and get them both hands-on and minds-on?  If they are engaged, they are less likely to be off-task or disruptive to the classroom environment.
4. Foster student collaboration: Encourage teamwork and group projects that promote collaboration and problem-solving skills. This not only makes learning more enjoyable but also prepares students for real-world situations.  Indeed, once students know how to work together, their work together gets better.  It’s not enough, though, to simply tell students to “work in teams;” instead, as part of our classroom management plan, we need to help them understand what that means and how to do it effectively.
5. Offer choices and autonomy: Provide opportunities for students to make choices within the curriculum and classroom activities, empowering them to take ownership of their learning.  Like us, students like to have choice.  (Think about your best school improvement days, for instance.  Were you most engaged on SIP Days where you were prescribed a rote agenda with no input or where you had choice on what you wanted to do and how you wanted to do it to improve as an educator?)
6. Implement rewards and incentives: Use a system of rewards and incentives to recognize students’ achievements, good behavior, and active participation in class activities.  Positive reinforcement can lead to positive behaviors in the classroom, no doubt.  When we reward and recognize what we want to see–in the classroom and with individual students–we are likely to see that behavior again, so consider how you can award students who follow procedures and routines.  For example, if a substitute leaves a glowing note that praises students’ helpfulness, acknowledge the good report when you return.  Perhaps that earns students an extra five minutes of recess or free-time in class or playing their favorite game.  Even those five minutes–and the reason why they were earned–can go a long way to promoting good student behavior in the future.
7. Incorporate movement: Allow students to move around the classroom during specific activities or incorporate movement-based exercises to break up long periods of sitting, keeping energy levels up and enhancing focus. In recent years even, as literal classroom management tools, some teachers have started keeping buckets of “fidgets” (little toys that are good for fidgeting with) in the classroom to give students something to do with their hands while their minds are at work.  (But like with any tool and with any classroom procedures, students need to be taught how and when it’s appropriate to use them–otherwise fidget spinners become ninja throwing stars of death.)
8. Regularly review and reflect: Take time to reflect on your teaching strategies and their impact on the classroom. Seek feedback from students and make adjustments as needed to ensure continuous improvement.  Indeed, as we learned from Of Mice and Men, the best laid plans often go astray.  Perhaps we find that a particular routine or procedure isn’t working as we want it to.  And that’s okay!  In that recognition, let’s consider our classroom management styles and classroom management techniques and make an adjustment.

Classroom management importance cannot be overstated. It’s why so much of teacher preparation these days focuses on improving classroom management skills.  

Those of us in the classroom, we see the need for it, especially as students have returned to school after the learning disruptions of COVID-19.  

For a time, many of our students were away from school, away from peers, away from teachers.  They lacked the structures, routines, procedures, and predictability of the classroom.  

We see now how that impacted so many–and we see now more than ever that Harry Wong is correct when he says, “It is the teacher–what the teacher knows and can do–that is the most significant factor in student achievement.”  Indeed, Wong is not wrong here!