The ultimate list of classroom management strategies, organized into verbal and non-verbal strategies, parent communication tips,rewards and prizes, games, brain breaks, and visual strategies.
Do you struggle with classroom management? Here are four strategies that you can add to your toolkit that will make it just a little bit more effective.
So, I invented a new game today. It was completely necessary at the moment. It requires zero prep and zero materials (other than a class list). It. Works. Like. Magic! The name of the game is 'Last Kid Standing'. How
The ticket system has been a game-changing classroom management strategy for my own high school science classroom.
Struggling with difficult behaviors? These classroom management strategies will help transform your middle school classroom!
How to take back control of a difficult class when you're caught in the crazy cycle. When parents are on the attack and students...
Stop taking away recess and using other punishments to control your students. Find success with 10 powerful classroom management strategies!
Some time back, I noticed posters like this in our school hallways. I found out from learning support that they were to help the children learn self-regulation. The posters were based on a con…
Real talk: classroom management has always been my biggest struggle as a teacher. I think that this is true for a lot of teachers. It’s one thing to read about classroom management strategies in a college classroom, but it’s a whole other ballgame when you’re standing in front of a roomful of middle schoolers and you are somehow expected to keep them all in line! I’ve had a few tough groups over my first few years, and I needed something to up my classroom management game. The classroom management strategy I’m going to share with you today has been a total game-changer for me, and I hope it can help you, too! This strategy is called Behavior Bingo. To implement it, you will need a 10×10 chart numbered from 1-100. I used to draw mine out on big chart paper, but I’ve since created this handy printable board so that I don’t have to draw it out each time! You will also need 100 popsicle sticks each labeled with a number from 1-100. I keep these in one of those metal pails from Target, and you will also need another pail for the sticks to go in once you have pulled them. You will need a board and set of numbers for each class you are using this with – I have used it with up to 4 classes at once! I marked each class’s set of sticks with a different color and then discarded them all into the same tub. If you don’t want to buy or have to label all the popsicle sticks, I have also seen teachers use small slips of paper numbered 1-100, or even just a random number generator online! Here are the rules that I use: The object of the game is to get 10 numbers in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) and get a bingo. At the start of each class, I write the numbers 1 2 3 on the front whiteboard. During class, I erase a number any time the students are not meeting my expectations, starting with 3, then 2, then 1. At the end of class, however many numbers are left on the board is how many popsicle sticks they get to pull that day. For example, if only the 3 was erased, then they get to pull 2 popsicle sticks. They can earn up to 3 numbers each day. The students pull out the correct number of sticks for that day. I let them take turns. I hold the jar up above their heads so they can’t peek inside. Then I color in the numbers that were pulled on the bingo board. You can certainly adjust these rules to meet your needs. For instance, you could use a smaller or bigger bingo board, depending on how quickly you want them to earn their reward. With the 10×10 board, it usually takes 1-2 months to earn the reward. You could also adjust how many numbers they can earn each day. Another thing you could do is tie the numbers to specific goals. For instance, my students know that at the beginning of class they need to be in their seats with homework out and working on their warmup. If this doesn’t happen, they know I will erase a number. As for the reward, we choose this as a class before beginning the game. I have the students brainstorm ideas (I tell them that they need to be something either relatively inexpensive or free and can only take up about 20-30 minutes of class time) and list them all on the board. Then I have the students vote for their top two choices. Some ideas we have come up with in the past include an ice cream party (I bring the ice cream, they bring the toppings), root beer float party, time outside, free time, board games, donut party, dodgeball, or popcorn and a short movie. I write their choice at the bottom of the bingo board as a reminder of what we are working toward. And that’s it! It’s very easy to keep it running, and it has been very motivating to my students, especially when they are down to only one number left for the day. You can find the printable board that I use in my Teachers Pay Teachers store if you’re interested! Do you have any awesome classroom management strategies? I would love to hear about them in the comments!
If you struggle with classroom management no matter how many different strategies you try, there's a chance you're doing something to get in your own way.
If you work with children, I can promise you that you will come across at least one student that has these difficult behaviors. Not only are they really stressful for the teacher but they impact the student’s life in many ways. Behaviors like disrespect and defiance can make classroom's chaotic.
Working with kids and young adults who are oppositional can be challenging. Being oppositional might mean refusing to do work, breaking rules, and engaging in other challenging behaviors. The truth is, many kids can be oppositional from time to time, so many of these strategies work with all learner
Challenges with focus and attention can become a huge roadblock to learning for kids and young adults. Simply put, attention is critical to learning. If students can't focus on the lesson, they are going to struggle with understanding the new content. If students can't focus on the directions, they
Here is a collection of eight class discussion techniques to structure classroom discussion and ensure all students' equal participation.
A lot of times our students do not know how to communicate what they need in the moment. We can get to know our students by giving them a menu of options regarding things they need when they become upset, angry, nervous, worried, overwhelmed, and confused. Social emotional learning and coping strate...
Every English language arts teacher needs a variety of successful, student led discussion strategies that will provide opportunities for student learning.
You can get your chart here ----> SUPERHERO Behavior Personal behavior charts in folders for students that need it. Happy Birthday Bunting Happy Birthday to You 'Welcome to 1st Grade.' Welcome Pennant K-5 A-Z Pennant (teal-lime-red) A-Z Pennant (aqua-yellow-gray) Here is my new transportation sign hanging near the door. -Homework Bingo Students write their name in a square every time they turn in homework. At the end of the week or month a square is selected. Here is my new bucket filler display! It's definitely worth half of my only bulletin board! Here is a Wheel of Choice! Beginning of the Year Info Sheet Fiction Labels A newsletter to fill in....it is linked both as a pdf and an editable document in google docs. The font I've been using is Pea Missy from Kevin and Amanda...it is free to download. Weekly Newsletter (no edit) Weekly Newsletter (edit) Again both versions and I used Pea Missy. Welcome Brochure Welcome Brochure (edit) I also have a new Beginning of the Year Info Sheet that is meant to be front to back. Your Child: The Ins and Outs Noise Meter We are at.....sign Parent/Teacher Conference Form Table tents: Western Jobs for tablemates Job suggestions: Table Leader Materials Cleaner Writer Talker Encourager Teambuilding Ideas using Kagan Structures Brain Break Cards Buckaroo Behavior Ranch Every child has a horse with their class number on it. Each morning the horses start out in the barn, if the child has one warning and continues the behavior they move to the pasture, for the 2nd consequence they move to the corrall and finally they get lassoed. For great behavior, the horses get to go to Haystack Heaven! See the forms below for monthly, weekly and intervention home to school communication. Buckaroo Behavior Monthly Form Buckaroo Behavior Weekly Form Buckaroo Behavior Individual Intervention Form OWL behavior chart OWL weekly behavior form Owl Monthly Behavior Form The next project was easy because it required only a $1 and no labor...I just had to buy the crown at Michaels! So the idea behind this crown is to let your students know when you are in session during guided reading groups and not to be disturbed unless of emergency (I always say if your hair is on fire then you can disturb me). Great idea! I had tried turning on a push light but it wasn't enough. Last year I had a stop sign and a go sign on magnets and I hung them behind my head to let them know when I was/wasn't available but I don't have anywhere to hang them this year :( Hopefully this will do the trick! Inspiration from I'm Blog Hoppin' My Interpretation: The next few projects are based off Kinder Gals ideas from their post Managing Behavior. A magnetic sign is hung by your whole group area. Anytime the students don't do the right thing you just take one magnet down, for all the magnets left the class gets points (or happy rocks). My board fits in with my Western theme (check out the ribbon, so cute). Inspiration from Kinder Gals My Interpretation: The other idea I got inspiration from was their tattle monster. I decided instead to go with tattling turtle. I plan to put the tattling turtle poem next to it and also the wheel of choice (I couldn't find the link to this). The students tell the turtle their tattle and if they feel that the teacher should hear they bring over a turtle. The number of turtles left at the end of the day equals points given to the class. Inspiration from Kinder Gals My Interpretation: We are at... Classroom jobs Ways to Greet Who's filled a bucket today?
Kathleen McClaskey interviewed Greg Wilborn, Personalized Learning Coordinator at Colorado Springs who shared their journey to move to personalizing learning for all learners.
Anger management strategies can be very useful to even young children as they learn to manage their own behaviour. These calming strategy cards can help!
Executed well, student-centered instructional methods can disarm some of the more intimidating parts of academia.
Effective classroom management is the key to success in any elementary classroom. These teacher-tested phrases will help to give your classroom management!
High school teacher Grace Dearborn says students don’t all respond to consequences in the same way, so teachers need a full toolbox of options.
French attention grabbers are words or short sentences that get your students' attention in the classroom. Learn how to use them and how to invent your own.
What are executive functioning skills? Executive functioning (EF) skills are the abilities in our brain that help us complete everyday tasks. These skills include planning, organization, time management, metacognition, working memory, self-control, attention, flexibility, and perseverance. S
These 50+ strategies to jumpstart your teaching brain include literacy strategies, approaches to assessment, and grouping strategies.
One of the great (and probably easiest) ways to gamify your teaching is through the use of game generators. These are tools that enable you to easily create various educational games without the need for any coding knowledge. And if you are wondering which tools to use, I have recommendations for you!
The Question: Do you all have any ideas for weekly behavior forms to send to parents? My school doesn’t want us to use the “stop light” red, yellow, green method. I’ve start…
If you struggle with classroom management no matter how many different strategies you try, there's a chance you're doing something to get in your own way.
I am so excited to launch my first "series" of blog posts! It's making me feel all grown-up and blogger-like :)My first series is going to be on increasing student engagement in the classroom. Over
Student engagement is my number one goal in the classroom. None of the academic goals can be achieved without student engagement. It is essential! My biggest advice to you is to decrease teacher talk and the time students spend in their desks.I want to share some more specific ways that I keep my students engaged
If we are truly honest, a great deal of our time is spent on classroom management. I recently went into a classroom to do a faculty evaluation. I usually try to blend in and act like a student. I s…
Teaching children about coping with anger? Check out these 15 effective anger management strategies for kids.
I am always looking for new ways to tackle classroom management. What better way to get your students to buy into positive behavior than with some games?
Read through our favorite classroom management hacks and then hop over and become a Plato Pack member for even more teaching tools, strategies and support.
Substitutes, I don’t have to tell you that you have a unique and challenging job, especially when it comes to classroom management.I reader recently emailed with a great question: “How do I get students to realize they need to follow instructions even though I am ‘just a sub’?”Great question. One th
Cooperative Learning is a great strategy to use in every classroom. It doesn’t matter the age or ability of the students, cooperative learning can be…
Challenges with focus and attention can become a huge roadblock to learning for kids and young adults. Simply put, attention is critical to learning. If students can't focus on the lesson, they are going to struggle with understanding the new content. If students can't focus on the directions, they
