Classroom Management Tips
Here`s a list of what other teachers have tried in their classroom to make discipline run smoothly:
·When cleaning up, I play Go Go Stop. They think it's hilarious and when I say Stop!, they freeze in whatever position they were in.
·From time to time the "Clean Desk Fairy" visits and rewards the neat desks with candy or a small prize.
·I use a home-school Communication Book made from a regular exercise book. A Ziploc bag is stapled to the inside back cover for any "loose" notices that need to go home (i.e. hot lunch forms), and parents can send things back to school in the bag (such as money for hot lunch). Everything else gets glued or written into this book so parents can be aware of any special days coming up, etc. Our weekly spelling words are glued in on Mondays. Parents can write questions to me or voice any concerns, and it's an easy way for me to stay in touch with the parents I never see.
· I use the old "Give me Five" when I want the children to give me their attention while seated on the carpet: 1--on your bottom, legs crossed; 2--hands folded in your lap; 3--face the speaker; 4--eyes and ears open; 5--mouths closed. You teach, teach, teach in September, and a few weeks in, you only have to say "Give me five: 1,2,3,4,5", and they do!
·I shake everyone's hand at the door in the morning and at the end of the day. This is a great way to build rapport with students!!
·Secret Walker, Secret Worker, Secret Reader, Secret Listener This has been the most effective single strategy I have ever used to get all students doing what they should be doing. When we are walking to library, lunch, art, whatever, I tell them I am picking a secret walker. I keep a Ziploc bag with student names written on little plastic discs (counters?). As students are lining up I draw one or two names from the bag - these are my secret walkers. The kids don't know who the secret walkers are so they all do their very best to follow the rules for walking. It is amazing. Usually one name is for going and the other for coming back. When we get to where we are going I tell them that my secret walker did great and will get a reward when we get back to the room. They still don't know who it was. Then on the way back I remind them again that I have a secret walker. When we get back to the room both secret walkers get a reward. Usually the reward is a sticker, piece of candy, something small. If the secret walker has not done well, I tell them that I'm very sorry the secret walker did not earn his/her reward, but perhaps next time. I don't usually tell the class when the secret walker doesn't earn the reward, but will try to pull that child aside at some time and tell him/her what behavior he/she needs to work on when in line. As the heading indicates I also choose secret workers, readers or listeners whenever I feel I need to reinforce behavior at these times.
·I put the children's names on Popsicle sticks and whenever I need to choose a child I pull one out.
·For my reading groups, I put all the activities into coloured baskets so I call up the blue basket people.
·When a child needs supplies, he takes a little dittoed list I have called Your Child Needs.... (it has pictures and words) and circles what he needs and puts it in his folder. He can borrow supplies from a center until he brings in the supplies.
·Another thing I do that is a real timesaver is just check to see if a child has the homework done rather than checking for correctness. Check work later on together, and have them correct it themselves.
·Use the chant "My hands are by my side, I'm standing straight and tall, I will not talk at all, I am ready for the hall."
·Some of my best attention getters include:
clapping out a pattern, and having the kids clap it back to me (this works on a school-wide basis, too!). I also have a little bell, timer and use the lights, My favorite one, however, is to start singing a song they all know...they join right in, and when the song is done, they are all "with you!" So much more pleasant than trying to talk over them!
·Super Stars: I have a copy of a star that says "super star" around it. The picture is about 1 inch square. I copy a bunch of those and when I catch a kid being good I hand them a Super Star. They write their name on the back and enter it in a drawing that I do weekly for prizes from a prize box.
·Reward Board: I have a small white board that sits on the ledge of my chalkboard. When I catch a kid being good I have him/her write their name on the reward board. Then when I need someone to do something special, I choose from the names on the reward board. If the reward board gets too full, I send those kids out to recess a minute early or something. When the kids get a reward, they erase their name from the reward board.
·One thing that worked really well is the "congratulations" idea. Since this word is too long for my active kids, I shortened it to "Bravo". I wrote each letter on a piece of construction paper and laminated it. Whenever my kids are working very quietly, I put one letter up on the board, without saying a word. When they are too noisy, I take one letter down. When all the letters are up, they earn a treat, usually 5 min. extra recess or recess in the garden- basketball court .
·I'd recommend a weekly newsletter and a parent meeting where you can share what is expected. This gets parents on your side immediately.
Strong Families, Strong Schools, a report that reflects 30 years of research on family involvement in education, stated the sad fact that "in many instances parents don't feel as if we welcome them in school."
·THINK POSITIVE: I type this on little colored shape pads and they put this in their assignment notebook or sometimes on their desks. We use this at the beginning of the school year to set the expectations for the mood of the classroom.
1. Today will be great!
2. I can handle more than I think I can.
3. I'll be satisfied with trying to do my best.
4. I will make someone happy today.
5. Life is great! I'll make the most of it.
·Make sure that you have established your behaviour expectations. I stress things like polite listening when someone else is speaking (teacher or student), no put-downs, keep your hands to yourself, work without disturbing the children who sit close to you, etc.
·I tell them that every time they break a well-established classroom or school rule that they will get a "strike". I have a laminated piece of chart paper on the front chalkboard (up quite high so I'm the only one who can reach it) and if a child gets a strike I put a tally mark beside their name. I use a washable overhead marker to do this. Before class starts every day I erase all the strikes from the previous day, so everyone begins each day with a clean slate. The kids all know that "strike one" means "oops, you let your behaviour slip". If you get "strike two" it means "you need to be much more mindful of your behaviour". "Strike Three" means "there will be no "GREAT" badge for you today."
