Practical Management in the Classroom
Effective Planning Helps Students and Teachers Succeed
Aug 30, 2008
Before the day begins, successful teachers have already set a schedule. They have prepared the classroom in advance, organized lesson plans and considered all the aspects of interaction and possible interruption. Great teachers have a set routine in place, have made their students aware of the schedule and have the students prepared for classroom procedures as well. This is called Proactive Management and it helps both teachers and students succeed.
Complete All Instructional Preparation Before Students Arrive Each Day
Morning person or night owl, whichever works best for you as an individual, it’s imperative that you have all your lesson plans, paperwork and projects lined up and ready to go before the day begins. Complete everything in advance, whether you stay up the night before or get in well before your students arrive. It’s helpful to work out your weekly and monthly tentative schedules and have everything set up and in place long before you need it.
Teachers Should Greet Students As They Arrive
Preferably, greetings should be done at the door. By positioning yourself at the entrance to the classroom, a teacher can set a precedence of authority. Being at the door also gives you the opportunity to observe each child as they enter the room, assessing their individual situation and mood. As each child enters, you can be taking attendance, too.
Instructional Inspiration
As soon as students enter the room, get coats and other things put away, they should know to go directly to their seats and begin working on a specific item, usually written on the board. This might be a riddle, a math question, or any small project for them to be working on and keeping busy until their teacher is ready to begin. This can be a dual use of time, as the project can be the beginning of a specific assignment. It’s beneficial to make this a light-hearted or fun venture some of the time to keep enthusiastic participation.
Classroom Management Is in Place
The rules of your class should be made clear to your students since day one. It’s best to have a visual display of the rules posted for reminding and reference.
Everyday Tasks Are Completed
Once everyone is in class, the day’s initial routine can commence: Attendance, collection of returned assignments, permission slips, lunch money and choices, anything that is done on a daily basis in your classroom. This can also be done while students enter the room. If you have the ability to position yourself and the needed paperwork, computer, bins or folders at the door as students arrive, you can collect many of the daily turn-ins right immediately and save even more class time.
Mastering these simple beginning of the day techniques will not only help your students reach their goals, they will give you more time and reduce stress, which give you more tools to be an effective teacher.
 |
