Classroom Management Tips & Tricks
-
Loading... - Brian Clarke
- 29 Jul 2022
- 92 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Almost anyone can imagine the terrifying scene: thirty or so kids screaming at top volume, standing on desks and throwing things at one another as a frantic teacher makes futile attempts to bring everything back into order. Nearly every brand-new teacher has a degree of fear about losing control over the classroom, but with some proactivity and preparation, instruction usually proceeds as planned without incident. How is it possible to anticipate problems before they arise? With the following tips, students are far more likely to be not just cooperative, but also collaborative in the learning goals teachers set forth.
-
Avoid power struggles. In my second or third year of teaching, a student whose reputation preceded her entered my class. Teachers everywhere expressed their sympathies, and I was nervous. One day, we were doing an activity and she just sat there, glaring at me. When I walked over to her, she said, “I’m not doing this.” I remember feeling angry, but then I realized my own personal feelings would be unproductive. Keeping my voice gentle and my facial expression bland, I told her that she had a choice: she could sit there and do nothing, or she could give the work a try.
“Personally,” I said, “I would give it a shot. It can’t hurt, and I would love to help you be successful. But it’s up to you.” When I gave this student nothing to push back against and responded to her defiance in a way that allowed her to make what she knew was the best decision, she came around and started doing the work almost as soon as I walked away. What I learned from this experience is that fighting back or setting up ultimatums with students does not work. Instead, helping them see the benefit of the work is much more productive. Read More...
