Instant Behavior Improvement
Classroom management is knowledge based. It’s something you can learn, apply, and see drastic, transformational improvement—no matter who you are or where you teach. Students respond predictably to certain approaches, strategies, and teacher behaviors, and so when you do what works, you get happy results.
1. Decide
Before your students arrive for the day, make a decision to keep a calm demeanor throughout. This simple technique will eliminate excitability, settle and focus your students, and frame you in the soft light of a leader they’ll respect and want to behave for.
2. Slow Down
Resolve to take your time, pause often, and never move on until you’re getting exactly what you want from your students. This strategy is essential to starting each day on the right classroom management foot and keeping it there until dismissal.
3. Talk Less
If you can cut the amount of talking you do by a third, you’ll notice a substantial difference in how well your students listen, attend, and follow your directions. The key is to be more specific, more direct, more mindful before speaking, and less repetitious.
4. Practice
As your first order of business, teach, model, and then practice precisely how you want your students to enter your classroom in the morning. A well-performed routine to start the day will help keep your class sharp, purpose-driven, and working efficiently to the end.
5. Review
Spend a couple of minutes reviewing your classroom management plan. There is no reason to reteach it or go into great depth. Just walk them through a quick review. This keeps its importance in the forefront, ensuring that it’s never forgotten or far from mind.
6. Promise
Make a promise to your students that you will protect their right to learn and enjoy school by following your classroom management plan as it’s written. When viewed from this perspective—as a benefit to them—your plan takes on a whole new meaning, resulting in far less misbehavior.
7. Preview
Think of the most compelling topics and activities you plan to teach that day and sell them to your students. Give them something to look forward to and get excited about. Provide them with an irresistible motive to attend and behave and love being in your class.
8. Remind
Before jumping into your first lesson, remind your students that anyone who fails to follow classroom rules risks sitting in time-out and missing a chance to participate in one or more of the super-cool lessons you’ve just previewed for them.
9. Rest
You made a commitment to yourself to stay calm and a promise to your students to enforce your classroom management plan. Now rest in the freedom they offer. Rest in the knowledge that you don’t have to get stressed-out, raise your voice, or coerce your students into behaving. You just have to follow through.
10. Enjoy
Relying solely on your classroom management plan frees you to enjoy being a teacher. It frees you to let loose your unique gifts and personality. It frees you to lower your guard and step into a more influential relationship with your students, which gives you powerful leverage to influence their behavior.
1. Decide
Before your students arrive for the day, make a decision to keep a calm demeanor throughout. This simple technique will eliminate excitability, settle and focus your students, and frame you in the soft light of a leader they’ll respect and want to behave for.
2. Slow Down
Resolve to take your time, pause often, and never move on until you’re getting exactly what you want from your students. This strategy is essential to starting each day on the right classroom management foot and keeping it there until dismissal.
3. Talk Less
If you can cut the amount of talking you do by a third, you’ll notice a substantial difference in how well your students listen, attend, and follow your directions. The key is to be more specific, more direct, more mindful before speaking, and less repetitious.
4. Practice
As your first order of business, teach, model, and then practice precisely how you want your students to enter your classroom in the morning. A well-performed routine to start the day will help keep your class sharp, purpose-driven, and working efficiently to the end.
5. Review
Spend a couple of minutes reviewing your classroom management plan. There is no reason to reteach it or go into great depth. Just walk them through a quick review. This keeps its importance in the forefront, ensuring that it’s never forgotten or far from mind.
6. Promise
Make a promise to your students that you will protect their right to learn and enjoy school by following your classroom management plan as it’s written. When viewed from this perspective—as a benefit to them—your plan takes on a whole new meaning, resulting in far less misbehavior.
7. Preview
Think of the most compelling topics and activities you plan to teach that day and sell them to your students. Give them something to look forward to and get excited about. Provide them with an irresistible motive to attend and behave and love being in your class.
8. Remind
Before jumping into your first lesson, remind your students that anyone who fails to follow classroom rules risks sitting in time-out and missing a chance to participate in one or more of the super-cool lessons you’ve just previewed for them.
9. Rest
You made a commitment to yourself to stay calm and a promise to your students to enforce your classroom management plan. Now rest in the freedom they offer. Rest in the knowledge that you don’t have to get stressed-out, raise your voice, or coerce your students into behaving. You just have to follow through.
10. Enjoy
Relying solely on your classroom management plan frees you to enjoy being a teacher. It frees you to let loose your unique gifts and personality. It frees you to lower your guard and step into a more influential relationship with your students, which gives you powerful leverage to influence their behavior.
