By: Rebecca Alber
Appeared originally at www.edutopia.org
I made a good number of blunders my
first year teaching that still make me cringe. I learned though. And it's fair
to say, when it comes to managing a classroom, most of what we learn as new
teachers is trial by fire. It's also smart to heed the advice of those who have
walked -- and stumbled -- before you. If you are struggling with discipline,
here are five tips that you can start using right away:
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| Photo courtesy of Rappler.com |
#1
Use a normal, natural voice
Are you teaching in your normal
voice? Every teacher can remember this from the first year in the classroom:
spending those first months talking at an above-normal range until one day, you
lose your voice.
Raising our voice to get students'
attention is not the best approach, and the stress it causes and the vibe it
puts in the room just isn't worth it. The students will mirror your voice
level, so avoid using that semi-shouting voice. If we want kids to talk at a
normal, pleasant volume, we must do the same.
You want to also differentiate your
tone. If you are asking students to put away their notebooks and get into their
groups, be sure to use a declarative, matter-of-fact tone. If you are asking a
question about a character in a short story, or about contributions made by the
Roman Empire, use an inviting, conversational tone.
#2
Speak only when students are quiet and ready
This golden nugget was given to me
by a 20-year veteran my first year. She told me that I should just wait and
then wait some more until all students were quiet.
So I tried it; I fought the
temptation to talk. Sometimes I'd wait much longer than I thought I could hold
out for. Slowly but surely, the students would cue each other: "sshh,
she's trying to tell us something," "come on, stop talking," and
"hey guys, be quiet." (They did all the work for me!)
My patience paid off. Yours will
too. And you'll get to keep your voice.
#3
Use hand signals and other non-verbal communication
Holding one hand in the air, and
making eye contact with students is a great way to quiet the class and get
their attention on you. It takes awhile for students to get used to this as a
routine, but it works wonderfully. Have them raise their hand along with you
until all are up. Then lower yours and talk.
Flicking the lights off and on once
to get the attention is an oldie but goodie. It could also be something you do
routinely to let them know they have three minutes to finish an assignment or
clean up, etc.
With younger students, try clapping
your hands three times and teaching the children to quickly clap back twice.
This is a fun and active way to get their attention and all eyes on you.
#4
Address behavior issues quickly and wisely
Be sure to address an issue between
you and a student or between two students as quickly as possible. Bad feelings
-- on your part or the students -- can so quickly grow from molehills into
mountains.
Now, for handling those conflicts
wisely, you and the student should step away from the other students, just in
the doorway of the classroom perhaps. Wait until after instruction if possible,
avoiding interruption of the lesson. Ask naive questions such as, "How
might I help you?" Don't accuse the child of anything. Act as if you do
care, even if you have the opposite feeling at that moment. The student will
usually become disarmed because she might be expecting you to be angry and
confrontational.
And, if you must address bad
behavior during your instruction, always take a positive approach. Say,
"It looks like you have a question" rather than, "Why are you
off task and talking?"
When students have conflicts with
each other, arrange for the students to meet with you at lunch, after or before
school. Use neutral language as you act as a mediator, helping them resolve the
problem peacefully, or at least reach an agreeable truce.
#5
Always have a well-designed, engaging lesson
This tip is most important of all.
Perhaps you've heard the saying, if you don't have a plan for them, they'll
have one for you. Always overplan. It's better to run out of time than
to run short on a lesson.
From my own first-hand experience
and after many classrooms observations, something that I know for sure: Bored
students equal trouble! If the lesson is poorly planned, there is often way too
much talking and telling from the teacher and not enough hands-on learning and
discovery by the students.
We all know engaging lessons take both serious mind
and time to plan. And they are certainly worth it -- for many reasons.
Share with
us your classroom management experiences: What specific challenges are you
having? What strategies have worked well for you and your students? Please
share in the comment section below.
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