5 Important Rules of Classroom Management

“The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake.”

This truly defines the inner atmosphere of a classroom when we speak of classroom management. The basic principle of classroom management indicates that there should be continuous action on the part of the teacher to have a better classroom atmosphere.

Classroom management can be divided into two strong areas. The first one being the physical arrangement of furniture, the teacher’s desk, bulletin boards, book racks, etc. A teacher should use her aesthetic sense to arrange furniture and take care of the physical demographics of the classroom. This has a great impact on the students. A classroom which is well lit, airy and has ample room for movement will leave a better impact on the students mind and they will be more bent towards learning.

Though there are wonderful pictures and visions of vibrant and vivacious classrooms available on the internet, a teacher has her limitations when it comes to the classrooms. This is so because every school building is unique in its features and each building is constructed in a different manner according to the availability of the space.

The second important aspect of classroom management is the behavior management of the students and keeping the action going on in the classroom.

Below mentioned are the five important principles of good classroom management.

1.      An innovative idea in the classroom: A good teacher understands the importance of coming up with unique ideas to teach the students. She always aims to bring in an area of interest in her classroom every day. The more innovative a teacher is the more attentive her class would be. If a teacher is monotonous in her approach, the students lose their interest and do not follow her. This ultimately leads to no teaching learning taking place in the classroom. The more a child takes interest in the class the better he will learn.

2.      Going over prepared to the class: It is always better to be over prepared for the class. If you feel that your ideas will not be sufficient to last a period of 30 or 40 min then immediately plan some more activities to suffice. If the students are without work or they are idle, they will start creating noise and the situation will go out of hand.

3.      Time Management: Time management is very important in the classroom. A teacher has to perform many roles in the class and a lot of work has to be done. This requires time management. The educator must allocate time for each task that she has decided upon. Ex: taking attendance, collecting writing material, motivating students to read and submit their reading logs, deliver the lesson, allot home assignment, recapitulate, etc. All this again takes time to master.  So the teacher has to be at it very persuasively.

4.      Being mentally and physically present in the class:  This is the biggest challenge for a teacher. Once mastered it delivers very good result. A teacher has to be mentally and physically present in the classroom. Administrators often thrust many tasks upon a teacher which are to be done maintaining the deadlines. This is also important on the part of the school but it is the teacher who has to keep a rightful attitude to check her mental presence in the class. Often the teachers get blown away due to these inundating tasks which they are required to perform. If one gets carried away by these tasks and attaches more importance to them, teaching will take a back seat and the learners will suffer.

5.      Reaching class on time and leaving on time:  This is a prerequisite for every teacher and one of the important rules of classroom management. If the class is left empty for a long period of time, students make a mental rule that they are at liberty to do whatever they want. They will take the teacher for granted. It is simple, ‘If our teacher can come late so can we.’ You will find students out in the corridors once the class is empty. Trust me most incidents or mishaps take place in the transition time between the two periods. Leaving the class when the period is over is also very important. Don’t eat away into the time of the next educator.

The above mentioned are the time tested rules for classroom management. Follow these for effective result and proper attention of your students. It is important to remember that good classroom management will result in effective teaching and even in your growth as a teacher.

Ms.  Kesar Patel

Educator, Writer, Blogger and a Teaching Enthusiast.

Next article: 8 Mistakes A Teacher Should Never Make.

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