Classroom Management Effective Classroom Management

Classroom Management

Effective classroom management is vital in today's classrooms where teachers are teaching children with various academic, cultural and social backgrounds, not to mention that more and more classrooms today are having to manage students who are less proficient in English, have little experience being in a classroom, and in some cases, have physical or mental disabilities (Capizzi 2009). Without effective classroom management, teachers face many more challenges when it comes to helping children learn. While a strategy for managing a classroom is important, so is choosing the right type of strategy as they are not all created equal (2009).

Promoting positive behavior in the classroom is essential for creating a positive learning environment, according to Capizzi (2009). The biggest concern that teachers face is having to discipline. Teachers must endure a lot of stress when it comes to children who behave badly. When teachers know how to handle these discipline problems, they feel more relaxed in their classrooms and this makes their overall stress levels decrease, making them better equipped to do what they are meant to be doing -- teaching.

Capizzi (2009) notes that there are six key areas that teachers (and administrators) can use to guide their development of new plans (or plans that they already have in place. These six areas are: structure, classroom layout, classroom decor, rules, routines, an maintaining and monitoring behavior. Within these six areas, the plans should be "tailor to fit each group of students and their unique needs" (2009). When there is a better organized classroom -- that is, more structured -- students have been know to demonstrate more appropriate academic and social behavior, in general (2009). When using a Classroom Plan Appraisal Worksheet (PAW), it is illustrated that classrooms that are more structured and have more traditional teacher authority, there is less freedom when it comes to movement on the parts of the students -- that is, without permission (2009). Low-structured classrooms have more dialogue between the teacher and the students as well, according to PAW (2009).

Capizzi (2009) notes that it is easy to visit a variety of classrooms and see how each one has its own style and its own feel. Teachers can get very creative when it comes to structuring and decorating their classrooms, which is nice, but teachers have to be careful that they organize the classroom in a way that supports and encourages teaching and learning. For example, how the desks (both teachers and students) are arranged, as well as how bookshelves and tables are arranged, and decor -- all make a difference when it comes to creating a supportive classroom (2009). While decor and arrangement is vital to a supportive classroom, Capizzi (2009) also states that taking the students' ages into account is also quite important. On another note, students should be able to have the room to move around the classroom when it is permitted, so creating "walkways" is also something that teachers need to consider when structuring or planning how to structure their classrooms (2009).