Effective Classroom Management
Strategies of Teaching Class Rules and Procedures Effectively
Feb 10, 2007
Classroom management refers to the actions a teacher needs to take in order to maintain order in the classroom which enables learning to take place.
In teacher college and as a new teacher, I was taught the importance of the 90-10% rule of classroom management. A teacher should spend 90% on describing rules more completely and installing procedures more systematically and 10% on actual teaching. The rationale is that students will learn better and remember the material when they know what is expected of them in terms of how they should behave in the classroom.
So what makes up this 90% principle - what strategies are available to a teacher?
- Decide in advance how you want your students to behave and then make these expectations crystal clear to the students. Not having well-defined rules or procedures leads to chaos in the classroom. As a new teacher, you have the authority and you are in the charge.
- Teach rules and procedures as deliberately and thoroughly as academic content.It is easier after a while to assume the students have understood the rules and procedures but too often, this leads to neglecting to teach desirable behavior.
- Spend as much time on management issues as academic content. It is infinitely easier to hurry through classroom rules and procedures just to start teaching. But the payoffs are lousy.
- During the first month of school and for the remainder of the school year, continue to review and reinforce these management issues. Failing to invest time required to teaching classroom rules and procedures will lead to a lack of accountability and proper learning. Kids thrive on structure and a proper framework for learning.
- Inform students of punishments/penalties and what they will be used for. Failing to develop a systematic set of penalties/punishments results in chaos..
Over to You – Strategies for Effective Classroom Management
In order to start implementing this 90-10% rule, begin by reflecting on your experiences as a student.
Identify those teachers who you consider to be effective and ineffective classroom managers: How were they effective classroom managers? Ineffective managers?
Make a two sided list. Compare those with the strategies you are currently using. Is there something you can adopt, change, develop more in order to become a more effective classroom manager?
Final Words
What are your concerns about managing a classroom? The discussion board is open and hopefully it will be of help to all you preservice and practicing teachers alike.
Further Reading: Articles on Classroom Management
Brophy, J. "Classroom Management Techniques." Education and Urban Society 18/2 (1986): 182-194.
Brophy, J. E. "Classroom Organization and Management." The Elementary School Journal 83/4 (1983): 265-285.
Choosing Rules and Procedures (Emmer,Evertson and Anderson)
Consequences (Canter and Canter)
Writer’s Note: These are excellent articles for preservice and practicing teachers alike but cannot be accessed on the Internet without paying for them. I suggest using your local library.
