Classroom Management Key Components

Area #1: Procedures/Structures/Routines

● Beginning Routine/Start of Class
○ Students will put their backpacks/coats in their lockers. I will greet them at the
door. They will come into the classroom quietly, pick their lunches, and look
at the board to see their morning work. They will work quietly on their
morning work.
● Quiet/Attention Signals
○ I will do either a callback (waterfall, waterfall shhhhh), hand clapping pattern,
or “touch your (ears, nose, chin) if you can hear me.”
● Physical Transitions (groups, pairs, labs, activities, carpet)
○ Tables, rows, or pods will call students for transitions. They will be paired up
with partners or chosen for groups using the Flippity website. They will also
have popsicle sticks for choosing names for transitions, groups, and
activities.
● Dismissal or Lining Up
○ Students will be dismissed by rows or pods. I will also use techniques such
as quietest pod/row, birthdays, colors they are wearing, etc.
● Non-verbal cues (visuals, hand gestures, music)
○ A non-verbal cue I will use is a timer for transitions or assignments. Music for
transitions, A Bluetooth doorbell for transitions or attention-getting, and a
thumbs up or fist-to-5 to measure student understanding. I will also have
visuals of expectations posted in the classroom and refer to them.
● Giving Directions
○ Can be given verbally, written on the board, re-stated by students, or
projected on the board.
● Checking for Understanding
○ Fist-5 (Fist: don't understand- 5: I understand/1,2,3,4), Thumbs up/down,
monitoring/walking around the classroom.
● Holding Ground/No Arguing
○ Collaboratively establish classroom rules and expectations using “I”
statements. Teach skills such as respectful communication, conflict resolution
skills, and active listening. Introduce the cool-off period and show students
where they can go to calm down/take a break if needed (ex: cool-off corner).
Have consistent consequences, reinforce positive behavior, follow up on
 behavior, and involve parents.
● Raising Hands to Speak
○ I will model how we raise our hands to speak in class. I will show them good
and bad examples and have them differentiate them. I will give positive
reinforcement to the students who follow the expectations.

Setting clear expectations and procedures is extremely important for class management.
They help establish a positive classroom community. Clear and established routines,
procedures, and expectations help the flow of the day-to-day schedule. Once the students
see the expectations for transitions and routines modeled and practiced, it becomes a
major part of the expectations. Having a good routine with procedures helps build a sense
of stability in the classroom and there is no space for the students wondering what is
expected of them. This helps keep the class on track so the teacher can focus on
instruction and meeting the needs of the students versus having to handle behaviors that
come from the expectations not being met.

Area #2: Engagement & Participation

● Variety (three or more activities per hour)
○ Having 3 or more activities an hour helps students stay engaged. For each
lesson, I will provide times for discussion, instructional time, and an activity.
● Collaboration (Students Talking/Peer Discussions)
○ In most lessons, I will have students discuss with me and with their peers. I
will use the turn-and-talk strategy. I will also encourage a lot of collaborative
work for assignments.
● Movement (two or more times per hour)
○ Movement helps stimulate brain cells for learning. I will have students take
break breaks when we can quickly stretch or do small exercises. I also love
GoNoodle videos and kids love them as well so I plan on incorporating them
into my classroom.
● Total Participation (all students think, write, share, or answer simultaneously)
○ All students will participate in class assignments, discussions, and activities.
Students will be given options in these tasks to help ease the pressure and
complete them in a way they feel most confident in.
● Rigor (higher-order thinking and tasks required)
○ Having higher rigor will help students with higher-order and critical thinking
skills. Assignments/Assessments will have at least 1 question where students
have to use critical thinking to solve a problem.
 ● Instruction (explain, model, guided practice, independent practice)
○ I will take an I do, we do, you do approach to instruction. Students will watch
me model a skill. They will engage in guided practice and discussion. Then
they will be working independently or in groups/partners if applicable.
● Questioning/Probing
○ I will ask questions that engage students in higher-order thinking. Students
will be explaining their answers, such as, how they figured it out, why they
think something, predictions, what they would do differently, etc.
● Group Work (roles and productivity)
○ It is important for students to learn how to work together. I plan on having my
students work in pods and regularly switching up the seating arrangement so
they can work with different people often. When I have pod discussions I will
give students different roles in the group such as recorder, question asker, or
active listener. This will ensure that everyone contributes.

Engagement and participation play a large role in creating a positive learning environment.
When students are engaged and participating, they are going to be more willing to be
present and absorb the information. Engaging in discussions helps students not only
understand the material more but helps them take responsibility for their learning and
participation. Research has shown that increased engagement results in decreased
behaviors in the classroom. This is because they are more interested in what they are
learning than not caring and causing disruptions. Engagement and participation help
promote a productive and collaborative learning environment.

Area #3: Rapport/Connection

● Teacher Warmth/Friendliness/Approachability
○ Having warmth and approachability will help students feel more comfortable
in the classroom and reduce the number of behaviors.
● Teacher Enthusiasm/Energy/Excitement/Joy
○ Having energy when teaching will not only make the lesson more enjoyable
for the students. It will also get them excited to learn when they see that their
teacher is excited to teach.
● Teacher Humor/Laughter
○ It is great to have those moments with students when you can share your
sense of humor with them and make them laugh. This shows them that you
can get work done and have fun at the same time.
● Teacher Knowledge of individual students’ interests
○ Knowing what students are interested in will help you know what you can
 incorporate into your lessons to make them more engaging. For example, if
my students are interested in bears. I will have a unit of study that will
incorporate bears across subjects.
● Teacher Respect and Appreciation for students
○ Respect needs to be explained and modeled for students so they know that
respect is an expectation in the classroom. Giving praise to students and
letting them know that you hear and see them will show them you respect
them.
● Teacher Encouragement of Students
○ Providing encouragement and giving examples of perseverance will show
students they can do hard things and take on new challenges.
● Teacher sensitivity to student cultures and backgrounds
○ Knowing who your students are, where they come from, or what culture they
have makes a large impact on your connection with your students. Being
sensitive to your students' diverse cultures helps let those students know that
they are seen and that it is okay if they are different than others. I would
incorporate some things from my students' cultures into my lessons so they
can make connections.

Building rapport and making connections might be the most important part of maintaining a
calm and positive classroom culture. Building relationships with students helps build trust
and positive communication skills. When a student feels comfortable with you and has that
bond and trust, it tells them that they are safe and they will be more productive in the
classroom. It will also help them be more motivated in their learning. This connection
between teacher and student helps prevent behaviors from arising. This is because
students are more willing to meet the expectations of the teacher because of the respect
they have built for them. Building rapport and connections contributes to the overall
classroom environment.
Area #4: Behavior Intervention/Consequences
● Regular use of gentle redirects (proximity, warnings, the look)
○ When I notice that a student is starting to get off task, I will use proximity to
get close to the student and tap their desk to remind them to stay on task.
Another redirect I would use is saying “I’ll wait” until the behavior stops or
giving the look to students who are not following expectations.
● Consequences are reasonable and equitable
○ I think the idea of having students come up with their classroom expectations
is great because they are taking responsibility to understand how they should
be acting in the classroom. When students come up with their expectations, it
is written on an anchor chart and posted in the classroom to refer back to.
When a student(s) is not following the expectations and there have been
multiple redirects and warnings. The consequence will be consistent and
reasonable to the behavior.
● Consequences are given as choices (you have a choice right now...)
○ Giving a consequence as choices helps the student understand the choices
they are making and what they need to change about their choices to meet
expectations and not be given a consequence.
● Teacher uses soft eyes and, a soft voice during conflicts
○ Using soft eyes and a soft voice will help de-escalate difficult situations when
we see that a student is starting to get worked up.
● Teacher is firm, but also calm and compassionate (doesn’t yell or intimidate)
○ Giving tough love is key to gaining the respect and trust of your students.
They need to know that you are in charge, but you care and want the best for
them. Yelling or intimidating will only create a hostile learning environment
and damage the trust and relationships between you and your students.
● Consistent follow-through with consequences once they are earned (doesn’t make
the same request over and over)
○ Having consistency with consequences promotes a sense of fairness. We
want to avoid having students make the same request over and over so that
they build a sense of responsibility for themselves. Such as, if one student is
not meeting expectations, they will get the appropriate consequence. Any
other time that behavior happens, the same consequence needs to happen.
● Arguments/debates are delayed, done in private
○ Delaying arguments helps the students have time to cool off, they should be
done in private so that the student is not in the eye of their classmate and
have a designated area to express their emotions and settle down.
● Progression up the hierarchy is swift but fair
 ○ This helps make sure that the consequences for the specific behavior are
given to the student promptly. Consequences are delivered consistently and
fairly to build trust between teacher and student.

Behavior interventions and consequences are an integral part of classroom management

because they help set clear boundaries for the students. It is also the time when you are
reinforcing expectations and being consistent with your words and actions as a teacher.
When you implement behavior interventions after giving reminders and warnings, it shows
the students what is acceptable and what is not. Consequences must be consistent and
fair because it will help keep that trust and relationship with students. The importance of a
positive learning environment comes from teachers helping students build a sense of
accountability for their actions and respect. When conflicts and behaviors are addressed
consistently, it helps maintain a classroom community where everyone can learn and be
productive.

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