1. The first thing to remember is that you are the boss.
Self belief is incredibly important in this job. You can’t expect pupils to respond positively to you unless you believe, really believe, that you fully deserve their respect and compliance. The thought that you are the leader in the classroom must be at the forefront of your mind.
2. Have definite rules on noise.
Once you’ve decided on your rules (preferably with input from the pupils) you need to ensure the pupils
are totally clear what those rules are. There must be no ambiguity and therefore no room for argument.
We all know how important consistency is in terms of classroom management but unless you have a clear set of rules to work to in the first place, you can’t consistently apply them.
For example,Never, let pupils interrupt you without reminding them that it is unacceptable to do so.If you let them get away with it once, you have effectively trained them to try and get away with it again.
3. Control entry to the classroom
The ideal place to establish control over your pupils is outside the door – before you even let them in the room.You must start the lesson under your terms. And the lesson starts before they enter the room with you having them line up outside the door in an orderly manner.
This is the perfect time to gauge the mood of the group and indeed the individuals in the group. You can easily spot potential problems (unhappy pupils, cases of bullying, arguments etc.) and deal with them rather than letting them go unnoticed and having them escalate into serious disruptions during your lesson.
4. Have ‘settling work’ ready for them when they enter the room
If you have a group who just won’t settle try presenting them with some of the following ‘settling work’ as soon as they enter the room. But… make sure you add this little twist to ensure the pupils get stuck into it straight away…
5. The Right Way To Ask For Silence
You may have been told that an alternative to shouting for silence is to simply wait for rowdy pupils to calm down.
And wait… And wait… And wait…
Teachers have mixed views as to the effectiveness of waiting for silence before continuing with the lesson because in many cases it just doesn’t work.
Some classes will respond positively to this strategy almost straight away but a hard class will test your mettle and try to push you way beyond 5 or 10 minutes.
They’ll enjoy watching your expression turn to desperation and laugh at the fact that your plan isn’t working.
At a time like this you need to bring in sanctions and make them see that their continuous disobedience will not be tolerated.
By: MS. MARICEL A. BANSIL | TEACHER III | NEW SAN JOSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DINALUPIHAN, BATAAN
