9 Examples of Effective Classroom Management Strategies

“The classroom should be an entrance into the world, not an escape from it.” ~John Ciardi

Teaching is a profession that requires a broad set of skills to help students rise to their potential. While many of these skills involve the pedagogical elements of being a teacher, there is no denying that effective classroom management skills are essential if teachers are to engage their students and deliver positive outcomes.

At Alludo, we want to make sure that teachers have everything they need for a successful and productive classroom experience and that’s why we have included microlearning activities related to classroom management in our professional development catalog. To help you understand the importance of classroom management, here’s some information plus nine examples of effective classroom management strategies to try.

Table of Contents

1. What is a Classroom Management Plan?
   1. A Set of Rules
   2. Detailed Procedures
2. Why is Classroom Management Important
   1. It Directly Affects Teacher Effectiveness and Student Learning
   2. It Correlates with Student Success
   3. It Helps Teachers Develop Working Relationships with Students
   4. It Protects and Leverages Time in the Classroom
3. 9 Examples of Classroom Management Strategies
   1. Minimal Consequences First
   2. Rehearse Classroom Transitions
   3. Make Positive Phone Calls Home and Send Letters
   4. Never Punish an Entire Classroom
   5. Give Students Choices
   6. Publicly Announce Goals
   7. Maintain Authority Throughout the Year, Not Just at the Beginning
   8. Explain the Reasoning Behind the Rules
   9. Consider Inclusivity in Classroom Management
4. How Do You Handle a Difficult Classroom?
5. Alludo's Take
6. Empower Teachers in Your District to Devise and Implement Classroom Management Plans

What is a Classroom Management Plan?

A classroom management plan is a simple but effective behavior management tool that teachers can use to maintain order in the classroom and help students reach their potential. It plays an important role in student education and is thus an essential tool for teachers.

A Set of Rules

First and foremost, a classroom management plan is a set of rules that is designed to hold students accountable for their behavior without scolding or yelling at them. It should lay out what behavior is expected and the consequences for not adhering to the rules.

For example, one rule might be that all students must raise their hand and be acknowledged by the teacher before speaking. The first violation might result in a verbal warning while the second might earn the student a short time-out.

Having a set of rules in place allows teachers to quickly address any behavioral issues while maintaining boundaries with students and setting expectations.

Detailed Procedures

The second thing a classroom management plan must do is set out procedures for how the classroom operates in a variety of situations. Some situations to cover might include the following:

• Regular teacher instruction
• Testing procedures
• Emergency procedures

The right classroom management plan can boost student engagement by setting classroom expectations.

Why is Classroom Management Important?

Smart classroom management has significant benefits for teachers, individual students, and the school as a whole.

It Directly Affects Teacher Effectiveness and Student Learning

By setting rules for appropriate behavior, classroom management has a direct impact on both student effectiveness and student learning. Teachers can focus on teaching because they’ll have fewer behavioral issues to address. With clear boundaries and less disruptive behavior around them, students can put their attention on learning.

It Correlates with Student Success

An orderly and well-managed classroom contributes to student success. According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, students in classrooms where management strategies were employed spent more time on task than students in classrooms without such strategies and experienced improvements in test scores as a result.

While more research is necessary to determine which strategies have the biggest impact on student achievement, it’s not surprising that reducing disruptions would lead to better student outcomes.

It Helps Teachers Develop Working Relationships with Students

The relationships teachers have with their students play a key role in student learning. When students feel seen, heard, and valued, they’re less likely to be disruptive and more likely to perform well in school.

Classroom management plans lay the groundwork for teachers to build productive working relationships with students because everybody in the classroom knows what to expect.

It Protects and Leverages Time in the Classroom

Teachers get comparatively little time with students, so it’s essential to protect time in the classroom and use it as efficiently as possible. The right classroom management plan will both protect teachers’ time in the classroom and allow them to leverage the time they have with students for the best results.

It might not seem like having plans and strategies in place would make a big difference, but students thrive when they know what’s expected of them.

9 Examples of Classroom Management Strategies

To help you develop a classroom management plan of your own, here are nine effective classroom management strategies as examples of what you could implement.

#1: Minimal Consequences First

When setting expectations for students, make the consequences for disruptive behavior as small as possible at first. If the minimum consequence is effective as a deterrent, you’ll be able to save big consequences for more serious infringements.

#2: Rehearse Classroom Transitions

Disruptions in the classroom are most likely to occur during transitional times: as students arrive in class before the bell rings, between activities, or when they’re preparing to leave the classroom. You can create a routine that will tell students what to do and rehearse it to minimize problems.

#3: Make Positive Phone Calls Home and Send Letters

Positive reinforcement can go a long way toward getting students on board with your classroom management plans. You can help them to see you as an ally by sending a positive letter or calling their parents to praise them.

#4: Never Punish an Entire Classroom

Consequences should be limited to the students who break the rules. Punishing the entire class is not a good strategy because it penalizes the students who are following the rules, disincentivizing them to continue doing so.

#5: Give Students Choices

Students are most likely to buy into your classroom management plan and see you as an ally when they have a choice in some of what they do. For example, you might give them a choice between a take-home quiz or completing an assignment in class.

#6: Publicly Announce Goals

It’s not useful to have goals if your students aren’t aware of them. They’re more likely to control their behavior if you announce a goal ahead of time. An example would be, “Today it took two minutes for the entire class to settle down after the bell rang. Let’s try to get it under a minute tomorrow.”

#7: Maintain Authority Throughout the Year, Not Just at the Beginning

In any management situation, it’s easy to lay down the initial ground rules but may be difficult to keep them consistent as time passes. It’s important to remember that if students behave inappropriately and there are no consequences, the likelihood of it turning into an ongoing problem increases. Be consistent to get consistency.

#8: Explain the Reasoning Behind the Rules

Nobody likes arbitrary rules, so taking the time to explain to your students why a rule is in place and when it applies can go a long way toward getting them to buy into your classroom management plan.

#9: Consider Inclusivity in Classroom Management

Inclusivity is essential for student learning, so you should review your classroom management plan with your special education team and with an eye toward accommodating students with IEPs and 504 plans. Remember that these students may need additional explanations or modified rules.

How Do You Handle a Difficult Classroom?

Even with an effective classroom management plan in place, there may be times when teachers need to address a difficult classroom or behavior from students who may be more disruptive than usual. Here are some pointers that can help you regain control:

• Develop positive relationships out of the gate. Building authentic relationships with students may be more than half the battle of maintaining an orderly classroom. When you know your students, you’ll also know what motivates them. Students are more likely to see you as an ally if you have a positive relationship – and that may make them feel safe coming to you if there’s an outside issue that could be causing the disruptive behavior.
• Be consistent. Consistency is essential in classroom management. If you set out a consequence for unacceptable behavior, that consequence must be consistently applied. Consequences should magnify with repeated offenses, but it’s also important to keep your behavior and demeanor consistent. Losing your temper won’t help anybody.
• Get support from other teachers/peers. If a situation is particularly difficult to handle, you may want to get support and feedback from your peers. Another teacher may be able to see things in a new light or make suggestions that hadn’t occurred to you.

Difficult behavior is challenging but having a strong classroom management plan in place will give you a foundation to handle any problems that arise in the classroom.

Alludo’s Take

The Alludo PD platform provides teachers with a choice and a voice in what they learn. Any teacher who wants to create a classroom management plan can do so with help from the courses and microlearning activities included in our professional development catalog.

The bottom line is that preparing teachers with the means to learn about effective classroom management strategies can save them time and stress in the classroom and beyond. It also improves student achievement and success.

The Alludo platform allows teachers to complete microlearning activities on their own time and encourages engagement with gamification and rewards. 0ur platform itself can serve as inspiration to help teachers develop systems that work to inspire and encourage students.

Empower Teachers in Your District to Devise and Implement Classroom Management Plans

Creating and implementing a classroom management plan can help teachers by helping students understand what’s expected of them. The result is that teachers can make better use of their time in the classroom – and students reap the benefits in the form of improved outcomes.

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