My Top 5 Behavior Management Strategies
Somedays a teachers students are just so crazy that they drink lots of cups of coffee to keep themselves from going crazy. The classroom is a place where we as teachers create community, push boundaries, and witness the growth of our students. The classroom can be a magical place but in order for learning and growth to occur, there has to be some form of control and order. It can be frustrating for a teacher if they don't have their classroom under control, so it is vital to implement strong classroom management in the first three days of school. One of my Oakland University professors once said, "If you don't have control of your classroom, you'll be herding cats." Here are some of my favorite things to implement in a classroom:
1. CALL AND RESPONSE: Attention grabbers are the number one way to grab the attention of a whole class with a quick response. With attention grabbers the teacher calls out a saying and the students respond back with the rest of it.You can also implement fun rhyming or sayings for special holidays or classroom topics to keep the children interested. For example: Holy Moly, Guacamole and Hocus Pocus, Everybody Focus.
2. WARM AND FUZZY JAR: A warm and fuzzy jar is when you allow students to add colorful pom poms to a clear jar when you see them doing something positive. My mentor teacher from Walton Charter Academy in Pontiac, Michigan used this behavior management strategy and the children loved it. It is great for them to have a visual representation of their positive actions and they are motivated to behave well because the teacher gave them a prize when the jar was filled up with the pom poms.
3. CLASS DOJO: Classroom Dojo is an online service for teachers where they can track "Dojo points." The students can visually see themselves on the daily basis with green as good behavior and red as bad behavior. This technology is really interesting because even a parent can access their child's class dojo account and see how their behavior has been throughout the day. The students can also "win monsters" which they get really excited about. It is a great tool to check out!
4. POSITIVE NOTES: Positive notes and words of affirmation are one of the simplest ways to help correct behavior in the classroom. I'm a believer in celebrating good behavior so much so that students will take note and think about their actions. If the discipline in a classroom is all negative then students will never feel proud of their achievements. Little positive notes written on desks in dry erase markers or index cards taped inside their lockers are just simple ways to encourage your students.
5. BRAIN BREAKS: Sometimes the reason students are acting out is because they need to get their energy out. After students have been focused for a long time or concentrated really hard on an assignment, it is good to do some physical activities to get their brains back moving. I like using GoNoodle, which is a website with lots of short dance and stretching types of activities for kids to do. It is also fun to go on YouTube and simply to some Kidz Bop so that they get up and moving and can refocus.
1. CALL AND RESPONSE: Attention grabbers are the number one way to grab the attention of a whole class with a quick response. With attention grabbers the teacher calls out a saying and the students respond back with the rest of it.You can also implement fun rhyming or sayings for special holidays or classroom topics to keep the children interested. For example: Holy Moly, Guacamole and Hocus Pocus, Everybody Focus.
2. WARM AND FUZZY JAR: A warm and fuzzy jar is when you allow students to add colorful pom poms to a clear jar when you see them doing something positive. My mentor teacher from Walton Charter Academy in Pontiac, Michigan used this behavior management strategy and the children loved it. It is great for them to have a visual representation of their positive actions and they are motivated to behave well because the teacher gave them a prize when the jar was filled up with the pom poms.
3. CLASS DOJO: Classroom Dojo is an online service for teachers where they can track "Dojo points." The students can visually see themselves on the daily basis with green as good behavior and red as bad behavior. This technology is really interesting because even a parent can access their child's class dojo account and see how their behavior has been throughout the day. The students can also "win monsters" which they get really excited about. It is a great tool to check out!
4. POSITIVE NOTES: Positive notes and words of affirmation are one of the simplest ways to help correct behavior in the classroom. I'm a believer in celebrating good behavior so much so that students will take note and think about their actions. If the discipline in a classroom is all negative then students will never feel proud of their achievements. Little positive notes written on desks in dry erase markers or index cards taped inside their lockers are just simple ways to encourage your students.
5. BRAIN BREAKS: Sometimes the reason students are acting out is because they need to get their energy out. After students have been focused for a long time or concentrated really hard on an assignment, it is good to do some physical activities to get their brains back moving. I like using GoNoodle, which is a website with lots of short dance and stretching types of activities for kids to do. It is also fun to go on YouTube and simply to some Kidz Bop so that they get up and moving and can refocus.
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