Teachers should know how to properly perform effective classroom management. This doesn’t mean that they should force students to stay quiet all the time and read the books intently. Also, if the classroom is relatively noisy, it doesn’t mean that the classroom is poorly managed. It could be a sign that students have immense excitement about the tasks that are given to them. Success can be achieved if the class is based on proper organization. Organization can be indicated by proper arrangement of filing cabinets, cupboards and bookcases inside classroom, but it is also much more than that. Proper room management is also an important indicator that the classroom is well managed. It is important to make sure that the teacher and students have all the supplies and tools they need.
The classroom should be based on a single lesson plan that has numerous associated textbooks. Without this plan, the classroom will be in chaos from the day one. You won’t have a proper foundation to accomplish basic learning goals. Another important element of well organized classroom is the commonly agreed seating charts. This should be made before or during the first day. Spontaneous changes in seating arrangements won’t be a good thing for the learning process. If teachers want to have an effective classroom, this should begin immediately from the day one. If you want to effective manage the classroom, you need to have a strong authority immediately. If you delay this for one or two months later, it could already be too late.
Students should know that as a teacher, you should be in complete control of everything. Students could be allowed to choose their own seat arrangement, but still based on teacher’s approval. Once a seat is selected, it is important that the student needs to be consistent and doesn’t change that. Teachers need to make sure that students are willing to work together and form proper friendship with one another. Another good method is to seat students alphabetically, if they have relatively similar characteristics. However, it is better to put shorter students at the front, so they don’t have problem reading the board. It is also a good idea to avoid putting problematic students at the back seats, because teachers will not be able to control them easily.
Highly problematic students should be placed on the front row and teachers should make sure that they have strong involvement in the learning process. It is important for teachers to let students know what are being expected of them. This will allow students to immediately do what have been outlined in the classroom rules and it will be much easier for the teaching process to become much smoother. When creating classroom rules, it is important that teachers keep them simple. They shouldn’t be more than a single page long. They need to contain all the important details. Teachers may also reiterate all the rules a few times each week, so students know that rules are still being enforced.
