This past Monday I completed a classroom management webinar hosted by Linda Kardimas at Teach4theHeart. The webinar provided 5 basic tips for regaining control of your classroom.
1. Don't be a friend, Be a mentor--This one is probably the hardest for me because I am so close in age to my students and I knew many of them before becoming their teacher. It is hard to find a balance. Somedays I feel I am too hard and other days too soft.
2. Develop systems to get attention and eliminate distractions--This tips included using callbacks, elements of whole brain teaching, and using a warning system that doesn't disrupt the flow of teaching.
3. "Shake-up" problem areas--This means identifying the area of your routine that causes the most behavioral problems and completely changing them up to get the attention of students. This allows for reteaching and practicing of procedures.
4. Deal with problems when they are small--Small problems become big problems when left unchecked. Dealing with the problem could be as simple as a warning as long as you follow through the next time. I know this is an area that I struggle with.
5. Build strong relationships with students: Often behavioral issues go deeper than disobeying. As teachers, we will only get to the root of the problem if we have the relationships with students.
This webinar was a brief refresher on classroom management. Linda also offers a classroom management course. It is a paid class but right now it is on sale. I signed up, and I can't wait to start watching the videos this summer when life slows down a tad.
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