10 classroom management tips

9 October 2010 3 Comments This post does not refer to any academic writing. It is purely based on my experience. I may make my decision based on my degree study and my readings. Any similar writing with the Doctors and Professors is purely unintentional. My colleague told me the kids of 5P3 will behave if they see me. Even 5P4. Am I that garang? I have to; for the sake of making them focus during my lesson. The only class that I have always struggled to teach is Year 6P4. With them, I have to try thousands of approach. Different methods work on different days. Theyre the reason why I should be strong emotionally (in my teaching career). They are naughty, yet they are my inspiration to become a better teacher. They never fail to stop my gray matter, and they pushed me to become more creative. But for now, let me focus on the generally hard-to-control class. Im not an expert, but so far, these methods worked fine for me.

1. Never be nice to them on the first day: I learned this from a senior teacher. During her practicum, she became herself. A jolly person. She wanted the kids to enjoy her presence. But she soon realized she was wrong. First impression is very important. When the pupils see you as an easy-going person, they will go easy on you. You dont have to be stern/ fierce all the time. Only on day one. After that, you can start to become the loving teacher, the real you. 2. Greeting routine: Malaysian school timetable allows pupils to make noise between the period gap. After the math teacher goes out, they feel relieved and start to release their urge to talk. I believe that happens among adults too. We cant keep quiet for long hour. Itll be dull, and well soon feel sleepy. Let them talk for a few minutes. Then, ask them to keep their math books away, clean the class etc. When you think they are ready for your lesson, greet them. My routine is to greet them with Good morning, followed by Assalamualaikum and doa recitation. When I use that routine, they know that their teacher is ready for the lesson and they will follow along.

3. First 5 minutes: This is the crucial time when you want them to focus on your lesson. Tell them what they are going to learn. Make them curious. Create a goal for that lesson. When you have set their mind for something, their attention span would be longer. 4. Enjoyment of the lesson: Primary school children want to enjoy their childhood. Therefore, make the learning enjoyable. Let them know that knowledge is not boring. Knowledge makes them superior. If they laugh or play too much, you have to remind/ ask them what they have learned. Hopefully their happy hormone will remind them of your lesson. 5. Make some sense: Tell them why they cant make noise when you are teaching. Tell them other classes are learning. Tell them if they talk, they cannot listen as good. Tell them the logic reasons why they need to behave. They need concrete idea. This will help them to make sense or your classroom rules. 6. Countdown always work: If they are too noisy and they cant hear you say: Keep quiet, inhale deeply,and louldly yell 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Before this, I did the clapping hands technique but it doesnt work with my kids. But when I do the countdown, they know that they have to stop their disruptive behaviour. And if they need to queue up to go to computer lab etc., and you want them to be quick, try this method. 7. Call their name: While you are teaching and they are talking, call their names. Tell them to focus. If their minds keep on wandering, change their seats. For primary school, the kids will mati kutu (dont know what to do) if you seat them with the opposite gender. 8. Say it like you mean it: If you want them to hand over their books before recess, you have to be firm about it. You tell them its important for them to finish their work. Wait for them, even its recess time. Kids who cannot finish their work on time may have ADHD problem. If they cant finish their work, investigate. If they still dont finish their work and youve told them they are going to be punished, think of productive punishment, such as making them memorize 5 words spelling. 9. Eye contact: I didnt yell much if I use this technique. If a teacher before me went out early, or there was no teacher before me, the class will be very noisy. I use the most universal and mutual language, body language. It can be understood by anyone at any age. I didnt enter the class, staring them with angry eyes from outside. They will immediately get back to their seats and keep quiet. Practise the angry stare in front of your mirror. 10. Have a heart-to-heart talk: If there is a mischievous kid in your class while the rest are already well-behaved, you know what he wants. Give him the attention that he needs. Have a personal talk with him. Its OK to do it while the other kids are doing their work. You hold the cane with a stern face, but actually you want to talk serious stuff with him. Asks questions like Why did you do that? What were you thinking?"Do you know what you are doing? Make them realize what their faults are. If they suddenly cry, this means that you have done the magic. You have tapped their brain, make them realize that they have done wrong and youve made them feel guilty about it. Have you ever heard, Guilt is the biggest sin? Hopefully they wont be messing around anymore. In sum, use loads of psychological talk.

These are the ways how I handle my Year 5 classes. It will be different when it comes to early stage. Year 1 teacher have to have a really, really, loud voice. They have to come up with a different method to handle the infants of primary school.