Analysis & Reflection:  Classroom Management

Classroom management is one area of my teaching which has often elicited praise from both peers and supervisors.  This seems to be something that comes naturally, as many of the skills that served me well in the business world can be applied to keeping a classroom on task. For the most part I am a “push in” teacher, so in my general music classes I usually begin by asking the students what their current classroom rules are and then enforce what is already established.  This helps to reinforce what the classroom teacher does, rather than trying to bring in my own set of rules which would probably be quite similar anyway. In my performance groups, I have the kids establish their own rules.  Sometimes we post them, sometimes we write up a contract which they sign and I sign and we both keep copies.  [See an example of a contract (Word document) devised with suggested rules from a choral group by clicking here.]  Either way, I think it is important for the students to have ownership of the class rules by coming up with them on their own. The most effective means for establishing discipline in the classroom is learning student names.  Since I see over 600 students a week, this can be a challenge.  The system that has worked best involves having the students make name tents out of cardstock folded in half.  I then carry these to each class and they serve many purposes beyond learning their names. I begin class by having a student hand out the name tags while I set up the classroom, usually playing music on a CD player.  Supervisors have commented on how this immediately changes the ambience of the room and establishes that it is time for music while readying the students for the lesson.  After the names are handed out, I’m quickly able to ascertain attendance by what’s left over. During the lesson, I put stamps or stickers on the backs of their name tags for good behavior, outstanding answers, etc.  Sometimes if they are unruly at the beginning, I will establish order by praising very loudly the students who are ready to begin and giving them a stamp.  The rest of the class will almost instantaneously have their notebooks out and ready. At the end of each grading period, the students with the most stamps or stickers are allowed to select a prize from my “prize box.”  Runners up receive music-oriented pencils.  This has been incredibly effective for keeping them on task.  If I feel they are losing focus, I just get out the stamp pad and they snap to attention. Beyond this system, there are certain principles that are necessary to maintain in order to have successful classroom management.  Consistency is key, do what you say you’re going to do and follow up on any promises.  Be fun, but be fair.  They will lose all respect if they sense injustice.  It is good to have humor and be kind, but not good to be their best pal.  A certain level of distance is necessary; otherwise they will see you as a peer rather than an authority figure. In my relatively short experience, these methods have served me well, although as in all things, I continue to tweak and improve upon them each year.