Classroom management ideas mind map By: Lauren Tobias

1. - Have clear expectations, and clear rules. I want my students to know what is expected of them. The rules put in place in every classroom protect every student’s right to learn and enjoy school. They must cover every possible disruption, interruption and misbehavior that could effect other students learning and your teaching– and there should be no misunderstanding regarding what constitutes breaking them. Not only will I make these rules clear and known, I will also give my class a chance to come up with some of their own rules as a class in order for them to know they have a fair say and they are being treated equally. This lets students have a bit of power in how their classroom is run.

2. -Praise what and when I can, as much as I can. This enables me as a teacher to reinforce the expectations I have set for my student's behavior in a non-negative way. I believe that positive reinforcement is much more effective than negative reinforcement and I am going to implement this as much as I can to decrease the need to use negative enforcement in my classroom. By narrating on-task behavior, you enable students who may have misheard you the first time to hear what you expect of them. It's easier for students to meet your expectations when it's amply clear what those expectations are.

2.1. -Hold parties Throw an occasional classroom party to acknowledge my students hard work, motivating them to keep it up. Even if it’s just for 20 or 30 minutes, they should be happy with snacks and a selection of group games to play. I will clarify that i'm holding the party to reward them, and they can earn future parties by demonstrating the acceptable behavior, scoring high on assessments, being creative, being kind, and more .

3. -Create a supportive learning environment for students I want to make sure that my students feel safe and comfortable in the classroom, as well as make sure they feel safe approaching me to ask questions or to vent, thus building a strong bond with my students.

4. Encouraging initiative - Promote the growth mindset, and inject variety into my lessons, by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short presentations to share takeaway points. You can ask them if they’d like to get ahead from time-to-time.

5. -Interview students Interview students who aren’t academically engaged or displaying prosocial behavior to learn how to manage them better. I'll ask about: What helps them focus Who they work well with Their favorite types of lessons Their favorite in-class activities Which kinds of exercises help them remember key lesson points I will note their answers to come up with activities and approaches that engage them, thereby limiting classroom disruptions and enhancing their learning.

6. -Make Group Contracts I will encourage my students to work in groups, as I believe it a beneficial and helpful way of learning. However to help student group work run smoothly and effectively I will make my students write contracts that contain guidelines, and have everyone sign. Group contracts should be based on expectations that the students have for each other, and what expectations I have for them. By having them sign a fresh version of the contract before each group task and project, you’re empowering them to hold each other accountable.

7. -Assign open-ended projects I want to encourage my students to tackle open-ended projects (projects that don’t demand a specific product) to allow them to demonstrate knowledge and creativity in ways that inherently suit them. I'll give the class a list of large project ideas, asking each student to choose one. Each project will have a rubric that clearly defines my expectations. This gives students the chance to work and learn at their own pace, and students may look forward to taking on new projects.

8. -Model ideal behavior I will make a habit of demonstrating behavior I want to see in my students (many studies show that modeling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations). I will: Use polite language Maintain eye contact Keep phones in your pockets Let one another speak uninterrupted Raise concerns about one another’s statements in a respectful manner