by AFT President Sandra Feldman
August/September, 2003

Classroom Management All Year Long
Establishing order in your classroom early on ensures maintaining control during those trying times throughout the year

When you think of D's and F's this year, don't think of the lowest-performing students, but of students who are Disciplined and Focused. I'm using this back-to-school column to focus on classroom management because establishing order in your classroom early on is infinitely easier than regaining control once it has been lost. Research confirms what teachers know well that repeated disruptions, from paperwork piling up to frequent interruptions, can rob students of an inordinate amount of learning time.

Discipline professionals

Undoubtedly, each of you has discipline and management strategies that have served you (and your students) well, whether on the first, fiftieth or final day of school. If you are confident, comfortable and successful with your system, stick with it. However, I know that many teachers feel that, as the year wears on, the effectiveness of their classroom management techniques wears off. Or they simply welcome hearing the tried and true "secrets" of their colleagues.

Researchers who have studied effective classroom managers conclude that these teachers share a number of traits. Discipline "pros" establish specific rules for classroom behavior, they communicate these standards to students early, clearly and frequently. They reinforce the rules as needed and reward good student behavior and consistently apply consequences for misbehavior.

Clear and specific rules

Even before the first day of school, many teachers find it helpful to establish clear and specific rules governing student behaviors and classroom activities. Establish procedures to guide students' behavior with respect to the appropriateness of student talk, movement within the classroom and other matters that can cause disruptions if not kept in check. Identify strategies and consequences to either reinforce good student behavior or sanction misbehavior.

Spend adequate time presenting, reviewing and reinforcing these rules. Research shows that, to be effective, this can take the better part of the first three weeks of school and should be refreshed throughout the year. If this seems like an unnecessary investment of time, consider the time lost in many classrooms to common disruptions.

Establishing high standards

As I'm sure you know, demands on teachers and students have never been greater. High standards, diverse student needs and diminishing resources leave little room for distractions and classroom antics. Classroom discipline doesn't have to be harsh, just reasoned and consistent. The thought and effort you put into establishing high standards at the beginning of the year, and your reinforcement of them throughout the year, will help set your students on the path to high marks.

Consider limiting the number of rules in your classroom and stating them in such a way as to guide rather than prescribe student behavior. General rules require students to think and take responsibility for their actions. Encourage classroom discussions about reasons for establishing rules. You may want to present an area in which rules are needed and have students create appropriate rules.  Employ a variety of responses to unruly behavior, ranging from establishing eye contact with the student, changing his or her seat, or having the student agree to a behavior contract. Try having the student state the rule that was broken and explain what he or she should have done. For more information about classroom management and effective discipline techniques, visit www.aft.org.

Sandra Feldman
President, American Federation of Teachers