CLASS MANAGEMENT

Nothing drags your lesson delivery backwards as much as a loss of class control. The funny thing is that class control isn’t just about students keeping quiet and looking at you. Effective class control is more about setting and enforcing class culture rules, academic and behavioral routines and procedures of expectations. When you are successful at class management, your lesson delivery will go smoothly and students will be involved in the work of class. They will pay attention and will absorb everything you say like a sponge. Let me share with you one of my many tricks at setting a great class culture that makes teaching easy and learning possible.

DO-NOW
Students should never have to ask themselves ‘what am i suppossed to be doing?' when they enter your classroom, nor should they be able to claim not to know what they should be doing. Being clear with students about what to be working on and eliminating the excuses that lead to distraction- are the rationale for d-now, a short activity that you have written on the board or is waiting at their desk before they enter. They should be able to complete it without any assistance from you and the activity should preview the day’s lesson. A do-now must be consistent and must be in written form. You will eradicate the absence of mind, noise making at class entry and set the tone for a high academic expectation as soon as students set their feet in your class daily.

STRONG VOICE

I have observed in my years of teaching that some teachers have IT. They enter a classroom and are easily in command. Students who moments before seemed beyond the appeal of reason suddenly take their seats to await instructions from teachers that have IT. It’s hard to say what IT is and why some teachers have it and most don’t.  The IT factor seem to have nothing to do with your academic qualification. There are five concrete things that ‘IT’ teachers constantly use to signal their authority. These techniques can be summed up in one word, STRONG VOICE. Before you get it twisted, strong voice isn’t about shouting at the top of your voice and it isn’t something that belongs to the male teachers. Strong voice is broken into five basic techniques that any teacher can and must learn to develop the IT factor. I am only going to share with you just one of these techniques. I encourage you to apply it in your next class.

Ø  Economy of Language

Fewer words are stronger than more. When you need your direction followed, use the words that best focus students on what is most important, and no more. Don’t dilute urgent issues with things that can wait. Avoid initiating distractions and excess words. When you need to be all business, be clear and crisp. And then stop talking. Say what you want done with the minimum amount of words. Don’t say much and don’t say more until your directive is followed. Teachers that have it regularly rely on this technique and guess what, I do too and it works always.