Classroom Management Strategies

1. Effective Classroom
Management
Rhonda J. Harrell
Region 4 PBIS/PRC-029 Consultant

2. Expectations
• Be Responsible
– Return promptly from breaks
– Be an active participant
• Be Respectful
– Turn off cell phone ringers
– Listen attentively to others
• Be Kind
– Participate in activities
– Listen and respond appropriately to others’
ideas

3. Activity: Match.com
Directions: Find out who you
are by asking “YES” and “NO”
questions. Once you find out
who you are, find your partner.

4. Vannest, K.J. (2009)
kvannest@tamu.edu

5. SYSTEM
S
SYSTEM
S
PRACTICESPRACTICES
DA
TA
DA
TA
SupportingSupporting
Staff BehaviorStaff Behavior
SupportingSupporting
DecisionDecision
MakingMaking
SupportingSupporting
Student BehaviorStudent Behavior
OUTCOMESOUTCOMES
PositivePositive
BehaviorBehavior
SupportSupport
Social Competence &Social Competence &
Academic AchievementAcademic Achievement

6. Primary
Prevention:
School-
/Classroom-
Wide Systems
for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings
Secondary
Prevention:
Specialized
Group
Systems for
Students with
At-Risk
Behavior
Tertiary
Prevention:
Specialized
Individualized
Systems for
Students with
High-Risk
Behavior
~80% of Students
~15%
~5%
CONTINUUM OF
SCHOOL-WIDE
INSTRUCTIONAL &
POSITIVE
BEHAVIOR
INTERVENTION &
SUPPORT

7. Targeted Group Interventions
•Small group instruction
•Focused academic help
sessions
Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Tutoring
•Academic Remediation Plans
Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Individual Positive Behavior
Support Plans
Targeted Group Interventions
•Social Skills instruction
•Reinforcement of specific skills
Universal Interventions
•School-wide rules and
procedures
•Systematic reinforcement
procedures
•Recognition of
accomplishments
80%80%
15% 15%
5% 5%
Universal Interventions
•Effective instructional
practices
•Recognition of academic
achievement
School-wide System for All
Students
Academic Behavioral

8. What is Effective Classroom
Management?
Classroom management refers
to all of the things that a teacher
does to organize students,
space, time, and materials so
that instruction in content and
student learning can take place

9. Effective
Classroom
Management
All things a
teacher does to
arrange and
organize the
classroom
experience for
teaching and
learning to take
place.
Transitions
Space
Routines
Procedures
Time
Students
Materials
Expectations
Incentives
Consequences
PBISActive
Supervision
Data Professional
Development

10. Setting & Achieving High
Expectations
https://www.teachingchannel.org/vide
os/prioritizing-classroom-
management

11. Routines and Procedures Matter
• Routines are: “a habitual
performance of an established
procedure”
• Procedures are: “a series of steps
followed in a regular definite order”
• Effective routines and procedures
help manage behavior because:
– Establish predictability
– Help promote consistency
– Reduce anxiety

12. Activity:
You have one minute to
brainstorm a list of routines
students have to engage in,
during the school day. You may
want to start with beginning
routines.

13. Teach your
expectations
before the
activity or
transition begins.
Monitor student
behavior
by circulating
and visually
scanning.
Provide feedback
during the
activity and
at the conclusion
of the activity.
Begin the cycle again for
the next activity.
Teaching Routines and
Procedures
1

14. Where to Begin
• In order to maximize positive
behavior, establish routines and
procedures for the following:
– Daily Schedule
– Physical Space
– Attention Signal
– Beginning and Ending Routines
– Managing Student Work
*

15. Daily Schedule
• Can impact students with
behavioral challenges
• Flexibility based on need
• Issues to consider:
– Words and pictures posted clearly
– Balance types of instruction
– Consider length of activity
– Follow a standard order to increase
predictability

16. Physical Space
• The physical environment can hinder or promote
successful behavior
• To maximize effective classroom set up consider:
– Desk arrangement
• Type (cluster, rows circle etc)
• Accessibility
– Bulletin boards
• Level of stimulation
– High traffic areas
– Chill Out Area/Safe Place

17. Activity
1. Think about your classroom space and
structure-level.
2. Draft your desk arrangement paying
close attention to high-traffic areas.
3. Consider placing a time-out area in
your space.

18. Attention Signal
• Establish an attention signal from the first
day
• Assess the following factors before
implementing:
– Can it be used consistently across
settings?
– Is it easy for all students to respond
quickly?
– How will you teach it to your students?

19. Attention Signal
• When teaching attention signal
– Make sure all students are attending
before moving on (no matter how long it
takes)
– Reinforce students who attend
immediately
– Provide specific verbal praise to peers to
redirect students
– Be consistent!
– Let’s practice...

20. Attention Signal Practice
• “Give Me Five”
• Teacher raises hand and says “May I have your
attention please”
• Teacher holds up 5 fingers one at a time
• Students respond by demonstrating the five
components of attention
– Eyes on speaker
– Quiet
– Be still
– Hands free (put things down)
– Listen

21. Pope Panthers in Action

22. Video: Get Their Attention
Without Saying a Word
https://www.teachingchannel.org/video
s/silent-attention-getting-technique

23. Activity:
1. Choose and describe your attention signal.
2. Is your attention signal portable?
3. How will you teach your attention signal to
your students?
4. How will you reinforce students for attending
to your signal?

24. Beginning and Ending
Routines
• Beginning Routines
– Set the tone for the entire day as
students enter class
•Students need to feel welcome
•Students need to immediately
go to seats and start a
productive task

25. Beginning Routines
• Students need to know the
procedures for:
– handing in work,
– dealing with being late
– taking attendance
– not having needed materials
– returning after an absence

26. Activity: Give Handout #1
1. Pick 2-3 of the following Beginning Routines:
– handing in work
– dealing with being late
– entering the classroom
– not having needed materials
– returning after an absence
2. Write your classroom procedures for the
routines you chose.

27. Beginning Routines Example: Middle/High School
When finished, use
any additional time
to review previous
class notes.
As you enter the
classroom, get a
pencil and sheet of
paper from your
materials or the tray.
Place
homework
on left hand
corner of
your desk.
Sit in
assigned
seat.
Complete the “Do
Now” posted on
ActivBoard. Pay
attention to the timer.

28. Beginning Routines Example: Elementary School
Go to
assigned
seat and get
out your
materials for
the day.
As you
enter the
room,
hang up
your coat.
Put book
bag in
your
assigned
cubby.
Put
homework
folder in
red tray.
Put your lunch
clip on your
meal choice
for the day.
Get started
on your
morning
work written
on the
board.

29. Ending Routines
• In order to have a smooth transition at the
end of the day, make sure you leave
enough time for:
– Clean up
– Organization of materials and
belongings
– Feedback about the day
•When giving feedback ensure a
positive start for the next day, even if
behavior has not been ideal

30. Managing Student Work
• Efficient and effective procedures for managing
student work helps to keep classrooms running
smoothly and avoids unnecessary interruptions
• Make sure you have thought through how you want
to handle:
• Assigning classwork and homework
• Managing independent work periods
• Collecting completed work
• Keeping records and providing feedback
• Dealing with late/missing assignments

31. Routines and Procedures Review
• To maximize desired behavior and
minimize problem behavior, teach-
monitor-feedback your procedures for:
– Daily Schedule : Big, Bold, Beautiful
– Physical Space : Structure-level Need
– Attention Signal : 100% Compliance
– Beginning and Ending Routines : Greet
and Feedback
– Managing Student Work : Save time

32. Effective Classroom
Management
Part 2: Expectations,
Reinforcement Systems and
Motivation

34. Classroom Management: Expectations,
Reinforcement, and Motivation
• To build upon classroom routine and procedures
you need to have clear expectations for student
behavior and methods for motivating and
reinforcing appropriate behavior
• In this section we will cover:
– Classroom Rules
– Behavioral Expectations
– Methods for Teaching Expectations
– Systems for Providing Effective Feedback
(motivation)

35. Building Your
Classroom Management Plan
• Throughout this training you will begin to build your own
classroom management plan
• Your plan should include
– Classroom rules and expectations
– Methods for teaching expectations
– Procedures for encouraging expected behavior
(motivation)
– Procedures for correcting behavioral errors (covered in
part 3)
*Classroom Management Plan and Sample

36. Classroom Rules
• Classroom rules must be related to
school-wide expectations
• In order for rules to be effective they
need to be
– Positively stated
– Specific, observable
– Posted in a place that is visible from
all parts of a classroom

37. Classroom Management Plan:
Step 1 and 2
• If you have already established school wide
expectations, use them to develop specific rules
for your classroom
• If you don’t have school-wide expectations, use
some of the sample handouts to develop
specific rules for your classroom
• Fill in the sections on the classroom
management plan handout titled “classroom
expectations and rules”

38. Classroom Activity
Behavioral Expectations
• Behavioral Expectations must be overtly taught
and practiced as much as academic
expectations
• Assess how much your expectations change
throughout the day
• Establish methods for teaching expected
behaviors
• Use Teach-Monitor-Feedback loop

39. Teach your
expectations
before the
activity or
transition begins.
Monitor student
behavior
by circulating
and visually
scanning.
Provide feedback
during the
activity and
at the conclusion
of the activity.
Begin the cycle again for
the next activity.
Teach-Monitor-Feedback Loop
3

40. Behavioral Expectations
• Identify your expectations in observable terms
• In defining your expectations you need to be explicit about:
– Communication (can they talk at all, to whom, how loud,
how long
– Help (how will they get help when they need it)
– Activity (what is the specific activity they need to be
doing)
– Movement (can students get up from their desks for any
reason, if so what reasons
– Participation (what will be the indicators that will let you
know a student is participating appropriately)

41. Sample: Expectations for Teacher
Directed Instruction
• State and post expectations “during this lesson I
expect:”
– Eyes on board or overhead
– Pencils down unless instructed to write
– Raise hand if you don’t understand the lesson
– Stay in seats
– Only person talking is the teacher

42. Methods for Teaching
Expectations
• Once you have established clear expectations for
all types of teaching activities, you need to create
ways to teach these expectations to your
students.
• Expectations should be taught and reviewed
regularly throughout the school year, especially
after scheduled time away from school or if
students demonstrate they have not yet learned
them

43. Methods for Teaching
Expectations
• Behavioral lessons are most effective if they are
integrated into the curriculum throughout the day
• Some examples are:
– T-Charts
– Visual Displays
– Flip Charts
– Graphic Icons
– Demonstrations/Practice

44. Classroom Management Plan:
Step 3
• Using sample handouts think about
how you might incorporate behavioral
lessons into your daily schedule
• Share with your partner.
• Write down any good ideas shared.

45. Motivation
• Motivation is crucial to getting
students to follow your expectations
• Key components to motivating your
students are
– Positive Expectations/Enthusiasm
– Non-Contingent Attention
– Positive Feedback/Ratio of Interactions

46. Motivation
Expectancy Rate X Value Rate =
Motivation
• If a person thinks they will succeed at a
task [Expectancy Rate], and they value
what they will get as a result of
succeeding [Value Rate], then their
motivation will be high!

47. Positive Expectations/ Enthusiasm
YOU set the tone for how students experience the
classroom
– You can communicate both your level of value and
expectation through enthusiasm in the classroom
– Students will be more enthusiastic about a task
when they:
• Understand why it is useful to them
• See the big picture of what they will be able to
accomplish
• Connect it to other skills and tasks they already
know

48. Video: Setting the Tone
from Day 1
https://www.teachingchannel.org/vide
os/setting-classroom-tone

49. Non-Contingent Attention
• Non-contingent is attention you give to students
that is not dependant on any specific
accomplishment
• Non-contingent attention decreases problem
behavior
– Students more likely to respond to directions
when they have already established
relationships with adults

50. Non-Contingent Attention
• Ways to increase non-contingent attention:
– Greet students everyday
– Show interest in student work that is not performance
dependant
– Show an interest in their experiences and ideas and
share yours (with limits)
– Ask their perspective of how things are going in the
school
– Make special effort to greet or talk to students who have
been having trouble

51. Providing Feedback
• Positive feedback is attention you give
students for a specific accomplishment
• Feedback needs to be immediate to
reinforce positive behavior
• 4:1 - Research shows that attention to
positive accomplishments must be four
times more often than correction
Example: Carol I like the way you came in this morning,
went straight to your seat, and began working.

52. Increasing Opportunities for
Positive Feedback
• Often we do not give students as much positive
feedback as they need
• Habitually we tend to focus on what is going wrong as
opposed to what is going right
• It takes conscious effort and practice to increase the
frequency of positive feedback
– Start by assessing current ratio
– To increase the ratio need to break habits
• Reminders (stickers, rubber bands etc)
• Pre-determined time intervals
• Random intervals

53. Positive Feedback
• Positive feedback can be
– Verbal
– Physical
– Social
– Tangible
• When giving verbal feedback you should
• Be specific
• State the behavior they have exhibited
• Avoid generic terms like “good job” or “thank
you”

54. Classroom Management Plan:
Step 4
• It is important to have a written plan
of how you will give feedback to your
students both individually and as a
group
• Complete the section “ Strategies for
Encouraging Responsible Behavior”
• Use sample as a guide

55. Encouraging Responsible Behavior:
Sample
If students demonstrate positive behavior the following
rewards will be given
– Students will receive frequent verbal praise
– Students with more than 10 positive comments
will get to eat lunch with me
– Students will earn points for the table group and
tables with most points will get 5 extra minutes
of recess
– Entire class can earn points towards a pizza
party

56. Next Steps: See Handout #3
• The final component to building a
classroom management plan is
having effective ways to correct
misbehavior
• You will complete the plan in the
next section “Classroom
Management Part 3: Effective
Consequences”

57. “I have come to the conclusion that I am the decisive
element in the classroom. It is my personal approach
that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that
makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a
tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or
joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of
inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In
all situations it is my response that influences whether
a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child
humanized or de-humanized.”
Haim Ginott

58. References and Resources
• CHAMPs; A Proactive and Positive Approach to
Classroom Management (Randy Sprick)
• The Tough Kids Book-Practical Classroom
Management Strategies (Rhode, Jensen, Reavis)
• Durham Public Schools PBS Center
• University of South Florida PBS Project (Don Kincaid
and Heather George)
• University of Oregon; OSEP Center on PBS (George
Sugai and Rob Horner)
• University of Missouri; PBS Modules (Tim Lewis)
Websites
– PBIS.org
– ncpublicschools.org

59. Thank You For
Attending!