Universal classroom management strategies
1. Model ideal behavior
Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many studies show that modeling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations.A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation with an admin, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:- 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
2. Let students help establish guidelines

3. Document rules
Don’t let your mutually-respected guidelines go forgotten.Similar to handing out a syllabus, print and distribute the list of rules that the class discussion generated. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to them. And when a student breaks a rule, it’ll be easy for you to point to this document.If you’re feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information.4. Avoid punishing the class
Address isolated behavior issues instead of punishing an entire class, as the latter can hurt your relationships with students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize other classroom management efforts.Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:- “Do you have a question?”, not “Stop talking and disrupting other students”
- “Do you need help focusing?”, not “Pay attention and stop fooling around while I’m talking” This basic approach will allow you to keep a friendly disposition, while immediately acknowledging poor behavior.
5. Encourage initiative
6. Offer praise
Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study. When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:- Inspire the class
- Improve a student’s self-esteem
- Reinforce rules and values you want to see
7. Use non-verbal communication
Universal classroom management strategies
1. Model ideal behavior
Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many studies show that modeling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations.A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation with an admin, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:- 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
2. Let students help establish guidelines
3. Document rules
Don’t let your mutually-respected guidelines go forgotten. Similar to handing out a syllabus, print and distribute the list of rules that the class discussion generated. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to them. And when a student breaks a rule, it’ll be easy for you to point to this document. If you’re feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information.4. Avoid punishing the class
Address isolated behavior issues instead of punishing an entire class, as the latter can hurt your relationships with students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize other classroom management efforts. Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:- “Do you have a question?”, not “Stop talking and disrupting other students”
- “Do you need help focusing?”, not “Pay attention and stop fooling around while I’m talking”
5. Encourage initiative
Promote growth mindset, and inject variety into your lessons, by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short presentations to share take-away points. Almost inevitably, you’ll have some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they’d like to get ahead from time-to-time. For example, if you’re reading a specific chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the following one too. When they deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next chapter on your behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.
6. Offer praise
Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study.When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:- Inspire the class
- Improve a student’s self-esteem
- Reinforce rules and values you want to see
7. Use non-verbal communication
8. Hold parties
Throw an occasional classroom party to acknowledge 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. Clarify that you’re holding the party to reward them and they can earn future parties by demonstrating ideal behavior, collectively scoring high on assessments and more.9. Give tangible rewards
10. Make positive letters and phone calls
Keep students happy in and out of class by pleasantly surprising their parents, making positive phone calls and sending complimentary letters home. When the occasion arises, from academic effort or behavioral progress, letting parents know has a trickle-down effect. They’ll generally congratulate their kids; their kids will likely come to class eager to earn more positive feedback. This can also entice parents to grow more invested in a child’s learning, opening the door to at-home lessons. Such lessons are a mainstay element of culturally-responsive teaching.11. Build excitement for content
- How to talk like you’re a teacher (sentence structure)
- Why you don’t know anyone who’s won the lottery (probability)
- What all the presidents of the United States have had in common (social analysis)
12. Offer different types of free study time
Provide a range of activities during free study time to appeal to students who struggle to process content in silence, individually. You can do this by dividing your class into clearly-sectioned solo and team activities. In separate sections, consider:- Providing audio books, which can play material relevant to your lessons
- Maintaining a designated quiet space for students to take notes and complete work
- Creating a station for challenging group games that teach or reinforce curriculum-aligned skills
- Allowing students to work in groups while taking notes and completing work, away from quiet zones
13. Write group contracts
14. Assign open-ended projects
Encourage students to tackle open-ended projects -- projects that don’t demand a specific product -- to allow them to demonstrate knowledge in ways that inherently suit them. This starts by giving the class a list of broad project ideas, asking each student to choose one. Be sure to provide a rubric for each project that clearly defines expectations. By both enticing and challenging students, you should notice they’ll:- Work and learn at their own paces
- Engage actively with appropriate content
- Demonstrate knowledge as effectively as possible
15. Give only two marks for informal assessments
Classroom management strategies for individual students
16. Use EdTech that adjusts to each student
Give students who struggle to process your content opportunities to try educational technology that adapts to their needs. There are many games and platforms that use adaptive learning principles to detect a given student’s skill deficits, serving him or her content to help overcome them. For example, Prodigy is a math video game that adjusts its content to help students address their trouble spots. It also offers feedback to help them solve specific mistakes, as they answer questions that use words, charts, pictures and numbers. More than 800,000 teachers currently use Prodigy, as it’s aligned with curricula across the English-speaking world. Try the free platform by signing up below:17. Interview students
Interview students who aren’t academically engaged or displaying prosocial behavior to learn how to better manage them.While running learning stations or a large-group activity, pull each student aside for a few minutes. 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
18. Address bad behavior quickly
Acting sooner than later will help ensure that negative feelings -- whether between students or you and a student -- won’t fester. Failure to act can result in more poor behavior, leading to needlessly-difficult conversations.
But keep in mind: It’s usually best to talk to the student in private. Emerging research shows that punishing students in front of peers has “limited value.”19. Consider peer teaching
Use peer teaching as a classroom management strategy if you feel your top performers can help engage and educate disruptive and struggling students.
Peer teaching activities, such as pairing students together as reading buddies, can be especially beneficial for students who suffer from low confidence and poor interpersonal skills.
Authoritative research states tutors improve self-esteem and interpersonal skills by giving feedback. Tutees realize these benefits by asking questions and receiving immediate clarification. A later study of at-risk students echoes these advantages. Although you should spend time teaching peer tutors how to properly communicate with tutees, you’ll likely find the benefits are worth the work.
20. Gamify personal learning plans
Consider gamification strategies such as:
- Adjusting your scoring system -- Give experience points (XP) -- along with traditional scores -- on tests and assignments, setting a goal for the student to reach a certain amount of XP per unit. For example, if a student scores 60% on a quiz, give him or her 6,000 XP. You can also award XP for completing extra assignments, participating in class or anything else that shows effort to learn.
- Using stages -- Refer to topics and units as stages. The former terms have clear connotations for you, but students may not see how they fit together. If they’re gamers, they’ll understand that reaching the next stage requires overcoming precursory challenges. Emphasize this by framing certain tasks as prerequisites to reach the next learning stage.
Downloadable list
Click here to download a simplified list of the above classroom management strategies and techniques to print and keep at your desk.
Infographic
Below is an infographic based on this article, helping you deploy these classroom management strategies at your own school! [caption id="attachment_2138" align="aligncenter" width="6250"]
Final thoughts about these classroom management strategies
These class-wide and one-on-one approaches to classroom management largely work across subjects and grade levels. Implementable without admin and parent support, they should empower you to establish an orderly -- yet friendly and engaging -- environment.
Look forward to better teacher-to-student and student-to-student interactions as a result.Create or log in to your teacher account on Prodigy -- a free game-based learning platform for math. Aligned with curricula across the English-speaking world, it’s loved by more than 800,000 teachers and 30 million students.
