12 Classroom Management Myths You Need To Know About

June 19, 2010

There are a number of popular notions about classroom management that are widely accepted as gospel. But reality doesn’t always match perception. This is one reason why classroom management can be so confusing. “I just want to know what does and doesn’t work so I can get on with teaching.” is a common, and frustrating, [...]

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How To Improve Classroom Management By Doing Less

June 12, 2010

It’s natural for teachers struggling with classroom management to try to do more. They talk more, move around the room more, and meet with students more. They raise their voice and micromanage. They hover and pace. They race through lessons hoping to finish before losing students to the hum and distraction of a rowdy class. [...]

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How To Motivate Students Without Losing Control Of Your Class

June 5, 2010

If you’ve been teaching for longer than say… three minutes, then you’ve no doubt been hammered over the head with the idea that enthusiasm is important to effective teaching. In order to motivate students, you have to be passionate about your subject. I don’t disagree. Enthusiasm is important—critical even. But what if it’s causing your [...]

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Why You Need To Be Brutally Honest With Difficult Students

May 29, 2010

Do you hide the truth from difficult students? Do you give them false praise? In the name of encouragement, most teachers do. But if you want lasting improvement in their behavior, then you have to be brutally honest with them. Difficult students don’t benefit from being coddled or having smoke blown in their ears. Yet, [...]

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How To Give A Warning That Improves Behavior

May 22, 2010

In my previous article I wrote about how a warning should be your first consequence. This week I’m going to explain how to give a warning so it will have the greatest impact on student behavior. Here we go. The Purpose Of A Warning A warning is just a warning—and nothing more. So when you [...]

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Should Your First Consequence Be A Warning?

May 15, 2010

I’m frequently asked whether I recommend giving a warning as a first consequence. My answer is an emphatic yes. Giving a warning eliminates the need for three commonly used strategies that make classroom management more difficult. Teachers who struggle with classroom management tend to lean on one or more of them. What about you? Do [...]

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How To Handle An Angry, Verbally Aggressive Student

May 8, 2010

Emotional outbursts, temper tantrums, yelling, lashing out. Severe misbehavior like this needs to be dealt with differently than typical rule breaking. How you respond goes a long way toward gaining control of the incident, keeping it from affecting other students, and lessening the chances of it happening again. An Ineffective Response Like parents who rush [...]

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An Easy And Hassle-Free Restroom Policy

May 1, 2010

Monitoring restroom use is one of the most irksome things a teacher has to deal with. On the one hand, you can’t deny a student who really needs to go. On the other hand, we all know students take advantage of it. Need a little break? Just grab a restroom pass and have a leisurely [...]

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How Best To Hold Students Accountable

April 24, 2010

Why does it pain teachers to hold students accountable? Why are some so quick to ignore misbehavior, look the other way, or make excuses for it? Accountability is important, right? So what’s the problem? I have a few ideas. Teachers are slow to hold students accountable because… It can be stressful and at times seem [...]

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Why You Need Leverage For Classroom Management… And How To Get It

April 17, 2010

The key to effective classroom management is leverage. If your students like being part of your classroom, then you have leverage, and accountability will work the way it’s supposed to. If your students don’t like being in your classroom, then you’ll struggle with classroom management. It’s that simple. Because without leverage… Your consequences will be [...]

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