Engagement vs. Management: Classroom Management Weekly Investment

Recently I was tasked with a project that required me to write content around classroom culture and management.  As I wrote it I started to research tips for classroom management, and I found a handful, and really good one that I know must work, if someone took the time to develop the practices and write about them, but I think sometimes we have it backwards.  Shouldn't engagement come first?  If we are truly engaging students- our management comes secondary, it is still important, but ideally the techniques will be used less.  This conversation branched into creating a classroom culture vs. classroom rules, as rules will inherently come from culture.  However these concepts tend to be higher level, and sometimes management techniques are necessary, and I KNOW I will need them next semester and in future years.  Here are some tips I found through our readings.

1. Be Ready... (funny this is one of my expectations for students!)  

Planning and preparing the classroom is essential.  This looks like lesson planning, material collection and having end goals for the course and the students.  If I have my materials, classroom and plan ready I can be more comfortable to adapt if there are classroom management challenges. This also means other spaces and places should be ready:

• Walls
• Supplies/Technology
• Greenhouse/Shop 
• Other Work Areas
• Teacher Area 

2. Be Welcoming/Engaging 

We have all been signed up for classes based on a teachers reputation,  if I create a bad reputation, students will know this before they meet me, from past students.  We are held to higher standards and in some ways I think that is okay. Creating a welcoming culture and atmosphere helps create a better management and engagement plan.  Some tips include:

• Send Letters home
• Greet students at the door
• Plan an introduction 

3. Other Tips & Tricks:
There are various ways I have seen classroom management work, and I hear it is teacher and student dependent.  Proximity and setting expectations are two examples that seem to be fairly common.  If I stand closer in proximity to students who are maybe off task this simple gesture help students get back on task.  Setting procedures, expectations and consequences also gives me as a teacher grounds to bring students back to pre-set expectations.  



Through facilitation and small classroom opportunities I have learned tips and tricks here and there, but next semester will be the test and trial to what real classroom management looks like.