Classroom management is an extremely important aspect of teaching, because effective

management is essential for education. It is often not properly addressed in teacher prep
programs and students graduate without the tools they need to be effective managers.
Therefore, it is not surprising that management is frequently cited as a major reason for
leaving the field of education (Sayeski, 2014). With more than one-third of teachers,
globally, leaving education within the first five years, it is an issue that cannot be ignored
any longer. This is a look into the components of and importance of managing students in a
classroom setting.
If we look at education as a fundamentally social endeavor and that childrens academic
performance in school is strongly influenced by the emotions and social interactions that
they experience when they are there, then we must look at the education of the teachers
who are dealing with these emotions. Over the last several years, researchers have
identified a number of specific social-emotional competencies that seem to promote
academic development (Garner, 2013). These include peer acceptance, friendship quality,
prosocial behavior, awareness of emotions and the situations that elicit them and the ability
to regulate emotions both internally and externally (Garner, 2013). A powerful means of
promoting classroom competence is through the teachers understanding and beliefs about
the behavior and emotions that they are experiencing and witnessing in the classroom. It is
possible that the teachers perceptions, beliefs and attitudes may even contribute to the
quality of childrens relationships with both peers and teachers (Garner, 2013).

It has been said that social and emotion-related problems in children represent one of the
most challenging issues for teachers to deal with in the classroom setting (Garner, 2013). It
is also something that is not addressed adequately in teacher prep programs and many new
teachers do not feel confident in their ability to handle these situations. There has been a
great deal of research and evidence to support its importance for reducing a childs risk of
school refusal, school failure and potentially dropping out of school completely (Garner,
2013). Therefore, it is very important that we not only understand what good management
looks like but have enough tools in order to handle these situations confidently.
One of the best ways to manage a classroom is to develop a comprehensive classroom
management plan. It is much easier and less stressful to prevent behavior problems than to
deal with them after they occur (Stevens, 2013). The lack of proper management is
responsible for lost instructional time, feelings of inadequacy for the teacher and stress.
Many schools now have a School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support program or SWPBS in
place. This program is designed to positively teach students how to behave in the school
setting. The PBS model believes that teachers that have high expectations, engaging
instruction and clearly identified routines and procedures that are explicitly taught should
ensure that most of their students will be able to behave within classroom norms (Sayeski,
2014). In addition to the PBS model, there is also a Response-to-Intervention or RTI model.
This model can be used in both the general classroom and in special education classrooms.
It is a framework that allows teachers to address students needs across a range of levels.
This model assumes that when teachers apply effective instructional practices, the majority
of students will make satisfactory gains, but other students will need additional support.

Both the PBS and RTI models have three levels of support. The first tier is universal support
for all students that focus on prevention. The second tier is focused on a targeted group of
students and uses evidence-based practices and monitoring. The last tier is individualized
for specific students and uses individual assessment processes (Sayeski, 2014). Teachers
can also use the umbrella approach to identify students in their classrooms who might need
extra support. This approach is an informal, classroom-base, problem-solving system for
teacher assessment of student behaviors. It gives educators a better idea about how the
behaviors they observe relate to the components in the existing classroom management
plan. The students who are on task most of the time are placed closest to the handle and
are referred to as handle-hugging behaviors. Students who need a little support to stay on
task and follow the rules are placed about half-way between the handle and the edge of the
umbrella. These are referred to as the dry/dependable behaviors. Next, the students that
demonstrate inconsistent behaviors are referred to as damp/doubtful behaviors. Lastly,
there are the students who are consistently needing attention and assistance to follow the
rules. These students are placed outside the edge of the umbrella. These behaviors are
referred to as drenched/disruptive behaviors and are extreme and chronic behaviors. They
are also the behaviors that require the most support and attention from the teacher.
There are many misconceptions or half-truths about classroom management. First, is that
you have to be a good manager before you can be a good teacher. While it is true that
good instruction requires good management, but good management also necessitates good
instruction (Englehart, 2012). It almost presents as a chicken and the egg situation as to
which needs to come first. Both are important parts, but which comes first is up for debate.

Next, is that different things work for different people. While this is true to some extent,
there is a common denominator among effective classroom managers. This denominator
has two parts and is referred to as mental set (Englehart, 2012). The first part is called
withitness or a sense of awareness of what students are doing at all times and ability to
stop problems before they occur. The second part is healthy emotional objectivity, which
allows a teacher to carry out student discipline in an emotion-neutral manner without
taking things personally or holding grudges (Englehart, 2012). While some people might
think that managing student behavior just boils down to clearly communicating and
consistently enforcing boundaries, it really is only part of the equation. Although most
students can understand the rules and consequences of not following them, about 20-30
percent of students have trouble responding appropriately to behavioral norms. For these
students, educators must make an effort to understand the problem behavior and try to
determine its possible origins. Although relationships are a necessary and important part of
teaching, they arent enough to get everyone on the same page, behaviorally speaking.
Positive teacher-student relationships are critical and provide a vital part of students
development. Lastly, some people believe that not much can be done with changing the
behavior of kids who arent taught to act correctly at home. While it is true that some
parents have different expectations, it doesnt mean they are wrong, but are just different.
It is totally possible to teach students that certain settings, such as school, require different
sets of behaviors (Englehart, 2012).
There are six effective behavior supports for good classroom management. These include
high teacher expectation, established routines and procedures, stimulating instruction with

high levels of student engagement, positive teacher-student rapport, efficient use of

classroom time and clearly communicated rules and norms (Sayeski, 2014). These should
be used at a foundation for any comprehensive classroom management plan.
One of the best predictors of classroom management and teacher performance is teacher
efficacy or how a teacher feels about their abilities. Teachers who are efficacious are likely
to perceive the classroom as less threatening, implement better strategies, and thus have
more positive classroom experiences and fewer disturbances (Dicke, 2014). Classroom
disturbances are the major predictor of emotional exhaustion and teacher burnout.
Therefore, if a teacher has high self-efficacy, they have fewer disturbances and less
emotional exhaustion.
In conclusion, classroom management is a very important component to being an effective
teacher. Educators need to have a clear and comprehensive management plan in place
before the first day of school. It is also important to use a tiered approach and use any
School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports already in place at your school. Ultimately,
teaching is a leadership position. This being the case, teachers are completely responsible
for what takes place under their supervision in their classrooms (Englehart, 2012).
Professionals should continually reflect on their practice. When teachers come up against
problems with students, and have difficulty in getting them resolved, they must give serious
consideration to what options have not been pursued. Teachers, who are aware of their
own emotions, can better assist students in dealing with their emotions and therefore be
more effective managers and educators.

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