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 It is important to distinguish between classroom
Classroom Management
Lecture 3
 Management in the classroom is all about
creating an appropriate learning environment,
as, overwhelmingly, current research points to
the essential link between the quality of the
environment and learning
 The classrooms of the past where the teacher
armed with chalk, duster and the strap and
where knowledge was dispensed like an
interactive textbook are long gone from our
schools.
 Pupil‟s in today‟s schools crucially need to be
taught
- how to learn
- how to access, and
- how to use wisely,
the manifold sources of information now
available to them, both inside and outside the
school.
management and discipline.
 Classroom management is a broad term and
refers to everything that teachers do to
establish and maintain an environment in which
effective learning takes place
 Today‟s classrooms are places where the
teacher leads students to sources of factual
information, but who also encourages shared
problem solving and reasoning through pupil
discussion and group work. Students are
encouraged to voice opinions, clarify values and
critically think through problems
 This course is about the need to create effective
learning environments.
 It is also about issues in discipline, and about
some of the different discipline „models‟ you can
use in the classroom.
 But discipline is only one aspect of classroom
management and it is salutary to remember that
„no‟ discipline model will work unless effective
teaching is taking place.
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 Some of the major considerations relating to
effective teaching that you need to be aware of:
*The way to best management of the
classroom is through a sound understanding
of the nature of children’s learning and
through an incorporation of this into all
aspects of your teaching practice.
*This means that first you have to know
your children very well – their names, ages,
backgrounds, abilities and interests.
*Allowing opportunities for the children to learn
from other sources e.g. other pupils, books,
internet, video, visits, play equipment.
*Deciding how you will assess what the children
are doing
*How you will evaluate their progress and plan
for the next stage of their learning.
*Establishment of routines & procedures in the
classroom.
*Whole-class as well as group & individual
teaching
*Timetabling and the balance of activities
 Creating an attractive learning environment
*Maximizing the time the pupils are ‘on task’
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The next task is to plan and deliver the
curriculum with reference to this information.
This involves:
Studying the curriculum subject or area
*Planning and organizing it in a way that
is interesting for the class in terms of their
abilities and aptitudes.
*Allowing for opportunities for the
children’s involvement in their own learning
 THE PHYSICAL ORGANISATION OF THE
CLASSROOM MATTERS
* You should allow for flexibility in planning
the physical environment
* Furniture arranged so that pupils can
achieve some independence – access to
resources, places to put possessions etc
Grouping of children and differentiation of tasks
 Discipline problems don‟t seem to occur in
classrooms where students are actively
engaged in activities that are absorbing and
meaningful to them.
 What is meaningful to children is what they
feel excited about learning, discovering or
experimenting and which they feel they can
master.
 When schools happen to be boring places,
out of touch with children‟s interests, their
challenges, and the pace with which the rest
of their world outside of school moves, then
the classroom will be a place of
disagreement and conflict.
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 It is worth noting that nearly all classroom
misbehavior is of a minor nature rather of
aggression and violence. The sorts of
“discipline problems” we face as teachers
daily are merely nuisance behavior.
 These behaviours are annoyingly repetitive
and unfavourable to both student learning
and the teacher‟s peace of mind. There is
the real danger of over-reacting to such
behavior out of our own frustration and
exhaustion. Often it leads to labeling children
as having “behavior problems” and, as
frequently happens, ignoring and excluding
them from class activities
 In the example although the teacher was quick
to assign blame for “poor attitudes” a number of
contribute to the misbehavior.
 It was late in the day and both teacher and
students were tired
 Children may be too young to conduct small
group discoveries without more structure and
supervision
Much of what causes disruption in learning
can be avoided in classrooms. A range of
discipline models will be discussed.
These include:
 Preventive discipline: implement strategies to
prevent misbehavior from occurring
 Supportive discipline: nip misbehavior in the
bud (stop before it gets bigger)
 Corrective discipline: implement strategies to
stop misbehavior when it has occurred and
redirect behavior into positive channels.
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Example : The beginning teacher‟s
experimentation activity
This experimentation activity was performed at the
end of the day because I felt tired and thought that it
would be an easy one to supervise. It turned out to
be not as easy as I first thought. I didn’t predict how
some children would react; that instead of doing the
set task, it was a play period for them to splash water
over themselves and the floor. I was annoyed that
these children didn’t want to learn and were spoiling
it for the other children. I won’t tolerate such poor
attitudes to learning. In future, these children will be
banned from all water activities .
 Procedure for water activities need to be
defined by teacher at the beginning and
repeated by students
 Consequences for appropriate and
inappropriate behavior needed to be pointed
out
 Students should have clear understanding of
the purpose of activity, its relevance and
usefulness so that their attitude will be of an
interest to learning rather than playing.
 Planning for good management before the
school year starts
Evertson and Emmer (1982) - teachers who
prevent misbehavior successfully and foster
learning have effective management systems
consisting of three phases:
* Planning – before the school year starts
* Developing – first few weeks of school
* Maintaining – throughout the year
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 Organizing the physical setting is important –will  Logical consequences are not punishment as
children sit individually, pairs, groups? Where will they are not imposed by the teacher as
teacher‟s desk be placed for easy access and authority but are conscious choice made by the
effective monitoring? Will students be able to see student about how to behave – showing one
and hear instructional presentations without must be accountable for one‟s behavior.
straining their necks, moving their furniture, having
to turn around or leaving their seats?
 They must be applied calmly (never in anger)
and consistently (the same consequence for
 Apart from defining rules and procedures teachers
every student, every time) so as to encourage
must plan consequences for not following these.
These should be “logical” meaning they should be self-discipline
closely related to behavior. To make these
consequences more effective it should be
understood and agreed to by the students.

 Once a system of rules and procedures is in

place, a teacher should monitor the
behavior and work habits of students. The
impact of teaching styles and work demands
on individual students need to be monitored
for it is more likely for students who have
difficulty in coping with lessons to
misbehave.

 Thus, dealing with misbehaviour or

unproductive work habits is the final
component of maintaining effective
classroom control.