As teachers, we face this situation very often – how to cover the learning portion and manage the class effectively while maintaining a positive relationship with the students. Good classroom management practices play a pivotal role in building a better student-teacher relationship and achieving desired learning outcomes. Here are the few techniques that I practice for good classroom management at CMRNPS that also help me in building a strong connect with the students.
Set-up a Social Contract
Social contract is very effective approach to define the charter of acceptable classroom behavior drive self-managing classrooms. Once the teacher establishes a fair rapport with the students, she/he can have a discussion with students to set-up the contract with a set of norms, rules and consequences. As time progresses, the social contract can also be revisited to make the necessary adjustments. Social contract emphasizes on core value of shared principles, which makes it easier to enforce and build clear expectations with the students.
Orchestrate class participation
Many times, students feel left-out and demotivated if they don’t get an opportunity to participate, leading to class management issues. Teachers can effectively orchestrate class participation using techniques like probing and enquiry to ensure all students get a fair chance, in an organized manner. This approach helps students feel valued and aids class decorum. The students begin to appreciate that they will get equal opportunity and start trusting the teacher’s approach.
Give a listening-ear
At times we have witnessed some students are continuously distracted and uninterested in learning. These students tend to disrupt the class more often than others. The best way to engage such students is by giving them a listening ear. The teacher can find some time after the class and hear out their concerns. The students open-up, share their problems and bond with the teacher. It helps the teacher understand the student better, engage him/her in a right way and also improve class decorum.
While some of these approaches may require an extra effort from the teacher at the start, but once put to practice they go a long way. In current times, where students are going through immense interpersonal and societal issues, effective classroom management builds on strong student-teacher relationships.
By Ms.Sukhleen Kaur
