Classroom Management Strategies in the K-5 Classroom

 Teaching and engaging elementary school aged children can be very difficult and stressful for all teachers, especially those entering the field. Classroom management is a term for how teachers and educators direct, supervise, and have control over their classrooms. Even as student-centered learning has become a common practice that has been shown to engage students very well, teacher direction is also very important for management of students. There are many widely used and researched classroom management strategies that have been proven to work and keep students engaged. Keeping students on task and involved is very important to their learning and even enjoyment. When students are distracted or not engaged in tasks or lessons, they do not get the opportunity to gain the benefits from learning and being curious. Classroom management is one of the most important issues for teachers to tackle head-on at the beginning of the year in order to have a well balanced, loving, caring, orderly, and engaging classroom environment.

Teacher engaging students in lesson.

I believe that having a solid plan and being consistent with classroom management will help teachers immensely in feeling like they have control over their own classroom. This will also help the students if done with care. Students will have structure in the classroom which leads to comfort and predicability as well as safety. Having students help make classroom norms and rules can encourage the them to follow and respect the rules much more than a traditional way of enforced teacher-only made rules. This also helps students understand what rules mean and why we have them. When students create classroom norms and rules, they become apart of what that rule means. When a teacher goes over the rules at the beginning of the year without any commentary or say from the students, they may not understand why they have to follow certain rules and therefore cause them to not follow them. I believe that with a combination of student-led classrooms and direction and management from teachers that classrooms can pose an enriching environment for all.