CONCEPT OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Classroom Management consists of the teacher’s thoughts, plans and actions that
create an orderly environment and promote learning. Classroom management stands for
management of resources, pupils’ learning activities and behaviours in the classroom. It is
essentially a human relation skill. Classroom management is complex and many variables
need to be considered when making decisions about specific situations. Planning and
organisations, procedures used for handling various types of behaviours of learners are all
parts of classroom management. You have two important goals when you plan for and
implement the management system. The first is to create an environment that facilitates
learning. The second should be to develop in students the ability to manage and direct their
own learning.

DIMENSIONS OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Classroom Management refers to the actions and strategies teachers use to maintain
order in the classroom. Let us examine the meaning of ‘order’. Order means that students are
performing within acceptable limits the action necessary for a particular classroom event to
be successful. It focuses on ways to establish and maintain workable systems for classroom
groups, rather than ways to identify misbehaviour, resolve behavioural disorders or capture
the attention of individual students. Since classroom management deals with establishing and
maintaining order in the classroom, it is important to consider several fundamental issues
about order and then to examine strategies to achieve this order.

First, classroom order is achieved within the context of the classroom and each
context makes different demands on the class members. For example, rules are often tied to
the context or phases of a class lesson. All rules may not be in effect when students enter the
room, settle down or prepare for class, attend to the lesson itself, close up at end of the
lesson, or leave the classroom. Suppose you are dividing your fifth grade class into small
groups to examine and test a number of rocks and minerals sample in various ways. How are
your decision about guidelines to maintain control affected by the age level and maturity of
the students? You might need to monitor students differently to maintain control in small
groups as compared to whole class instruction.
Secondly, learning and order in the classroom are closely related. Learning is served
by instructional function such as covering the curriculum and promoting mastery of the
content. You can achieve order by using meaningful functions such as organising small group
work, establishing rules and procedures, reacting to misbehaviour and monitoring and pacing
classroom events.
Thirdly, order affects students involvement in learning task, students engagement is
essentially a by-product of well conceived group activities. Thus, to be an effective
Classroom Manager, you may place your emphasis on managing the group rather than
managing individual students.
Finally, co-operation in the minimum requirements for appropriate student-behaviour.
Order in class room is achieved with students depending on their willingness to be part of the
sequence of the events. You can achieve cooperation with both active and passive
involvement.
Establishing and maintaining order in the classroom is achieved in a variety of ways:
i) Getting organised: Establishing order begins with careful preparation for the start of
the school year, and organising the classroom and materials.
ii) Planning for management: Another aspect of establishing and maintaining control
is to carefully plan for ways to manage instruction, motivate students, address students
diversity and work with parents.
iii) Conducting the class: You can establish and maintain control by developing
cooperative classroom, encouraging and reinforcing appropriate behaviour and focussing on
order when actually conducting the lesson.

COMPONENTS OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Classroom management is an ingredient of successful teaching. The skill of classroom
management is one of the most important skills which every teacher must acquire to manage
his/her classroom effectively. Mentioned below are some important component of the
classroom management suite which have been identified by observing behaviours of teachers
in successfully managed classrooms. These classrooms exhibited a high prevalence of work
involvement and a low level of misbehaviour in learning setting. Which have been found to
be effective in creating an effective classroom ecology and learning milieu.

i) Reinforce Desirable Behaviour

There are a number of ways in which a teacher can manage his/her classroom
effectively. One of these way is to reinforce (praise) the good (desirable) behaviours and try
to ignore the bad (undesirable) ones. Praise for appropriate behaviours is probably the key
behaviour for achieving effective classroom management. A number of studies have
demonstrated that whilst reinforcing (expressing approval of ) desirable behaviours leads to
increase in these behaviours, attending to inappropriate behaviour even by expressing
disapproval may increase the very behaviours it is attempting to reduce. For example, it has
been observed that when a teacher increases the number of
sit down commands, it increases the amount of ‘out of seat’ behaviour. On the other hand, the
praise for ‘in seat’ reduces ‘out of seat behaviour’. A teacher should therefore, make use of
positive reinforcers, both verbal and non-verbal for pupils desirable behaviours as it increases
the chances of these behaviours to reoccur. He/she should however, ignore the inappropriate)
behaviour as far as possible. To eliminate pupils inappropriate behaviours. Punishment
(particularly physical punishment) should be avoided as far as possible. In a situation when
you feel that punishment is also absolutely essential eliminate publisher, you may resort to it.
But frequent use of punishment is forbidden as it loses it, worth, on the contrary, it makes the
pupil hardened.

ii) Keep an Eye on Each Pupil

A teacher should always keep an eye on each pupil in the classroom with a view to
watching everyone’s behaviour. Many a times it happens that when a teacher is writing on the
blackboard, pupils many throw pupils etc. at other. In another situation” a teacher give some
mathematical problems to her pupils and ask them to solve these problems on the blackboard.
Each pupil comes to the blackboard on his/her turn and solves one problem. While teacher is
busy in looking at the blackboard to see whether the pupil is solving the problem correctly,
other pupils are waiting for their turn. In such a situation, a pupil Sheetal leans over to her
right and whispers to Surjeet. Another pupil Surinder sitting at the back of Sheetal watches
this and leans over to Sheetal and whispers. The said behaviours of Sarita, Sheetal, Surjeet
and Surinder are undesirable ones and need to be checked immediately before they spread to
other pupils. For checking mild misbehaviours on the part of pupils in such situations, a
teacher should display through her behaviour that she had eyes in the back of her head. What
behaviours on the part of a teacher provide cues to pupils as to whether he/she does or does
not know what is going on in the classroom? If she picks the pupil correctly and on time, it
communicates to pupils that she knows what is happening in the classroom. If she commits a
mistake in this regard, it provides the message to pupils that she does not know what is
happening. A teacher generally commits two types of mistake i.e. target mistakes and timing
mistakes.
a) Target mistakes
i) When a teacher picks the wrong child for a deviant act.
ii) The teacher notices a less serious deviant and overlooks a more serious one that
was occurring at the time or had occurred before the less serious behaviour is noticed.
b) Timing mistakes
When a pupil starts whispering to another, and then a third one joins them, and the
teacher notices this deviant act on their part, it is too late because the deviant act has
already spread before the teacher notices and takes steps to stop it.

iii) Give Clear Directions

You know that giving directions is one of the teaching behaviours. You give directions
to pupils for a number of purposes. If your direction is not clear, it may disrupt teaching
learning process in the classroom. For instance, a teacher asks pupils to close the window as
the dust is coming into the classroom. In such a case, many a times it happens that many
students rush to the window to close it. This results in confusion. It has taken place as the
teacher did not give the direction to a specific pupil. Similarly ambigiuous direction disrupts
teaching learning process. It is therefore, desired that a teacher should give clear directions so
that the learning process is not affected adversely.

iv) Ensure Sufficient Work for Each Pupil

For effective classroom management it is necessary that pupils are engaged in work.
For this purpose she should direct his/her pupils to take down notes of what she is teaching
in the classroom. Note taking behaviour on the part of pupils keep them busy. It is also useful
in comprehending the message of the teacher as pupils are required to process the
information being given by the teachers before taking notes. This therefore, improves their
information processing skills also. Further a teacher should ensure that every pupil in her
class is taking notes of what she is teaching. She may check it as she feels the need for it.
Many a times, teachers give assignments to pupils to be completed within the class. In such a
situation a teacher should ensure that assignment is adequate for all the pupils. High
achievers if they are able to complete the assignment earlier, may be given an additional
assignment to keep them busy. Keeping pupils busy in the class is highly essential as idleness
is a major ingredient of undesirable behaviour.
v) Generate Interaction in the Classroom
In a classroom where the teacher alone is talking and the students are passive
listeners, there is every possibility on the part of some students to engage in some disruptive
behaviours. This is because they are not engaged in the teaching learning process. In order to
manage the classroom effectively there is a need on the part of a teacher to generate
interaction in the classroom. Interaction stands for communication between the teacher and
his pupils. A teacher should not only generate classroom interaction but also bring about a
change in the classroom interaction pattern. Once the students are engaged in any interaction
a teacher is successful for a short duration in the classroom effectively.
Continuing the same pattern of interaction for prolonged duration in the classroom introduces
monotony with consequent lack of interest and inattention resulting in pupils disruptive’
behaviour. A change in the classroom interaction pattern breaks this monotony and makes
students alert.

vi) Secure and Sustain Pupils Attention on the Learning Task

Securing and sustaining pupils attention on the learning task is very helpful in
managing classroom effectively. If the students do not pay attention to the learning task there
is always a tendency on their part to engage in disruptive behaviour. But it is not very easy on
the part of the teacher to secure and sustain the pupils’ attention towards the learning task. A
teacher can achieve this through various ways. Use of gestures is an important teaching
behaviour for introducing variation in teaching. Gestures are very useful to express feelings
and emotions to emphasize significant ideas or objects, to indicate shapes, size and
movement of objectives, etc. Constant use of the same pitch, tone and speed by a teacher
makes his/her communication dull and drab. Change in tone and pitch in the teacher’s voice
immediately attract pupils’ attention. A teacher while imparting knowledge to her pupils uses
aural or visual medium. Constant use of one medium for imparting knowledge distracts
pupils attention from what she is saying or communicating. Variation in this medium from
aural to visual or aural to aural, visual to visual helps a teacher in securing and sustaining
pupils attention on the learning task. Random questioning is another effective device for
managing a classroom effectively. This makes them to listen to the teacher’s questions
attentively and think of answers to all the questions.

vii) Prepare the Lesson Effectively

The preparation for delivery of the lesson on the part of a teacher includes identifying
his instructional objectives and then selecting the appropriate teaching strategy to realise
these objectives. Effective preparation on the part of the teacher with regard to his/her
teaching strategy to realise the specific instructional objectives viz : mastery over the content,
selection of appropriate teaching aids and so on ensures pupils interest and motivation in the
learning task and thereby reduces the chances of pupils’ indulgence in disruptive behaviours.
Well prepared and confident teachers have been found to be the effective classroom
managers.

viii) Smooth Transition from one type of Instructional Activity to Another

When the transition from one type of activity to another is not smooth the pupils
become restless and some begin to talk. There are many occasions when the flow of an
activity in the classroom is broken by circumstances beyond the control of the teacher. For
instance, when a peon brings a message from the head of the institution for the teacher, the
flow of the teaching activity in the classroom gets interrupted. In another instances, a teacher
terminates an activity, starts another and then initiates a return to the earlier terminated
activity. Another situation could be that a teacher initiates an activity, leaves it incomplete and
moves to another activity. These are some behaviours which interfere the smooth flow of
instructional activities in the classroom and need to be avoided.
All these behaviour/ skills discussed above have been found to be effective in
classroom management. There is a need for teacher to acquire these behaviours to be
effective classroom managers.

MORE GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Some basic guidelines and strategies for effective classroom management are
presented below for your better understanding:
1. Always attempt to have an activity that is meaningful to you and that you anticipate
will be meaningful to your students. Have confidence that given a fair chance you
bring it off. This gives you an air of resolve you do not have otherwise.
2. Be aware of the attitudes you are projecting towards class activities. Are they attitudes
of confidence, enthusiasm, and purpose? Or are you communicating uncertainly,
frustration, and superficiality? Learn to take an inventory of your own moods and to
get yourself mentally ready to face a class.
3. Work to avoid falling into a mechanical, matter-of-fact approach to teaching. Be
enough of a risk taker that you are not afraid to put a substantial amount of yourself
into your teaching.
4. Make a serious effort to come to grips with the question of what is and is not desirable
and tolerable behaviour in your classroom. As a teacher of groups of young learners
you need to take a stance in favour of what is reasonable and acceptable group
behaviour as opposed to what is thoughtless and irresponsible.
5. Learn to keep your fingers on the “pulse of the call”. Move swiftly and purposefully
to control behaviour that threatens to distract from the Lesson. Do not get in the habit
of\ignoring minor behaviour problems in the hope they will simply go away. In most
cases they will not disappear.
6. Get students in tune with you before you attempt to carry on with your teaching
agenda. Be careful not to allow slippage here. Do not attempt to take over about the
competitions. Use pauses, restarts, or lowering about of the voice to cause students to
attend. Walk through exercises periodically with your students to keep them used to
working harmoniously with you.
7. Learn to use silence to advantage and to cultivate body language. Your eyes and your
gestures are critically important to you here.
8. Anticipate likely consequences of what you ask students to do. Try to avoid always
being in a reactive (corrective) position with your classes. Learn to use prevention
maintenance to keep yourself out of the corrective mode as much as possible.
9. When it becomes necessary, use corrective maintenance calmly and confidently, but
make it penetrate. Do not interrupt the whole class to reprimand one offender
whenever it is possible to avoid it.
10. Tell the class in clear terms what you are up to and the behaviour you expect of them.
Learn to recognize signs that adjustments in strategy are necessary.
11. Make a determined effort to combat uncontrolled chatter in your classes. It is
disconcerting to you and to students trying to attention. Teach your students to
recognise when talking is acceptable and when it is disruptive.
12. Do not get in the habit of doing classroom management on the run. Take time to plan
for it as a key aspect of your teaching.