Effective Classroom Management and Control

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EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

BY
Dr. M.B. Taiwo & Dr (Mrs) O.A. Opadokun

Introduction
The classroom can be described as the smallest and lowest unit in the school where the teachers
and the students interact. Their mode of interaction goes a long way in re shaping the course of education
towards better performance and improved outcome. Therefore, an enabling environment should be created
for the teacher to be able to effectively manage his/her classroom. Unless classrooms are competently
managed, both conventional instructions and innovative practices associated with our educational system are
likely to be greatly undermined. The secret or formular of a successful classroom environment can be seen
when teachers who, while teaching are able to monitor students' progress, anticipate their behavioural
problems and provide meaningful options in handling these problems. As a matter of fact, routine classroom
managerial actions are crucial to teaching, because in their absence, the classroom may function very
inadequately. It is on the basis of this, that this paper attempts to examine the major issues involved in
effective classroom management and control in the school system.

Concepts
The major concepts in this tope are three: Classroom, Management and Control

Classroom
The classroom as earlier described is the smallest and lowest unit in the school where the teachers
and the students interact. It can also be described as a room, in a given educational institution termed a
school, where teaching and learning takes place. The greatest pan of educational activities occurs in this
room'. Usually, there cannot be any meaningful activity going on in any school without classrooms as it is a
place where learning experiences are coordinated and various types of instructional efforts are housed.

Management
Management has been defined by various experts in various ways. To some, it
is a way of leading other people; while others see it as a means of coordinating
people's activities. Adesina (1980) sees management as the mobilisation of both
human and material resources in order to achieve the objectives for which an
organization is established.
 Dr. M. B. Taiwo
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Control

Control can simply BE described as taking decision about how something is to

be done. It means making someone or something do what one wants or behave in the
way one wants people to behave.

Classroom Management
Classroom Management can be rightfully described as the art of carefully
preparing and presenting actions that are preliminary to teacher-pupil class
interaction, class grouping intended to create favourable conditions that will facilitate
instructions e.g. giving understandable directions or requests to follow certain
procedures or desist from disruptive behaviour. According to Akubue (1991)
Classroom management can also be described as the orchestration of classroom life
which includes curriculum planning, organising procedures and resources, arranging
the environment to maximise efficiency, monitoring students' progress, anticipating
potential problems, preventing latent misbehaviour and remedying overt disruptive
behaviours. Classroom management also include;
 Actions that aim at regulating the social behaviour of pupils like directing
questions at an inattentive pupil, using positive reinforcement or applying
punishment as a remedial control measure.
 Actions that assert the authority of the teacher, e.g. responses to requests, or
unilateral decisions on what pupils should do.

Classroom management, at its most routine level concerns a large variety of

straightforward activities such as simple clerical duties, ordering, maintaining and
distributing classroom materials and routine custodial caring for students' behaviour.
Classroom management focuses on encouraging and establishing student-control
through a process of promoting positive student achievement and behavior in this
light, academic achievement, teacher efficacy, teacher and students behavior are
directly linked with the concept of classroom management

Classroom management when put in a wider context can be regarded as the

orchestration of classroom life which includes: curriculum planning, organizing
procedures and resources, setting the tone of the class environment to maximise
learning, monitoring students' progress and anticipating potential problems, teachers
Effective Classroom Management and Control
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who, while teaching are able to monitor students' progress, anticipate their
behavioural problems, and provide meaningful options in handling these problems.
It is important to note that Classroom management recognizes the fact that
instructional competence counts very little if pupils are not ready to learn or if the
class is not disciplined. This explains why Classroom management is a critical part of
a teacher's function. Akubue, (1991). Simply put, having your classroom under
perfect control brings the joy back to teaching. Knowing how to keep a classroom not
only controlled but on task and attentive is the most crucial skill a teacher can have,
without which no effective teaching can take place. If must however be noted that
knowledge of subject matter alone is not enough to achieve effective classroom
management and control. Some good classroom management techniques are
discussed below to help teachers in achieving success.

Classroom Management Techniques

In achieving good Classroom management and control, Farrant (1976) opines
that the classroom manager must pay attention to two qualities, namely; authority and
efficiency.

Authority: Authority is very important so as to avoid chaos resulting from unruly

activities of pupils in the class. To command respect and have authority in the class,
the following must be considered by the teacher:-

Dignity: The classroom manager must be able to maintain his dignity by avoiding
achieving cheap popularity among his students.
Consistency: The classroom manager must be just and fair in dealing with the
students.
Firmness: The classroom manager must always be certain in his decisions. Right from
the first day in class, the teacher should not appear to be too easy, otherwise, the
students will take him / her for granted and play different pranks. Also, the teacher
should always avoid delaying giving reward and punishment. Discipline problems are
listed as the major concern for most new teachers. What can teachers expect and how
can they effectively handle discipline problems? Classroom management combined
with an effective discipline plan is the key.
 Dr. M. B. Taiwo
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Judicious use of reward and punishment: The classroom manager should always use
reward and punishment as corrective measure and rewards should be used to
acknowledge success and efforts and also as incentives. Both punishments and
rewards should be moderately given. The students could be made to earn five points
for simply abiding by the classroom rules and completing the assignment given. If
they went above the call of duty, or if they worked following the teacher's high
expectations they should be given bonus points. The teacher would also deduct points
based on poor behaviour. Students could receive one warning before the deducted
points. By the end of the week, students could earn up to two hundred and fifty points
and they would all find this very interesting.

Self Criticism: The classroom manager should try and see himself as the pupils see him.
He should be aware of his strong and weak points He should always avoid personal
mannerism as this might make him/her a subject of ridicule.

Efficiency: This refers to the measure of the classroom manager. The following can help
the classroom manager to be efficient.

Tidiness: The classroom manager should always put things in their right places.
There should be a fixed place for everything needed in the classroom to keep the class
tidy. Being organized is a major classroom management technique that is difficult to
master. Since the beginning of any college degree program you are drilled that teacher must be
flexible and you need to roll with the unexpected. It's hard to stay organized when unexpected
events occur. The best you can do is to organize your lessons in a neat form and keep your grade
book up to date (so that you don't have stacks of un-graded papers cluttering the class). Three major
suggestions are also made thus:
a) Keep all of your teachers' edition texts in one location so that when/if you need to fill in an
unexpected event you can quickly flip to something interesting in the text.
b) Set up filing system that has one red (or bright colored) folder for any and all assessments that you
do for your class.
c) Always have a back up assignment ready for an emergency.
Organise all routine matters: Make rules for all routines in the class e.g sharing books in the class,
cleaning the chalkboard etc. Set Student expectations at the beginning of every lesson, activity, or special
Effective Classroom Management and Control
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event. Start off with your expectations by asking students to tell you what the rules
are. Then, what happen if they break a rule? By doing this the teacher ensure that all students know
the rules and the students know the outcome of breaking a rule, and what the teacher be
searching for to reward while completing the lesson activity or special event.

Classroom managements: As a teacher, how will you set up out desks? There are two common set
ups that are effective and each have their own benefits. First up, rows. With rows all students face
the front. This eliminates a few disruptions, but clutters the room. Second is in groups. T h i s is
becoming more and more popular. This setup allows students to discuss content being taught and work
cooperatively. However, it also allows for students to carry on personal conversations easier. These are the
most popular classroom arrangements used by effective teachers. The teacher must be very conscious of
which arrangement style he/she uses depending on which one yields better results.

Punctuality:- Non punctuality is a series of poor class management. A classroom manager should always
show examples of being punctual at all times. When the teacher is known for punctuality, the pupils will
avoid late fining to the class.

Knowledge of one's job: The classroom manager must have good knowledge of his subject matter and the
pupils he teaches. There is the need for the teacher to always update his/her knowledge in his/her subject.
Kids have the handy ability to be able to tell if a teacher is not confident. Once they've realized this, they will
take advantage of the situation attempting to get away with everything, making poor choices, being
disrespectful or disruptive. Thus, as a teacher, it is important to be confident while in front of the classroom.
Students will recognize this characteristic and be naturally inclined to listen or behave.

Preparedness: There is the need for the classroom manager to be prepared ahead of time at all times. This
preparation should always be ahead of time and should not be applicable to lessons to be taught alone, but it
should be applicable to other classroom activities. Plan your lessons for all the wrong things that could
happen. As a classroom teacher you must do that as well as plan for managing the class. When you lesson
plan, keep all of your students in mind. Think of how they will respond to the topic and the difficulty of the
topic. Think of how they will plan to throw you off your game. When you take these items into
consideration, you can plan ahead.

Being energetic and enthusiastic: A good classroom manager should not be half hearted in his job. The
teacher should always show interest in his/her job. The teacher must always show interest in his / her job,
bearing it in mind that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well.
 Dr. M. B. Taiwo
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Emotional control: A good classroom manager should know that youngsters do misbehave at various
times and levels. When this happens, the teacher should not be over emotional. Control your anger and do
not give punishment when angry. Responding to students' behavior should always be calm and collected.
Always, take just a moment to collect your thought before responding to students' misbehaviour.
Remember that you want to be proactive not reactive.

Applying "leave it at the door technique": Another very good

classroom management technique is to "leave it at the door." As teachers we
understand that we must leave the outside world outside. Our only job is to
focus on making a difference in the lives of those students when we enter the
school. All teachers should try and implement the leaving it at the door"
technique. The only things teachers are allowed to pay attention to at school
are the students and the lessons they teach (Planning exciting lessons tor
them). Outside those doors (Classroom doors) teachers may then have to
worry about paying bills, finding a new home, caring for their spouses and
children etc. The same thing applies to the students. They should be made to
know that their only job is to pay attention to the teacher and the lessons.

Being Humorous: A good classroom manager should avoid squeezing his/her

face at pupils. Give a sense of humour to make the students feel a bit relaxed,
though not to a ridiculous level.
As a teacher, it is wonderful going into your class every day knowing
that you will be teaching the entire time in a sane atmosphere, that you now have
the tools to handle any situation, instead of trying to bring order or shushing a
chronically disruptive student or yelling 'quiet' over and over. There are
teachers who have been teaching for years and act as if everything is fine at
teachers' meetings and their classrooms are chaotic!

Research shows that a high incidence of classroom disciplinary

problems has a significant impact on the effectiveness of teaching and
learning. In this respect, it has been found that teachers facing such issues fail
to plan and design appropriate instructional tasks. They also tend to neglect
variety in lesson plans and rarely prompt students to discuss or evaluate the
materials that they are learning. In addition, student comprehension or seat
work is not monitored on a regular basis. In this light, classroom management
Effective Classroom Management and Control
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"does not refer to skills peculiar to teaching a particular subject but rather to
those skills that cut across subjects and activities" (Froyen & Iverson, 1999,
p. 128). Doyle stressed that the core of instructional management is gaining
and maintaining student cooperation in learning activities, as cited in (Froyer
& Iverson, 1999, p. 128)

Conclusion

Quality schools are defined by teacher effectiveness and student

achievement under the auspices of building strong interpersonal skills. In this
light, teacher and student relationships are essential to ensuring a positive
school/classroom atmosphere. Classroom management and discipline
problems can be dealt with either on an individual basis (between teacher and
student) or by group problem solving (class meetings). As mutual trust builds
up between teacher and students, the latter are gradually released from teacher
supervision by becoming individually responsible. Thi s is how both
"educators and students become co-participants in the teaching-learning
process, striving to make the most of themselves and their collective
experience" (Froyen & Iverson, 1999, p. 256).

Conclusively, teachers should realise that instructional competence

counts very little ft pupils are not ready to learn or if the class is not
disciplined. It therefore becomes imperative for a teacher to respect the
students and treat them with the same respect and cooperation that he/she is
seeking in return. It is only on this premise and other extraneous factors that
effective teaching and learning can go on in the school system.
 Dr. M. B. Taiwo
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References

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Isola, A.Y. Abdulkareem and W.O. Olasehinde (Eds). A guide to
effective teaching. Ilorin : School of Education.

Adesina, S. (1980). Some aspects of school management. Ibadan :

Educational industries.

Farrant, J.S. (1976). Principles and practise of education. London : Longman.

Froyen, L. A & Iverson, A. M. (1999). Schoolwide and classroom

management: The reflective educator- leader (3rd ed.). New York :
Upper Saddle.

Morrison, A.D. (1973). Teachers and teaching. Manchester: The Philips Park.

Nwosu, D. (1984). Principles and practise of education for West Africa. Ilorin
:Matanmi.

Ogunsaju, S. (2006). School Management and Supervision. Ilorin . Crystal

Press.