Imagine this… Your class is filled with loud chatter, laughter, and perhaps even some singing. You do one little thing. Just one. And then everything changes. All you hear is silence. (And no, it is not screaming on the top of your lungs.) MAGIC. That is the only word that I can use to describe these three behavior management strategies for elementary teachers. COMPLETE MAGIC. Read below to learn more!
What is Behavior Management?
In the education world, behavior management is the skill of implementing strategies to proactively prevent, monitor, and respond to undesirable student behaviors with the goal being to maintain a classroom environment where all students are on-task, focused, and learning.
Why is Behavior Management Important?
Behavior management is essential because it directly impacts students’ safety and security, your ability to teach, and your students’ ability to learn. When a classroom runs smoothly and is not interrupted by student behavior, learning time is maximized and both the students and teacher(s) reap the benefits.
3 Behavior Management Strategies
Below are 3 behavior management strategies for elementary teachers that work like magic.
1. Bell
On the first day of school, one of the first things to do is introduce your bell (or another object that makes a sound). Explicitly teach students that when they hear the bell they must stop whatever they are doing, put their hands on their lap, and look directly at you. Practice the strategy with the students and provide them feedback each time. Continue until the students have got it down, which may take 2 or 3 times.
2. Beat the Teacher
Draw a T chart on your white board at the front of the room. Write “teacher” above one column and “students” above the other column. When you say, “Class, class,” students are expected to respond “Yes, yes” using the same tone of voice as the one you modeled (tip: you can make it extra fun by using funny voices like an old granny or whisper). If the whole class responds in unison quickly, then they earn a point (tally mark). If they do not, then the teacher earns a point (tally mark). The students’ goal is to get more tally marks than the teacher at the end of the day. If they do, then they earn some sort of small reward. Students LOVE this game-like strategy.
3. Phone Calls Home
When a student does something really special or consistently makes good choices, highlight this student’s efforts in front of the class and share that you are going to call his or her parents/guardians to let them know. Make the call that day after school. When that student comes back to school the next day, students will ask them and they will likely be beaming with pride about the call. All of your students will beg you to make a call to their parents/guardians. This is a great strategy for recognizing positive student behavior.
4 Resources for Improving Classroom Management
We hope you found the behavior management strategies for elementary teachers above helpful. Below are some additional resources for improving your classroom management in general so you can limit off-task and disruptive student behaviors.
1. Classroom Management Bundle
This classroom management bundle includes 30 classroom management printable tools, a workbook, and an eBook. Learn about these resources below!
2. Classroom Management eBook and Workbook
This Classroom Management Workbook and eBook resource includes an 80 page eBook that lists out everything a teacher will need to manage and also describes in detail tried and true methods for managing each that have been used successfully in real classrooms for years. The 50+ page workbook is a complement to the guide and walks you through the process of thinking about classroom management via prompts and references to the eBook. It includes designated space for organizing your to do list and supplies needed to put the plan into action. There are even notes in the workbook directing you to the pages in the eBook specific to that topic as well as a note identifying when there is an included product to help you.
3. 30 Classroom Management Printables
The classroom management printable tools resource is jam-packed with some of my best-selling resources. These tools have been used in many classrooms with great success. Most of these resources include multiple versions so you can elect to use one with clipart or not and the majority have editable components to enable you to customize them for your own classroom.
4. Classroom Management Informational Posts
Check out these informational posts about classroom management.
- How to improve classroom management with procedures and routines
- How to manage student bathroom breaks at school
- Classroom arrival and dismissal routines
- How to improve classroom management using hand signals
- Attention grabber examples and other listening strategies
- Strategies for quick classroom transitions
- How to line up your students and walk in a line
- How to solve all your pencil problems in the classroom
- Behavior management strategies
