Classroom management definition

Classroom management refers to the actions teachers implement to create a planned and organized learning environment that supports students’ learning. Such a process aims to maximize learning opportunities by minimizing distractions and disturbances in the classroom.

Thus, classroom management involves planning, reflecting, and making deliberate decisions to develop and maintain a positive learning environment. Yet, to attain this goal, it’s so important to focus on the two main aspects of classroom management: the physical aspect and the social aspect.

The physical aspect

This refers to the physical setting including classroom organization, decoration, and the existing space. Researchers found a clear link between cleanness and good behaviours. Indeed, maintaining a clutter-free learning environment is critical to our teaching success. This is because messiness and disorder lead to chaos, lack of focus, and students misbehaving.

Clutter also affects your ability to focus on your job and your wellbeing. Struggling every day with files of papers stacked on tables, unorganized desk drawers, or a library can make you stressed out, lose focus, and feel overwhelmed. Getting your way out of that disorder would seem almost hard just thinking about it.

So, a clean and neat classroom is more calming and comforting. It gives the energy to focus more on learning, lowers stress, and saves a lot of time and effort to get things done as expected. You’ll feel more confident, relaxed, and productive.

So, stop overthinking the process of decluttering and get down to it. Get rid of resources you no longer use or need and tidy up those useful ones using boxes with labels. Stick to a particular way to keep things in order even after using them.

Also, consider decorating the classroom, adding colourful posters, or hanging walls. Your classroom will look more attractive and motivate students.

The social aspect

The second aspect of classroom management is social. That is the learning atmosphere; how teachers’ and students’ attitudes, interactions, and relationships interplay to mold the teaching-learning process.

So, it is all about what goes between teachers and students and among students themselves.

The social aspect of classroom management includes these three elements that are requisite for building positive teacher-student relationships:

1. Communication

Communication is a necessary component of the classroom management process. It is the means to connect with students, build relationships, and maintain a good rapport with them. It provides avenues to observe and explore classroom issues.

So, it frees both teachers and students from being judgmental, taking a stance, and resigning to conflicts.

Classroom management is about strengthening those channels of communication between you and your students. No matter what grade level or subject you’re teaching, provide opportunities for students to communicate their needs, interests, and concerns.

Don’t just focus on planning, providing instruction, and grading students’ work as these would be insufficient unless you gain regularly their feedback.

Communicate with your students to know how they’re getting along with learning and improve your teaching based on their communicated feedback.

For effective classroom management, use communication strategies in your classroom. Check out this post to learn more about them: 4 Effective Communication Strategies For Your Classroom

2. Time management

Time management is so important in teaching. It’s the core of classroom management. It defines teachers’ productivity and the quality of the achieved learning outcomes.

Allowing much time for students to complete a task will make them feel bored and more distracted to look for fun.

Indeed, not only timing properly tasks and integrating them efficiently is crucial but also being careful about the teacher’s talking time and its quality.

Teachers are often fixated on explaining things well. So, they keep on explaining and repeating things and consuming much time.

As a result, to complete the lesson plan they have to rush, leaving no opportunity for students to ask questions or intervene in any way. This can make students feel confused, unable to focus, and more distracted to disturb.

Since we, teachers, have a lot on our plate time is decisive. The more effective we plan for it the more focused we get on the fewer things that matter to students’ progress.

A lack of ability to manage time is not only the stimulus for chaos and distractions in the classroom but also a sign of being unprofessional and unworthy of students’ respect.

3. Students’ engagement

Classroom management is more about engagement than compliance.

I do remember my teacher of Maths at middle school. His mastery of the subject, and ability to explain clearly and provide practice were beyond doubt. But, nobody dared to say a word in his class because he had also those SUPER powerful skills of suffocating the whole class.

We felt under pressure. Even when we wanted to participate we had to think twice before raising our hands. We were afraid to make mistakes as he was so harsh.

We never had the chance to work in pairs or groups in his classes. No talking was allowed among students even if this concerns their learning.

Besides, no movement, fun, or any activities were integrated to enjoy learning. We didn’t have time to relax or breathe. We used to sit still until the bell rang.

So, we were not interested in learning his subject. We were just doing what should be done to have a good grade and pass.

This is not classroom management!

Classroom management is not about suffocating voices, choices, and paralyzing motions to get the desired silence in the classroom. It doesn’t require as much effort as we may think. Because it’s not a matter of controlling everything, having students comply with the rules and do everything as expected.

Rather, classroom management is about building relationships and getting students engaged in learning.

Engagement is not just a matter of attention that fades away over time or involvement in a task that ends up with a given performance and feedback. It’s more than that!

It’s an ongoing fire that fuels students to do more, to develop and exercise their creative talents and abilities. It’s the love of doing better that comes out of enjoying, valuing your teaching, and getting inspired.

Students’ engagement is all what we need to create a learning environment every student and teacher admires. This does not require materials, time, or teacher training. It depends on you, your personality, words, attitudes, and the kind of vibes you spread in the classroom.

You can boost students’ engagement and avoid those battles to control and manage classroom behaviours that can drag you down and make you stressed. You can transform your class into a life-changing experience for your students and inspire them for the rest of their lives.

So, focus on getting your students engaged to get them more motivated to invest in their learning.

This is what classroom management is!

It is the cornerstone of successful teaching. Avoid thinking that it’s hard to achieve, you can make it. Concentrate on keeping your classroom organized and maintaining positive relationships with your students. This indeed takes time, practice, and reflection but you are going to create the kind of learning environment where you’re a lot happier and your light shines.