Portfolio Activity
The same idea applies in classrooms. Classroom organization is a professional skill that includes:
Preparing instructional materials in advance Starting classes and activities on time
Making transitions quickly and smoothly Creating well-established routines
It’s impossible to create productive learning environments if we’re fumbling around for materials, wasting
instructional time at the beginning or end of class periods, or lack effective procedures for routine activities such as collecting student work or passing it back. Organization is essential for effective classroom
management, and it’s one of the first things you’ll need to consider as you plan.
Shannon was well organized; she had an exercise prepared and waiting for her students as they entered the
room, so instruction began immediately. By planning a warm-up activity as she did, having materials prepared in advance, and beginning instruction immediately, we can eliminate “dead” time, when disruptions
are most likely to occur.
Transitions from one activity to another, such as from whole-class instruction to group work and back again,
are also important. Providing clear and precise directions for group-work helps make transitions quick and smooth and reduces opportunities for disruptions.
Well-established routines, such as procedures for turning in papers, going to the bathroom, and lining up for
lunch, are essential as well. When students perform these routines automatically, that is, essentially without thinking about them, management problems are reduced, and opportunities for teaching and learning are
maximized because you don’t have to spend time and energy continually explaining or reminding students of what to do.
Preventing Problems Through Planning
In productive learning environments, classroom management is nearly invisible. The atmosphere is calm but not rigid, movement around the classroom and interactions in lessons are comfortable, and students work
quietly. Few directions focusing on behavior are given, and reprimands are infrequent. Learning is occurring. This is an ideal, but you can make it happen in your own classroom. How?
Careful planning is the key. Some classes are tougher to manage than others, and if you anticipate a challenging class, it simply means that you’ll need to plan even more carefully. In most cases, creating an
orderly classroom is possible, but beginning teachers often underestimate the amount of time, energy, and planning it takes.
Developmental Differences in Students
As we begin our planning, we first need to consider the developmental needs and capabilities of our students. For instance, first graders are typically compliant and eager to please their teachers, but they also have
short attention spans and tire easily (Evertson & Emmer, 2017). So, if you’re a first-grade teacher, you will
plan differently than if you’re teaching older students. For example, you’ll need to carefully model simple procedures for first graders, such as how to turn in papers, and you’ll need to provide them with concrete
examples that illustrate each of your classroom rules.
In comparison, middle schoolers often test their developing independence, they’re sometimes rebellious and
capricious, and they’re sensitive about teachers who have “favorites” or “pets.” So, if you’re a middle school teacher, you will need to be judicious in enforcing your rules consistently and dispassionately (Emmer & Evertson, 2017). However, students at all levels need caring teachers who have positive expectations for them and hold them to high standards.
Creating Procedures and Rules
Having considered how to organize your classroom, keeping your students’ developmental needs in mind,
you’re now ready to make decisions about the procedures and rules you’ll implement in your classroom. They will be the cornerstone of your management system (Weinstein & Romano, 2019).
Procedures are the routines students follow in their daily learning activities, such as how they enter and
leave the classroom, sharpen pencils, and make transitions from one activity to another. For instance, Shannon’s students turn in their papers from the ends of the rows, with each student putting his or her paper
on the top of the stack as it moves forward. This allows her to collect the stacks from the first student in each row, and when she returns the papers, she simply gives the stacks to those same students, who take
their papers off the top and pass the stacks back. Simple procedures, such as these, create a sense of order and save time and energy.
You will need to create procedures for the following activities:
Entering and leaving the classroom
Handing in and returning papers Accessing materials such as scissors and paper
Sharpening pencils Making trips to the bathroom
Making up work after an absence
After planning and teaching students about procedures, expert teachers have their students practice until they can follow the procedures automatically—virtually without thinking about them.
Rules , such as “Listen when a classmate is talking,” are guidelines that provide standards for acceptable behavior (Emmer & Evertson, 2017; Evertson & Emmer, 2017). When consistently enforced, clear,
reasonable rules both reduce behavior problems that interfere with learning and promote a feeling of pride and responsibility in the classroom community. Perhaps surprisingly, students also see the enforcement of
rules as evidence of caring: “Students also say that they want teachers to articulate and enforce clear standards of behavior. They view this not just as part of the teacher’s job but as evidence that the teacher
cares about them” (Brophy, 2010, p. 24).
Table 10.1 includes examples of rules at different grade levels. Note that some occur at all levels, such
as students’ staying in their seats and waiting for permission to speak. Others are specific to a grade level and reflect the developmental needs of students at that level.
Table 10.1 Examples of Classroom Rules at Different Grade Levels
Lower Elementary Middle School High School
Stay in your seat unless
given permission by the
teacher.
Raise your hand before
speaking.
Listen politely when
someone else is talking.
Stand quietly in line
when entering and
leaving the classroom.
Keep your hands to
yourself.
Bring a textbook, notebook,
pen/pencil, and planner to class
every day.
Follow directions the first time
they’re given.
Be in your seat and quiet when
the bell rings and leave class only
when dismissed by the teacher.
Raise your hand for permission to
speak.
Keep your hands and feet to
yourself.
Do all grooming outside class.
Be in your seat before the bell
rings.
Stay in your seat except when
given permission to leave it.
Bring all materials daily,
including textbook, notebook,
pen/pencil, and paper.
Give your full attention to
others during discussions and
raise your hand to participate.
Leave when I dismiss, not
when the bell rings.