The Research Is in: These Classroom Management Strategies Really Work

October 12th, 2009

Experienced classroom teachers have many discipline strategies that they can readily employ without too much reflection. Novice teachers, however, have read the classroom management books, but don’t have the easy familiarity with the strategies that a veteran might have.

Still, we can learn from these new teachers. In a recent study, researcher June Trop Zuckerman gathered reports from 68 student teachers who successfully solved a classroom discipline problem. Zuckerman sorted them into 18 discipline further sorted them into three groups: prevention, managing common discipline problems, and managing chronically disruptive children.

Zuckerman concludes that the student teachers’ discipline strategies follow a pattern of best practice for classroom management for all three discipline areas.

Prevention. Zuckerman acknowledges that classes can be unpredictable. Even the best lesson plans can go awry. Some of the students employed the Plan B strategy and had alternative activities and even a “safety pack of transparencies” on hand in case the students weren’t engaged.

Managing common discipline problems. Teachers should have a series of planned interventions for student misbehavior. Zuckerman recommends that, “…teachers should keep in mind a predetermined sequence of reactive strategies, beginning with subtle nonverbal strategies, such as signals and proximity, and only when necessary, progressing to the more intrusive verbal strategies.”

Managing chronically disruptive children. Zuckerman writes that, “… teachers should confer with their chronically disruptive students to a) pinpoint the specific problematic behaviors, b) identify the appropriate behaviors, c) check for the student’s understanding, and d) encourage a commitment to improve.”

She writes that teachers should address the student’s behavior, not the student herself and demonstrate a caring attitude.

References:

Zuckerman, J.T. (2007). Classroom Management in Secondary Schools: A Study of Student Teachers’ Successful Strategies. American Secondary Education, 35, 4-15.