David Moadel’s Top Behaviour Management Tips

11th August 2010  |  by Greg

Behavior management, as a component of overall classroom management, is a critical part of any teacher’s success.  This is especially true for new teachers, but applies to all classroom educators.  Without a well-controlled class, there is no real, sustained learning.  Furthermore, in a chaotic classroom atmosphere, students often feel afraid -and they have every reason to feel that way when students are out of control.  Ultimately, the teacher is responsible for keeping student behavior under control. When I was a new educator, I wish that I could have known what I now know about behavior management.  I had to learn some of these concepts the hard way.  I hope that they can be of use to others pursuing careers in classroom teaching.

Please note that these ten tips are in no particular order, and are equally important.

*  Have daily routines, and start them from the very first day of school.  Some things in the classroom should be rock-solid and unchanging.
*  Have a few rules for the class, and post them in a place where students can clearly see them.
*  Do not embarrass, humiliate, or put down any student, ever.  Resentment is a prime source of misbehavior.
*  Address misbehavior swiftly.  This includes even the smallest of breaches of class rules.
*  Practice what you preach.  Do not break your own rules or procedures.
*  Keep your lessons interesting.  Keep the way you address misbehavior uninteresting (i.e., predictable).
*  Brag about how well behaved your students are.  They will, sooner or later, meet the expectations that you set for them.
*  Regularly reward (notice I used the word “reward,” not “bribe”) students when they behave well.
*  Stay calm when addressing misbehavior.  “Losing your cool” will merely cause tense situations to get worse.
*  Like your students.  Trust me — they can sense whether you like them or not.  They won’t care about you and your classroom if they know you don’t care about them.

I have taught students at numerous age and socio-economic levels, and these concepts have served me well in all situations.  I hope that you will also find them useful as you strive to improve your classroom management skills.

David Moadel, educator, 38 years old, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

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