They are likely to feel uncomfortable in the company of anyone other than their family members. They are sensitive, energetic and usually do not follow a routine. In this scenario, classroom management seems like a delicate balancing act in a preschool or elementary school.
If you teach at a preschool, it is essential to learn how to manage kids properly and have authority over the class. However, you cannot create an engaging and successful learning environment for the young students if you seem strict and inflexible.
Thus, it is essential to have a strategy for effective classroom management when teaching at an elementary school.
4 DOs of Classroom Management
1. Creating an Exciting & Engaging Curriculum
It is essential to create an inspiring and fun-filled learning environment for the students of early education centers. Their brain is not ready for executive functioning since the parts of the brain responsible for this type of functioning do not develop at this early age.
Therefore, the children learn better through make-believe scenarios. Teachers of elementary and preschools may create a sense of wonder at the beginning of the class and may continue to make allusions to this throughout the lesson. Thus, learning becomes fun for children.
2. Transition Practices
In a school, the transition time refers to when a student enters the classroom and takes a seat, switches between academic activities, or leaves the classroom and comes back to the room. In an elementary school, it is essential to practice transition for better class management.
The following tips may be helpful:
- Secure the attention of all students before giving any instructions.
- Explain the procedure with directions in the following manner.
- Clear (comprehensible words for young kids).
- Observable (students understand what to do).
- Concise (without overwhelming their processing capacity or working memory).
- Timed (quick endings and beginnings)
- Prepare the students for transition with signals before starting any activity or between activities. You may use phrases, such as – “We are about to” or “In a moment, we will”, as a signal for the students.
- Start the transition using verbal instructions and nonverbal signals.
- Observe the response of students and those who need support during the transition.
A child care center with learning facilities may even benefit from following these tips.
3. Developing Self-Regulation Skills & Mindfulness
To correctly manage a class in an elementary school, the teachers need to provide mindfulness education to the students and help them develop their self-regulation skills.
Self-Regulation Skills
A child can perform the following tasks after developing self-regulation skills.
- Communicate their wants or needs using words, such as:
- Bathroom break.
- Help with problems.
- Need to drink water
- Pay attention to a task.
- Accept challenging tasks with enthusiasm.
- Follow directions and stop being impulsive.
- Learn to be sensitive to others’ feelings and take turns with others.
Mindfulness education has the following benefits.
- Learn to calm their body and minds.
- Decrease in perceived stress.
- Improvement in focus.
- Developing the capacity to engage in independent as well as collaborative tasks
4. Classroom Jobs
A teacher may use the classroom jobs to build positive classroom culture:
- Students feel connected to their classmates and feel happy when contributing something to the class.
- With personalized jobs based upon the skills or interests of each student, they have opportunities to explore the areas of their interests and sharpen their talents.
2 Don’ts of Classroom Management
1. Avoid Using Behavior Tracking Cards or Charts
It is preferable not to use a behavior chart in an early education center.. It draws attention to the negative behavior of the students.
It does not allow them to use mindfulness techniques to improve their behavior. They may believe that deviation from the positive behaviors mentioned on a chart makes them look bad or weak, and they may look upon their negative behaviors as their fixed nature. Thus, a teacher needs to encourage the students to practice mindfulness techniques which have two significant benefits:
- Students learn to calm themselves down and be conscious of their emotions.
- They have the opportunity to “repair the damage done” and participate in the activities with enthusiasm.
2. Avoid Shaming or Punishing Students
A student may shut down or act out if they feel targeted. Therefore, it is essential not to target students for their mistakes during class. The teachers of an elementary school or academy have to:
- Remain calm and supportive when discussing the negative behavior with students
- Give them sufficient time to calm down before discussing an issue and make them feel listened to.
- Assure the students that they can participate in the class-work with an improvement of their behavior.
The kids are less likely to trust or respect an adult if they resent them and refuse to follow their instructions. Therefore, it is essential to handle these issues delicately and privately with the responsible students.
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