Sep 14 2023
Positive Action Staff
•
Classroom Management Articles
Does the success of a classroom solely depend on the teacher? Not necessarily. In fact, students play an integral role in shaping and managing a positive learning environment.
In this article, let’s delve into specific roles that your students can undertake within the framework of effective classroom management, as well as some guiding tips on how to nurture these responsibilities effectively.
What Are the Roles of Students in Effective Classroom Management?
Effective classroom management is a shared responsibility between teachers and students. While teachers play a significant role in setting the tone and creating a conducive learning environment, students also have important roles to play in maintaining that environment. Here are some key roles that students can play in effective classroom management:
Being Inquisitive
In education, we tend to value a student’s ability to answer teachers’ questions. But it may be more important to gauge their ability to ask their own great questions—and more critically, their willingness to do so.
Make your students feel comfortable enough to (respectfully) ask all sorts of questions that nurture their curiosity.
How does the saying go, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question?”
Go a step further, let your students share their desired classroom norms.
Remember, when students are invited to provide input in classroom rules, not only do they feel seen and heard but they’re also more likely to hold each other accountable.
For a teacher, that could mean fewer teacher-to-student directives and more peer-to-peer course correction.
Taking Initiative as Active Participants
Students should come to school ready to participate.
Why does this matter? Full academic engagement maximizes the opportunity for learning and sets the tone for the entire classroom.
This includes but is not limited to:
Asking and answering questions
Completing in-class assignments
Consistently aligning behavior to classroom norms
Students should always acknowledge that they are a part of a learning community. Each person is responsible for taking ownership of their actions in a way that values building safe and positive classrooms.
As the teacher, you can create these opportunities by:
Inviting students to come up with ideas for homework related to the topics
Letting students share their different approaches and thinking processes for solving problems
Facilitating problem-based learning, splitting the class into small groups to come up with solutions to issues
Other Responsibilities
Naming student roles and responsibilities should begin when students first arrive in the learning environment.
So be open to students having more ideas about roles and responsibilities they would like to own.
Inviting students to be strategic partners in their learning affirms their roles in the classroom, thus, building their confidence.
Here’s a list of eight additional duties students should perform in the classroom environment:
Obey the teachers
Maintain discipline in the class
Keep the school neat and tidy
Be helpful by clearing their materials after a class
Abide by the rules of the school
Participate in the activities organized in the school
Co-operate with the teachers
Decorate their classrooms with charts, posters, etc.
Yes, students play a crucial role in managing their schools and classrooms but it doesn’t quite start there.
Ultimately, managing others starts with managing self. Our unit “Managing Yourself Responsibly” provides the foundational skills necessary for students to become effective self-managers.
Shaping students’ behaviors to respect their own resources — time, energy, possessions, money, talents, thoughts, actions, and feelings — not only mitigates student misbehavior but also builds a supportive classroom community.
“My own niece is a pre-schooler in a Positive Action class and she’s become a keen observer of human behavior. When she sees something wrong going on, she doesn’t hesitate to announce, ‘That’s not a Positive Action!’” - Kim Loop
What Are the Strategies of Classroom Management for Positive Student Behavior?
Apart from student participation, effective classroom management strategies involve organization and fostering good working relationships.
The truth is finding the right classroom strategies can be challenging since students in each class are unique.
But here are two classroom management tips to get you started:
Implementing Technology In the Classroom
Integrating technology into your learning routine is an excellent way to actively encourage student engagement.
Consider introducing interactive online games like Prodigy for students to learn Math faster and in a fun way.
These educational games provide a platform for students to perfect their processing skills and build their character.
How you may ask?
By engaging them in a game module where they solve questions and puzzles as well as nurturing a healthy competitive spirit by battling with their peers.
Not only that but also some educational games include a leader board where teachers can consistently track student performance and their level of engagement.
Additional dashboards also help teachers to develop assignments for students and pinpoint topics where individual students are struggling.
Visualization is a great technique to process all the information covered in class because students are more likely to retain even tiny details.
This strategy also helps slow learners in class visualize the ongoing lesson in a clear, simple, and systematic way.
So also go ahead and make use of tools that effectively help students to grasp information through visual memory like:
Graphic organizers
Flow charts
Venn diagrams
Mind maps
Reward and Recognition
When dealing with disruptive behavior in the classroom it’s very easy to focus on students displaying negative behavior.
However, the way you correct students for one type of negative behavior may encourage them to reform it on the spot.
For example, instead of, “Stop rocking on your chair Claire!” say “Thank you Claire for sitting nicely on your chair.”
Furthermore, adopting a positive mindset and highlighting students behaving obediently can be an effective way to encourage others to model similar behavior.
Praising students who excel and celebrating their hard work reinforces these positive actions.
This has an even bigger impact on learners with lower academic abilities as it stimulates them to develop their unique approach to thriving academically.
In fact, rewarding those who put extra effort into their work can have a ripple effect. By creating a positive working model, students are motivated to try their best in all other class activities.
Favorable rewards may include:
Free time (or ‘Golden time”)
Stationery items
Sticker charts (for younger students)
Food items
Bottom line: Effective classroom management calls for a combination of teaching strategies to tap into each student’s learning ability.
“At a Positive Action school, I could count on receiving respect and attention from students, teachers, and administrators; I knew that the students would do their best in their writing and their behavior. Our results were always amazing, our performance programs inspiring. So many students produced stellar work that I began to track the difference between ‘ordinary’ schools and Positive Action schools.” - Dorothy Solomon
What Is the Best Classroom Management Style for Student Learning?
The best mix of classroom management styles is highly contingent on the ability of the classroom manager to create an ideal classroom environment.
And this is where our Whole School Reform Model comes in.
By addressing the school’s entire ecosystem—school, family, and community—Positive Action’s curriculum includes topics that create an inviting learning atmosphere.
Say goodbye to discipline problems and hello to student-driven behavior change.
▶ Discover our Classroom Management Program
“In second grade, I started fights with anyone who tried to challenge me. Fourth grade is where I changed my life around. I felt like I wasn’t being threatened. I felt safe. I made new friends and didn’t care to fight. I realized I’m great at science, math, and of course, PE. It’s a lot more fun to be in class, not the office. By sixth grade, I was the Positive Action Sumo and felt like the little ones looked up to me. I took lead in different activities like reading groups and motivating my class at PE.” - Jason. G
Share
