8 Common Classroom Management Mistakes (And How To Fix Them)
What’s holding your students back? Avoiding these classroom management mistakes can massively improve learning outcomes.
We get it, running a classroom smoothly can feel like an impossible task sometimes. Mismanaged classrooms can turn into total chaos. If the same classroom issues keep coming up daily, it may be time to reevaluate your strategy.
The good news is, you’re not alone. Teachers everywhere face classroom management woes every single day. If you’re struggling right, learn from the mistakes of your predecessors to avoid some of the most common pitfalls of managing a classroom.
Here are 8 common classroom management mistakes that could be at the heart of the problem, and what you can do to resolve them.
1. Poor communication
Failure to properly communicate your classroom goals and expectations can make it impossible for everyone to work together. This can cause serious trouble for efficiency and finishing school projects on time.
How to identify
Do students (and parents) often fail to meet deadlines or follow classroom expectations? Do students seem surprised when they receive a poor grade? Do they appear not to understand the reasons behind the consequences of failing to follow expectations?
These are all tell-tale signs of an issue with communication.
How to resolve
Get your classroom on the same page or prevent future communication struggles by being very intentional and meticulous about sharing important information.
Consider some additions to the classroom, like color-changing lights that indicate the levels students are expected to speak. Adding posters with classroom expectations and taking time to reiterate the rules can ensure everyone knows what is expected of them in terms of behavior.
Many online tools such as Google calendar can help keep parents in the loop too when it comes to deadlines, assignments, and meetings.
Establishing the best way to communicate with parents can help too. Whether you prefer email, text messages or another app, make sure everyone knows. This keeps all of your essential messages in one place and prevents the information from getting lost in the shuffle.
2. Inconsistent scheduling
Research shows kids respond well to a consistent routine.
How to identify
Do your students often seem grumpy when it’s time to change tasks? Do they ask when it’s time for lunch or if they’ll have time to dedicate to an assignment? An uncertain and frequently changing daily schedule can lead to confusion and chaos in the classroom.
How to resolve
Have a list of daily activities in the classroom that can help students know what to expect. Allot specific time for each subject and stick to it. It’s okay if things need to change once in a while.
Be sure to announce any unscheduled routine changes and update the classroom schedule to show the day’s plan each day.
3. Failing to meet student’s basic needs
It’s hard for anyone to get work done when basic needs aren’t being met. The students in your classroom are no different.
How to identify
Do your students ask for bathroom breaks during instruction time? Do they frequently ask to go to the water fountain or have a snack? This could be an indication that they don’t have sufficient opportunity to meet these needs outside of instruction time.
How to resolve
To be sure everyone has ample bathroom breaks, make sure there are multiple break times built into your daily schedule.
Planning an easy activity for anyone who doesn’t need the break can keep everyone engaged and ready to learn.
Many young children have voracious appetites, and being hungry isn’t conducive to learning and retaining new information. Scheduling a snack break and keeping backup snacks on hand can resolve issues with hunger.
If there’s no water fountain near the classroom, consider including reusable water bottles in each child’s classroom supply kit. Make sure they get a chance to fill up their bottles during bathroom or snack breaks.
4. Not facilitating social bonds between students
Humans are social creatures. We all need friends to be happy. Encouraging kids to support each other and build friendships can have big benefits for learning outcomes.
How to identify
Do your students bicker often? Have you witnessed kids engaging in bullying behavior? Do they make everything a competition? Do they look the other way when someone needs help? These can all be indicators that your students aren’t getting along.
How to resolve
Demonstrate that it’s best to be friends through repeated acts of kindness. Allow some time for students to talk and socialize throughout the day. Assigning group work and allowing students to work together can be highly beneficial. If these strategies still aren’t doing the trick, implementing team-building activities could be necessary.
5.Relying on bribes for motivation
Keeping kids motivated to learn and perform their best can be a tall order. However, it’s important to keep them interested through meaningful reward systems and recognition.
How to identify
Are your students unwilling to work without the promise of a treat? Are they unconcerned with grades or don’t exhibit a sense of pride in their work?
Research shows these can be an indicator that a student’s control center is off balance due to becoming addicted to tangible rewards.
How to resolve
Although the occasional piece of candy or special treat can show your students they’re doing well, it’s best to keep the focus on long-term goals.
Show your students they can earn rewards through achieving their biggest goals, such as rewarding the highest test scores, or any student who completes every homework assignment at the end of the year.
6. Poor organization
Keeping your classroom neat and tidy can help your day run smoothly. On the other hand, a messy room with missing necessities can cause a headache.
How to identify
Do you often get off schedule due to being unable to locate something you need for the lesson? Do you have to change the lesson at the last minute to accommodate the lack of something, you can’t find? Do you accidentally purchase more of something you already had? Do your students always come to you when they need supplies?
This can all happen when a classroom is out of order.
How to resolve
Keeping the classroom organized is worth the extra time and effort required. Before fall classes even begin, it’s best to create a system that makes sense to you. Utilize labels, drawers, and file systems to make items required for daily use easily accessible and easy to put away.
For important documents and items required less frequently, take time to label and organize everything in filing cabinets and closets.
7. Not establishing relationships with your students
Getting to know your students is one of the best parts of teaching. Building a relationship with them can help you reach them more effectively. Conversely, not having a relationship with your students can lead to poor communication and lower academic performance.
How to identify
Do your students try to resolve all their issues without help? Do they consult each other when they’re confused? Are questions rarely asked during instruction? Do you know what problems they may be dealing with at home that could impede their performance at school? A poor relationship with your students could be to blame.
How to resolve
Be kind to your students. Take time during class to give them an opportunity to speak about things they care about. When a student appears to be struggling, take time to ask if they’re okay or if there’s anything you can do to help.
Students who trust their teachers due to having a positive relationship are more likely to mention any problems they’re facing.
Giving kids an opportunity to share happy news helps everyone enjoy their time at school a little more.
8. Underutilizing available tools
How to identify
Do your colleagues seem to get twice as much done in half the time? Do you have trouble communicating important information to the whole class at once? Are you s underutilizing technology to help you in the classroom? There are many tools available that you may not be aware of.
How to resolve
Speak with your fellow teachers to find out what tools they’ve used successfully. Then, consider what areas in the classroom aren’t running efficiently and start researching for free tools to help you.
Whether it’s an app like Text Blaze that can help you automate lesson plans and grading tasks, an online calendar like Monday.com to help keep kids and parents in the loop, or a need for additional resources, it’s out there.
Text Blaze is a must-have Google Chrome extension for every teacher. By smartly using Text Blaze, teachers will save up to 10 hours every week that they would usually spend on repetitive tasks such as grading papers or filing student reports.
For example, perhaps you use the same template each time you plan lessons on Google Docs or have preferred ways to praise student work on reports. You can automate this work using a Text Blaze Snippet with just a few clicks.
What’s next?
Ready to tackle your classroom management issues? Let us know what struggles you’ve faced in the classroom and how you were able to overcome the issue.
At the end of the day, it’s all about keeping your students happy, healthy, and teaching them to be their very best while making sure you have systems in place to optimize learning. Learn from other teachers and download the Text Blaze Chrome extension to save yourself hours of repetitive typing.
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