• They have a set of routines and procedures that they teach students.
• They maximize the classroom’s physical space to facilitate easy teacher movement and proximity, as well as student movement and transitions.
• They begin the year with a set of class rules or guidelines that they explicitly teach, monitor, and enforce.
• They plan well (they don’t wing it).
• They display "with-it-ness".
• They deal with interruptions effectively and efficiently.
• They encourage and nurture a sense of community, respect, and personal relationships.
• They have a collection of corrective consequences for mild misbehavior.
• They have a repertoire of options for dealing with discipline problems.
• They know when to bend the rules and when not to.

Routines and Procedures

Effective classroom teachers spend more of their time in the first few weeks of the year teaching
classroom routines and procedures as opposed to academic content. Why? Read more »
Also included are a list of routines and procedures every teacher should have at least thought about before the beginning of the year.

Rules, Rules, Rules!

Read about some behavior management ideas from elementary teachers. Read more »

CHOICES

CHOICES is an innovative, year-long behavior management plan that incorporates character education. Read more »

The Importance of Planning

Lesson preparation is a cornerstone for a well-managed classroom. Read this "how-to" article on lesson plans. It also includes a handy list of action verbs, helpful for writing learning objectives. (For the list (PDF) only without the article, go here.)

Classroom Participation

Looking for a way to help students communicate clearly and politely during classroom discussions? Give each student a list of expressions to use (and practice).  PDF