Effective classroom management relies upon the educator’s ability to establish and reinforce classroom expectations for student behavior. Once behavioral expectations have been set up, the teacher can focus on motivating and engaging students. Educators must support the classroom’s physical environment while promoting positive relationships by understanding student challenges and by developing trust (Lemov, 2010). How can teachers move from being highly qualified to highly effective? The educator’s understanding and ability to identify factors that influence student motivation and engagement also contribute to student success. For educators to be highly effective in teaching, they must understand fundamental principles of effective classroom management.
Teachers must establish clear expectations for student behavior. Behavior management can effectively be accomplished through CHAMPS. CHAMPS is a proactive and positive approach to classroom management. CHAMPS is an acronym that clearly defines a classroom’s behavioral management through expectations of student conversation, help, activity, movement, and participation that leads to success (Guilford County Schools, 2009). CHAMPS is an effective classroom management tool that establishes rules, procedures, routines, and expectations while providing positive reinforcement and guided correction procedures for misbehavior (Fisher & Frey, 2011). Teachers want to reinforce desired positive behaviors while using intervention strategies to help struggling students learn desired behaviors; and, hold students accountable for unwarranted actions.
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Student engagement and motivation contribute toward successful classroom management. Teacher strategy plays a significant role in maintaining student engagement. Prepared and efficient lesson plans combined with teacher approach will support student engagement and motivation. The teacher’s approach may be utilized by Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
The UDL approach allows educators to address curriculum by creating multiple means for students to stimulate their interest. Once interest is maintained, students will be motivated to stay engaged. How do teachers create multiple means to stimulate interest? Teachers must create various ways to present information. Students learning their multiplication facts may need to the teacher to present the material in a variety of ways. Lesson variation may be accomplished through board games, manipulatives, flash cards, songs, chants, apps, technological devices, and via TimezAttack, an online video game with embedded assessments. The multiple strategies to present the information leads to the students’ ability of differentiated expression of knowledge (UDL, 2013).
Strategies for removing barriers to learning, creating a curriculum designed to meet diversity, showing information in various ways, and paving the way for students to show what they know in different ways increases student engagement and motivation which contributes toward effective classroom management (CAST, 2014). These strategies lead to building positive relationships with the teacher and peers, and it leads toward cooperation through group-based projects and activities. Differentiation leads to peer respect for students’ thoughts and ideas as learning and sharing is approached differently. Differentiation allows the teacher to maintain high but reasonable expectations when students are engaged and motivated.
It is necessary for teachers to help students know how to participate effectively in groups and as a community of learners. One effective approach is through the gradual release of responsibility (Frey & Fisher, 2009). The teacher and students have shared responsibility through the gradual release of responsibility. The educator’s two roles include the “I do it” approach and the “we do it” approach. The “I do it” approach allows the educator to model his or her thinking during the model lesson. The “we do it” approach allows for student thinking with teacher directed questions and prompts through guided instruction. Eventually, student responsibility falls under collaborative and independent work. Students work together through collaborative learning that follows the concept of “we do it together.” In the end, students demonstrate what they have learned through independent work by implementing the “I do it” approach (Fisher & Frey, 2008). Through the gradual release of responsibility, teachers can help students understand how to work collaboratively and independently.
The physical environment should have furniture and materials placed so that it promotes learning and minimizes distractions (Stronge, Tucker, & Hindman, 2004). A well-arranged, organized classroom should be void of clutter and needless distractions to provide optimal student learning. Minimizing distractions and incorporating timers can help ensure that time is managed wisely in the classroom. Timers can help students and the teacher from becoming overly distracted and spending too much time on one subject.
Educators can move from being highly qualified to becoming highly effective in their classroom management skills through student engagement and participation with the UDL and gradual release of instruction approach. Establishing clear expectations with the application of CHAMPS will reduce potential behavioral problems and provide guidelines for what is required throughout all activities and transitions throughout the day. An organized classroom supports the efficient use of time management that will enable the educator to focus attention on curriculum and instruction instead of behavioral problems. Teacher modeling, student collaboration, and independent work combined with differentiated learning will not only motivate students to learn but will promote positive student-teacher and peer relationships.
- CAST. (2014). Principle III: Provide multiple means of engagement. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle3
- Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility (p.4). Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Retrieved from http://fisherandfrey.com/uploads/posts/First_20_Days.pdf
- Frey. N., & Fisher, D. (2009). The release of learning. Principal Leadership. Retrieved from http://fisherandfrey.com/uploads/posts/Release_Learning_NASSP.pdf
- Guilford County Schools. (2009). CHAMPS overview. Retrieved from http://www1.gcsnc.com/depts/pbs/classroom.htm
- Lemov, D. (2010). Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/11-Research-ProvenPracticesTLAC.pdf
- National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2013, April 17). The concept of UDL. [Video file]. Retrieved October 29, 2015 from What is Universal Design for Learning? http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl/conceptofudl
- Stronge, J., Tucker, P., & Hindman, J. (2004). Classroom management and organization. Handbook for qualities of effective teachers. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104135/chapters/Classroom-Management-and-Organization.aspx
