9+ Effective Classroom Management Strategies for New Teachers

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As a novice educator, you possess a solid understanding of educational theories, can distinguish between formative and summative assessments, and are capable of crafting lesson plans with ease. Yet, the pressing question remains: How do you ensure that your class of students pays attention to you?

If you have ever watched an experienced teacher in action, you may have noticed how they seem to manage their classrooms with minimal effort. However, you don’t need years of experience to navigate the complexities of student behavior and expectations! We’ve compiled a list of effective classroom management techniques for new teachers to implement at the onset of the academic year, along with beneficial resources to enhance your classroom management capabilities.

1. Set the Tone on Day One

Effective classroom management is one of the five core propositions established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and can significantly impact your teaching experience. Begin employing your classroom management strategies from the very first day of school to create a strong initial impression and minimize the likelihood of students taking advantage of your status as a new teacher.

• Welcome students at the door with a handshake, a fist bump, or a warm smile. This gesture resonates with all age groups, signaling your attentiveness from the very start of class.
• Clearly outline classroom expectations and procedures on the first day, and initiate practice of these rules immediately.
• Consider adopting a stricter approach initially, then gradually ease up as you build rapport throughout the year.
• Utilize icebreakers and interactive activities to encourage student interaction and collaboration, avoiding lengthy monologues.

Classroom management is challenging enough without informing students that you are a novice teacher. When you project an air of confidence and experience, your students will perceive you as capable!

Start the School Year with High Expectations

Students thrive when they understand the rules from the onset. Keep your classroom management practices at the forefront with supplies and materials that constantly remind students of your expectations, ensuring that procedures are easy to access.

New Teacher Kit: Classroom Management Strategies and Guide
By The Core Coaches
Grades: K-6th

If your classroom resembles a blank canvas, consider utilizing a comprehensive kit filled with innovative classroom management tools, such as responsibility posters, time management reminders, and lists of routines and procedures to establish your expectations from day one.

Back to School Student Routines Procedures Editable Classroom Management Slides
By Algebra Made Simple
Grades: 6th-9th

This editable classroom management toolkit contains everything you need to establish procedures and set expectations with secondary students, including a customizable Canva presentation to review routines and a classroom management plan template.

2. Assign Seats to Avoid Behavior Disruptions

Experienced educators will tell you that effective classroom management begins long before issues arise. A well-planned seating chart can help set both you and your students up for success, preventing behavior problems before they can escalate.

• Select seating arrangements that suit your classroom layout, whether it be table clusters, rows, or alternative patterns, ideally designed to minimize social interaction during activities.
• Avoid seating configurations where students must turn to see you (at least initially). Once you establish your authority, you can experiment with seating arrangements.
• Adjust student seating promptly when issues arise, or regularly throughout the year to deter potential problems.
• Designate a spot for independent work, such as a single desk or calm-down corner, ready to assign to students who may lose focus.

As you gain experience, you may feel comfortable allowing students to choose their own seats. However, focusing on a structured seating chart is one of the most effective classroom management strategies for new teachers, so don’t let students undermine this approach! (P.S. Many veteran teachers still utilize this strategy throughout the school year.)

Use Your Classroom as a Behavior Management Tool

Incorporate the environment into your classroom management with seating chart templates and resources. Much of your classroom management can be effectively handled even before students enter the room.

New Teacher Classroom Management | BUNDLE
By Little Learning Ladybugs
Grades: PreK-5th

This all-in-one package has everything you need to kick off the school year, including editable seating charts, behavior calendars, supply organization labels, class job templates, name tags, and much more, ensuring you are well-prepared for a successful school year.

3. Include Classroom Management in Your Lesson Plans

Have you ever heard the saying “When in doubt, plan it out”? This phrase perfectly encapsulates the importance of integrating classroom management into your lesson planning process, as it holds equal significance to the academic content you are teaching.

• Incorporate classroom management objectives and tactics into your lesson plans alongside instructional goals. How will you ensure student engagement? What will your response be if students are not focused?
• Stay a month ahead on your lesson planning, ensuring all materials and copies are prepared at least a week in advance.
• Conduct a lesson “pre-mortem” to anticipate potential classroom management challenges that could arise before class starts (such as students lacking necessary supplies or finishing assignments early) and develop strategies to address them.
• Prepare organized substitute plans to avoid having to reestablish expectations and procedures upon your return.

By the time you finish your teacher education program, your lesson planning skills are likely quite refined. Yet, many educators falter in their lesson planning or fail to maintain a detailed approach, which can lead to a less structured classroom environment (and weakened classroom management).

Manage Lesson Planning and Your Classroom Together

Effectively coordinate your curriculum and classroom management through a robust and well-organized lesson planning strategy. With user-friendly planning templates that guide you from the bell to assessment, managing your classroom will become much simpler.

Teacher Survival Kit Planning, Reflecting, and Managing Your Classroom
By Teaching with Haley O’Connor

Transform your experience from merely surviving to thriving this school year with a comprehensive teacher survival kit resource! With lesson plan templates, conference logs, behavior charts, to-do lists, and small group organizers, the planning process will be streamlined for effective classroom management.

4. Learn Student Names Quickly

Learning your students’ names within the first few days of school communicates two essential messages: first, that you are attentive to them (making their behavior feel less anonymous), and second, that you genuinely care about getting to know them, fostering a sense of classroom community. So, how can you swiftly learn so many names?

• Organize students in an alphabetical seating chart and mentally take attendance each day.
• Create name flashcards with students’ school photos and quiz yourself after school, aiming to learn a few names even before the school year starts!
• Use student names frequently; even if you don’t know all of them immediately, this shows that you recognize many of them.
• Pay special attention to students who may need additional focus (e.g., those who tend to socialize or are unfocused) and prioritize learning their names.

While you’re learning names, make sure to pronounce them correctly. Avoid calling roll aloud and instead ask students privately how to pronounce names you’re uncertain about. If you’ve given out a getting-to-know-you survey or letter, inquire if they have a preferred nickname.

5. Keep the Room Neat and Organized

Striking a balance between creating a stimulating learning environment and avoiding excessive decoration that leads to distraction is crucial. Prioritize organization and cleanliness in your classroom, enabling students to concentrate on their learning rather than on clutter.

• Refrain from using toys or other appealing items as decorations in your classroom (at least until you’ve gained more teaching experience).
• Encourage students to assist with daily cleanup through class jobs or brief tidying sessions at the end of each period.
• Evaluate which educational posters are truly necessary on the walls versus those merely added to occupy space.
• Label supplies and important classroom areas, such as work submission spots or student libraries.

A clean environment promotes better learning for everyone, including your students! Investing time in organizing and maintaining a neat classroom will significantly benefit your classroom management.

Stay on Track with Back-to-School Checklists

Preparing a classroom for a new group of students can be a daunting task, especially for new teachers! Keep yourself organized and accountable with teacher tools like checklists, procedural suggestions, and essential back-to-school supplies.

Back to School: First Year Teacher Checklists for Classroom Procedures, Set Up
By Michelle McDonald

Whether you’re a first-year kindergarten teacher or instructing seniors, these classroom management materials will be invaluable. From setup checklists to reminders about expectations and procedures, this resource accommodates elementary, middle, and high school teachers to stay organized and prepare for a successful school year.

6. Ensure Students Are Always Engaged

When students encounter boredom, they are more likely to divert their attention and cause disruptions. Combat this classroom management issue by keeping them actively engaged from start to finish, even if they complete their assignments ahead of their peers.

• Provide students with clear, verbal, and written instructions regarding the day’s agenda.
• Adhere to the 10-minute rule by redirecting student attention at least every 10 minutes.
• Prepare engaging activities for early finishers, including coloring pages, reading materials, or extra credit opportunities.
• Assess the reasons behind off-task behavior (whether they have finished work, do not understand the assignment, or are simply unmotivated) and address the specific issue instead of reprimanding them to complete their tasks.

You may notice that a veteran teacher’s classroom often runs seamlessly, requiring minimal intervention to keep students engaged. This level of classroom management can be achieved if students consistently know what they should be doing, leaving no room for distractions.

7. Reach Out to Mentors

Even under the best conditions, classroom management can pose a challenge for new teachers. However, remember that you are not alone on your teaching journey! Reach out to more experienced colleagues or members of the administration to refine your classroom management skills when challenges arise or to gather advice before the school year begins.

• Borrow tools and materials from colleagues that facilitate classroom management, adapting them to suit your needs.
• Observe experienced teachers during your preparatory periods, or take a day to witness various teachers in action.
• Understand how administration can assist you with behavior issues, whether by accepting students you send to the office or providing feedback on your classroom management.
• If you encounter difficulties with a specific student, consult their previous teachers or others in their schedule for effective classroom management techniques that have worked in the past.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to influential professors or mentor teachers from your teacher education program for guidance. Additionally, revisiting reliable educational textbooks can provide valuable insights in challenging situations!

8. Communicate with Parents Regularly

One of the most powerful classroom management strategies for new teachers is maintaining open lines of communication with parents. When executed effectively and consistently, parent-teacher communication fosters a collaborative learning team that addresses educational concerns both at school and home, benefiting everyone involved!

• Clearly outline your classroom management procedures and expectations to parents in your welcome letters and during open house events.
• When discussing behavioral concerns with parents, communicate your message clearly and concisely.
• Maintain behavior logs and send home reports celebrating positive behavior when students excel.
• Avoid expressing complaints about a child to their parents. Frame your communication as a concern and explain the classroom management steps you have already undertaken.

Above all, don’t let parents be caught off guard when they hear from you. Address concerns as they arise, rather than waiting for them to spiral out of control, allowing parents to be part of the ongoing dialogue.

9. Stay Confident and In Control

Have you ever experienced a teacher who could command a classroom’s attention with just a comment or a glance? This isn’t magic (even though it may seem so!); it’s confidence, and confident educators can lead their classrooms without ever needing to raise their voices.

• Maintain a calm voice and avoid shouting, even when students are speaking over you. Seek silent methods to capture their attention if possible.
• Provide students with limited choices to affirm your role as the authority in the classroom.
• Identify problematic behaviors before they escalate and address them quickly and quietly.
• If you feel overwhelmed in class, strive to maintain composure until students have left for their next break.

It may seem straightforward, but it’s true: If you believe your students will listen, they will. Confidence is an essential yet often overlooked classroom management strategy for teachers at any experience level; without it, your behavior management efforts may falter.

More Classroom Management Tips for New Teachers

In need of additional advice before diving in? Follow these classroom management tips to uphold class leadership and minimize behavioral issues.

• Keep It Nonverbal. Utilize board instructions, silent hand signals, and follow-up songs to capture students’ attention without raising your voice.
• Avoid Group Punishments. Collective punishments demonstrate an inability to identify the root cause of the issue; instead, focus on addressing individual behavior.
• Follow the Data. Evaluate the effectiveness of your current classroom management plan; reflect on its successes and areas for improvement.
• Be Flexible (Yet Consistent). Disruptions such as weather, holidays, or school emergencies may necessitate adjustments to your classroom management plan for the day, but maintain consistent behavior expectations.
• Focus on Transitions. Many classroom management challenges arise during transitions between activities; practice effective and swift transitions with your students.
• Practice Self-Care. Teacher burnout is real, and fatigued educators find it challenging to manage their classrooms effectively. Prioritize time for yourself and for the activities you enjoy outside of teaching (and that doesn’t include grading).

Manage Students and Your School Year with TPT

When it comes to implementing effective classroom management strategies as a new teacher, consistency and confidence are key. While some classroom management instincts develop with experience, it’s never too early to start honing these skills — and to cultivate relationships with your students that can preempt behavioral issues before they arise. Explore more resources for classroom management to devote less time to addressing issues and more time savoring your rewarding new career!