Classroom Management

I. Teaching Approach:
To start with, we should adopt the following concepts in
our Teaching Approach:
1-Applying the [Active Learning approach]:
This takes place by minimizing teachers talking
time and shifting the role of the teacher from merely an
instructor to a facilitator that fosters the
students growth.
Therefore, the teacher should deliver the lesson
through the use of various teaching aids and tools, such
as visuals, realia and authentic material.
The lesson plan, which consists of three stages [ Lead
in-Presentation-Product and assessment ] , should
be designed as a set of sequenced tasks that are
tailored in a way that is engaging, creative,
stimulating and enhancing the students interest
to learn .
These tasks should eventually and consequently lead
to the achievement of the lesson objectives. Thereby,
one of the teachers main roles is to keep students
on task from the beginning of session till the very end.
2-Running [Student - Based Classes]:
This is accomplished through making the students
the main role players in the classroom .This takes
 place by allowing for the students continuous
contribution during the session and giving them the
chance to express themselves whenever possible.

II. Creating a Positive Learning

Community inside the classroom:
What is a positive learning community?

We should perceive the classroom as a positive learning

community that consists of the students and the
teacher. Both parties are committed to learning and
growing together.
This is a very different perspective from the
traditional classroom with the teacher as the person
with all the knowledge, only concerned with designing
ways to share his/her knowledge with students.
Now a day, many students have adequate Internet
skills that can enable them to locate the latest findings
on any topic. It is not unusual in classrooms for a
student to explain something new he/she learned
watching a documentary or searching the Internet.
Therefore, in todays world, we teachers, along with
our students, literally learn together.
 How to create a Positive Learning
Community inside the Classroom
1-Classroom Arrangement:
1-Seating Arrangement:
The students seating arrangement should
accommodate a variety of learning activities and
situations. Students should be seated in groups of
three or four .Members of each group should be of
mixed abilities, where each learner is involved and
has an allocated role [Leader Presenter Writer-
Time keeper].The roles inside the group are
rotational, every session they change within each
group. This seating arrangement is useful and enhances
the collaborative learning and team work spirit, as
students support each other and share their ideas.
2-Classroom Displays:
The most important use is to celebrate student
work. Meaningful student work should be displayed
prominently in the classroom.
a-Talking Walls:
 Classroom walls should be a reflection of
students success and progress. It should display
students knowledge, skills and creativity rather than the
teachers. Therefore, different types of products that
show student learning and progress should be
displayed.

b-Charts:
It is the teachers responsibility at the beginning
of each year to prepare attractive looking and
eye-catching labels for the following:
The Reading Corner: where students display
graphic organizers and foldables about the
reading selections in their course book.
The Writing Corner: where students display
writing products such as writing frames, ads or
posters.
Vocabulary Word Wall: New academic vocabulary
words should be hung there. Afterwards, students
can produce it in any artistic form or utilize it into
meaningful context.
News of the Week: where students write news
headlines for the major events that occurred during
the week. Everyday one student is assigned to bring
a new headline, stick it to and report it to the class.
 What Went Well : This chart is to enhance the
positive spirit and produce positive energy in the
class environment. Students should write brief notes
about what they enjoyed learning or doing during
the session.
Bulletin Board: This is used only by the teacher. It
should display important dates such as quizzes,
activities, contests and project due dates and
deadlines.
Merit Chart for Groups: where merit points are
accumulated for each group based on their group
work activities.
Classroom rules: First, the teacher should set
ground rules with the students to establish a
system that will be followed through out the year.
Next, the teacher displays these rules in a form of
Students Contract or Agreement , which both the
teacher and the students will sign and abide by
throughout the academic year.
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2-Building the Relationship between the

Teacher and the Students on Democratic
Principles

The teacher must build and base his/her relationship

with the students on mutual respect.
The milestone in creating a positive learning community
inside the classroom is to respect the students and
allow them to share in establishing the rules and
procedures that they will abide by inside the
classroom. Voices of all members in the classroom are
heard and
students contribute to important decisions. Students are
allowed to discuss and explore the issues that affect
them and explore solutions for them along with their
teacher.

Applying democracy inside the class will result in

two main factors for a successful class:

1-Students share accepted principles, as they worked

together with their teacher to produce and set these
rules and principles.

2-Students share in the responsibility of learning,

as they know their rights as well as their
responsibilities.
Therefore, the following points are crucial in the
teachers dealing with the students inside the
class:
1-Rules set must be fair and just.
2-All students must be well informed with the rules,
the rewarding and corrective system applied by the
teacher. The teacher must ensure that each member
in the class knows and can explain the rules.
3-The teacher should use consistent rules and
procedures in order to create routines for the students
which make the rules comfortable for them and easy to
follow.
For example: The teacher can make systematic
steps in applying the following:
-Routines for collection of assignments distribution of
papers presentation of group work activities, etc.
Assertive Teachers apply Corrective
Actions

-In case of students deviation from the set

rules, the teacher should apply and adopt a
corrective system rather than impulsive
punishment, which only produces negative
outcomes and make the student more resisting
and defiant.
The teacher should sincerely and
conscientiously exert effort in trying to find out
the roots of the behavioral problem.
Next, the teacher can make for the student
corrective action and think of remedies that can
improve him/her attitude and cure his /her
deficiencies.
3- The Teachers responsibility for Creating
enthusiasm for learning inside the
classroom:
The teacher should use all the techniques and strategies
that interest the students and assist them in creating
their own knowledge.
Everything that happens in the classroom should be
interesting, critical, intellectual, purposeful and creative.
Students should be always encouraged to experiment
new ideas and explore knowledge of academic material
in up -dated and innovative ways.

In order to consider the classroom a place where

there is Enthusiasm for Learning , the following
conditions and criteria must be met :

1-Academic Material:
The academic material being taught covers
important academic concepts and delivers
useful information to the students.
The teacher connects the academic material being
taught, to the students real lives.
The academic material taught is connected to
todays world.
The teacher complies with the code of religious
and cultural values adopted by the school.
2-Continuos support and follow-up:
 The teacher should be alert and consistent in
assisting , nurturing and following up advanced ,
average and delayed students through out their
learning process. The teacher should cater for all
student types, each according to their academic
level and educational needs. The teacher should
be ready with material suitable for different
academic skills and intelligence levels.
The teacher should give continuous, genuine and
meaningful feedback to the students work,
whether individual or group work class work or
assignments, projects or presentations, etc.
Using well-defined rubrics in assessing
students work is vital. Students must be aware
with the rubric of each task before they start
working on it.
Feedback on students work, which is based on
the defined rubrics, should be immediate [in
cases of oral presentations or classroom group work]
or within a very short time span for written work
correction.
3-Students must take pride in their achievements:
The teacher should display students work
prominently, in an outstanding and spectacular
way.
Students achievements are to be acknowledged
publicly all over the school community.
 Students should be made proud to show their work
to others, such as colleagues, teachers and parents.
For example, the teacher could display students
quality project work on a bulletin board outside the
classroom or at different school areas.

3-Students should have visual signs of

enthusiasm:
Students will have happy faces if they are enjoying what
they are doing in class. Students feel happy when they
are engaged in the learning process.
Every teacher should scan the classroom periodically.
Are the students engaged? Are they smiling? Are they
sharing ideas? Do they look energized?
The teacher should model this happiness and
enthusiasm for his/her subject area. If the teacher
shows interest in what he/she is teaching, this will
demonstrate to the students that what they are
learning is enjoyable and interesting.
3-Learning should be expanded beyond the walls
of the classroom:
The teacher should develop assignments where the
students gather information outside the classroom. For
example, the students could survey other teachers, their
colleagues , parents or other community members
regarding topics discussed in class(opinions on places
they would like to travel to,shopping,current
events,etc,).

4- The Teachers responsibility for making

the classroom a Safe Zone for all the
students:
A safe classroom is one which has a tense-free
atmosphere. In this classroom, all students feel
comfortable expressing themselves. They know that
their ideas will be considered and analyzed for
accuracy and relevance. They suggest new ideas and
take risks with their opinions. They know that their
teacher and classmates ,value their ideas and do not
criticize or ridicule their answers if they are not
correct.
On the contrary, in unsafe classrooms, the
teacher allows himself/herself to publicly criticize and
embarrass a student for a wrong answer. Classmates
are allowed to express negative comments about
other students and their work.
In such a negative atmosphere, students will try
to withdraw from the discussions of the classroom
and make themselves small and unnoticed so as not
to receive criticism from others.
Instead, students should be always positively. For
example, when assessing an activity done in class,
teacher or peers can start with three stars [three
good points] and one wish [I wish that you can
improve so and so.]
This positive feedback will be constructive for the
student and will be boost his/her self confidence ,
rather than negative criticism which lowers students
self esteem ,not to mention his/her eagerness to learn.

The classroom can be turned into a safe zone for

students by applying the following:

1-Students are willing to speak in a group

setting because:
There is an absence of tension and stress in the
classroom atmosphere.
In order to accomplish this, the teacher should provide
daily opportunities for the students to speak to the
class. The teacher can ask one of the students each
day to bring a five minutes presentation about a topic
that he/she find interesting. The student is given the
opportunity to make his/her presentation at the
beginning of the lesson . The presentation should be
natural, focused and brief.

2-Students should eagerly anticipate being able

to share in classroom discussions:
The teacher could use small groups in many ways to
have the students express themselves. The teacher
could meet with a group of 3-4 students to teach them
a new skill or concept. Then the teacher asks this
group to make peer teaching to the class ,to introduce
to their classmates new skills and concepts.
3-Studnts should be able to express their
individual opinions as:
Opinions are given equal consideration .Students
should know that their opinions are valued.
This can happen through debates that carry different
views ,class members are free to adopt and express
their view points freely.

5- The classroom should be a place where

students identify with each others as
Family
This occurs when :

1-Teacher expresses kindness and concern for

students:
The teacher must realize that he/she is the most
visible model of kindness and concern in the
classroom. The students will be watching and listening
to their teacher to determine what is acceptable in the
classroom. As they learn that their teacher values
these characteristics, they will act accordingly.
2-The teacher encourages students to help and
support one another in risky situations:
 The teacher should encourage the students to be
more tolerant in dealing with and accepting other
students who may be less intelligent or less popular.
Advanced students could assert and help less skillful
students to improve their group work activities and
academic tasks.

3-Teacher encourages students to:

Develop good customs and traditions.
Celebrate success of others:
The teacher could ask students to suggest other
classmates who have been especially successful in
the classroom. The teacher can make the students
nominate other classmates considered for monthly
awards such as helped us understand the
content
or Good citizen of the class,etc.
Participate in special and regular events.

4-The Teacher should encourage students to

share information about themselves with others
:
The teacher should model this by sharing something
non-school related about himself/herself, so that the
students get to know their teacher .The teacher can
talk about his / her hobbies or favorite sport. This
helps students understand that their teacher has
many interests.
Next, the teacher could make the students tell
something real about themselves and share it with the
whole class as well.

In conclusion, the successful teacher

should adopt an assertive attitude, in
his/her relationship with the students
rather than an aggressive or permissive
one.
The teacher should provide clear purpose
and guidance regarding both academics
and student behavior. Students want the
guidance and direction that an assertive
teacher brings to the classroom.
Students know that the teacher is the
person in charge, but they still value the
flexibility that is used in discussing and
setting individual learning goals. They
need to believe that their teacher cares
about them, their problems, and their lives
inside and outside the classroom.
When the teacher becomes a (student
centered)teacher; a teacher who knows
that the students are important individuals
and not just the class or 7th graders,
only then his/her students will develop a
sense of belonging to the class. Actually
being members in this class will be part of
the identity of these students for the whole
academic year.