My BEST Classroom Management Tip
We all know that classroom management can make or break your school year. We also all know that what works for some students DOESN’T work for others! Sometimes that leaves us trying to figure out new strategies each year for classroom management. I don’t think anyone wants to hear “Connect before content.” one more time! However, I have a solution that helped my super chatty 2nd graders stay focused and actually WANT to get started on their independent work.
Student Choice
One of my favorite things to use to get that “student buy-in” is student choice. I know sometimes when we have a chatty or unruly class, the first thing we want to do is try to tighten up control and dictate how every minute of the day will go so our students (or us teachers) don’t lose it. BUT, hear me out, giving them a list of options of how they want to learn can really help them WANT to work.
So, what does this look like?
Seating
If you’re feeling up to it, try to allow some level of student choice in where the students sit. You may go all in with flexible seating and let them choose their type of seat and location all day long. If that works for you, you’re my hero. HOWEVER, that didn’t work for me.
I like to give my students an assigned seat as their ‘home base’.
Then, after we have our whole group lesson on the carpet, they are allowed to go work around the room. This only works if you have set up those expectations and modeled how flexible seating should look and sound like (responsive classroom anyone?).
This also allows me to check in with students one-on-one in a way that isn’t interrupted by other students at their table group. Some students just want to lay on their bellies and write a story. I always tell my students that if they can’t handle it, they have to go back to their home base and they lose their privilege.
Flexible seating is a great classroom management strategy for kiddos who just need to be able to move around and wiggle.
While students do have a lot of choice in my classroom, I hold them accountable and follow through with consequences if they do not abide by the guidelines and classroom rules. I find this helps with students who just want to get into a power struggle with you over small things like where to sit and which activity to do.
Choice Boards
Every year, I change up what my 2nd grade class gets to do for student choice. Some students THRIVE with flexible seating. Some students aren’t into it or can’t handle it. Try some of these strategies out to help your students stay focused and engaged. By giving them some choice in their day, you may be surprised just how much it mitigates behavior issues. My favorite way to implement Choice Boards is during station rotations where students are pulled for reading intervention groups. I do make it more ‘guided’ at the beginning half of the school year. I will give them a list of ways to practice their sight words, let them choose which phonics activity to do, give them a choice of reading comprehension activities etc. By letting them choose how they want to learn not WHAT they learn, I find they are so much more engaged and excited to show me what they worked on!
Ownership
Students who have classroom jobs or other leadership opportunities take more ownership of the classroom, their table group and their environment. When they are the ones taking care of their surroundings, they are more careful and cautious.