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Read these websites and choose one management strategy that you can share with your cohort. Post the strategy and the resources here on the Padlet.

Cult Pedagogy https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/category/classroom-management-craft/

We Are Teachers https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-management-techniques/

Edutopia

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley

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In my classroom, I’ve been focusing on getting to know my students beyond their academic work, especially when they seem disengaged or defiant. Instead of assuming they don’t care, I ask myself, “What’s going on for them?” Venet emphasizes this mindset of curiosity, and it’s helped me shift from reacting to understanding student behavior more deeply. Small, informal interactions like commenting on something they care about or checking in when I see them in the hallway help me see them as whole people, not just defiant students. Unconditional positive regard has further helped me reframe mistakes. Venet talks about how this approach isn’t about excusing bad behavior but ensuring that mistakes don’t define a student’s worth. I remind my students and myself that they’re still capable and worthy of support, which shifts my focus from reacting to mistakes to helping students grow. Parrish’s advice on using I statements has also been helpful. I’ve also been working on reinforcing positive behavior, as Parrish suggests. I can help build students' confidence and promote cooperation by celebrating small wins. When students act out in ways that feel personal, I view it as a protective response, as Venet suggests. Over time, building trust and connection has helped me see even difficult students in a new light. I also rely on my colleagues for support, which Venet emphasizes as crucial. Perspective-keeping conversations with them have helped me reset and approach challenging behaviors with a fresh mindset.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/addressing-persistent-defiance/

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/unconditional-positive-regard/

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Forgiveness, Avoid Class Punishment, and Voice and Choice

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Forgiveness, Avoid Class Punishment, and Voice and Choice

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Classroom management is a crucial skill to learn in the classroom. There are many known strategies when it comes to classroom management, and there are many underrated strategies as well that are often overlooked and not integrated into the classroom. I am focusing on other strategies that should be implemented in the classroom. In my classroom, I have learned many strategies for classroom management. My last classroom was at a high school that innately had classroom management due to the rapport my CT had built with his class before I got there. Similarly, my classroom at the middle school has been a major shift and greatly benefited me. I have learned many new strategies and techniques within the 6th-grade classroom. Edutopia discusses the big and small classroom management strategies that can create a successful classroom environment. A controversial strategy mentioned was to never punish an entire class. While I do understand this because we want to make sure we are teaching accountability for ourselves, at the same time, I believe that students should be working together as a team to create a classroom bond. Another management strategy was to forgive. Teachers often jump to conclusions and seem to forget that their students are kids before anything else. Expressing empathy and understanding for students is a great way to be a positive role model for them to look up to. Finally, voice and choice are a huge part of having a successful classroom. A majority of students are more willing to respond when they have a voice and choice over their assignments and assessments. I have noticed this works extremly well with students who may seem more defiant or struggle. Giving them choices allows them to decide what interests them and how they will express this understanding.

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Engagement: Sticky Notes, Stickers, & Questions -Rosa Ordonez Tovar

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Engagement: Sticky Notes, Stickers, & Questions -Rosa Ordonez Tovar

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Hi Everyone!

The classroom management strategy I will be focusing on is Engagement. As I was browsing Edutopia, I came across this strategy: 5. Anticipate problems and be creative. I think this is an awesome strategy, especially how she described it. When students are waiting for more than 1 minute, they tend to get distracted. It is great to ask "dumb questions" to keep them engaged and their minds activated. The example the teacher gave was, “What type of weapon would you use to battle Aquaman?” The dumb questions kept the line entertained".

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley

Another approach I have used to keep my students entertained is passing out stickers to the students who are participating or working on their assignments. I have also begun to use sticky notes and write positive notes on them for my students.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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One of the other management strategies that I'm utilizing in my planning is anticipating for problems before they happen. This can build into most of the other management strategies, but is its own method of controlling classroom culture. This can range from routine before and during class, expectations for students, or even how lessons and activities are planned. Anticipating behaviors in class that could be disruptive to a student's or their peers' learning can help to maintain a positive learning environment for all. In the science methods class we've been exploring a 5P Lesson Plan, which utilizes a section that calls for anticipating questions students will have throughout the lesson. This methodology can be applied to all lesson planning to create a classroom culture of fluidity, in which problems that occur or questions students may have are addressed with a thought out and effective answer.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley

Another strategy I've focused on is to create a sense of autonomy in the students, so as to put more emphasis on responsibility in the classroom and in their learning. Giving freedom of choice for assignments is an easy way to encourage students to take charge of their learning, and connect prior knowledge to new concepts and ideas they're tackling. a classroom culture of trust and respect is built by giving them choice and space to do activities and projects, such as allowing them to show the teacher that they can follow the directions of a lab without being guided through each step. Allowing students these freedoms gives students the chance to be part of managing the class, and creates a better environment with peers and with the teacher.

https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/learners

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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The management strategy I will be focusing on will be Engagement. A strategy I found while browsing through We Are Teachers was 19. Paper Plate Facts which is a game that involves the use of paper plates and there's a lot of movement with this activity as well. On each paper plate a student is to have a number written on it and with your classmate you're supposed to get together to make true statements. So for example, if I have the number 6 and two of my peers each have three, we can say their two numbers added together make my 6 or that my 6 minus on of their 3's makes the last 3, and so on. This one activity encourages collaboration, critical thinking since there are endless possibilities and combinations students can come up with, and it gets the students out of their desks and moving. I can think of many ways to modify this one activity to fit into a higher level math class and possibly even ways to incorporate this across other content areas as well.

https://www.weareteachers.com/active-math-games/Links to an external site.

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Hi Everyone!

The classroom management strategy I will be focusing on is Engagement. As I was browsing Edutopia, I came across this strategy: 5. Anticipate problems and be creative. I think this is an awesome strategy, especially how she described it. When students are waiting for more than 1 minute, they tend to get distracted. It is great to ask "dumb questions" to keep them engaged and their minds activated. The example the teacher gave was, “What type of weapon would you use to battle Aquaman?” The dumb questions kept the line entertained".

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finleyLinks to an external site.

Another approach I have used to keep my students entertained is passing out stickers to the students who are participating or working on their assignments. I have also begun to use sticky notes and write positive notes on them for my students.

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I focused on engagement for my classroom management category, and I found a strategy I liked on the We Are Teachers website. It seems very simple, but it says "Recognize achievements of all kinds". The picture attached shows a neon blue print-out slip that says in bold and capitalized at the top, "YOUR TEACHER IS PROUD!" with a variety of lines at the bottom for the teacher to share a small write-up about the student's specific achievement. I think recognizing students wherever and whenever possible entails a more motivated and engaged classroom culture. I also love that the example is printed on vibrant paper, signaling to other students that this student has achieved something that the teacher noticed, encouraging other students to be more engaged and work harder in class for recognition. Whether it's something big, such as a high score on a summative assessment, or something small such as simply the presence of a student who is impacted by chronic absenteeism for more than one consecutive day, every win is a win and should be celebrated in the classroom. Teachers have a such an opportunity to be their student's biggest cheerleader, and it goes without saying that when a student feels seen and celebrated, they are more likely to learn and succeed more in the educational setting.

https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-management-techniques/

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The classroom management strategy I am focusing on is Engagement in the classroom. Based on the readings, the strategy I found to be extremely useful based on both research and personal experience was not letting outside factors affect the way I treat my students. As teachers, it is essential that we treat all of our students equally and fairly regardless of how students feel or act towards us. One specific way we can practice this as teachers is to treat our students with "unconditional positive regard" as mentioned in Alex Venet’s book, Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education. The idea behind this practice is to relay the message to students that they are valued, they matter, and they bring something to the table just by showing up to class each day. This is a great way to create a positive and welcoming environment for students, and it will likely have an impact on the interactions that our students have with us as teachers. Another practice mentioned in 23 Brilliant Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques was to not take things personally as a teacher. It's very easy to think that when a student is upset or lashes out in class that we might have been the cause of those emotions. However, we should not make assumptions based on these experiences, especially since students come to school with a lot of baggage that we are unaware of. The best thing we can do for our students in those bad moments is ask questions to see if they want to talk, and try to come from a place of understanding. Just as we would want grace in our bad moments, we need to give that grace to our students and try to build a strong relationship with them by always staying positive and encouraging.

Resources

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/unconditional-positive-regard/Links to an external site.

https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-management-techniques/Links to an external site.

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I am focusing on classroom management by increasing engagement. Some tools that I have found to be particularly helpful in my own classroom for increasing students' engagement is to give them meaningful motivation. One interesting article I read talked about how students are motivated when they have a sense of autonomy in their work. The article stated that best combination for success is to have a clear structure in the lesson plan, but customization of the the learning for the student. This could be as small as creating an essay prompt where students can choose what character to write about, but it helps students feel supported by their teachers to try something new, especially when teachers are willing to listen and respond to a student's perspective. Students are more motivated when they feel heard and feel as they can take more risks in their learning. Another thought-provoking strategy for increasing engagement is maintaining high expectations. Students know when you don't have high expectations for them, and it will feel like you don't believe in them, and they will not be engaged with the activity. Additionally, students are more engaged when they are critically thinking about a problem and become immersed with it in order to come up with a solution. The articles I read are attached below for reference.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/to-increase-student-engagement-focus-on-motivation/Links to an external site.

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/4-cs-for-better-student-engagementLinks to an external site.

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The classroom strategy that I am focusing on is Community Building Strategies. I found an incredible source from Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning that provides many different community building strategies for the classroom. One that caught my eye was a way to incorporate community into content. The example they used was "favorite content sharing." This strategy allows students to choose the part of the lesson/unit/course that fascinates them the most. Students are then able to share with the class and create a connection with students and their interests. It seems like a very simple way to have students reflect on what is being learned while opening the door to conversation with peers. This can easily be done at the end of a unit as a self-reflection and a way to unify the classroom. Another community and content strategy, called "concept-specific soundtrack," encourages students to use music as a bridge to classroom learning. By analyzing song lyrics, students can uncover connections to course content, making the material more engaging and personally relevant. This approach also allows for diverse musical representation, reflecting students' varied tastes and perspectives.

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What is community building and why is it important? How do I build community in my class? This research-informed guide addresses these questions with a particular focus on synchronous community building strategies. At the same time, many of the community building strategies presented in this guide can also be adapted to the asynchronous modality. Considerations for asynchronous engagement are outlined at the end of the guide.

The CTL is here to consult with instructors on further exploring community building strategies. To schedule your one-on-one consultation, please contact the Faculty Programs and Services team at CTLfaculty@columbia.edu .

The CTL is here to help!

For additional support with community building in your course, email CTLFaculty@columbia.edu to schedule your 1-1 consultation.

What is Community Building?

Community building in the classroom is about creating a space in which students and instructors are committed to a shared learning goal and achieve learning through frequent collaboration and social interaction (Adams & Wilson, 2020; Berry, 2019; McMillan & Chavis, 1986). With intentional planning and deliberate pedagogical choices, cultivating and reinforcing positive interactions among classroom participants becomes an essential component of building a classroom community.

Why Build Community?

Community building is vital to active student engagement in a course across all modalities. Research shows that when students feel that they belong to their academic community, that they matter to one another, and that they can find emotional, social, and cognitive support for one another, they are able to engage in dialogue and reflection more actively and take ownership and responsibility of their own learning (Baker, 2010; Berry, 2019; Brown, 2001; Bush et al. 2010; Cowan, 2012; Lohr & Haley, 2018; Sadera et al., 2009).

The interplay of the social presence (participants' ability to establish themselves as real/authentic selves in their academic community), cognitive presence (participants' ability to construct meaning and confirm understanding), and teaching presence (instructor's ability to design, facilitate, and provide direct instruction) cultivates a community that provides optimal support for student learning. Deliberate community building is therefore a key component of successful student engagement and performance in class.

Community Building Strategies

This section provides community building strategies that are organized in three broad categories: social icebreakers, metacognitive activities, and content-based activities. These strategies are presented as suggestions and are not meant to be prescriptive; adapt and modify these example activities according to your unique teaching context.

To ensure the successful implementation of community building strategies in your course, consider your context, the technologies available to you and your students, and what must be prepared and established prior to students interacting and collaborating with each other as a whole class or in small groups (see checklist below).
Sample activities Metacognitive Activities What are metacognitive activities? Metacognition refers to knowledge about one's own thoughts, including the cognitive process and regulation involved in directing one's learning (Ambrose et al., 2010; Akyol & Garrison, 2011; Dunlosky & Medcalfe, 2009; Lai, 2011). Metacognitive activities (e.g., self-assessment, self-explanation, monitoring, revising, etc.) allow students to reflect on and regulate their own learning. For a more detailed explanation, see the CTL resource on Metacognition . Sample activities Content-based Activities Sample activities

Considerations for Asynchronous Modality and Large Courses

While the community building strategies presented thus far focus on synchronous live sessions, they can be adapted and used in the asynchronous modality. Also, because community building can be challenging for large courses, some adjustments may be necessary for the community building strategies to be more useful and practical for large courses. Below is a list of general considerations for modifying the community building strategies for different pedagogical contexts.
Asynchronous Modality

Assign a community building activity to students to complete in their own time.

Specify the deadline for completion.

Ask students to share their completed activity on a discussion forum and comment on each other's post (e.g., discussion boards on CourseWorks, shared Google document or slides)

Utilize your course's learning management system (e.g., CourseWorks) to extend the class community to the asynchronous platform. For example, on CourseWorks, consider creating group discussions and arranging regular asynchronous group interactions throughout the semester.

Regularly check in on students and make sure to maintain your teaching presence. Some strategies include:

Providing a verbal summary of the community building activity in class.

Commenting on student posts online.

Emailing the highlights of the completed community building activity.

Large Courses

Consider ways to make student interactions more intimate and workload manageable.

If you ask students to participate in icebreaker activities or other group assignments, consider putting students into the same groups each time so that they have the opportunity to become acquainted with each other in a smaller group setting throughout the semester.

If you ask students to upload posts on discussion boards on CourseWorks or another online platform and read and comment on each other's posts, consider creating group discussions so that students are expected to read and engage with only their group members' posts.

After an in-class group activity, having every student group report back to the whole class may be too time-consuming if there are too many small groups. The following are some alternative suggestions for the whole-class debrief.

Rather than having every student group report back, randomly select groups to share their discussions.

If you ask students to take notes in a collaborative document during their group activity, skim through their notes and highlight some of them by identifying particular emerging themes/patterns and reading them out loud to the whole class.

If students engage in a problem-solving activity in small groups, quickly assess their learning with a polling tool (e.g., PollEverywhere , ).

Assign students a community building activity in advance so that they can complete it before coming to class. Use Google Forms or other online survey tools to collect their responses. In class, use the survey results to facilitate a whole class discussion. You could also use a polling tool (e.g., PollEverywhere , ) to invite students' participation during class.

References

Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Berry, S. (2019). Teaching to Connect: Community-Building Strategies for the Virtual Classroom. Online Learning , (1), 164-183.

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school . Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Dunlosky, J. and Metcalfe, J. (2009). Metacognition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Lai, E.R. (2011). Metacognition: A Literature Review . Pearson's Research Reports.

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What is community building and why is it important? How do I build community in my class? This research-informed guide addresses these questions for synchronous and asynchronous courses.

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Engagement: The power of groups and playful atmosphere

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Engagement: The power of groups and playful atmosphere

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As an August birthday, I focused on Engagement. In the context of classroom management, engagement comes into play of how to best engage students that are off-task, and bring them back to the task. At a fundamental level, the best way to greatly decrease the number of student who would otherwise go off task is to allow students to work in groups, and to that extent, giving students within the group rotating jobs (timekeeper, questioner, etc.). Doing so allows students to collaborate and progress when they would otherwise hit a brick wall in their thinking, and students who would otherwise go off task are kept on task by their peers. There are other ways to improve engagement such as gamifying a task or set of problems, or providing students with very open-ended questions (although this specifically requires set-up for comfort in that open-endedness). Additionally, it helps immensely to create a positive and playful environment, even if it may seem a little out of your box to do so, minimizing the tension by personally cutting through it by being silly can give students the confidence to engage when they might have just given up out of fear of being wrong.

25 Surefire Student Engagement Strategies To Boost Learning: https://www.weareteachers.com/student-engagement-strategies/Links to an external site.

10 Playful Tricks To Engage High School Students: https://www.weareteachers.com/tricks-to-engage-high-school-students/Links to an external site.

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I have always thought that establishing routines was important in the classroom. It makes the classroom more organized and prepared for the day. For example, the routine my CT has with my students is having them grab a book as they immediately enter the classroom, and they will do 10 minutes of silent reading. I also got this thought from another article I read from Edutopia. It was called "60-Second Strategy: Attendance Question". It was so much fun to watch because the students will get the choices of 9 different pictures in the beginning of every class, and the students will take a few minutes to decide which one they are feeling like. The teacher will then call on names to answer, and that is how she takes attendance. She says this is a great way to take attendance, and it is a great way to see how her students are doing in the day. Once her students got used to her routine, they started to explain why they felt like that face today. I think I might incorporate that into my classroom.

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Transforming a mundane task like roll call into a chance to connect and share a moment with students makes the start of class more joyful.

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My focus is on Engagement.

1. Real-life connections and examples

2. Add daily starters : One of the best student engagement strategies to start a math class is daily starters/warmers.

I am currently using a quick "Rough draft math" question with a lot of colorful pictures to start a topic.

I would also encourage students to get a class appropriate joke or a riddle on the current/relavant math topic.

I have found success with games like bingo and quizziz too.

I would like to try some brain-teasers too, to prepare students for math challenges with a quick mental workout that wakes up their prior knowledge and prepares them for the material to come.

https://www.weareteachers.com/student-engagement-strategies/#math

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Routines are essential in a classroom because they help create a structured environment that creates focus and efficiency. My CT demonstrated this to me by ensuring that all students can quickly get into their role call lines, no matter where they are on campus. This allows him to gather students and get them seated and ready for instruction in a timely manner. However, this system took lots of practice. During the first two weeks, he dedicated time each day to have the students practice getting into their lines. Establishing and practicing routines is key to creating a productive learning environment, as highlighted in the articles I’ve provided: one discussing the importance of practicing routines and another offering 38 classroom routines to try.

Practicing Routines: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finleyLinks to an external site.

38 classroom routines to try: https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-procedures-save-sanity/Links to an external site.

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My focus is transitions. Edutopia discusses the "Silent 30" technique that requires students to clear their desks and sit silently for 30 seconds. After 30 successful transitions, the class receives a reward. This sets expectations and routine and allows for quick and silent transitions between tasks.

I would modify this to "Silent 30" for any transition, including moving from paper to technology, getting out a book, or getting their journals out for a quick write.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley

Rehearse transitions: Most disruptions occur before the bell rings and between activities. “Silent 30” was my signal for all students to clear their desks and sit silently within half a minute. A class reward occurred after 30 transitions were completed successfully. My kids loved how visitors witnessing the routine would drop their jaws in surprise

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Chaos to Calm: Classroom Transition Strategies

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Chaos to Calm: Classroom Transition Strategies

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Transitions are moves a teacher makes to signal the start of class or a new activity. This resource provides multiple options for transitions. One point the author makes is "best transitions act as hooks, connecting one idea to another."

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Chaos to Calm: Classroom Transition Strategies

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Here are 7 proven strategies for teachers to transition from high energy to more focused learning activities.

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My focus for classroom management were routines. I think routines are something my CT does really well! The students know right away that on block days (Wednesdays and Thursdays), they will need to take their Chromebooks out and do 10 minutes of Delta Math Fact Practices no matter what. They also know that every day when they come in, they need to put their phones in the calculator caddy and sit in their assigned seats. These are all routines created by my CT. I believe routines are very useful for classroom management as it allows students to have some sort of concrete occurrence in their daily lives. We never know what goes on in students' lives, so having at least one period where the environment is safe and the schedule is constant may be beneficial.

One article talks about creating routines in both the beginning and end of class: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/6-opening-and-closing-routines-new-teachers-rebecca-alber

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Strategies to Promote Community Building and A Sense of Belonging

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Strategies to Promote Community Building and A Sense of Belonging

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This article outlines 12 strategies teachers can use in the classroom to promote a sense of community and belonging. While this article states that its intended audience is for elementary and middle school, these strategies can also be applied to high school. It outlines critical actions teachers can take to promote belonging by ensuring classrooms are welcoming.

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We often talk about the importance of community building in the classroom at the beginning of the school year. You may play "get to know you" games, assign "all about me" activities, or play show-and-tell to learn more about your students and build your community. But community-building activities are not only crucial at the beginning of the school year-they're really important all year long. Community building is critical to supporting a sense of belonging, which is shown to increase academic performance and decrease the risk of loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

Here are 10 ways you can foster belonging and build classroom community year-round.

1. Collaboratively develop classroom rules and community guidelines at the beginning of the school year.

No matter what grade level we teach, we can empower our students to have voice and agency in their classroom community. At the beginning of the school year, gather together and collaboratively create expectations for the class around how students will treat one another (e.g., listening, being kind, no bullying). Remember that the rules should be more about how we expect students to behave toward one another within the class vs. getting work done and being on time. Creating community rules as a whole class communicates that each individual student's input is valued. You can return to these throughout the year and revise them or add to them as a community.

2. Incorporate "get to know you" and community-building activities throughout the school year.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is classroom community. In order to create a sense of belonging, you have to dedicate time to that throughout the year. Students' likes, dislikes, and interests are constantly changing so it's important to continue "get to know you" activities throughout the year so that we can learn and relearn all the amazing things about the individuals in our classroom community. "Get to know you" activities should include sharing with one another as well as reflection that allows children to feel proud of who they are and their importance in the class.

3. Greet each student every day.

Never underestimate the power of a "Good morning. How are you?" These individual hellos can make a huge difference to students, particularly those who may not feel seen or important in spaces at school, at home, or in the community. Greeting students individually can also open up the opportunity for dialogue if a student is in need of more support. KMHF's classroom conversation starters can help you get students sharing more about themselves.

Setting aside time to work and/or engage with students one-on-one helps foster a sense of belonging. Fostering positive interactions and attention for students from diverse backgrounds is crucial to supporting students' sense of belonging.

4. Regularly build in time each week for socialization.

Equally important to teachers building relationships with students is students building connections with one another. With social times such as play-based programs and recess being reduced or eliminated in many schools, it's important that we find ways to build in time for students to connect with their peers over shared interests and get to know one another outside the context of classwork.

5. Talk openly about "belonging uncertainty."

Belonging uncertainty is the feeling of being an outsider, and most people will have that feeling from time to time. Children who regularly feel belonging uncertainty can experience negative effects like poor academic performance. You can help students overcome their doubts about fitting in by talking openly about feelings of loneliness and uncertainty. Have students reflect on times when they've felt like they do belong. You can also encourage students to participate in activities where they have a sense of belonging.

6. Make time to discuss community concerns.

All communities face conflict, and classrooms are no exception. It's important to set aside time to discuss community concerns and behavior, such as bullying or microaggressions, that impact the safety and security that is necessary for community and a sense of belonging. These conversations can be guided by the community rules as well as students' experiences of feeling excluded.

7. Let student interests guide your planning.

Belonging is bolstered when students feel that their interests are seen and valued. Find ways to incorporate all student interests, not just the most popular ones/trends, into learning. This could include having book report options with a wide variety of genres, science fairs incorporating student interests, or open days to teach one another about hobbies.

8. Celebrate diverse backgrounds and experiences.

While we often highlight diversity months (Black History Month, Disability Pride Month) and holidays, we really need to be celebrating diverse background experiences year-round. Our students (as well as ourselves) hold intersectional identities that impact the way they experience the world every day. Celebrating these diverse experiences, including family traditions, hobbies, and cultural or religious practices, validates the importance of each unique experience in the classroom community.

9. Explicitly teach feelings and emotions.

Helping students identify feelings and emotions can help them advocate for themselves in places they feel that they don't belong. For instance, if a student feels excluded at recess and identifies that feeling excluded makes them feel sad, they can voice these feelings to their peers. Peers who understand feelings and emotions can then connect to others through empathy, learning how to include those who feel excluded. The Kids Mental Health Foundation mental health curriculum for teachers can guide you in teaching feelings and emotions in a developmentally appropriate manner.

10. Collaborate with community partners that reflect student backgrounds and experiences.

As our student community grows more and more diverse, the teaching field continues to be predominantly white and female. Thus, our students may not see themselves reflected in the adults in the school community. Collaborating with community partners can provide students with adult mentors who reflect their own lived experiences, bolstering their sense of belonging.

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Classroom Community: 10 Ways To Build a Sense of Belonging

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Read our tips for building classroom community, from collaboratively developing rules to explicitly teaching feelings and emotions.

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My focus was Defiance:

Being a teacher means that there will always be some kind of defiance during class time. According to Todd the author of the article called, “19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies”, he shared different strategies and within these strategies there is one that I think we as teachers can use when we have a defiance situation.  This strategy is called, “Anticipate problems and be creative.” One example of this strategy is asking questions to students related to class-content or just a dumb question for students to avoid creating a tense environment. Another way that the teacher can also approach this situation is asking the students what they would do if they were the teachers and had it to make a decision. Another strategy is “State the truth when things go wrong” . This means that it is okay to share with students how we feel, by saying, “that makes me sad and frustrated” and be open with them about sharing how we feel and how we as a class can improve in a positive way our learning environment collectively. There are many different ways we can approach defiance, but it depends on the class and their expectations.

Practicing Routines:EDUTOPIA: Classroom Management StrategiesLinks to an external site.

WE ARE TEACHERS: What makes for good classroom rules?Links to an external site.

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As the end of the year is approaching, some of us may be getting some students who are showing defiance. This can look like all sorts of things but in general, defiance is when a student will answer to your request with a no. For example, if I ask a student to put his phone away and he replies with no. This is something I am currently struggling with in my own classroom with 1 student. This article (listed below) has given a suggestion as to how to handle this situation. They say that teachers should respond by allowing them to continue their behavior and talk to them privately later while the rest of the class is working on something.

I HAVE TRIED THIS. But now what? I talked to my student for about 20 minutes while he told me all the reasons he doesn't like school, why he isn't here sometimes, and why he wants to go to online school. I am grateful that he trusted me with all of these things he has been going through/feeling but I don't know what to do next. I actually agree with him that online school is a great option for him and him and his counselor are in the middle of discussing this transition but what do I do in the meantime? Maybe I will have another talk with him to see how I can best help him in the meantime. Maybe he can sit at my desk and do something else there? I am not completely sure!

https://www.weareteachers.com/end-of-year-behavior-issues/Links to an external site.

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An effective classroom management strategy based on building community focuses on creating a sense of belongingness and respect among the students. Cooperative activities such as morning meetings, team-building exercises, and peer mentoring can be used by teachers to establish a positive classroom environment. Having clear expectations and encouraging open communication makes the students feel heard and valued. When students experience themselves as being part of a supportive community of learners, they are more likely to connect positively, own themselves, and build a respectful and inclusive culture.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/category/classroom-management-craft/Links to an external site.

https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-management-techniquesLinks to an external site.

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Using routines in the classroom is a great way to manage a classroom. A classroom without routines is asking for chaos. It is important for teachers to implement classroom routines and expectations at the beginning of the year, so students will know what to do and when to do it. It is a good idea to have some general rules that can be applied to all classroom activities. This way there is not as much your students need to learn as far as routines, and it is easier for then to transfer the same skills and techniques and apply them to other activities. When students know the procedures and are aware of what they are to be doing, it is easier for the teacher to send the students off to work independently while the teacher monitors and assists students. Well establish routines leads to positive learning.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/establish-classroom-routines-productive-learning/Links to an external site.

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My Community building strategy is building in time each week for socialization. In my CP, I think that many of my students feel somewhat isolated in classes. I believe this to be related to how many of my students are new to high school (coming from home schooling) or new to this school. Many students this year transfered to this school (a charter). Other than students who know others through extracurriculars (primarily sports) many of my students may not know any of their peers outside the classroom. Giving students time to interact outside of the content can help give students a chance to form connections, which will benefit them when interacting with students collaboratively.

https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-community/Links to an external site.

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My focus is on other management strategies, one such strategy I would like to incorporate in my own classroom would be more low stakes interventions. These interventions would be smaller things that can go a long way in setting expectations for the classroom and for my students. One way I really want to improve my own communication with my students is directly stating my concerns with them and verbally announcing our classroom management goals. Announcing our classroom goals is a great way of establishing routines in the classroom which would provide additional structure to our classroom environment. I notice that my own teaching can incorporate more class intervention strategies to ensure that my students remain on task and are able to get their work done.

19 Big and Small Classroom Management StrategiesLinks to an external site.

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Routines-

After reading Edutopia( https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley), my classroom strategies would be to rehearse transitions until they are routine. By having establishing set routines and being consistent provides structure for the classroom and helps with transitions. One aspect you should consider is using the transitions to use at the start of class, during  and at the end. “ Rehearse transitions: Most disruptions occur before the bell rings and between activities. “Silent 30” was my signal for all students to clear their desks and sit silently within half a minute. A class reward occurred after 30 transitions were completed successfully.” From the reading, they used the example of when to use transitions and how establishing a routines is rewarded after completing the norm. Being consistent with routines creates structure, structure creates community.

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My focus is on practicing transitions in the classroom. The Edutopia article, "19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies" briefly mentions the importance of having transitions. It mentions how most disruptions occur either before the bell rings or between learning activities - a brief window where chaos takes over with no strict guidelines on what to do. The author, Todd Finley, mentions how he practices the "Silent 30", where the students take up 30 seconds within the last minute of class to silently pack up and clear their desks. Additionally, he mentions how rewarding the experience was for the students - highlighting moments where visitors would commend the students for upholding these good habits.

The successful implementation of classroom transitions depends on the circumstances of the learning environment. Every class roster is unique and while Finley found success in this strategy for his class, other classes may have trouble maintaining consistency with this practice. After practicing this management strategy for weeks and weeks, some students may resist by packing up earlier than the expected time or speaking during the silent period. Larger classrooms may also pose a challenge to this management strategy due to the sheer amount of students to keep track of. In classroom settings composed of over 30 students, there will be some students that will take the time to engage with the friends around them. Practicing transitional management strategies may find more success if they are introduced at the start of the school year - when the classroom culture is first getting established. If implemented at an earlier period, the students will grow accustomed to the expectations over time and this routine practice will become second nature.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finleyLinks to an external site.

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I focused on an engagement strategy called choice boards, which is basically a menu of different activities students can pick from to show what they’ve learned. It gives students more control and makes learning feel more fun and personal. I liked this strategy because it lets everyone work in a way that fits them best, such as making a video, writing, drawing, or building something. For example, in English after reading a novel, students could choose to write an alternate ending, design a playlist that fits the main character’s journey, create a comic strip of an important scene, or film a short skit. Letting students choose how they want to respond to what they read makes them more motivated and focused. It also helps cut down on boredom and off-task behavior because they’re actually interested in what they’re doing.

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Classroom Management Strategies

For my management strategy, I focused on transitions. Transition strategies are essential for all classrooms, and I am working on them in my own classroom. I read an article from Edutopia called Mastering Classroom Transitions focused on a 5 step methodology in mastering transitions. The steps are 1- Secure the students' attention, 2- Explain the procedure, 3- Prepare kids with a start signal, 4- Initiate the transition, 5-Observe. I liked this structure because it included the entire transition process, especially focusing on the observation part. After observing the transition, the article discussed the need for troubleshooting. This is where I am in my own classroom, constantly assessing if I gave too many or too few directions. The article also said to troubleshoot if the transition interrupted students who were absorbed in the assigned activity (did it happen too early), whether there were many students uninvolved in the transition (wasting time), and to analyze if specific students are struggling to adhere to the transition.

This article also provided a video that I had actually watched during a prerequisite class for this program. The video demonstrates a teacher who has mastered transitions by turning them into a game and keeping track of the times students took to turn in their work. I honestly tried and failed to incorporate this into my classroom during one of my lessons where I was low on time, but I learned the importance of specific instructions to use this game effectively. I am excited to try this method again because it helps students stay focused and utilize class time more effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgk-719mTxM

Overall, I believe transitions are vital to a successful classroom, as illustrated by an anecdote at the beginning of this article. This article also provides stopwatch resources to use in the classroom. I hope to use these tools to make transitions more effective in my current and future classrooms.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/mastering-transitions-todd-finley/