Classroom Management: Engagement and Motivation by JUSTINA HERNDON

Circle Time

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 18:13:16 UTC

Circle time is a strategy that allows the teacher to read and collaborate with the whole class or smaller groups (Primary Schools, 2025). This strategy is used in K-5th grade setting. It is a great way to do the ABC's with the kindergarten class. It is a great way to do story time with any grade level of K-5th because it allows them to collaborate and see the story better. A teacher can also do Heggerty or Phonics this way also. This is a great strategy to do with students with disabilities also. The teachers and aids are able to tend to their needs much easier in this particular setting because the teachers can move around quicker to give them more one-on-one care.

Small Group Teaching

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 18:25:06 UTC

Teachers can use a strategy known as small group teaching with any grade level. It is a very important tool that helps to differentiate instruction (Gibson, 2025). So, a teacher can split a classroom of students into smaller groups based on needs and levels of curriculum. This is helpful because a teacher can tailor the lessons to what the student needs (Gibson, 2025). The students receive more one-on-one learning.

Station Rotation

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 18:37:30 UTC

Teachers can use station rotation as a strategy for any grade level. This strategy works well with small group instruction. While the teacher is teaching a small group at the back table, the other students can rotate at centers that are based on needs and standards that aline with what is being taught that week (Nelson, 2024). There can be hands-on stations that can help students with disabilities understand the content better, also. Before a teacher can do these strategies together, the children need to be taught the rules of the classroom, and how to do each station. Then, the teacher must run the stations for a day or two atleast to make sure everyone understands how to rotate every 15 minutes and where to go. They students need to understand what noise level they should be at and how to act. They must understand what their expectations are. Then, a classroom can run smoothly.

Visual Aids

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 18:52:27 UTC

When a teacher is teaching, a great strategy is using visual aids or visual tools to help all students, but especially students who are ELL. These students may not understand what the teacher is saying and needs pictures to help them understand what is being said. The visual aids can be something a teacher has drawn or something that is displayed on the white board after using multimedia to look it up (Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2023). Sometimes it is better to have the students draw their own pictures, then the students can visualize what is being taught. Students are severely disabled need visual aids to help communicate. When a teacher asks a student who is non-verbal the answer to a question, the student can use pictures that have been printed out and laminated to point to or a device that they can point to or use their eyes to focus on the selection they desire to answer the question.

Assistive Technology

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 19:05:29 UTC

Assistive technology customizes the learning experience to meet individual student needs, empowering them to overcome barriers and take greater ownership of their education. It fosters independence and builds confidence (LDRFA, 2025). This strategy can be used for all grade levels. A student with dysgraphia (difficulty with writing) in grades K-5, can use speech-to-text software to dictate their writing assignments. This removes the barrier of handwriting, allowing them to focus on their creative ideas and demonstrate their knowledge. A student in grades 6-8 might use a visual timer if they have ADHD because it will help them with time management when taking a test (LDRFA, 2025).

Digital Choice Boards

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 19:20:52 UTC

Sometimes it is hard for an educator to keep a student interested when they are learning online, no matter what the age level is. A teacher needs to lay down the rules and what platform the students need to be on (Albanese, 2025). A great strategy to use would be a choice board. This would allow the students to have choices in their learning that might help them to learn better based on their needs. For students who are in grades K-5th, a "Reading Response Choice Board" could offer options like drawing a picture of a favorite scene, recording a short video summarizing the story, or writing about a different ending. Students submit their work through the learning management system. For students in middle school (6-8th), a teacher could provide a board on a unit about ancient civilizations. Students might choose to create a virtual tour of a city using a presentation tool, design a "day in the life" social media profile for a historical figure, or write a persuasive essay defending a leader's actions. So, depending on how the student learns, they could choose what works best for them.

Make Learning Interactive and Engaging

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 19:31:44 UTC

A great strategy for teachers to use in the classroom is to make learning interactive and engaging. This strategy is for all grades K-8th. This strategy is needed in the traditional classroom and online. Students need to be able to collaborate amongst eachother when they are learning about a new topic (Albanese, 2025).

In a traditional classroom with grades K-5, a teacher can put students in groups of four or five and have them discuss the vocabulary words that are given to them on picture cards before the teacher pulls a stick with a student's name on it to ask them what the vocabulary word means. In a 6-8 grade class, the teacher might have them team up with someone and do a similar sinario. This helps the students share their thoughts and ideas with their peers and this helps to build relationships and confidence.

In a digital classroom, this can still be done on a discussion board. When students collaborate, they learn more from their peers sometimes than from their instructors.

Gamified Quizzes

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 19:39:27 UTC

Teachers love strategies that not only help the students learn, but the students just love them. One of them is playing Kahoot! The students can do this as a whole group in the classroom once the teacher sets it up on the computer and gives the students the access code. The students are asked questions based on standards that are being taught or on a story they just read, etc. The top 3 students who answer the most questions correctly and fastest wins. It really gets the students interested and if they know the teacher is going to do this on a daily or weekly basis, it might encourage them to listen and pay attention better when being taught the information.

Learning Game

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 19:44:43 UTC

A great strategy for teachers to use on a digital platform is called Prodigy. It is a learning platform designed for grades 1-8. When students first begin playing, the game assesses their skill level to create a personalized learning path. As they progress, the algorithm adjusts the difficulty of the math questions in real-time, ensuring they are challenged but not overwhelmed. Prodigy's content aligns with state-level curriculum standards, including Common Core. This ensures that the skills students practice in the game are relevant to what they are learning in school.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

jherndon11 — 2025-09-07 19:57:13 UTC

Asking open-ended questions is a great strategy for grades K-8. Open-ended questions push students beyond simple factual recall and into higher-order thinking, encouraging them to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. By challenging students to consider multiple perspectives and find their own solutions, open-ended questions foster independent thought (Successbydesignplanners, 2025). This helps to promote critical and creative thinking. Another thing it does is it helps to promote engagement and participation. When there is no single right answer, students feel less pressure to conform and more comfortable sharing their perspectives. The absence of judgment creates a safe space for exploration and risk-taking, which boosts self-confidence and encourages broader participation, especially from quieter students. This is a great strategy to do as a whole group or in smaller groups.