#LeadershipBlogger: 7 Reasons Why After School Activities Are Important For Children By, Asha Doris Head of School, Ekya BTM Layout

“The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines.” ~ Harry Wong

Very true! These words perfectly echo the truth and reality of all educators and classrooms across the world.  Effective management is all about setting up expectations well in advance and letting the students know the consequences of breaking the guidelines. As educators, creating child-centric lesson plans - the most important, engaging, enriching, and inclusive learning environment-  is vital,  but failure to manage a classroom effectively depicts the wasted time and energy which has been invested in creating those lesson plans.

Simple it might sound, but classroom management constantly involves utilizing and implementing constructive strategies to create an environment of amicable teaching and learning. You can create the lesson plan to end all lesson plans — the most individualized, engaging, and differentiated activities with opportunities for collaboration and hands-on learning — but if you are unable to manage the classroom effectively, your plans only turn out to be futile.

Classroom management might sound simple, but it becomes more effective when it involves utilizing several strategies and boundaries to create an environment where students can learn in an organized manner. Teachers manage their classrooms with words, signals, symbols, cues, and nonverbal communication. They understand that every student's behavior (positive or negative) represents a communication or need, be it attention, validation, or assistance that they are seeking out from the teacher or peers.

Few strategies which can be implemented  and I personally use, to ensure that the classroom environment is cohesive, collaborative, inclusive, independent, and manageable are

• Entry Routine is a technique in which teachers establish a consistent, daily routine that begins as soon as students enter the classroom to ensure order and manage time. This technique can avoid the disorder before the beginning of a class.

• Do Now is a brief written activity that students are given as soon as they arrive in the classroom. Dictation of a few words, searching for given words in the textbook, giving the full forms of acronyms, etc., work well before the beginning of the class.

• Task Transitions is a technique in which teachers establish transition routines that students learn and can execute quickly and repeatedly without much direction from a teacher. For example, a teacher might say “reading time,” and ask students to read a few lines quietly.

• Signal in the seat should be a technique in which students use nonverbal signs and signals to indicate that they need something,  a restroom break, or help with a problem. This technique assists in appropriate communication and helps to minimize disruptions during class.

• Rhyme after me is a method where the teacher uses phrases to draw the attention of students when they can be noisy while doing peer work. For example, the teacher can say “LIS”... and the students complete the phrase  ..“TEN”. Another example is “Macaroni and Cheese….Everybody Freeze”, “ Hocus Pocus… everybody focus”.

• B + Positive is the act of publicly recognizing and praising students who have done something good, such as answering a difficult question or helping a peer. The technique is intended to establish a culture where working in groups becomes easy in which accomplishments and positive actions can be rewarded.

• Nonverbal communication is when teachers establish eye contact or make simple gestures that let students know they are off-task, not paying attention, or misbehaving. The technique helps teachers efficiently and silently manage student behavior without disturbing them while a lesson is being taught.

• Do It Again is used when students do not perform a basic task correctly, and the teacher asks them to do it again the correct way. This can work especially for spellings in English and formulas in Mathematics. This technique reinforces the fact that consistent expectations that quality work is appreciated.

Most of all, educators should always make a habit of demonstrating behavior that they expect from students.  Maintaining eye contact, using respectful language, being empathetic, showing concern, and ensuring that the student is valued can create an atmosphere of an efficient classroom routine and culture.

Effective and sustainable classroom management isn't simply about keeping everyone silent and organized.   It's about building strong relationships with students, encouraging them to take part in their learning, and sharing a little of yourself. A classroom culture that is flexible yet firm for students, will always reap benefits.

 Virginia Isaac, 

Senior School Teacher,

Ekya School, Byrathi