An Effective Approach to Classroom Management

October 4, 2022

Classroom management is a perpetual concern for teachers at all grade levels. The Character Effect™ can help improve classroom behaviors and help teachers with classroom management.

Be Intentional

Being intentional about your classroom management can help structure your day and improve classroom behavior. How can you be intentional? Start by establishing your classroom norms early in the year. This helps establish a contract with your students and lets them know your expectations. Begin each class with a quick check-in. This establishes a routine and reinforces your expectations for acceptable classroom behavior. It is important to stay on task throughout the day. Behavior challenges can occur when students feel stressed by a specific task. Setting intentions and writing them down can facilitate success. This helps the students visualize themselves successfully completing the activities.

“Fifth-grade students at Miles performed measurably better on end-of-year testing. Student discipline improved as they incorporated their personal strengths into their behaviors in the classroom. Even first-grade students began applying the concepts of mindfulness and strengths-building in sophisticated ways in their curriculum.”

Focus On Strengths

Identifying, acknowledging, and developing your students’ strengths is a key component of The Character Effect™. Discover your students’ strengths using the Spotlight on My Strengths activity. This helps establish a baseline for your student’s strengths and allows you to actively recognize and develop their strengths. Once you have identified your students’ strengths, you can begin to “spot” them. This can be as informal as simply stating the observed strength and calling it out, or you can utilize strength spotting cards for a more formal celebration. Acknowledging your students’ strengths regularly creates a positive atmosphere in your classroom, which can help with student behavior management and improve classroom outcomes. Spotting and connecting a strength to a specific behavior, a student is more likely to repeat that behavior

“We begin each day with the wheel of encouragement…the students have the opportunity to start the day on a positive note.”

“It’s very helpful to give students that vocabulary. This helps them pinpoint specific strengths they see.” Mrs. McIntire, Donovan Elementary 

Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness in the classroom can be easy and can have a profound positive effect on your classroom environment. You can start by taking a Mindful Minute daily to reset students’ attention. We have a library of Mindful Minute videos that are just a few brief moments that can have a big effect. Use mindfulness to learn to respond as opposed to react. The more you practice, the easier it is to self-regulate.

Mindfulness can also be used to reset behavior. Consider creating a designated space such as a Relaxation Station for students to re-center and calm themselves down. This can create a more positive learning environment when students understand how to use the space correctly and how opportunities to utilize to reset and calm down.

“Mindfulness practice is highly beneficial in promoting focus, self-control, stress reduction, and overall well-being.” 

When used consistently, intentional, strength-based, and mindfulness strategies can promote self-regulation and sound decision-making.