Helpful tips:

• At the beginning of the day, consider playing classical music to set a calm, relaxing mood in your classroom. This will help to focus students’ attention and counterbalance the stressful atmosphere that is often present during the first hour of the school day.
• Set a specific time limit for individual student preparation at the beginning of the day or the start of a class. For example, give students 5 or 10 minutes to unpack, copy down assignments for the day, or get homework assignments out of their backpacks. This time will also give teachers the opportunity to do some last-minute organization and preparation for the class.
• Try starting the day off with a “Clean Joke of the Day!” Whether students laugh or groan at the joke, this is a great technique getting the class in a positive mood for the beginning of the day.
• For younger grades, consider giving each student a ticket on a key chain. As they complete assignments, do well on exams, and exhibit good behavior, punch a hole in their ticket. At the end of the term or semester, hold a class store where students can use the punch holes as currency to buy games, crafts, or other fun things.
• If you often create groups for class activities, consider writing down each students’ names on a popsicle stick. When it comes time to choose groups, you can have group “captains” pick the groups before class begins or you can randomly assemble groups by choosing popsicle sticks out of a box.
• Develop a standardized method of collecting and distributing papers. You can try in and out boxes with a designated student handing out and collecting papers throughout the class. Also, instead of handing out corrected class work every day, put each student’s corrected work into a file which they can review at the end of the week.
• Do you find yourself losing class time in order to give absent students the work they missed? Try putting all work from missed classes in a binder or folder located at a specific spot in the classroom. The absent student can independently obtain his work as soon as he returns.
• Generate enthusiasm for the topic you are studying by creating a special news and information board for that subject. Reward students who bring in extra information regarding the subject. This method will also give students the opportunity to research classroom topics independently.
• The transition between class activities can be difficult for both students and teachers. Try using a symbol, song, or gesture to signal that a new part of the class is beginning.
• Always keep a folder of assignments which reinforce or provide a challenging version of the days’ lesson. Students who finish class work early can complete these assignments and obtain a reward for doing so.

Book Recommendations:

• The Essential 55: An Award-winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child by Ron Clark
• Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains by LouAnne Johnson
• Motivating Students Who Don’t Care: Successful Techniques for Educators by Allen Mendler
• Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher by Robert J. Marzano
• What Great Teachers Do Differently: Fourteen Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker

 Links

• http://www.massteacher.org/
• http://atozteacherstuff.com/Tips/index.shtml
• http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement
• http://www.teachervision.fen.com/classroom-management/resource
• http://www.proteacher.com/030000.shtml
• http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/classman.html
• http://teachers.net/