Dos and Don'ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips

The Dos and Don'ts of
Classroom Management: Your
25 Best Tips
from the Edutopia Community

Introduction
Whether you’re a new or experienced teacher, strategies for effective
classroom management are vital to keeping your class running smoothly and
creating a positive learning environment. In this guide you’ll find the 25 best
tips for classroom management contributed by the educators of Edutopia’s
community. Join us at edutopia.org/community.

Be Picky
Tip: Pick your rules wisely. More rules doesn’t always equate to
better behavior.
“An environment that is dictated by too many rules is rigid, cold and likely to
create an atmosphere of rebellion...Rules and routines are an excellent way to
communicate your behavioral expectations, but not the way to completely
‘manage’ your classroom.”
—Dr. Tracey Garrett, Professor of Teacher Education, NJ
Rules & Behavior

Tip: Avoid confronting misbehaving students in front of their
classmates.
“Whenever I had confrontations in front of their peers, it often escalated....I
began to ask the student to step out of the classroom to talk to me. I usually
remained calm and reasoned, but firm in what behaviors I would and wouldn't
accept. 90% of the time, we'd return to the classroom, no one would lose face,
and the situation would be resolved.”
—Gary Latman, Retired High School English Teacher, Chicago, IL
Take it Outside Rules & Behavior

Tip: Don't waste your energy reprimanding every small
misbehavior.
“Pick your battles when it comes to student behavior issues...we waste
precious energy and create more distraction when we jump on every single
thing students do. Decide what your bottom line issues are...then be prepared
to enforce them consistently every day of the year.”
—Renee/TeachMoore, English Teacher, MS
Rules & Behavior
Choose Your Battles Rules & Behavior

Tip: Keep calm and carry on.
“When every other element is out of your control, you can still manage your
reaction.”
—Instructional Specialist, AutismClassroom.com
“Try not to yell. Once you yell, they have won. I get a much better response
from students when I simply count backwards or just look at them.”
—Margie, 3rd Grade Teacher, Rochester, NY
Stay Cool Rules & Behavior

Tip: Always have a plan in mind for handling misbehavior.
“Always having a plan. From small to large infractions, being consistent with
your plan is imperative. The students will always want to test you, but if your
reaction is always the same, the game is over quickly.”
—Jo Ann Brass
Rules & Behavior
Plan Ahead Rules & Behavior

Connect & Reconnect
Tip: Greet your students at the door.
“Greet every child at the door first thing in the morning or at the beginning of
class to help reconnect and set the tone for your day or class."
—Janofmi, MEA National Board Candidate Support Provider, MI
Building Relationships

Tip: Try to look at things from your students’ perspective and be
empathetic.
“I strongly, firmly believe that if teachers do not wear our students' shoes when
necessary, we are not doing our job well. This is especially true when dealing
with teenagers...we have to be extremely careful about what we say and how
we say what we need to.”
—Roselink, ESL Teacher, Madrid, Spain
Wear Their Shoes Building Relationships

Tip: Build rapport with your students and show them you care.
“Spend time participating in their extracurricular activities, attend sporting
events, concerts, etc. to support them. [This] has definitely paid off because if I
need to have a talk with a student in terms of their academics or behavior, I am
able to accomplish so much more because I have developed a trusting and
honest relationship with them.”
—Emily
Get to Know Them Building Relationships

Tip: Confront issues head-on to find a solution.
“I noticed that students that are difficult are usually masking something else. I
find out what it is by ‘Slaying the dragon.’ I try to become a friend to the
student. I go to their games. Talk to them at lunch etc. I notice how they react
to the learning process. If a child has difficulty reading or math we privately
work on those issues before or after school.”
—Tanya Shank
Slay the Dragon Building Relationships

Tip: Don’t take it personally when a student lashes out. Treat
each day as an opportunity to start fresh.
“I started my teaching career in an alternative school in a rough part of town.
My mentor told me "Don't take it personally. The students want you to hurt as
much as they are hurting." I have never forgotten that and each day, the slate is
wiped clean and I harbor no grudges towards my students.”
—Lisa Brown
No Hard Feelings Building Relationships

At-Home Connections
Tip: Don’t be afraid to reach out to parents.
“They really are our allies. For every two phone calls that you have to make
about a problem that you are dealing with in class, make one positive one to a
parent just to say something nice about their child.”
—Elizabeth Ramos, High School Teacher, Chatsworth, CA
Communication

Tip: Ask students questions to help make them feel comfortable.
“...be friendly with students and make them comfortable. Communication is
really very important to make them feel free with you. Engage them through
discussions and asking them several questions, as this will boost up their
confidence and interest level.”
—Jessica, Math Teacher & Tutor at 1to1tutor.org
Curious Q’s Communication

Tip: Make your expectations clear from the get-go.
“Take the time to teach expectations, and reteach them as needed. This may
feel like you are wasting time that could be spent on curriculum, but when you
add up the time it would take to do a menial task throughout your semester or
year, you are actually adding time spent on instruction.”
—Carey Rebecca, High School A.P English Teacher
Great Expectations Expectations

Tip: Embrace the “Golden Rule” in your class(es).
“I only have one rule: Treat me with the same respect and dignity that you want
me to treat you. I always remind them when something is not right: How would
you like it if I did that to you? This diffuses so many situations and the other
children also look to the offender and ask the same question.”
—Lorraine
Mutual Respect Expectations

Tip: Be consistent in expectations and discipline.
“Consistent execution of the rules helps to maintain the respect fostered in the
classroom. Once these rules are in place, I feel the most vital piece of
classroom management is developing relationships of trust and equality. If this
is the ultimate goal of a student-teacher relationship, real learning can take
place.”
—Jennifer Hendren
Consistency is Key Expectations

Tip: Learn to manage transitions smoothly to limit disruption.
“...learn how to manage transitions! Moving from the restroom back to the
classroom, from a group discussion to independent work time, from reading to
math...Each transition has to be broken down into steps and explicitly taught
and monitored.”
—Tom Stacho, Trainer/Consultant at BehaviorInSchools.com
Transitions Class Instruction

Tip: Don’t get stuck in a singular mode of teaching.
“Frequently vary the delivery of your instruction. Often times we as teachers get
caught up in doing things one way. We are as much creatures of habit as
anyone. When things become boring and too predictable, discipline problems
are undoubtedly going to become an issue.”
—Joseph D
Switch It Up Class Instruction

Tip: Get students engaged and involved in the lesson to prevent
disruptions.
“If you have an engaging lesson, students are less likely to misbehave...There
were times when my lessons were more listening to me talk, and other times
when my lessons were full-blown hands-on. There were much fewer issues
with student behavior when the students were so engaged!”
—Simon
Keep ’em Busy Class Instruction

Tip: Tighten up time management and stay organized.
“...a lot of misbehavior in my class was the result of me neglecting key aspects
of classroom management such as organization and time management. Once I
tightened things up in those areas, teaching and learning time increased
dramatically. And best of all, classroom culture improved too.”
—David Ginsburg, Instructional & Leadership Coach, Philadelphia, PA
Tighten It Up Class Instruction

Tip: Be transparent in your objectives.
“To catch student attention, motivate them, and keep them focused the best
practice is transparency! What are we learning today? Why are we learning
that? What will we be able to do at the end of the lesson? How it will help you
to improve?”
—Clemence Rincé-Bonsergent, 6-12 French Teacher, Telangana, India
Crystal Clear Class Instruction

Tip: Incentivize students to work together using rewards.
“...we quietly observe throughout the day adding & removing tally marks on the
whiteboard for behavior by tables. The table with the most tally marks at the
end of the week wins a prize.
We take away tally marks from tables when they are too chatty or acting
inappropriately. This helps a group effort and lets the students work as a team
for positive behavior. They are accountable to each other, too.”
—Kimberly R, 1st Grade Teacher, GA
Team Effort Collaboration

Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask others for help!
“...the biggest mistake [she] saw teachers make was not asking for help, or
asking questions. They would struggle alone, not wanting to look like they didn't
know what they were doing...You can't figure it out alone, and you need to find
mentors and peers to help you along the way.”
—Alice Mercer, Elementary Computer Lab Teacher, Sacramento, CA
Lean on Me Collaboration

Tip: Leave your baggage at the door.
“I believe 100% that the teacher’s attitude rubs off on their students each day. If
you come into the classroom in the morning crabby...your students are going to
pick up on it right away. As an educator, if we show our students we don't want
to be at school, then they lose interest a lot faster than they would on a day that
we are excited and happy about being there.”
—Lindsay, 1st Grade Teacher
Mood is Contagious Attitude

Show That You Care
Tip: Show your students that you care about their success.
“[This] has stuck with me for years: ‘They need to know that you care before
they care what you know.’ Building a positive connection with kids and taking
responsibility for how we choose to act in the classroom (bored, tired, engaged,
excited, etc.) goes a long way in determining how successful (and enjoyable)
the experience is.”
—Bob Sullo, Author & Educational Consultant, Sandwich, MA
Attitude

Additional Resources
More tips from Edutopia:
● Download Edutopia’s classroom guide: “Ten Tips for Classroom Management” (also available in
Spanish)
● Edutopia’s Student Engagement Resource Roundup includes articles, videos, links, and other
resources that offer strategies and advice for keeping students engaged in learning.
● Rebecca Alber’s Five Quick Classroom Management Tips for Novice Teachers
● Check out Edutopia Pinterest page for Classroom Management Tips Board

Special thanks go to the educators
who contributed to this guide.
For more classroom-management tips and tactics, visit edutopia.org.

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Dos and Don'ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips