Management Strategies:
- Instrumental: have some sort of instrument. Use it to make sound when you want students to stop discussions and listen to you
- Clapping: The classic elementary school strategy that has been around for years. Clap a pattern and the students recite it back to signal that they need to listen
- Calling out the students who are doing their job: “I see _____ is doing what I asked them to do”. This keeps the energy in the room positive, rather than calling out someone who is not doing what they are suppose to be doing.
- “If you can hear my voice put your hands on your head”: gets the students to stop using what is in their hands.
- “One two three eyes on me” and students repeat back “One two, eyes on you”.
- Have a timer in the classroom. I use the timer in my pre-intern class every time I teach.
- Turtle mode: students sit with their arms crossed and head down
- The 80/20 rule: 80% work time, 20% social time with peers
- “Mac and cheese, everyone freeze”: students freeze in the stance that they are in
- “Andy’s coming!”: Toy Story quote, sit quietly at your desk and pretend as if they were not doing anything
- “First/then” strategy: “First you do this, then you get to do that” is a good strategy to use for students who need motivating
- Playing soft music while students are working
- Hallway song: “my hands are by my side, I’m standing straight and tall, I will not talk at all, I’m ready for the hall”
Incentives for whole class, individual, & small groups:
- Draw 5 smiley faces on the board. Erase one when class is being disruptive, add a smiley face when they are keeping the noise level down
- Place a hundred’s chart on the wall. When the students as a whole class impress the teacher, they get a number (or multiple) shaded in. Once the class gets all 100 squares shaded in, they get a class prize of teachers choice.
- Each student has their own sticker chart. When the teacher sees that student is showing good behaviour (staying on task, helping another classmate out, etc) they get to go add a sticker to their chart. Once they fill in their own chart, that student gets a prize from the prize bin.
- Small group incentive: This works well if you have set Daily 5 groups. Small groups that show good transitions, stay on task, and keep to a respectful noise level can earn their group points. At the end of each week, the group with the most points gets a prize of teachers choice.
- Desk rows: Students are in groups based on their rows. If their row stays clean, all students have their shoes on, etc, their group gets points. They may also lose points if they are being disruptive or not doing something they have been asked to do
- Agendas: If student comes back with their agenda signed 10-12 times in a month (depending how many school days there are in that month), they can pick a prize from prize bin. If everyone in the class brings back their agendas signed all on the same day, they get a class prize
I believe having incentives in your classroom has many benefits all around. In my pre-internship class, my co-op teacher has incentives for the students individually, as small groups, and as a whole class. I love the idea of implementing all three that as it helps students build those skills of independency but also building teamwork skills.