Develop a Management Style  that Embodies Consistency, Respect and Caring
Linda Kasarjian

"Developing your classroom management style is a process.  It can take years.  You cannot expect to have it on the first day of school.  Management styles can be very different yet all be very effective. My advice is to observe other teachers and adopt what you think will work best for you.  For me, it's an exciting mystery or puzzle when I experiment to see what will work with each new class."  

• Develop Routines - Let the children know what you expect of them

Begin the school year letting the children know exactly what is expected of them.  This requires painstaking training in routines. Introduce each routine and spend however long it takes to get it right. 

• Practice and Model Routines

Routines are practiced, modeled and role played until they are down pat.  As a result, students fall right into them and can get down to work without much delay. This will set the tone for what the teacher expects throughout the year.

• Taking Ownership - Developing Critical Thinking

Consistency, clear expectations and routines are the greatest source of comfort for children.  Construct rules and procedures together. When the students take ownership for some of the routines, they are more likely to respond quickly and stick to them with fewer reminders.  [and that requires me to have a framework and goals set beforehand]

For example ...(in a lower grade classroom)

Line spots, desk spots, and rug spots can be chosen by the children.  The criteria for choosing these spots are: who would you work best with, who is better to play in the yard with, but not to sit next to during work time? 

This process requires the children to reflect on how well they know themselves.  It is a challenge for many, but that is the point.  This will allow the teacher to run a classroom full of routine and order at the same have the ability to  constantly ask children to look towards themselves to make decisions and to help one another.  The goal is to develop responsible children who can think critically for themselves.

• Examples of Routines for the Early Grades

Using Signs and Symbols to Communicate Needs

Morning Routine

Class Assistants