Classroom Management

Classroom management is potentially the most difficult part of being a teacher.  You have to be able to work well with the class while maintaining a level of respect from teacher to students and students to teacher.  This does not have to be a hard task as discussed in the readings.

Pinnell focused on what a teacher can do.  Teachers can learn about learning.  They can learn about how students best learn and what works for their classroom.  My favorite advice from Pinnell was to take time to build a community.  The students should feel comfortable working together and sharing ideas with one another.

In Allington's article, he discussed the stereotypes of education.  People think that students are not receiving the same education that they used to.  Allington stated, "It is time to reject the notion that only a few children can learn to read and write well."  All students can learn.  All students have the ability.  So as teachers, how can we make sure that we are working with students to best meet their needs?

The idea above includes Attention Grabbers that can be used to maintain the students' focus in the classroom.  This is a great way to build the community while still managing the classroom in an appropriate manner.

Do you have any other ideas for how to best manage the classroom?