Does the following scenario sound familiar?

You are new to teaching and set on avoiding the strict teacher stereotype. You enter the classroom with a laid-back approach, recalling your experiences with strict teachers, striving to be seen as "cool" instead. Despite warnings to establish clear rules and consequences from the beginning, you think, “Nah, if I’m cool, they’ll respect me.” However, as you attempt to deliver your lessons, chaos ensues. You now realize that you need to implement better rules and high expectations, but by this point, you've already created a different classroom culture, making it difficult to revert. What went wrong?

This scenario is common among well-intentioned teachers each year.

Having clear rules with established consequences, a set classroom routine, and high expectations does not mean your students will dislike you. In fact, it has the opposite effect. Students tend to respect a teacher who maintains consistency and fosters a controlled classroom environment. After all, by creating a classroom with high expectations, you are demonstrating that you believe in your students and their ability to achieve great things. This instills self-efficacy in the student. When a student believes they can accomplish a goal, they will be more engaged in the classroom. (Schunk & Mullen, 2012) When students are more engaged, they exhibit better classroom behaviors. (Wang & Eccles, 2013)

How would you feel if you decided to start attending a class to learn a new skill—karate, perhaps. You walked into the class, and the instructor tells you “Hopefully, you’ll come to class with xyz and if you do, you might break this board.” There are no rules posted. There are no rules stated. You feel a bit lost as to what is expected. There is not a consistent routine. You are so confused that you don’t think you’ll ever know how to break a board.

Now let’s say you walked into the class and the instructor immediately gives you a lengthy contract to sign stating multiple rules. The instructor says, “If you follow all of the rules detailed in this contract, do exactly as I say, you will be able to break a board at the end of this course.” There are so many rules, you can’t remember them all. These rules are not posted, but the instructor constantly expects you to remember them. There is an expected routine, but it is complicated and you can’t follow it. You are left frustrated. You know you will never be good enough to break that board.

On the other hand, imagine you walk into the room and the instructors rave, “When you attend this class prepared to do XYZ, you WILL be able to break this board!” You feel motivated by that excitement. On the wall, there is a list of simple, easy to follow rules to guide you. The instructors refer back to the rules frequently to show their importance. An easy to follow routine is in place. These instructors believe in what they are teaching and most importantly, they believe in you. You feel calm and motivated in this structured environment. You know at the end of this class, you’ll break that board.

In these three scenarios, how would your behavior be affected as a result of your current feelings? Now keep in mind, as an adult, your prefrontal cortex is more developed, thus you are better equipped to regulate your behaviors based on your emotions. Students are still learning how to manage their emotions. (Diamond, 2002) What behavior problems could arise from feeling frustrated, confused, or overstimulated? What behavior problems could arise from not having control over your own circumstances and then being put in a classroom environment where you feel frustrated, confused, or overstimulated? 

Today, effective behavior management is more important than ever. Alongside pre-existing behavior challenges, we now fact post-pandemic student behaviors, such as increases anxiety, cell phone and social media addiction, diminished motivation, and an increase in disrespect and defiance. Moreover, ongoing research in education and neuroscience has provided us with valuable insights into both effect and ineffective management practices. On this page, you will find various classroom management strategies designed to improve your classroom environment and boost student learning. 

Today, effective behavior management seems more important than ever. Alongside pre-existing behavior challenges, we now face post-pandemic student behaviors, such as cell phone and social media addiction, diminished motivation, and an increase in disrespect and defiance. Moreover, ongoing research in education and neuroscience has provided us with valuable insights into both effective and ineffective management practices. On this page, you will find various classroom management strategies designed to improve your classroom environment and boost student learning.

References

Diamond, A. (2002). Normal Development of Prefrontal Cortex from Birth to Young Adulthood: Cognitive Functions, Anatomy, and Biochemistry. In D. T. Stuss, & R. T. Knight, Principle of Frontal Lobe Function (pp. 466-503). New York: Oxford University Press.

Schunk, D. H., & Mullen, C. A. (2012). Self-Efficacy as an Engaged Learner. In S. L. Christenson, & A. L. Reschly, Handbook of Research in Student Engagement (pp. 219-235). New York: Springer.

Wang, M.-T., & Eccles, J. S. (2013, December). School context, achievement, motivation, and academic engagement: A longitudinal study of school engagement using multidimensional perspective. Learning and Instruction, 28, 12-23.