By Jamlick Bosire:

Oct. 2015

Classroom management is the organization and arrangement of the classroom in order to enhance pupils’ learning.

Classroom management involves planning the activities, organizing how those activities will be carried out, the resources required and general arrangement of the areas in the classroom. This includes monitoring pupils progress.

• To monitor pupils’ progress• To enable the teacher to

plan various teaching activities efficiently

• To stimulate learners’ cooperation amongst themselves

• To manage time and resources efficiently and effectively for maximum learning

• To organize favorable space for pupils

• To allow access to materials and equipment to serve learning needs

• To facilitate orderly and effective learning

• To create conducive and informal environment

• To help pupils individually• To facilitate the

development of positive behavioral changes in learners

• To increase pupil participation and teacher-pupil, pupil-pupil interaction

To manage a classroom, you need to consider the following:

• Class arrangement• Organization of resources• Use of time• Records• Class control• space

Organizing classroom space is important to allow easy movement from one point to another in the classroom, and allow access to resources.

It also takes into consideration those with special needs, such as pupils using wheel chairs or callipers.

How you organize your classroom space can have a considerable effect on the pupils’ behavior.

Your primary goal should be to set up an environment which will encourage learners to do their best in class

Think about:• Where the chalkboard will be• Where you will stand when talking to all

the learners• Where your desk will be• Where pupils will sit• Traffic areas• Location of the exits• Where resource materials will be• Where the storage shelves will be and

other supplies.

When you organize your class seating arrangement you also need to consider:

• Class activities• Number of pupils in the class• Pupils’ ability to participate in class

activities• Position of doors, window and lighting• Health condition of pupils (VH, HI, PH)• Physical size of individual pupils• Safety consideration• Individual pupils discipline• Size of classroom• Type of facilities I the classroom

Advantages of having learners work in rows

1. It is easier to manage pupils2. It is easier to control pupilsDisadvantages 1.pupils’ movement is limited2.Makes the teacher the focus of the

learning, not the pupils3.Pupils at the back might not see well

what is written on the chalkboard4.Hard to change the desk arrangement5.Difficult to organize collaborative work

Advantages of organizing learners’ desks to facilitate group work

1.Discourages pupils’ dependency on the teacher

2.Flexible, as different topics can be covered at once

3.Encourage active participation of pupils4.Helps pupils in practicing social

responsibilities5.Shows learners can learn from brighter

pupils

Disadvantages of arranging your class for group work are:

1.more demands on preparation2.You may have to cope with

organizational and management problems before pupils learn

3.Most classroom are not built with group work in mind

4.Noise level might be higher

This is a place where the teacher sits when preparing the work, marking the pupils’ work etc.

It is normally placed in one of the front corners facing the pupils.

Although, it is useful to see the whole class at registration, the teacher’s desk at the front has limitations.

It suggests that all learning emanates from the teacher and not the pupils themselves.

This is a quiet place for the pupils to use when studying, or working on a project individually.

It should be in quiet area. You may set this area at one corner of the classroom, by placing a table and a few chairs, or by using a counter

This is a place where the learners’ resources are kept, for example books, pencils, pins, tools and so on.

You need to put a medium to large-sized table, or a cupboard in the resource centre

These are areas relating to a subject.

Here there will be resources and probably some display

These are soft boards fixed on the walls.

You can use them for displaying work, classroom rules and schedules, charts, other relevant materials can be posted prominently

It is important to ensure that pupils can move around the classroom.

There should be space near doorways, the pencil sharpener and trash can, group work areas, book shelves and supply areas, teacher’s desk and pupils’ desks.

These areas need to be spacious and easily accessible.

For example, try not to seat a pupil next to the door, or pencil sharpener because they will be disturbed all the time by the traffic of other pupils using those areas.

You also need to note room accessories e.g. charts racks, book cases, round tables, display tables, and storage facilities. These need to be arranged so that they are accessible

This is how to organize your resources, which include:

• Human resources• Learning resources

They include:• Teachers • Learners • Parents • Volunteers, including guest

speakers• Counselors• Head teacher

As a teacher you are a resource by the virtue of your knowledge, training and expertise.

You are a manager, organizer, counselor, care provider and above all you guide children in their learning.

Learners can learn from their peers, through interaction with each other.

Learners can support each other in their academic work.

They can also help in the development of positive attitudes and socialization.

Parents are resource in many ways. You may invite them to help in collecting/making some materials and equipment needed. Or you may bring them into the classroom to tutor pupils who need more assistance, make games, supervise playground and classroom activities, tell stories and assist in field trips.

You also need to keep in touch with the teacher who taught your pupils previously. You can learn from their previous teacher what help each pupil needs.

Other important information that you can get from the previous teacher includes:

• How far the learners progressed in last year’s curriculum

• What level of mastery they achieved in different subjects

• How much help and monitoring do they need to do their work individually, or in a group

• What classroom management techniques were successful

Volunteers may help in drama, music, cooking lessons, projects, tutoring individual pupils and demonstrating specific skills.

Counselors and consultants may help in guidance and counseling of your pupils.

Head teacher may help in ideas for improvement, participating in subject panels, maintaining discipline, and managing co-curricular activities.

You need to organize classroom space to make it appealing and interesting for your pupils and yourself, to create space for movement, and storage. By providing a well organize environment your pupils will benefit

We look at:• Classroom discipline, • Classroom rules, • Time management and • Record keeping.

By this we mean maintaining discipline.

What is classroom discipline?Discipline is maintaining of order and classroom control necessary for effective learning.

Class discipline:• Develops a classroom community by

sharing responsibilities• Helps pupils respect one another• Promotes concentration and

participation• Maintains good working relationship• Encourages pupils to help one another• Makes use of time• Develops good self-image for pupils

• Know the content and present the lesson well

• Understand pupils’ problems• Avoid unreasonable threats• Plan the lesson well, give positive rewards• Be a good role model to the pupils• Give responsibilities to individual pupils• Give challenging and relevant

work/assignments• N/B: Discipline is not about coercion. It is

about effective planning and respect

A rule is a prescribed guide for conduct or action.For you to be effective classroom managers,

different styles of management that may help you achieve the classroom objectives will certainly be useful.

To be truly effective, rules cannot merely be posted and forgotten. You have to use them as a framework for guiding both pupils’ and your own behavior.

N/B: Involve your pupils in establishing rules for the classroom. However, you need to plan in advance what kinds of situations will be covered and what rules will be implemented in each situation

• You need to take an immediate action when misbehavior occurs, explain clearly if an individual or group did not understand the rules.

• Separate the members of the group from one another quickly and efficiently without alerting the entire class.

• Monitor and inhibit misbehavior before it occurs(using eye contact, gestures, listening and suggesting).

• Ignore some behavior• Praise individuals, or groups who worked well

together• Don’t pronounce a classroom sentence that

rarely fits the crime.

If you express real anger you show a loss of control.

Sometimes you may feign anger to make a point. However, if you really get angry you can be irrational. You may say things which you later regret.

You may even physically express your anger by hitting a child. This you should never do. You are an adult and as such must remain in control.

The relationship between use of time in school and pupils’ learning appears to be very strong. If you are to give your pupils every possible chance to succeed in school, you must make the most of every minute in the classroom instruction.

Time scheduling activities (allocating time) and sticking to one’s schedule (actual time) are the major elements involved in time management.

Some of the records you may keep in the course of your teaching are:

• Schemes of work and lesson plan• Record of work covered books• Progress record• Class register• Books issued records (inventory)• Class plan (seating)• Special incidences