Edupsire instructor/academic advisor and creator of the course, EDU 973: Classroom Management in a Technology Equipped Classroom, Mrs. Kelsey Richards M.Ed., listed a few tips to help enhance your classroom management to create a smooth learning experience for you and your students. As teachers it is hard to find time to dedicate towards truly reflecting on the inner workings of our classrooms. This course allows educators to take the time to reflect and improve classroom management while interacting with other educators online.
Classroom Management 101
Be proactive — not reactive!
Prior to the school year beginning, think about how you want your classroom to operate. How do you want the students to enter your classroom? What do you want them to do when they enter the classroom? What will the students be doing while you take attendance or check homework? The fundamental procedures are vital to establish in order to create a smooth classroom environment. When you, as the teacher, can think of the things you don’t want your students to do and be proactive about it — you will find your classroom running much smoother!
source: written by Diana Benner
It takes time!
Classroom management is never perfect. I am always finding myself tweaking and adjusting things from year to year. Classroom management strategies are never the solution to making students behave in your class, but a tool to use. Each group of students will have different needs and respond differently. Technology is ever changing and students are becoming more tech savvy when it comes to getting around parental and educational settings.
Be aware!
Like I mentioned above, be aware of the technology your students are using. Set clear and concise expectations with what you want your students to be doing on the devices. I like to also explain what I don’t want them to do — that sometimes has a bigger impact. Many districts are fortunate to have softwares like GoGuardian or Classwize to monitor student activity on devices. Become familiar with the features on those management systems to better monitor students’ online behavior.
This course, EDU 973: Classroom Management in a Technology Equipped Classroom, created for Eduspire and Wilson College, is designed to spark conversation through discussion forums with colleagues from different districts across the state or out of state! The best professional development we have is each other and the conversations we can have. We can learn about the demographics and how we can provide the best learning environment for our students given those factors.
Commonsense.org has a helpful article that outlines some framework for optimizing tech use in the classroom: Teaching with Technology!
Technology is becoming more predominant within our students’ learning environment. Forming strategies and keeping our students informed of proper technology use is crucial to a productive educational environment.
