Here are some of the strategies I use for classroom management which you might find useful.
Clap my rhythm
Teacher claps a rhythm and children clap it back.
For example
- Ta Ta TiTi Ta
- Ta Ta Ta Ta
- TiTi Titi Ta Ta
- Ta TiTi TiTi Ta
- TiTi TiTi TiTi Ta
This ties in with the music curriculum too.
Call and Response Songs
I love Music and use Music every day in my classroom! On the first day I taught the children ‘ Abeeyo’- and they love it! It instantly gets them settled after lunch or when lining up.
Hand in the air
I put my hand in the air and the children copy. (This is a signal used throughout the school so they are excellent at it and usually only takes 2-3 seconds for them to respond (Even when doing drama or P.E.)
Class Dojo
I love Class Dojo! My class absolutely love it! It’s a fantastic way to reward points for good behaviour (you can choose the behaviours and the amount of points you want to give). You can also take away points from children who are not behaving appropriately. I have now ‘connected’ with parents so they too can keep track of what we are doing in class and how their child is progressing!
Teacher vs. Student
I’ve seen lots of teachers on Facebook and many bloggers promoting this. Children have 5/6 seconds to respond to a signal (e.g. hand in the air) If the class is not quiet within that time teacher gets a point and if they are then they get a point. (Remember to teach the class that they must remain quiet after the point has been awarded or else teacher gets a point because otherwise some children will start blaming individuals or cheering that they have won!)
Learning Time vs. Break Time
We spent some time discussing how important school is and what we learn in school. We talked about how the day is divided into learning time and break time and that during learning time we have to work hard so that we can achieve our potential and reach for our goals and achieve them.
Now when I give a signal (hand in the air) the children have 5 seconds to respond. If they don’t respond within this time frame (I continue counting silently until all children are copying and quiet.) I then write this number on the board (usually no more than 20-25 seconds). Then we continue working during break/lunch time for that amount of time. (It hasn’t gone past 20 seconds and only happened twice since September!)