Classroom management

A friend posted this article on her fb feed and it got me thinking about other techniques I use to quiet my class.


1. The callback - Pick a phrase, preferably something content-area specific. The teacher says half of the phrase and the class responds with the other half.

Since I teach beginning level Spanish, I start the class with a greeting using this technique. I say "Buenos días" or "Buenas tardes" depending on the time of day, and the class responds with "hola" (Good morning, good afternoon, hi). I explain that the greeting to start class is also a cultural example, as many classes in Soanish speaking counties are expected to stand and greet the teacher when the teacher enters the room.  Another popular one is "gracias," with students responding "de nada" (thank you, you're welcome). The kids also like when I pretend to sneeze and they respond with "salud."
My daughter's kindergarten teacher used this same technique but with phrases from pop culture. My favorite was hearing my daughter sing Vanilla Ice: teacher said "stop, collaborate" and the class responded "and listen." The teacher told me about a time she tried the technique with a song they'd heard in a movie from class, but only my daughter remembered it. That last point shows the importance of teaching and practicing your callback phrase!

2. Maracas - I collect maracas to display in my class. When students are working with a partner, I shake the maracas a little bit to signal that I want their attention. It's a take off on the flickering lights or the ringing bell, but I think the maracas are less of an assault to your senses. Plus, the kids think it's really cool. I can circulate the room during the activity and hand the maraca to a student to shake as a "reward." And since it's culturally appropriate, it counts as incorporating culture into my curriculum.

3. Raise your hand - I feel like a dork raising my hand in my classroom. If I want my young teens to act like adults, I need to treat them that way. The hand-raising DOES still work for them, but I feel like it's juvenile. So if there's a point in class when students should be paying attention but I've lost them, like side conversations took over or something very funny happened on the other side of the room, I quietly say "raise your hand if you can hear me." I repeat it twice or three times, and get everyone's attention without yelling and without raising my voice.

4. Seating chart - This one was mentioned to me at a new teacher workshop when I started my current job. It was my 6th year of teaching so I wasnt "new," but this little gem is the one thing I've used every year since. On the very first day, have seats assigned and put a seating chart on the board. Because kids can't always read a map and because the very last thing I want to do as they enter is embarrass them, my chart just has the list of student names and the seat number for each student. (This also matches Harry Wong's suggestion from "The First Days of School" to let students know they are in the right place.) I have a post it on each desk with the number and students just find their seats. It also lets me say nothing in English to start the class. I start immediately with "cómo te llamas" and "me llamo" and I have the seating chart to check answers, no English for like 10 minutes the very first day. It freaks the kids out but they can all do it.)

During the year when I need to change seats, I have a classroom map up with first names. By that time they are familiar with me and the room layout so it's less intimidating.

5. Paper distribution and collection - This one I read about many years ago. Many teachers collect papers by passing them forward. Middle school students are notoriously space cadet-ish and they forget kids are behind them. I now collect papers by passing them down the row sideways. I also distribute papers sideways. Even when I return class work, I sort it by the order students are seated so I can put down a set of papers at the start of a row, students take their paper from the top of the pile. They don't bother to look at other grades because they are looking at their own paper while passing the pile.

Of course the BEST classroom management technique is to have interesting and engaging lessons. If students know what to expect AND thy know they will probably like what's going on, most students will behave appropriately.

What's your favorite technique to get and maintain student attention?