The Five Fastest & “Funnest”

Classroom Management Ideas & Strategies

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The Five Fastest & “Funnest”

Classroom Management Ideas & Strategies

Behavior management and classroom management strategies that utilize humor or fun, get the job done faster as students don’t normally become as reactive or oppositional to lighter, fun approaches. So, please forgive the bad grammar, but below you will find five of our fastest and “funnest” student behavior and classroom management ideas. Hello from Youth Change Workshops’ Director, Ruth Herman Wells, M.S. I hope you will come to Seattle in two weeks to get 200 additional innovative, more effective classroom management ideas and strategies when we host a general session of our Breakthrough Strategies to Teach and Counsel Troubled Youth Workshop. Information on this information-packed classroom management strategies workshop is here. Register here and get a 30% discount when you use this coupon code: 30% OFF Seattle 2019.

#1. Silly Classroom Management Idea
       for Sensitive Topics

If you know a topic is loaded with tension and emotion, that’s the perfect time to employ humor. The human brain has trouble holding two conflicting emotions at once so what typically happens is that the student will grin or laugh before the negativity kicks in. That brief moment of understanding the silly sign or poster, puts you one small step closer to perhaps ultimately changing attitudes for the better. Racism is one of the toughest issues to tackle because students may already have entrenched built-in bias from home or their community. That makes a silly approach much smarter than a more straight-forward one. You don’t have to buy Poster #668. Instead of buying it, wait for a time when you need a creative consequence for a creative student. Instead of giving a traditional consequence, have the student make a silly poster similar to Poster #668 that is pictured at right.  If you wish, you can print or display the picture of that poster for use as inspiration for your student.

#2. Silly Classroom Management Idea
       Help Students Follow the Rules

You don’t have to spend your entire school year reminding students to follow your classroom and school rules. Here is a very fun and silly classroom management idea that tends to reduce the amount of reminders and sanctions you have to give because your students “didn’t know the rules” or “forgot.” Students will normally learn infinitely faster from an enjoyable game than from another lecture or stern reminder. This game is fun and even better, it provides a fast and effective way to help students remember and follow classroom and schools rules and policies. It’s called Classroom Excuses Bingo. To use this intervention, simply create a bingo card (or cards), and replace the letters and numbers typically found on a Bingo card with the excuses you hear from your students. You may want to have a few fun prizes to the winner of Classroom Excuses Bingo to ramp up involvement and interest to the maximum possible. Alternatively, ask students to design the Classroom Excuses Bingo cards. That task would make a wonderful alternative consequence for any student who has broken a rule or policy. If you want to see an enlarged version of this example Bingo card, click here to view our Poster #543

#3. Silly Classroom Management Idea
       Build Motivation for School and Education

In our workshop that is coming to Seattle in a couple weeks, we will spend hours giving creative, surprising and fun motivational methods for the most unmotivated students. One of our favorites is pictured at right. It looks like a lottery ticket but the text has been redone to make a complete eduction the ultimate prize. You can see this example enlarged; it’s our Poster #496. You can use a picture of Poster #496 as an example for students to make their own lottery tickets that promote education, or, you can discuss the poster as shown. Either way, you are going to be practically “sneaking” your motivational message into your students’ brains. Information presented in silly ways is just so much faster and easier to send and receive. You will see that for yourself once you try some of our silly classroom management ideas with your students. Plus, a side benefit is that it isn’t just more fun for students. Most teachers would much rather teach a silly lesson than have to give another lecture or consequence for some classroom issue.

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30% OFF!

Seattle Breakthrough Strategies Workshop

Behavior and Budget Problems Stop Here!

Now $119 for 2 Days, $90 for 1 Day

Coupon Code: 30% OFF Seattle 2019

Valid through 04-17-19

Register   Workshop Information

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#4. Silly Classroom Management Idea
       Address Cultural and Gender Norms

Cultural norms and gender expectations are not normally very easy to rapidly change or improve. Many girls see STEM courses as “too hard” or “not for girls,” but STEM skills are likely to be the most in demand in the future. Lacking those skills will likely be a serious deficit. Possessing those skills will likely be a major asset as STEM careers typically pay more than many of the occupations viewed as “for girls.” This idea is perfect to chip away at the restrictiveness of gender and cultural norms that many girls may follow– probably without even realizing. The image at right is Poster #413. There are at least two ways to use this silly poster to start to change female students’ resistance to STEM classes. First, you can print a picture of the poster and use it as a discussion-starter. A second idea is to ask your students to make their own version of Clamor Magazine. This task can work really well to effect change because to make their creations, girls must be able to identify the restrictiveness of cultural and gender norms and their impact on assumptions and thinking. Having to create something similar to the example poster forces students to think differently than normal. That’s a great first step to help female students move away from some of the cultural or gender norms that may be holding them back from giving STEM classes more of a chance, and a bigger effort.

#5. Silly Classroom Management Idea
       Reduce Chronic Peer Problems

It’s spring. You know what that means: hormone-poisoned students who are more touchy-feely than you or your school wish. Instead of having to issue frequent reminders about your standards for contact, consider turning your classroom or school into a “No Cuddle Zone” and post appropriate signage. Now you have wall signs doing the heavy lifting 24/7, perhaps freeing you up to do more teaching and less reminding. An example wall sign is shown at right. It is our Poster #121. There is no need to buy the poster, just have one of your creative students whip up a few versions of their own. Creating No Cuddle Zone wall signs will also make a creative consequence for students who use problem contact in your No Cuddle Zone. The signs and the name make it difficult for students to say that they didn’t know that they were not supposed to engage in this type of behavior in school or class. The signs and the name tend to annihilate many of the excuses you hear all the time– and that’s a great result. So, stop battling students’ hormones this spring by employing some fun ideas to help them remember your class and school’s expectations. By incorporating some of these unusual, fun ideas into your classroom, maybe this spring, your students will be better prepared to focus more on the three Rs and less on PDA.

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