The Best Teacher Classroom Management Strategies,
Methods and Techniques

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Several of the great classroom management strategies included in this Behavior and Classroom Management Problem-Solver Blog article were given to us by participants in our Breakthrough Strategies to Teach and Counsel Troubled Youth Workshops, but the names of the participants have long since become separated from these terrific ideas.

Hello from Breakthrough Strategies Professional Development Workshop instructor Ruth Herman Wells, M.S. I guess I'm the one to blame for stealing these terrific classroom management strategies and techniques, but the important thing is that these great methods are being passed onto teachers and counselors who need them to maximize their impact on misbehaved, troubled and problem students.

So, if you are one of our former course participants now reading an idea that you mentioned in class, let me apologize for borrowing your inspiration. Our Breakthrough Strategies Workshop has always been a collection of the best teacher classroom management methods that exist. The source of these inspired classroom management methods is not as important as disseminating these gems to benefit students who are struggling.
 

Classroom Management Strategies

4 of the Best
 

1. WAIVER OF MY RIGHTS

Classroom Management Strategy
 

As shown below, this classroom management intervention is geared for teachers and schools, but if you will simply alter a few key words from the school-based example below, you can easily make this device work at your Job Corps, foster home, treatment center, etc. This intervention is designed to be used with children and youth who feel that your service is a waste of time.

Remember: You must judge this and every other behavior and classroom management intervention that we offer to see if it fits your students, your locale, etc. The intervention below is not suitable for all students. You can also consider editing to make it gentler. To get a broader array of methods, consider coming to our professional development inservice workshops or buying some of our books. Our workshops and books flood you with a vast assortment of counselor and teacher behavior management methods, rather than the small handful of techniques offered here.
 

Waiver of My Rights

I, _____ hereby give up my constitutional right to a free education.

I give up the right to have a high-paying job forever.

I do not want to be a partner in my own success.

Signed,
_________________

2. THINK ABOUT IT

Classroom Management Strategy
 

Other than not being a very good sentence, this next device may be a great thing to say to impulsive youngsters: "You can't think yourself out of what you acted yourself into." Then work with them to think first, act second.
 

3. MAKE A WHINE LIST

Classroom Management Strategy
 

Some days, a girl's just gotta gripe. Boys too. The next "black Monday," when all attitudes seem to be dreary and whiny, here is a fun student behavior change activity that can turn it around. If you're a teacher, this may be an activity that you can relate to writing, art, or reading.

You can choose one of the following versions of this classroom management strategy. One choice: Let your students make a Whine List of all their complaints, and get the complaining out of their systems.

This second version of the intervention is just so amazingly cute– and even better, this classroom management strategy is incredibly effective too: Have your students devise a menu for a restaurant called The Irri-Table, and then create dishes that fit the mood. For example, the main course might be crab in whine sauce. You may want to follow this activity with a discussion of what happens to crabby employees in the work place, and assist students to develop plans to moderate their attitudes on the next black Monday.

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4. WHAT STUDENTS WANT

Classroom Management Strategy

It may be useful to note what students often say they want from their teachers and counselors. It may not be what you think. Some surveys have shown that students don't ask for less work, longer lunch or more days off. So what do they want? They want their teachers and counselors to believe in them. That thought can guide you.

Research, reported in Education Week on 9-3-03, notes that when youth professionals "pay attention to students' social and emotional development, children do better academically." I have to admit that the top complaint we get in our workshops from teachers is that they are sickened by what they overhear in neighboring classrooms or in the hall.

At a school here in our town, a boy named Len teetered towards dropping out. Then, starting with the new school year, Len was assigned a math teacher who belittled Len and called him names on a daily basis. Soon, Len started coming in late for math, then he skipped math entirely. Eventually, he stopped showing up at all. Says a former classmate: "In the 12 years I shared classes with him, I watched many teachers try unsuccessfully to make it better for Len, but I will always remember the one teacher who successfully made it worse."

Use this story to motivate yourself to always make school a haven and never more torment for troubled and struggling students.

LIKE THESE
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES?

We have thousands more in our books, online professional development classes, classroom management posters and counselor and teacher training workshops. The smattering of strategies listed in this Behavior and Classroom Management blog article are just a few of the interventions we have to help you build a more productive year. View more of our unexpected, compelling behavior and classroom management strategies here. When you think of problem youth, think of Youth Change Workshops. Our intervention strategies will help you help your troubled and problem students succeed.

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