Classroom Management

Classroom management is a crucial job of teachers that allows for effective teaching. An article posted by The University of Northern Colorado states, "Current research indicates that students in classes of teachers classified as most effective can be expected to gain about 52 percentile points in their achievement over a year’s time". This shows that classroom management is not just a tool to keep children from running wild but it is effective in improving their learning and development. There are many ways that a teacher can achieve this in their classroom but it is important that they get to know their students and their needs before they decide on a classroom management system. This is because some children work better with positive reinforcement while others can work better with a strict classroom structure. The teacher must base their actions on those of their students. 

Classroom Management Pinto Beans Tool

Classroom management is an area that varies depending on the age group of the students and the teacher's preferences. I will be teaching young children and in my experience, they work well with reward systems and positive reinforcements. My mother is a current 3rd grade teacher and she just shared with me her new classroom management system. It seems to be going very well for her so far. She gives each child a small ramequin of pinto beans every morning and the goal for the children is to keep the beans throughout the day. Whenever a child blunts out during a time when they should not be talking, they lose a bean. At the end of the day the students dump the beans that they have left into a big jar on her desk. The jar is marked with goals all the way up to the top like popsicle parties, extra recess, and no homework. I love this idea for the certain age group that she has. They are old enough not to play with the beans but young enough to love the idea of rewarding their positive behavior. This is an idea that I will take with me into my classroom in the future.