CPD - Benefits of classroom management courses

Classroom management is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher. Without it, learning cannot take place in a productive or safe environment. Knowing how to have proper management of the classroom is a central skill and concept that an educator should be aware of before they step foot in front of their first pupil, no matter what subject they are teaching. In this CPD article, we will help you to understand the importance of classroom management, including some helpful tips and strategies for better teaching and how to create a simple but effective classroom management plan.

What is classroom management?

Classroom management refers to the actions that a teacher or school takes to create and maintain a positive classroom environment conducive to effective learning. The process can vary depending on the subject and age group being taught, how many students there are, and most importantly, your own personality or teaching style. However, the term often relates to a variety of different skills and common techniques focused on ensuring that learning runs smoothly without disruptive behaviour compromising the delivery of instruction. 

Why is effective classroom management so important?

Every educator’s goal is a happy classroom with focused, attentive, and on-task students. Good classroom and behaviour management are key elements of successful teaching and learning. From dealing with off-topic chatter, the murmurs during instruction, or student who thinks they’re getting away with a discrete gaming session on their laptop, classroom management is among the most important, but challenging set of skills a teacher can master to create a successful classroom.

Knowing how to manage a class properly and possessing a range of preventative and reactive strategies is often seen as essential to help create and maintain optimal conditions where students can engage with their studies and work to the best of their ability. Effective classroom management encourages students to be engaged in learning, and work towards positive learning outcomes.

While classroom management strategies can broadly be used and apply in most cases to preventing and intervening in disruptive behaviour of students, it is also about creating the right environment, setting clear expectations, and thoughtfully choosing which learning materials and activities to use based on the needs of the class.

What are some examples of classroom management types?

Classroom management skills usually improve with experience. The kind of style used should be based on your own individual personality, behaviour, and preferences. When looking at developing your own classroom management style, using existing and proven behaviour management techniques can help to equip you with the confidence for success in the classroom.

There are 4 main acknowledged classroom management types which include:

Authoritarian Classroom Management Style

This learning style emphasises complete control and rigid rule adherence. Authoritarian teachers create a highly-structured learning environment with a strong emphasis on discipline. Teachers using this management style tend to have a low level of involvement with their students individually. As you may expect this leadership style has its share of criticism and has fallen out of favour in recent times.

Authoritative Classroom Management Style

This type of teacher expects students to participate and collaborate while respecting the rules. They do have a high level of control over their classrooms and insistence upon respect. The style focuses on encouraging self-discipline, responsibility, teamwork and feedback rather than simply imposing punishments. Teachers care about their students and are understanding of personal challenges both inside and outside of the classroom.

Indulgent Classroom Management Style

Indulgent classroom management style involves a high level of involvement with a low level of control. Students are able to express themselves freely in the classroom and can collaborate with their peers. This style has many negative traits, as it can often lead to low enforcement of rules, targets and poor time management. This may result in disruptive or inattentive behaviour due to an overall lack of control. The teaching style can be said to be positive for student’s happiness, but at the expense of the quality of their learning.

Permissive Classroom Management Style

Permissive classroom management style has both low levels of control as well as student involvement. In general, this is characterised by a distinct lack of structure and planning from teachers and management. Because of this, rules are often not upheld and poor behaviour is rarely addressed. Students often lack opportunities and guidance to make full use of their potential.

How to create a classroom management plan

Teaching can be difficult, especially if you have ongoing behaviour issues with learners. If you’re a new teacher, switching grade levels, or adapting your current plan, you may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of handling unfamiliar students. A classroom management plan is a set of rules designed to hold students accountable for their behaviour. This can prevent or minimise negative influences and allow you to focus on the key elements of teaching, rather than having to think what you need to do next or how to react to any situations that may arise.

Here are a few steps to creating a classroom management plan to get started:

Set the Ground Rules.

You can determine your own classroom rules depending on your teaching style. This applies to any age group or level of classroom learning and could include:

• Always be on time to class.
• Follow instructions.
• Don’t interrupt while the teacher is speaking.
• Raise your hand if you want to answer or ask a question.
• Respect your classmates.

Establish Routines and stick to them.

Routines and rituals are at the core of a good classroom management plan. Establishing regular procedures and routines, and sticking to them, helps you to keep your classroom orderly. This is important for younger learners or those who may have special educational needs.

Use a Reward and Sanction system.

A carrot and stick system will make it clear to students they will be rewarded for good behaviour, extra effort and timely completion of assignments. Similarly, they should be aware that not following the classroom rules or expectations will face repercussions.

Create an appropriate Classroom Layout.

The way your students are seated can have a huge impact on how they behave in class. For some lessons, it might be better to seat students in groups. For others, rows of desks might be better. Consider which students work well together and which don’t. Some teachers like to let students sit next to their friends, whereas others choose to keep them apart to prevent chatting in class.

Planning and Execution.

Classroom management isn’t just about the planning, it’s about the execution too. You need to be consistent with your sanctions and enforce the rules and rituals you’ve put in place.

Adapt.

Classroom management skills usually improve with experience, and there isn’t always a one-size-fits-all approach to effectively managing a class. Therefore, make sure to adapt your classroom management strategy as you learn what works and what doesn’t for your students.

Simple tips and strategies to better classroom management

There is a lot to learn and many different ways to approach classroom management. When looking to get started, here are some simple tips and effective strategies that will help you successfully implement these ideas into the classroom.

1. Play to your strengths as an educator and identify your weaknesses. This is a great foundation for formulating a plan to manage any type of classroom.

2. Always remember to take care of yourself and to take care of your students. This is important for mental health and for long term learning and can help avoid burnout and demotivation to learn.

3. Set clear rules, boundaries and expectations. This way everyone can focus on learning, knowing where they stand and what framework they are operating under.

4. Try to involve parents and guardians. Having them on board keeps students motivated, engaged and helps to reinforce learning at home.

5. Reward good work as this makes students feel that their actions matter and allows you to reinforce positive behaviours that you’ve noticed.

Benefits of taking a classroom management CPD course?

There are numerous benefits to spending more time and effort in learning classroom management. Although your classroom management style may be individual and personalised to you, seeking the knowledge of those who have experienced this process before on this topic is always invaluable and might point you in areas that you had not previously considered. 

One of the best ways of developing your own classroom management style is by taking a beginner’s course in classroom management. CPD courses are best suited to those who are struggling to cope with students in class or are looking to build on their existing knowledge. Undertaking a CPD training course can help you to learn key processes and introduce the latest classroom management techniques.

Where to find classroom management CPD courses?

If you wish to develop your interest in classroom management via Continuing Professional Development (CPD), a comprehensive and broad range of accredited training courses, seminars, conferences, eLearning and educational events can be found here.

To find out more about a particular CPD course listed within the CPD Courses Catalogue, you can make an enquiry that will be sent directly to the relevant CPD provider. All the certified training has been reviewed and recognised as meeting the required industry standards and benchmarks.

How to become a CPD accredited training provider

We hope this article was helpful. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service is the world’s leading and largest CPD accreditation organisation working across all industry sectors. If you are looking to provide training courses or events that may be suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please contact our team to discuss in more detail.

You can also read our previous related article to improve your conflict resolution skills. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing learning, as well as store your professional training records and attendance certificates in one simple place, go to the myCPD Portal page.