Classroom Management:Is It Okay to Let It Go?

Classroom Management: Is It Okay to Let It Go?

By: Lily Jones

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2015/02/19/letting-go-of-classroom-management/#more-177074

            During my 20 hours classroom observations for EPY 351, I always said that I wanted to have great classroom management.  After each session and reading over me reflections I noticed that I was so focused on classroom management, that the entire lesson period was spent trying to get students on task. It was exhausting for both the students and me. In the article Lily Jones states that teachers never get a chance to truly teach, and students never get a chance to learn in a situation when the teachers are focused on just classroom management. She gives three tips on ways to balance the class and still getting through the lecture you plan. The three tips are: Choose a Focus: Academic or Management, Use Independent Work Time, and Pick One Strategy and Stick to It.

Choose Focus: Academic or Management, in this tip she states that at times you might have to enforce classroom management or routine. She used the example morning work, this is a period throughout each day that the students practice classroom management doing the things that are required for them to do. Lily Jones also use an example if you are teaching a content heavy lesson that this is a time when teachers need to put their energy towards content and let classroom management take a back seat. After reading that statement I question if that was a great idea to just focus on the lesson. One thing I noticed in my observations in that student reaction off other students. But she clarified why she stated that comment. She states, “This is not to say that you’ll have low expectations during the content heavy lesson. Instead, prioritize making sure students get to experience the content of your lesson. This is a tricky balance. If the class is so out of control that you can’t teach the content, you’ll need to go back to classroom management. But if most of the class is ready to learn and there are minimal distractions, give yourself permission to focus on the content.”

Use Independent Work Time, Lily Jones states sometimes the key to getting students in front of the content is to maximize independent work time. During independent work time, students who are ready to tackle the content can do so on their own, while teachers work one-on-one or in small groups to support students who need extra help. This structure allows teachers the chance to personalize instruction and feedback, while maximizing the time students spend on academic work.  

Pick One Strategy and Stick to It, Lily Jones states when a class is hard to get control of, it can be tempting to try as many strategies you can think of to help them get it together. But instead of trying tool after tool, pick one strategy and stick with it.

           After reading this article, I plan on using this as a guide to reflect on what classroom management strategies worked well and evaluate how much content I will be able to teach.  I also plan on keeping a track of the balance I feel like struck between practicing behavior and learning content. After practicing hopefully the progress will improve more and more towards content area as my students’ master expectations and routines.