During my practicum, I found classroom management to be a significant challenge in learning. I struggled to balance maintaining authority with fostering positive relationships with students. One of the most difficult aspects was redirecting off-task behaviour without disrupting the lesson flow or sounding too harsh.

To address this, I closely observed my mentor teacher. I paid attention to his tone, body language, and the specific language he used when addressing students. He used a calm but firm voice when handling interruptions and would simply stop teaching and wait quietly, giving students a non-verbal cue to refocus. He often used the phrase “I’ll wait,” which conveyed clear expectations without escalating the situation. I also sought his feedback on my own classroom presence. One of the most helpful pieces of advice he gave me was to learn when to “pick your battles.” I quickly realized that if I tried to address every disruption, I would never be able to complete a full lesson. My lessons often ran over time due to behaviour management.

What made classroom management particularly challenging was recognizing that different strategies work for different students. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. I had to discover what worked best for each student. For example, some students needed to be separated from their peers to focus, while others just needed subtle redirection. Some responded best when I addressed behaviour directly, while others were better managed through strategic ignoring to avoid giving them the attention they sought.

To support my learning, I also explored articles and videos on proactive management techniques. From this video here I learned the following, where I applied some of these techniques during my practicum:

Classroom Management Strategies 

Top 10 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Tips in 10 Minutes I Thom Gibson

From the video Top 10 Classroom Management Tips in 10 Minutes, I learned the following tips:

  • Seating Chart: Have a seating chart at the start of the school year, but change it as needed throughout.
  • Brain Break: A 3–5-minute break during longer blocks.
  • Use Noise: If students are on task but the noise is too loud, write ‘noise’ on the board and erase a letter if the noise continues. If you say ‘no,’ there is a 5-10 minute silence, and students work individually.
  • Avoid calling students by their names: Instead, say, “I’m still waiting for three students to get their books out,” or, “I’m waiting for two students,” then count down until there are none left.
  • Starbucks/Work Mode: Can be used in class and with whomever students wish. If they are off task, ask them to return to their seat.
  • Think-Pair-Share: Allow students multiple opportunities to speak. Have them think individually, share with their neighbour, and then ask if anyone wants to share with the group.
  • Handling disrespect: Do not respond with more disrespect; politely ask the student to step out into the hall. Do not address it openly in front of everyone.
  • Hall Refocus Form: Have students fill out a form explaining what happened and why happened. 

By combining observation, feedback, and research-based strategies, I learned that effective classroom management is a skill that can be built with time, patience, and reflection.