Best Practices in Classroom Management to Provide the Best Foundation For Learning Missy Smith November 24, 2024

When considering the needs of students with learning disabilities, it is important to consider all of the things that affect those disabilities - being a Christian teacher in the classroom even more so. The working parts in Special Education include relationships with students and their parents as well as co-workers at the school. It also must include the paperwork (IEP's, Re-evaluations, Referrals, DATA) that is required as well as the classroom. It is most important to approach it with prayer and be prepared with a good understanding of the needs of the students in the classroom as well as an educator those needs will be met. When it comes to the classroom, there are many working parts that must be considered. 

· Students and their needs

· Teachers and how they deliver the instruction

· The classroom as a setting for instruction

· Scaffolding specifically formed for students to receive the instruction

It is not always easy to get these in place. Finding the sweet spot for the diverse needs of students in a classroom takes trial and error. That sweet spot needs to be re-established each year with each new class, and sometimes re-evaluated multiple times in a school year. There are basic principles that can help a teacher find the right balance. 

All students are different. This is a well-known fact. That is one of the first things Terry Heick posts in the blog post titled 14 Things Every Student Needs. Heick goes on to say, "Every single intelligent, forgetful, smiling, moody, enthusiastic, apathetic, reflective, short-sighted little (or big) human being that walks into your classroom on a daily basis has their own story–one full of promise, heartbreak, and complexity. And this isn’t just rhetoric, it’s true, and it matters (2018). It does indeed matter.
 

Students need clarity. They need to feel safe, and they need to be known. They need a lot more than that but for brevity's sake, three of the most basic will be touched on.

- Students need clarity. Part of a student functioning well in the classroom is knowing what is expected of them. And in the midst of the knowing they need consistency with those expectations. So, the clearer the expectations in the classroom, and the more consistent the expectations are carried out, the better the behavior in the classroom.  

-  Students need to feel safe. The classroom should be a safe place in order for them to learn. They need to be able to answer a question without feeling censure. They need to be able to share ideas without criticism. The ability to speak what they think in a space that considers what is said, not with judgement, but instead with guidance, begets a confidence that will increase their learning. 

-  Students need to be known. They need to be seen and loved for who they are. Our example comes from Jesus. Romans 5:8 tells us that "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (The ESV Bible, 2021). This is the same type of acceptance we should offer our students. That does not mean we do not give specific guides and offer discipline as is appropriate in the classroom. It is important to remember each student has the fingerprint of God (Ross, 1991). Which means we respect them and remember they are learning and growing and have so much potential. Our treatment of them should point to their Creator. 

Teachers are important in a student’s life. The way they talk to them, encourage them, offer grace, understanding and hope can leave a mark that will guide their students in a direction of growth and maturity. Or it can wound and cause stunted growth, insecurity, and a cause for feeling less than what students are capable of. This can in turn allow negative behaviors in the classroom. This must be avoided. Teachers best serve their students by delivering information whether that be differentiated instruction, guidance or encouragement with thoughtful intentionality. Therefore, allowing their classroom to be engaging and organized – prepared for whatever needs to be done to meet the needs of any student during that time of teaching. 

Using technology in the classroom in various forms is also a great way for teachers to engage students. Some students require the assistance of devices that teachers must use to communicate or build the use of into lessons so the student can participate in the curriculum. Providing parameters of use for those devices can help the students that want to stray to other sites during class is part of managing behavior. Using technology such as Securly, which allows the teacher to see what the student has on their screen, gives the student accountability. 

According to Beth Ackerman, “Proactive…behavior management is the primary key for preventing negative behaviors” (Ackerman, 2018). The “proactive” found in the P of her book P.R.A.I.S.E. – Effectively Guiding Behavior, proposes that students that are not engaged will become bored. Creativity in lesson planning can prevent boredom thus creating an atmosphere of learning and is a key step in keeping students out of the principal’s office (Ackerman, 2018, p. 3).

Consistency in discipline is important in managing behaviors in the classroom. Once the foundational relationship has been established and thoughtful lesson planning implemented, being clear in expectations and consistent in reinforcing those expectations is key in creating an ideal setting for learning. 

The R found in Ackerman’s acrostic P.R.A.I.S.E. stands for Reinforcements. Ackerman sees the reinforcements as a “rod” that guides – such as the one used in the parable of the good shepherd. The rod was used to guide and to rescue. Both positive and negative reinforcements should be used, such as “eye contact, detention, a pat on the back and contingency clauses”. She proceeds to advise trying different types of reinforcements instead of giving up too quickly is imperative. TeachThought Staff suggest that “Proximity is the best classroom management tool for a high school classroom, and one that all teachers should consider using before deploying a strategy that draws more attention to undesired behavior” (Staff, 2022). Just standing next to the student can let them know the teacher is paying attention and stop the undesired behavior. Positive reinforcement is even more important. Making sure to point out when students are succeeding in even the smallest thing is a positive reinforcement that can cause continued improvement. It is always best practice to focus on the positive when working toward improving a student's behavior.

Ultimately, making every effort to manage the behavior is important. Using “reactive comments” such as, “if you do that one more time…” and sending students to an administrator before making every effort can be problematic. This typically is not appreciated by administration. The support of administration is better gained when they know the educator has exhausted efforts in redirecting students’ behavior in the classroom (Ackerman, 3028, p. 11). 

These foundational premises for the classroom are important to build relationships, to use various tools for implementation of differentiated learning and foster consistency which in turn will provide reliability of expectations. These are a solid basis for learning.  

It is important to carefully consider the classroom which is the setting for learning. The tone for a teacher’s curriculum is enhanced by the classroom in which that curriculum is delivered. So, the classroom setting must be considered, especially for students with disabilities.  

How many students? What are the disabilities that are represented? Where will they easily be able to find supplies needed for the classwork? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered for arranging the classroom. 

Iris Center advises to “arrange classroom furniture to create a smooth traffic flow that allows the teacher and students to easily move throughout the room” (Iris, n.d). It is also important to consider if you have students with walkers or wheelchairs. And with sports injuries being prevalent in high school – crutches are also a consideration. Wide aisles and a place to put the walker while the student is seated helps with managing that traffic flow. Decorations in that arranging should be used sparingly as well. Clutter can be distracting. Given how important focus is, limiting too many decorations is best for the focus of all students.

Activities can also determine how the desks should be set up. Setting up the classroom in “clusters for group work, rows for independent work, and U-shapes for discussion” (Iris, n.d.) can be a good way to engage students in whatever activity is planned. 

Having an area where students can get supplies such as paper, dry erase boards and markers for class participation exercises, a hole punch, pencils, markers and other necessary supplies is important. Determining if that is something best placed under the desk, or on a side table is up to how the teacher feels her class needs to be set up. 

A place for technology is vital to supporting best practices in the classroom. A charging station so that devices can be readily picked up and used for digital assignments is important. 

Lighting should also be considered in the classroom. Fluorescent lighting can contribute to eye strain and sometimes headaches. Light covers can help reduce the brightness and is a good inexpensive solution. Natural lighting is preferable but is not always available. Students with ADHD typically do better with lower lights, but task lighting, brighter lamps and string lights can help make the room bright enough to keep students from getting sleepy and give good light for reading and working. The ambience these types of solutions give is also a bonus. They make the classroom feel special and inviting.  

An important part of managing behavior in the classroom is to make sure students can access the lessons that are being taught. If it is too far beyond their reach, students give up and shut down and may look for something else to do that is off task and can disrupt other students. If assignments are too easy, students can become bored and also look for something else to do which can also be disruptive. Differentiation is required in inclusion classrooms, but what about those students who just cannot seem to catch on? Scaffolding is the answer. 

What is the difference between scaffolding and differentiation? According to the University of San Diego’s Continuing Education Corner blog post, 7 Scaffolding Learning Strategies for the Classroom, scaffolding “breaks up a lesson, concept or skill into distinct units or parts” (Administrator, 2024). Teachers can decrease support as students are able to do the lessons on their own. Scaffolding helps students to develop autonomy. Differentiation allows the student to use whatever helps them understand the assignment. Some students may write a paragraph, while others may use a graphic organizer to complete an assignment. Both are good solutions for differing levels of ability. Scaffolding is like a step stool that adjusts for lower ability but aims at bringing the student to the same understanding as fellow peers (Administrator, 2024). Remembering too that some students must have digital devices in order to complete assignments is a necessity. 

7 Scaffolding Learning Strategies goes on to say that scaffolding will likely help the student retain the information, help connect to new concepts, allows learning to be engaging and to track progress, helps the students become more independent bridges learning gaps, classes stay on schedule and “allows students to fail productively” (Administrator, 2024). This is an important tool to use that will also help students stay engaged thus reducing unwanted behaviors in the classroom. 

A quote from Robert John Mehan, who was known as ‘The Voice of an American Teacher’, stated that “a well prepared and engaging teacher is a catalyst…a spark that creates the desire to learn in our students.” A teacher that wants to make a difference will be prepared. So being aware of the importance of maintaining the engagement of students through knowing their needs, knowing how to deliver instruction, maintaining a classroom as a setting for instruction and effectively scaffolding for students to receive instruction is the very least a teacher can do to engage their students. The desire to know what principles are and how to apply them in the classroom is a gift of God granted to those who love these students enough to continue to seek the best practices to see students succeed in the classroom.