11 Tips to Keep Your Classroom Running Smoothly

Time is a precious commodity in the classroom—which is why the last thing teachers want to do is spend it answering the same questions over and over: “Where do I turn this in?” “Can I sharpen my pencil?” “What are we supposed to be doing right now?”

Without strong systems—from clear procedures for transitions to consistent policies for late or missing work—teachers risk losing valuable minutes each day to confusion and repeated redirection. (Those five-minute delays add up fast.) 

Thankfully, a little planning upfront can go a long way. According to a 2024 report from researchers at the University of Chicago, one of the simplest ways teachers can protect instructional time is by establishing clear routines, rules, and expectations early—and sticking to them throughout the year.

In well-organized classrooms, the researchers note, students are “able to develop independence because there are systems and routines in place that they can access and utilize on their own,” and they have a better understanding of “what is expected of them and know how to be successful because instructions are clear and grounded in agreed upon class norms.” 

Here are 11 practical strategies to set up your classroom for success this year.

Establish an Opening Routine

The first few minutes of class set the tone—so teachers should facilitate “experiences designed to pique student interest, activate prior knowledge, have some fun, and prepare them for the day’s learning,” writes education professor and former middle school teacher Curtis Chandler for MiddleWeb.

You could, for instance, start every class with a brain dump: Introduce that day’s topic, then have students write down everything they know (or think they know) about it. Educator Rebecca Alber also recommends writing a “Quote of the Day” on the board related to content you’re about to cover, then have students briefly discuss the quote with their peers, connecting it to their personal lives or to previously learned material.

Other openers can serve to build community. When math teacher Jay Wamsted noticed students tuning out during his daily math warm-up, he switched to informal icebreakers—like trivia about the fastest land animals or historical facts tied to today’s date—to draw students in and get them talking.

Keep Materials Handy, Keep Class Moving 

The less time it takes for students to locate what they need in a classroom, the more time you’ll have for instruction. Elementary teacher Kimberly Lane recommends having one centralized supply shelf with clearly labeled bins of scissors, rulers, glue, paper, sharpened pencils, and more. “I even put all supplies I find on the floor into these bins,” adds teacher Jon Allen—which keeps the bins full and the floor clean.

In the 21st century, there’s a new classroom menace: charging cords. To prevent your classroom from becoming tangled up in wires, educator Alyssa Coop-Vickstrom recommends having a designated laptop-charging table (or tables, if needed).

Build an LMS Home Page That Guides and Welcomes 

Having a well-organized digital space is just as important as having an organized classroom. “A welcoming and effective digital learning environment starts with a well-crafted landing page,” writes high school history teacher David Cutler. On your classroom’s home page in your learning management system, Cutler recommends including a video introducing yourself and what you’re going to be teaching, a detailed course map and schedule, and links to “all key course materials, such as reading lists, course policies, and expectations.” Make sure everything is clearly labeled and easily accessible.

Cocreate the Rules, Boost the Buy-In

If a student is acting out of line, directing their attention back to a list of clearly established classroom norms can help them understand why their behavior is inappropriate and course correct.

Instead of imposing rules from above, many teachers say there is more student buy-in when kids have a say in the process. “Students are invested in commitments they came up with and agreed to in a different way than when they’re being told what they can and cannot do,” writes educator Amanda Adams.

Before crafting classroom agreements or contracts, high school English teacher Cait O’Connor asks students to identify important values in their life—things like loyalty, friendship, respect, knowledge, and family. O’Connor then breaks the class into small groups to discuss what values like respect mean to them, and later, as a full class, they brainstorm specific classroom policies that can ensure that values like respect are maintained. 

Clarify Expectations Around Work and Grades

Disputes over late work and grades eat into valuable class time. Create clearly stated policies that help students understand what’s expected of them from day one. When coming up with a grading policy, consider how it will “affect students’ desire for lifelong learning,” writes educator Andrew Ford. This may mean allowing a set number of test retakes so kids “can reclaim their self-confidence and desire to learn,” or using no-zero policies to help avoid students falling into deep academic holes.

With homework, instructional coach and teacher Tyler Rablin makes it clear from the beginning of the year that students who fall into a pattern of late or missing work will be asked to sign a late-work contract requiring several one-on-one meetings with him and temporary ineligibility from extracurriculars. Meanwhile, high school world language teacher Lindsay Mitchell has her students collectively brainstorm a fair policy for how late work should be penalized.

Make AI Use Clear

AI is here, and students are using it. To stave off any potential confusion, teachers should provide students with a clear policy for how it should or shouldn’t be used in the classroom.

Educator and curriculum designer Hedreich Nichols recommends a four-step plan for implementing an AI policy. First, survey students about what they already know about AI and how they’re using it, then use that information to craft a code of conduct and policy statement. Use this document to have in-class discussions about academic integrity, and, finally, continue to gather information about how students are using or not using AI throughout the year. Other teachers are simplifying the process by making it clear from day one that no AI use will be tolerated, such as in this short statement drafted by high school English teacher Chanea Bond last year.

Plan Ahead for Fast Finishers 

“In every class, there’s always that student who finishes at warp speed—requiring you to figure out how to redirect one restless learner while the rest are still mid-task,” writes professor of English education Todd Finley.

To help, Finley compiled a list of over two dozen activities for fast finishers. In elementary, for instance, consider having a designated “letter-writing center” with blank cards and decorative elements—a fun way to help students hone their literacy skills. In high school, you can “set up a workstation where students can explore postsecondary and career options,” complete with digital resources and career-oriented magazines and handbooks. Alternatively, you can remind early finishers of work that may be due in the near future that they could get a head start on. To make choices easy, high school English teacher Jason DeHart hangs a poster in his classroom listing all the fast finisher activities that students can choose from.

Audit Your Wall Space

Though your classroom might look clean and organized if you look at the floor space, don’t forget to consider your walls as well. Research shows that overly cluttered walls can overwhelm students’ “still-developing and fragile ability to actively maintain task goals and ignore distractions.” To stave off distraction, rather than continuously adding new posters and anchor charts over the course of the year, make a plan to take down any posters that are no longer relevant to the unit at hand.

Seat With Intention 

The arrangement of desks and tables in your classroom can play a big role in the smooth operation of a class period. Some teachers have a favorite go-to layout, such as retired educator Jay Schauer, who says his L-shaped seating clusters made it “easy for students to see the front of the room… and still easily converse with each other on collaborative tasks.” However, many educators find it best to have a few arrangements in mind and swap between them, depending on the needs of a particular activity: small clusters of desks for group work, for example; a circular or semicircular arrangement for whole group instruction or student presentations.

Whatever arrangement you choose, have a plan for seating students within that arrangement. Letting students choose where they sit is one option—but can sometimes lead to drama or disruption. Seating charts allow teachers to position students strategically—spreading out any troublemakers and sitting struggling students next to peers who can help them. To make creating seating charts a breeze, educator Will Ortlinghaus recommends Seating Chart Maker, which can assign students to seats randomly or according to specific conditions. 

Use Visuals to Reinforce Routines 

Younger learners often struggle to follow instructions and routines, which can lead even simple activities to go off the rails. Deploying visual aids can help students recall what’s expected of them. For example, in her kindergarten classroom, teacher Lynn Taylor Durand has “step by step picture prompts posted for all routines,” which she uses to “teach routines explicitly and review procedures often.”

In a 2023 study, researchers tested a simple color-coded chart with a spinning arrow—yellow for quiet work, green for group work, red for transition time. When teachers used the tool to signal the classroom’s current “work mode,” they were able to repeat directions about 75 percent less often. A quick glance at the wall was enough to remind students of what was expected.

Spruce Up Your Student Survey

Student surveys are a back-to-school staple, but too often they yield surface-level insights. Instead of asking about favorite foods, try questions that build connection and guide instruction all year.

Begin with prompts that reveal student interests and backgrounds—like “If you could have lunch with any famous person, who would it be?” or “What languages are spoken at home?” Then, dig deeper with academically focused questions such as “How do you usually study for a test?” or “Tell me about a teacher who really understood you—what did they do?” Fill-in-the-blank statements like “It was hard for me to learn ____” can also surface valuable insights.

When designed with care and intention, student surveys do more than collect facts; they help create classroom environments “where students feel their needs will be attended to, and where students begin to trust their teacher,” writes educator and coach Elena Aguilar.