5-Minute Film Festival: Classroom-Management Techniques

As the new school year ramps up, it's important to pay attention to classroom management. The first few weeks of the school are a crucial time for setting student expectations in behavior and academics. Even veteran teachers can benefit from a refresh or learning new approaches to keeping students on track. Check out these videos, and see if any of the techniques could apply to your teaching style and classroom!

Video Playlist: Classroom-Management Techniques

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube.

1. Classroom Management: Meet Mr. Hester (7:33)

   This classroom is on the traditional side, but featured teacher Tyler Hester wrote one of Edutopia's most popular classroom-management blog posts of all time. You can also watch hour-long videos of his first few days of class to observe him in action.

2. Attention Getting Signals: Practice (1:13)

   Don't forget to practice! As this video from Teaching Channel shows, once you've decided which attention getting signals you want to use daily, rehearsing them is key to a strong and effective delivery.

3. Great Classroom Management on Day One, or Any Day (9:47)

   Marquise Davis of Classficient shares his strategies for maintaining a well-managed classroom. Most of these techniques are geared toward setting the learning environment on the first day of school, but could easily be reapplied throughout the year.

4. Classroom Management for Dummies: Ten Solutions for Misbehavior (11:20)

   Keith Hughes of HipHughes History has an "in-your-face" style, so this video (and his techniques) may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, his suggestions are worth considering, and he can be entertaining -- so take a look!

5. Whole Brain Teaching Shorty #2: Class-Yes (2:37)

   In this video, Chris Biffle of Whole Brain Teaching shares three easy attention-getting signals that you can use in any classroom. These short and silly techniques would work well with younger students.

6. Guided Reading with Jenna: Classroom Management (6:24)

   Teacher Jenna Ogier shares her management techniques for handling small groups in the classroom. These tips are ideal for blended learning, guided reading groups, or any other station-based teaching strategy. 

7. Creating Classroom Rules (1:43)

   One way to ensure that students follow classroom rules is to involve them in the rule-creating process. In this short video from Responsive Classroom, a teacher demonstrates one way to do this. This technique can be easily adapted for any grade level.

8. Classroom Management in Action: Essential PBIS Skills for Elementary Teachers (3:28)

   Classroom management is critical in all classrooms, but different age groups present unique challenges. Providing simple choices and positive behavior reinforcement is key for elementary-aged students. See more from IRIS Educational Media. 

9. Quiet in School, 1950 (10:58)

   This classic black-and-white video models an ideal classroom in the 1950s. You'll see that it's quite different from today's inquiry-based and student-centered learning classrooms!

More Resources on Classroom-Management Techniques

For more ideas on how to make your classroom a calm and inviting place for learning, check out these websites and articles.

• "Effective Classroom Management in Student-Centered Classrooms" by Deena VanHousen, via St. John Fisher College
• "Five Steps to Create a Progressive, Student-Centered Classroom" by Mark Barnes, via ASCD In Service
• "5 Ways to Make Your Classroom Student-Centered" by Marcia Powell, via Education Week Teacher
• "25 Attention-Grabbing Tips for the Classroom" via Edutopia
• "The Keys to Classroom Management" by Robert Marzano and Jana Marzano, via School Improvement Network
• "6 Classroom Management Tips Every Teacher Can Use" by Dave Foley, via National Education Association
• "Creating a Climate for Learning" by Linda Starr, via Education World