George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Classroom Management

Learn strategies for building positive, compassionate classroom communities that engage learners, and find and exchange tips for coping with disruptive behaviors and managing distraction.

  • Encouraging Students’ Independence in Math

    Including emotion regulation activities in math lessons can help elementary students learn the content more effectively.
    Joe Roicki

  • Teaching Friendship Skills in Preschool

    Young children want friends but don’t always know how to treat them, so promoting heathy ideas about friendship in preschool is key.
    Gerard Visco

  • There’s a Cell Phone in Your Student’s Head

    A 2017 study found that cell phones that were turned off and stashed away silently reasserted themselves—distracting working students anyway.

  • A Student-Centered Model of Blended Learning

    When educators at a Washington, DC, high school ditched their lectures and devised a self-paced blended learning model, their students thrived.

  • 60-Second Strategy: Appreciation, Apology, Aha!

    A quick, low-key way to build community in your classroom on a daily basis.

  • 60-Second Strategy: Snowball Toss

    A quick, fun classroom activity fosters open dialogue while releasing pent-up energy.

  • Welcoming Students With a Smile

    Greeting each student at the door with a positive message brings benefits for both students and teacher.
    Youki Terada

  • Managing Your High School Classroom with Compassion

    High school teacher Grace Dearborn says students don’t all respond to consequences in the same way, so teachers need a full toolbox of options.
    Laura Lee

  • 30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class

    Most teachers use silencing methods, such as flicking the lights or ringing a call bell. This article explores some additional ideas categorized by grade bands.
    Todd Finley

  • The Key to Effective Classroom Management

    A three-phase process helps build strong teacher-student bonds, which can reduce disruptive behavior.
    Youki Terada

  • 10 Powerful Community-Building Ideas

    Strategies for ensuring that students in every grade feel like they’re part of the classroom community.
    Emelina Minero

  • 60-Second Strategy: TUMS at the Door

    A simple greeting at the door forges a strong teacher-student bond.

  • Flexible Seating and Student-Centered Classroom Redesign

    How a visit to Starbucks inspired a change to flexible seating—and then some changes in teaching philosophy.
    Kayla Delzer

  • Demonstrating Self-Regulation With Tone of Voice

    When teachers model self-regulation by using a voice that is calm, neutral, and assertive, they help students feel cared for—and ready to learn.

  • 19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies

    The year I started teaching seventh- to twelfth-grade English in Minneapolis, Prince launched his song about urban ruin, "Sign o' the Times." That song was an apt musical backdrop for the lives of my students, most of whom lived in poverty and challenged me daily. Fortunately, classroom order improved when I learned that successful classroom management depends on conscientiously executing a few big strategies and a lot of little ones.
    Todd Finley