Demystifying Classroom Management: Part 2

 

In Part One, I wrote about important planning is when it comes to managing your classroom. Today, I will layer on the next component which is Consistency. So let's go back to our wheel so we can add on our new topic!

  

Consistency:

We have to maintain consistency in several ways. Consistency creates predictability which supports feelings of trust and safety for the children.  This is important for all students but even more so for children who are healing from lived trauma or have a learning difference such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).  These children must have the stability that predictability offers in their environment. 

The first consistency focus is on routines and procedures.  Think about the procedure for classroom arrival, clean up for lunch, washing hands and setting up lunch, clean up, etc. These need to become static and unchanging.  When the children practice the same way every day, these routines and procedures become smooth and easy (they run themselves!). Some reflective questions to ask yourself are:

• Do my routines/procedures change often? 
• What procedure feels bumpy?  Can you identify the disconnect or what skill needs to be reinforced so it becomes easier for the children?
• What routine/procedure do I really want to change?
• identify it, walk it through in detail, share your plan and the steps with your classroom assistant and make that change asap...and stick with it for a few weeks to give the children time to settle in.

Consistency in your expectations for behavior and reinforcement of limits is important too. They need to be clear and unchanging.  The children are learning how to make decisions about how they behave and cannot do that without the clarity of what is acceptable and what is not in the classroom.  So, you can’t allow running in the classroom one day and not the next. Plan for what you would say or how you will handle common issues like not putting a work/material away, forgetting to push in the chair, jumping over a counting chain, etc.  

Maybe you are not sure if your expectations and limits are clear. You can assess them in two ways. The first is to ask your assistant about specific expectations or limits that you have in the classroom.  If they aren't clear to the other adult in the room, your students aren't clear on them either. Second, observe to determine what the repetitive issues are in the room. This is your indicator that reinforcement is probably what is needed.

Keep your eyes peeled for Part 3 of this series coming soon!  And if you are enjoying the posts, hit the blue 'like' button and share. 

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