New Teachers

New Teachers: Fundamentals of Classroom Management

Resources for developing routines, fostering classroom community, managing disruptions, and building student relationships.

May 7, 2015 Updated September 25, 2017

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Tips, Advice, and Strategies

Tips for the Primary Grades

Tips for the Middle and Secondary Grades

Establishing Effective Rules and Routines

Struggling with issues related to managing technology in your classroom? The following posts will help you tackle common issues.

Managing Disruptive Behavior

No matter how engaging the lessons, every teacher is bound to encounter disruptive and off-task behavior in class from time to time, and it’s important to develop strategies and interventions to prevent learning from getting derailed. The following posts should help.

Gaining and Keeping Student Attention

Strategies for gaining attention are an important part of any teacher’s classroom-management toolkit. The following resources include attention-grabbing ideas for elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms.

Once you’ve got students’ attention, how do you keep it? Explore a variety of resources on Edutopia’s Student Engagement page; consider starting with Student Engagement: Resource Roundup.

Building Relationships and Creating a Positive Climate for Learning

Fostering strong and consistent relationships with students can help new teachers build a solid foundation for other classroom-management strategies. Not sure where to start? The following articles and posts describe specific, concrete strategies that new teachers can implement.

Students learn best in environments where they feel respected, supported, and valued. To help students thrive in a safe, positive, and open classroom climate, consider the following tips from experienced educators:

Words of Encouragement From Experienced Teachers

If you’re experiencing challenges, remember that you’re not alone. These posts offer some encouragement.

  1. Teachers who need a pep talk in advance of another day of performance should read Todd Finley’s You’re Gonna Hear Me Roar: Overcoming Classroom Stage Fright, which is full of useful tips for working through fear.
  2. After a rough day in the classroom, it might help to read Don’t Quit: 5 Strategies for Recovering After Your Worst Day Teaching.
  3. In the face of classroom-management challenges, it’s important to take a moment to regain perspective. In Like a Wood Duck: Finding Peace in the Classroom, Ben Johnson offers some suggestions to help you regain your serenity.

Looking for additional resources? Read Resources Toolkit for New Teachers to find other curated guides, and check out the New Teachers page.

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