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Good classroom management is mostly invisible. While outbursts and disruptions are inevitable in the course of an academic year, they can be kept to a minimum by employing subtle techniques that work behind the scenes to create a positive classroom culture.听

Understandably, there鈥檚 a significant gap between how novice and expert teachers approach classroom management鈥攐ne that can take years of experience and training to fill, according to a . And while there鈥檚 no replacement for spending time in the classroom, an awareness of the right strategies, and the right mindsets, can put new teachers on the fast track to adopting tactics that work but might feel counterintuitive or risky. Meanwhile, more experienced teachers can benefit from insights that may help them sharpen or extend their existing playbook.

In the study, researchers asked 39 novice and expert teachers鈥攕chool leaders and mentors in charge of training new teachers鈥攖o watch video clips of a high school classroom. In each video, an educator could be observed giving instructions or walking through the class while students worked. During each video, a disruptive event would occur, ranging from students talking loudly to students refusing to participate in the lesson. The teachers in the study provided feedback on the events in the classroom, critiqued the observed teacher鈥檚 own classroom management strategies, and offered their own solutions.

Here鈥檚 how expert teachers approached classroom management鈥攑lus six teacher-tested strategies to make changes in your own classroom this year.

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

While both novice and expert teachers relied on reactive strategies to address student misbehavior鈥攆or example, by giving a reprimand like 鈥淓yes on me!鈥� if students were being disruptive鈥攅xpert teachers were far more likely to consider how proactive strategies could have prevented the misbehavior in the first place.听

New teachers tended to view classroom management narrowly, as a way to respond directly to disciplinary problems, while expert teachers had a 鈥渕ore comprehensive understanding of classroom management and its complexity,鈥� the researchers found鈥攃onceiving of discipline in the broader context of how lessons were organized and executed, how clearly the teacher communicated expectations, and even how the physical environment was arranged.听

SEEKING ROOT CAUSES

Expert teachers were more adept at interpreting the causes and influences behind student behavior. If students weren鈥檛 paying attention, for example, inexperienced teachers were more likely to focus solely on correcting behavior, while expert teachers entertained the idea that the behaviors were situational and sought strategies to improve the learning environment to short-circuit future disruptions.听

Compared with novice teachers, experienced teachers tended to have a 鈥渕ore elaborate and interconnected鈥� understanding of student misbehavior, forming a holistic picture of their students.听

STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN AUTHORITY AND AUTONOMY

Establishing a set of rules and then demanding compliance doesn鈥檛 work, especially with older students. Eventually, expert teachers come to see the classroom as an ecosystem involving a delicate balance between teacher authority and student autonomy. 鈥淭hey viewed student behavior in the context of teacher behavior, thinking about reasons and solutions鈥� instead of overemphasizing 鈥渙rder and discipline.鈥澛�

Sometimes when students act out they are merely exhibiting normal, healthy developmental behaviors. For the most experienced teachers, a healthy classroom is one in which students are allowed some reasonable leeway in their behaviors and are taught how to think of others and regulate themselves.

FINDING YOUR PLACE AND TONE

All teachers made efforts to monitor the room, but expert teachers were more proficient, often because they also had greater positional awareness, making sure that they occupied locations where students鈥攁nd student work鈥攚ould be in view. For example, one teacher noted that he frequently 鈥渨alks through the rows and looks at what they (students) are doing鈥濃�攁 common strategy to ensure that students are on task when doing independent work.听

Expert teachers were also mindful of how their body language, facial expressions, presence, and ability to control their own emotions affected the emotional state of their students.听

鈥淓motions are contagious, and when a teacher is able to model a calm presence through their tone, facial expression, and posture, students are less likely to react defensively,鈥� writes Lori Desautels, a professor of education at Butler University. Work to project enthusiasm, and try to keep cool if at all possible.听

GETTING ADAPTIVE聽

鈥淪uccessful classroom management requires the adaptive application of a repertoire of different strategies,鈥� the researchers explain. If a student is acting out because they鈥檙e having a bad day, that鈥檚 going to require a different approach than if they鈥檙e frustrated by the difficulty of a lesson or are confused by the instructions鈥攔esearchers discovered that the latter issues account for 20 percent of classroom misbehavior, according to a separate .听

As teachers become more experienced, they undergo a 鈥渟hift in perspective鈥� from 鈥渟eeing parts versus seeing the whole,鈥� the researchers report. While novice teachers relied more on routines and consequences, essentially following a script when it came to managing students鈥� behavior, expert teachers had 鈥渁daptive expertise鈥� that allowed them to draw from a variety of strategies depending on the context.听

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

1. Plan your environment. Your classroom plays a key role in shaping the behavior of your students. A , for example, found that heavily decorated classrooms made it harder for students to focus on a lesson, leading to off-task or disruptive behavior. While certain visual elements of the classroom can support learning鈥攁nchor charts, maps, images of role models, and displays of student work, for example鈥攁n overabundance of decorations can overstimulate.听

Seating plans also matter: A found that students were three times more likely to be disruptive if they chose their own seat rather than being assigned one. If you鈥檙e going to offer seating choice鈥攎any teachers say it ultimately improves classroom behavior鈥攃onsider doing so only situationally, and provide clear rules to let students know the consequences of frequent misbehavior.

2. Co-create norms. A common classroom management mistake is to display a list of rules and expect compliance. It can be more productive to have a conversation with your students about the reasons why rules exist, and then produce a set of governing principles by consensus. In California, high school English teacher David Tow instills a sense of shared responsibility and ownership over the classroom鈥檚 civility by co-creating classroom norms with his students. Together, they identify guidelines like being respectful of others, and then they evaluate the guidelines鈥� feasibility throughout the year, discarding the ones that don鈥檛 seem valuable, meaningful, or useful.

3. It鈥檚 not one size fits all. Find ways to measure the size of the problem, and respond accordingly. When a student misbehaves, Grace Dearborn, a high school teacher and the author of Conscious Classroom Management, has developed a series of tiered choices framed 鈥渁s consequences, not punishments鈥� to give students more autonomy. For example, low-level misbehavior might receive a 鈥済entle鈥� response, such as using nonverbal hand signals to encourage students to pay attention, or Dearborn might try 鈥渄rive-by discipline,鈥� like saying the child鈥檚 name quickly to disrupt the behavior without getting drawn into a bigger battle.听

Consequences are clear to the students and increase in intensity if the misbehavior persists: Students may be asked to change seats or take a time-out to reflect on their actions. Ultimately, the most severe consequences鈥攄etention or a meeting with parents鈥攁re used if the student鈥檚 behavior doesn鈥檛 change.听

4. Consider what鈥檚 unspoken. Nonverbal communication like eye contact, body language, and even how you position yourself in the room has an impact on student behavior.

鈥淧resence is crucial to maintaining classroom management and to effective delivery of instruction, and it鈥檚 a skill we can develop with effort,鈥� explains Sol Henik, a high school teacher. Develop your teaching presence鈥攜ou can record yourself while you鈥檙e teaching or solicit advice from trusted colleagues鈥攃irculate in areas where you can see and be seen, and make productive use of eye contact, not as a tool for surveillance but as a way to connect with your students, project confidence and accessibility, and build rapport.听

5. Relationships, relationships, relationships. Ultimately, classroom management begins and ends with strong relationships. A found that greeting students at the door set a positive tone for the rest of the day鈥攆or example, dramatically improving academic engagement and behavior. concluded that engaging in prosocial activities throughout the school year鈥攕uch as regular check-ins or morning meetings鈥攃an reduce disruptions by up to 75 percent.

Finally, learning a little about students鈥� personal lives through get-to-know-you surveys and identity activities can provide insights into the root causes of behavior. Students can draw their own 鈥渋dentity portraits鈥� to share both visible and invisible details about themselves, like religion, ethnicity, or the hobbies they enjoy. You can also use writing prompts like 鈥淲hat inspires you?鈥� or 鈥淲hat dreams do you have for after high school?鈥� to mine information you can use to deepen relationships and connect classroom lessons to students鈥� interests.听

6. Pick your battles (but do battle when you have to). Students who are frequently the target of negative attention鈥攂eing called out if they鈥檙e not paying attention or are chatting with another student, for example鈥攁re more likely to become disengaged and apathetic, which leads to more behavioral issues in the future, according to a . Don鈥檛 try to fix all misbehavior in your classroom鈥攑ick your battles, avoid escalating the situation if you can, and remember that the most effective classroom management strategies are based on building relationships and increasing engagement with the content.