As preschoolers and kindergartners are introduced
to a classroom setting and encouraged to develop socially, teachers can expect
to come across temper tantrums, verbally and physically aggressive or violent
behavior or disinterest to stay back in school among their students. While some
behavioral issues in your preschool classroom can be resolved with a simple
reminder of classroom expectations, love, care and understanding, others can require
a much broader approach.
Preschool/kindergarten teachers know that when
you’re faced with a room full of three- and four-year-old, clear expectations
and routines are vital if teaching and learning are going to happen. As a
teacher, it may be your job to introduce the students to concepts such as
working in groups, being respectful while others are talking, and cleaning up
after themselves. In order to make the children's introduction to school a
positive one, you will need some basic classroom management skills and the
ability to be flexible. What is important to understand is that, what works for
one teacher will not always work for another.
Here are a few classroom management techniques that
may work well, encouraging students to come back the next day and engage in
interesting activities.
Class
Attendance:
The best way to begin your students’ day is with an
engaging activity as soon as they walk through the classroom door. Implementing
a sign-in activity each day will help you take stock of the children as they
are dropped off each morning. It will give you the chance to personally greet
each child as well.
This idea may also encourage them to come in early
and put up their name on the board before anyone else does. This encourages
them to be on time and also make sure they come to school each day so that
their name needn’t be on the ‘Absent’ list.
Classroom
Helper Charts:
Allowing young children to feel like they are
‘in-charge’ gives them a great sense of empowerment. Having classroom helper
each day takes the burden off the teacher and places responsibility on the
child. Children who feel empowered are more likely to enjoy school and take
more academic risks.
One of the goals of any good early childhood program
is to teach independence, by allowing the students to be in control for the
entire day they feel incredibly empowered and independent. Having a chart with
the various responsibilities and the child’s picture next to it encourages
them. Some of the jobs of the leader include calendar helper, pushing in
chairs, turning on and off the lights, leading the line, monitoring the class
and a lot more.
Pictorial
Classroom Schedule:
Children learn best when they are comfortable in
their surroundings and they know what to expect next. Creating a visual
schedule can help children understand time management. Students will also learn
to anticipate what comes next. Making a visual schedule may even put an end to
the question, "What’s next?"
It can be the same schedule for a week or a
different one for each day. Having each activity represented by a picture and
the word on a chart will give your students a visual reminder of what is
happening or is going to happen in class.
Classroom
Rules Chart:
It is important to have visuals in an early childhood
classroom as a reminder of the rules.
Post the rules chart on the wall in several locations throughout the
classroom at the children’s eye level so they can refer to it when necessary.
The more they look at it, the more it reminds them of the rules. At the
beginning of the year, on the very first day, review the rules carefully as a
group. Also it is extremely important to keep all classroom rules positive,
make sure you have not included the word ‘don’t’ in any of the rules.
Take
Home Book Program:
Research has proven that reading aloud daily is one
of the most effective ways parents can help their children become successful
readers. Unfortunately, many parents do not know how to effectively engage
their children in a read aloud. This program can encourage parents to be a part
of their student’s education which will in turn encourage and motivate the
child to learn better.
• Provide
the parents of your students with step-by-step directions to make reading aloud
to their children a positive and productive experience.
• Communicate
exactly what you want parents to do when reading aloud so they will be more
likely to read to their children on a consistent basis.
Written
by Fathima Khaja
