This is a very simple classroom management strategy which I use at seminars and workshops to demonstrate the power of giving students responsibility for their own behaviour. Not only can this technique get a group of students quiet in as little as 10 seconds, it also strengthens staff/student relationships, injects a little humour into the session and gives challenging students the attention they crave. It also works equally well with 8 year olds, 18 year olds, and even 63 year olds (I haven’t gone higher than that!).   Indeed, it is so effective that at a teacher training seminar I was r ..read more

A student who has no interest in lessons (i.e. anything you say and do) can have a terrible impact on the rest of the class. What you must remember however is that this student probably wants to succeed – most do, at heart – but has virtually given up due to a succession of failures, discouragement and low self-image. It may take time to reach this student and help them see life (including your lessons) differently, but there are definite steps to take which will help turn the situation round more quickly.    1. Look to sincerely praise anything and everything you can. Students with ..read more

A student who has no interest in lessons (i.e. anything you say and do) can have a terrible impact on the rest of the class. What you must remember however is that this student probably wants to succeed – most do, at heart – but has virtually given up due to a succession of failures, discouragement and low self-image. It may take time to reach this student and help them see life (including your lessons) differently, but there are definite steps to take which will help turn the situation round more quickly.    1. Look to sincerely praise anything and everything you can. Students with ..read more

I started teaching 25 years ago – and despite nearly three decades worth of experience, the incredible power of positive feedback for correcting or redirecting a child’s behaviour still utterly amazes me.  My 7-year-old daughter had her best friend around for tea recently. The two of them had been talking about it all week and were very excited. I knew it was always going to be utter mayhem, but my wife and I had prepared for this. We cleared away the breakables, warned the dog and had activities on hand. Poppy and her friend are both a little ‘lively’.  Things got out of hand a coup ..read more

This extract from my book Take Control of the Noisy Class (available on Amazon) highlights some of the problems associated with an over-reliance on reward schemes and other 'control methods' in the classroom. (the book also goes on to suggest other, more appropriate ways of acknowledging positive behaviour). The most commonly used motivational strategies in schools usually involve some kind of reward programme where, typically, points and prearranged prizes are awarded to students as they make progress along a chart or towards a points total.  I have worked in several settings where progr ..read more

I wanted to send a message out today with news about our various available products… But I can’t. I have been following what happened in Ukraine for the past few weeks and while this isn't a forum for me to share any kind of political views I do want to say a few words on this. I'm finding it tough to keep going business as usual when people are facing such violence. Yesterday I watched terrified little school children - the same age as my daughter Poppy - being led into bomb shelters by their teachers. Tears streamed down my face and my heart cracked open as I imagined their fear. Their lives ..read more

When I was training to be a teacher I worked for a short time at quite a rough comprehensive school in the south of England.  One of my classes was a year 9 science group and one of the students - we’ll call him Sean - ambled into our first scheduled lesson late, as predicted by my mentor, the usual class teacher. Sean looked very intrigued by the student teacher standing awkwardly at the front of the room, and proceeded to dominate the lesson and command my attention for the next 55 minutes. He did a marvellous job of preventing me from doing my job – teaching him and the rest of hi ..read more

Would you like to know a guaranteed method for raising engagement in your lessons? It can be summed up literally in just one single word and yet it holds the key to instant participation.  Every student responds to this without exception.  With this in place you can have your entire class, even those students who are usually totally disinterested, literally begging to know more.  You can use it at the start of a lesson to grab and hold the attention of any group.  And you can use it at a later stage of a lesson to regain their attention.  ..read more

Having an effective strategy for dealing with low-level disruptions is KEY to successful Classroom Management for any teacher. This sort of disruption can be like water torture to the teacher, that incessant symphony of pencil tapping, silly noises, poking, bogey-flicking, giggling, inappropriate flatulence, paper-passing, ruler-slapping, desk shoving, hair-pulling, and general fidgeting. Kids will be kids though, and in themselves, many of the above are all fairly harmless activities (though those involving bodily functions can be hard to stomach, and hair-pulling can really hurt). Taken coll ..read more

You might feel like you have tried everything to motivate disinterested students in your class and get them engaged in lessons, but have you thought about why they are currently lacking the drive to become actively involved?  I have listed below four possible reasons why your students might be reluctant to participate. This list isn’t exhaustive but these particular de-motivators will counteract even the most determined and ingenious  efforts made by teachers in a bid to raise engagement. Reducing and addressing these de-motivators is something I'll cover later posts - although if yo ..read more