To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the classroom can be the best of places or the worst of places. It all depends on the interplay of a lot of factors. Fortunately, quite a few of those you actually have under your control. You just need to be aware that they’re out there.

For that reason, today we’re going to explore some of the big secrets that will decide whether your classroom is a success or a disaster. In that way, you’ll know where to look, what to pay attention to and when things are going off track long before they’ve actually smashed into a passing bridge.

Sound like a good plan? So let’s leap straight on in so that you can create the perfect learning community. 

Praise is powerful

We all like to be complimented. For that reason, when things are going well, let people know! A well-run system will have both sticks and carrots so that people don’t just feel motivated by fear, but also by a desire to do well.

And remember, don’t compliment people on innate abilities, but on the work, they put in. That has been shown to be a far more effective way to motivate students to work hard and will push them to perform better so that they might create work worthy of best online assignment help.

Also, note that some people do not like to be given praise in public. That can become pretty clear when you do praise them in that way the first time. In those cases, give them praise afterward, one on one. That will avoid situations where they’ll bite back at you, for example. 

Tests go two ways

We’re taught to think that tests are something that teachers submit to their students. That is true, of course. It isn’t the only testing that happens, though. There is also the way that students test their teachers.

And of course, the testing happens in entirely different ways. At the same time, at their core, they have something in common and that is that both groups want the others to pass. Teachers want their kids to have a good year, while kids want to have a good teacher.

Students will test is how far they can push you before the boot comes down, as well as how much it takes to send you over the edge. These are both tests that you’ve got to pass. The first thing that you’ve got to realize is that there are clearly defined rules. These can be put up on a wall, for example, or discussed the first day in class.

The second thing is that these rules are then enforced without bias or preference. That is an incredibly important point, for the moment that the students think that your enforcement is arbitrary, they’ll no longer respect the rules that you’ve put up. 

The edge

The second kind of testing that somebody will try to pull on you is to see what it will take to get you to break down, lose your cool or in other ways show your emotions. The thing is, if any of these things happens then you’ve lost. So it’s important to not let that happen.

The best strategy is to sit down beforehand and work through how you will react to certain problem situations. If somebody won’t shut up, what will you do? If somebody is being disrespectful, what will you do? Work out a number of different strategies for each problem situation that will occur and work through them in your mind.

In this way, instead of ending up frustrated and unsure of how to deal with a situation, you can slip into one of your pre-planned routines. That will make the stress easier to deal with and far easier to control your emotions as well. 

Create positive relations with those who want to

Another common problem is that the teachers will think it’s them against the classroom. If several people in the class are causing problems, they will say ‘you kids are so noisy!’ When, in fact, it’s only a few that are being noisy while the rest of the students aren’t creating any such problems.

Don’t do that. Instead, in your comments separate out the unruly kids from the rest of the class. In this way, you side with the majority against the minority and thereby create a huge amount of pressure on those children to stop acting up and start behaving.

Also, remember that a positive relationship can only work if it goes both ways. If the students have something to say, then let them say it, even if it isn’t necessarily positive about you. If you show that you’re capable of taking constructive criticism and move forward on a positive footing, then they’ll be far more likely to take your criticism positively themselves.

Make the learning environment safe

Sometimes somebody will know the answer, but won’t speak up because they’re afraid of what other students will say or do. That’s not productive to your classroom. For that reason, work to create a safe learning environment. Make sure that you’re aware of what students put other students down and take steps to deal with that problem.

Perhaps speak to those students privately and find ways to draw them into the classroom (if that’s possible). Otherwise, make it clear that their negative comments about other students will have an impact on them. 

Last words

The classroom is an interplay between aspects that are both noticeable and that pass right along beneath it. To run a successful classroom, you’ve got to make use of the subconscious cues as much as the conscious ones. That means paying attentions and nipping negative attention and energy in the bud before they can flower into something truly poisonous.

In that way, you’ll create a positive and supportive environment that will boost everybody’s participation and their enjoyment of the classroom. And who knows, it might even create a better work-life balance.