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Children learn every moment of every day. Their minds absorb the information around

them as surely as sponges soak up water. The job of the educator is to create an environment in

which students are able to learn academic information, good citizenship, and healthy social

skills. There is no greater tool for a successful teaching practice than effective classroom

management. This ideal classroom outline describes a comprehensive approach to designing a

successful classroom in which students can thrive.

This outline discusses the importance of building trusting, respectful relationships with

students. As educators, we often focus on student behavior and forget that we must also hold

ourselves to a high standard of behavior and good citizenship (Charles, 2011). Assuring that

relationships with students are strong and authentic helps a teacher manage her classroom with

compassion.

It is also crucial to understand students’ levels of development. In this outline, the 3rd

grade classroom is expected to consist of children who are mostly in Piaget’s preoperational or

concrete operational stages. These children need many concrete examples and scaffolded

learning opportunities. While an educator cannot help but hold certain expectations for her

students and classrooms, it is crucial to focus attention primarily on what is most helpful for the

specific needs of the children at hand: the students’ needs and understandings must come first

(Fields, Merrit, & Fields, 2018). Likewise, students’ moral development must be taken into

account (Lickona, 1994).

Learners needs are varied, but one they all share is the need to be engaged with the

material they are studying. Engagement can be greatly increased by building the ratio between

passive and active participation in the classroom (Lemov, 2010). This outline details the
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importance of discussion-based learning and describes a plan to increase the amount of

discussion in the classroom, including the way that the class itself is physically organized.

The physical organization of the classroom is one way that careful planning can help set

students up for successful learning. This outline also discusses the crucial matter of explaining

and practicing procedures, expectations, and consequences. Students deserve to know and benefit

from knowing and understanding classroom and school expectations and consequences

(MacKenzie & Stanzione, 2010). Educators should not let students (or themselves) suffer the

frustration and uncertainty of misunderstandings and surprise consequences. An investment of

time in practicing procedures, discussing and developing expectations collaboratively, and

delineating logical consequences for misbehavior is well worth it, as it will lead to a classroom in

which testing of boundaries is minimized.

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References

Charles, C. M. (2011). Building classroom discipline (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Fields, M. V., Merrit, P. A., & Fields, D. M. (2018). Constructive guidance and

discipline, birth to age eight. (7th ed.). New York City, NY: Pearson.

Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lickona, T. (1994). Raising good children, New York City, NY: Bantom.

MacKenzie, R. J. & Stanzione, M. A. (2010). Setting limits in the classroom (3rd ed.). New York

City, NY: Three Rivers Press.