Classroom Management Strategies in a Primary Classroom part one

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've posted anything. I have been busy working over on my craft blog Sew Creative. Recently I have been accepted onto the Kaisercraft Design Team and have had project deadlines, thus have been busy creating. It's been busy, but it's ok! Something I have been wanting to share is my classroom management system. I am very systematic and have a number of routines in place that the children follow and I feel have been successful with. These structures I feel make my classroom a good place to be in.

Some background info:

I had been teaching infants classes for a while and was moved to a primary grade. I needed to devise a reward system suitable for Year 4 students that would motivate them. My school was undergoing ‘The Practitioner Inquiry’ approach. My investigation was:

“How can I empower students to interact positively with their peers in social and academic situations?”

 

‘The Practitioner Inquiry’ model provided me with a scaffold to reflect on my own teaching practice within the classroom.Through collaboration and dialogue with the students, we designed a reward system based on students’ interests.

Consequently students are:

• Motivated to earn rewards 
• Enjoying their rewards 
• Able to share their success with their family
• Becoming more skilled in working within a group
• More settled as a class 
• Setting personal goals and targets

Reward System
Individual

The system is based upon the idea of progressing up a ladder where the most desirable reward is at the top. The children earn tokens and are able to cash them in order to redeem a reward. These rewards are recorded in the children’s learning journals which then provides a record of their achievement as well as a document that the children can share/celebrate with their families.

I found some great tokens from the Ed Helper site. They come in different quantities, one, five, ten and twenty.I have photocopied a number on them onto coloured paper. The children are rewarded frequently and respond positively to them.

I have supplied a blank reward ladder below. You can modify it to suit your grade. I currently am teaching Year Three, and this system is just as positive as it was when I started it a few years ago.

Thanks for stopping by!