it is good to practice good classroom management. the way learners sit in the classroom will largely affect their learning. the class discipline is core too for learners' learning. when there is class discipline, the learners will maximize the learning.

1. By Jamlick Bosire:
Oct. 2015

2. Classroom management is the
organization and arrangement of the
classroom in order to enhance pupils’
learning.
Classroom management involves
planning the activities, organizing how
those activities will be carried out, the
resources required and general
arrangement of the areas in the
classroom. This includes monitoring
pupils progress.

3. • To monitor pupils’ progress
• To enable the teacher to
plan various teaching
activities efficiently
• To stimulate learners’
cooperation amongst
themselves
• To manage time and
resources efficiently and
effectively for maximum
learning
• To organize favorable
space for pupils
• To allow access to
materials and equipment
to serve learning needs
• To facilitate orderly and
effective learning
• To create conducive and
informal environment
• To help pupils individually
• To facilitate the
development of positive
behavioral changes in
learners
• To increase pupil
participation and teacher-
pupil, pupil-pupil
interaction

4. To manage a classroom, you need to consider
the following:
• Class arrangement
• Organization of resources
• Use of time
• Records
• Class control
• space

5. Organizing classroom space is important to
allow easy movement from one point to
another in the classroom, and allow access to
resources.
It also takes into consideration those with
special needs, such as pupils using wheel
chairs or callipers.
How you organize your classroom space can
have a considerable effect on the pupils’
behavior.
Your primary goal should be to set up an
environment which will encourage learners
to do their best in class

6. Think about:
• Where the chalkboard will be
• Where you will stand when talking to all the
learners
• Where your desk will be
• Where pupils will sit
• Traffic areas
• Location of the exits
• Where resource materials will be
• Where the storage shelves will be and other
supplies.

7. When you organize your class seating
arrangement you also need to consider:
• Class activities
• Number of pupils in the class
• Pupils’ ability to participate in class activities
• Position of doors, window and lighting
• Health condition of pupils (VH, HI, PH)
• Physical size of individual pupils
• Safety consideration
• Individual pupils discipline
• Size of classroom
• Type of facilities I the classroom

8. Advantages of having learners work in rows
1. It is easier to manage pupils
2. It is easier to control pupils
Disadvantages
1. pupils’ movement is limited
2. Makes the teacher the focus of the learning,
not the pupils
3. Pupils at the back might not see well what is
written on the chalkboard
4. Hard to change the desk arrangement
5. Difficult to organize collaborative work

9. Advantages of organizing learners’ desks to
facilitate group work
1. Discourages pupils’ dependency on the
teacher
2. Flexible, as different topics can be covered
at once
3. Encourage active participation of pupils
4. Helps pupils in practicing social
responsibilities
5. Shows learners can learn from brighter pupils

10. Disadvantages of arranging your class for group
work are:
1. more demands on preparation
2. You may have to cope with organizational
and management problems before pupils
learn
3. Most classroom are not built with group work
in mind
4. Noise level might be higher

11. This is a place where the teacher sits when
preparing the work, marking the pupils’ work
etc.
It is normally placed in one of the front corners
facing the pupils.
Although, it is useful to see the whole class at
registration, the teacher’s desk at the front
has limitations.
It suggests that all learning emanates from the
teacher and not the pupils themselves.

12. This is a quiet place for the pupils to
use when studying, or working on a
project individually.
It should be in quiet area. You may
set this area at one corner of the
classroom, by placing a table and a
few chairs, or by using a counter

13. This is a place where the learners’
resources are kept, for example
books, pencils, pins, tools and so on.
You need to put a medium to large-
sized table, or a cupboard in the
resource centre

14. These are areas relating to a
subject.
Here there will be resources
and probably some display

15. These are soft boards fixed on the
walls.
You can use them for displaying work,
classroom rules and schedules,
charts, other relevant materials can
be posted prominently

16. It is important to ensure that pupils can move
around the classroom.
There should be space near doorways, the
pencil sharpener and trash can, group work
areas, book shelves and supply areas,
teacher’s desk and pupils’ desks.
These areas need to be spacious and easily
accessible.
For example, try not to seat a pupil next to
the door, or pencil sharpener because they
will be disturbed all the time by the traffic
of other pupils using those areas.

17. You also need to note room
accessories e.g. charts racks,
book cases, round tables,
display tables, and storage
facilities. These need to be
arranged so that they are
accessible

18. This is how to organize your
resources, which include:
• Human resources
• Learning resources

19. They include:
• Teachers
• Learners
• Parents
• Volunteers, including guest speakers
• Counselors
• Head teacher

20. As a teacher you are a resource by the
virtue of your knowledge, training
and expertise.
You are a manager, organizer,
counselor, care provider and above
all you guide children in their
learning.

21. Learners can learn from their peers,
through interaction with each other.
Learners can support each other in
their academic work.
They can also help in the
development of positive attitudes
and socialization.

22. Parents are resource in many ways.
You may invite them to help in
collecting/making some materials
and equipment needed. Or you may
bring them into the classroom to
tutor pupils who need more
assistance, make games, supervise
playground and classroom activities,
tell stories and assist in field trips.

23. You also need to keep in touch with the teacher who
taught your pupils previously. You can learn from
their previous teacher what help each pupil needs.
Other important information that you can get from
the previous teacher includes:
• How far the learners progressed in last year’s
curriculum
• What level of mastery they achieved in different
subjects
• How much help and monitoring do they need to do
their work individually, or in a group
• What classroom management techniques were
successful

24. Volunteers may help in drama,
music, cooking lessons, projects,
tutoring individual pupils and
demonstrating specific skills.

25. Counselors and consultants
may help in guidance and
counseling of your pupils.

26. Head teacher may help in ideas
for improvement, participating
in subject panels, maintaining
discipline, and managing co-
curricular activities.

27. You need to organize classroom
space to make it appealing and
interesting for your pupils and
yourself, to create space for
movement, and storage. By
providing a well organize
environment your pupils will
benefit

28. We look at:
• Classroom discipline,
• Classroom rules,
• Time management and
• Record keeping.

29. By this we mean maintaining
discipline.
What is classroom discipline?
Discipline is maintaining of order
and classroom control necessary
for effective learning.

30. Class discipline:
• Develops a classroom community by sharing
responsibilities
• Helps pupils respect one another
• Promotes concentration and participation
• Maintains good working relationship
• Encourages pupils to help one another
• Makes use of time
• Develops good self-image for pupils

31. • Know the content and present the lesson
well
• Understand pupils’ problems
• Avoid unreasonable threats
• Plan the lesson well, give positive rewards
• Be a good role model to the pupils
• Give responsibilities to individual pupils
• Give challenging and relevant
work/assignments
• N/B: Discipline is not about coercion. It is
about effective planning and respect

32. A rule is a prescribed guide for conduct or action.
For you to be effective classroom managers,
different styles of management that may help
you achieve the classroom objectives will
certainly be useful.
To be truly effective, rules cannot merely be
posted and forgotten. You have to use them as a
framework for guiding both pupils’ and your own
behavior.
N/B: Involve your pupils in establishing rules for
the classroom. However, you need to plan in
advance what kinds of situations will be covered
and what rules will be implemented in each
situation

33. • You need to take an immediate action when
misbehavior occurs, explain clearly if an
individual or group did not understand the rules.
• Separate the members of the group from one
another quickly and efficiently without alerting
the entire class.
• Monitor and inhibit misbehavior before it
occurs(using eye contact, gestures, listening and
suggesting).
• Ignore some behavior
• Praise individuals, or groups who worked well
together
• Don’t pronounce a classroom sentence that
rarely fits the crime.

34. If you express real anger you show a loss of
control.
Sometimes you may feign anger to make a
point. However, if you really get angry
you can be irrational. You may say things
which you later regret.
You may even physically express your anger
by hitting a child. This you should never
do. You are an adult and as such must
remain in control.

35. The relationship between use of time in
school and pupils’ learning appears to be
very strong. If you are to give your pupils
every possible chance to succeed in
school, you must make the most of every
minute in the classroom instruction.
Time scheduling activities (allocating time)
and sticking to one’s schedule (actual
time) are the major elements involved in
time management.

36. Some of the records you may keep in the
course of your teaching are:
• Schemes of work and lesson plan
• Record of work covered books
• Progress record
• Class register
• Books issued records (inventory)
• Class plan (seating)
• Special incidences