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Learning how to manage a classroom full of kids takes time and patience.

Novice teachers, understandably, 鈥渢end to focus on behavioral management (e.g., controlling student behavior and establishing rules),鈥� while expert teachers have developed a 鈥渕ore comprehensive understanding of classroom management and its complexity,鈥� researchers explain in a . By the time they鈥檝e reached the middle of their teaching careers, educators tend to think about discipline holistically鈥攈ow it鈥檚 intimately connected to the clarity of their lessons, the effects of peer dynamics, or even the organization of their physical classroom spaces.

Misbehavior in the classroom, meanwhile, is not always what it seems. As students navigate the social terrain of the classroom, it鈥檚 normal to expect occasional moments of defiance, , a developmental psychologist at Harvard. Acting out is 鈥渘ot always a sign of intentional disregard or disrespect of others or of the rules鈥� and can be a healthy part of a child鈥檚 social and emotional development as they test boundaries, learn what consequences are, and assert their independence.

There鈥檚 no silver bullet to keeping students on track and disruptions at bay鈥攁 notes that being an effective teacher 鈥渞equires the adaptive application of a repertoire of different classroom management strategies.鈥� Here are eight portable, easy-to-deploy strategies that can make a big impact as you attempt to keep the class focused on the vital academic work at hand.

1. 鈥楾he Look鈥�

鈥淪ometimes situations don鈥檛 warrant words鈥攎ere eye contact or going to stand next to where a student is seated will do,鈥� writes Rebecca Alber, a teacher trainer at UCLA鈥檚 Graduate School of Education. 鈥淣onverbal classroom management tactics like these help keep everyone鈥檚 dignity intact in the room.鈥� It鈥檚 important to use 鈥渢he look鈥濃�攁n arched eyebrow or a stern glare directed at misbehavior鈥攎oderately, both to maximize its effectiveness and limit its (modest) potential to stigmatize students if overused, says Alber.

Drawing on Jacob Kounin鈥檚 concept of 鈥渙verlapping,鈥� the researchers in a suggest that experienced teachers often choose to respond quickly and unobtrusively, 鈥渨ithout interrupting the intellectual flow of the instruction.鈥� By shooting a quick look, moving closer to the problem area, or deftly inserting the student鈥檚 name into the lesson鈥斺�淲e鈥檙e focused on the slope of this line, right, John?鈥濃�攖he teacher 鈥渃onveys several messages the student and the classmates immediately understand (e.g., 鈥業 saw that,鈥� 鈥楽top it,鈥� 鈥楩irst warning鈥�) while still carrying on with instruction.鈥�

It can feel awkward, but younger teachers can practice techniques like 鈥渢he look鈥� at home and then try them out in the classroom before refining their techniques. Other educators we鈥檝e interviewed discuss their preferred nonverbal cues directly with students, describing the intended effect of hand signals and glances to model expected behaviors.

2. Tone of Voice

What may sound authoritative to you may come off as authoritarian to your students.

In a , researchers studied how elementary students reacted to typical classroom instructions鈥斺�淚t鈥檚 time to start the lesson鈥� or 鈥淟isten carefully,鈥� for example鈥攄elivered in tones ranging from demanding to neutral to supportive. While neutral and positive tones led to a warmer, more supportive classroom culture, stricter tones undermined trust and discouraged kids when it came time 鈥渢o share secrets with their teachers,鈥� who subsequently missed out on important information related to bullying, hardships, and even the work students were proudest of.

Finding your voice will take time and practice, but 鈥渄eveloping a calm, neutral, assertive voice is part of the teacher鈥檚 own self-regulation,鈥� which in turn allows students to be 鈥渟elf-regulated and secure in the knowledge that the teacher will be receptive to them, but also in control,鈥� explains Linda Darling-Hammond, former professor at Stanford and current president of the Learning Policy Institute.

At Van Ness Elementary School, teachers actively work on tone of voice and then model self-regulation through its strategic use. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e talking in a voice that is too aggressive, we might accidentally be using fear to manipulate children鈥檚 behavior,鈥� says Cynthia Robinson-Rivers. 鈥淚nstead of helping them to gain that intrinsic motivation to do the right thing for the right reasons.鈥�

3. Getting to Clarity

Preparing a well-thought-out lesson with very clear instructions doesn鈥檛 just grease the academic wheels, it also helps to minimize student disruptions. In a , researchers discovered that 15 percent of misbehavior was attributed to instructional factors such as 鈥渁n instructor鈥檚 failure to provide clear expectations or command of the classroom.鈥� 

Christopher Pagan, a high school physics teacher, regularly surveys his students to gain a clearer sense of the clarity of his lessons. 鈥淭he purpose of the survey is to give my students a voice to tell me what changes I can make and what practices I can implement to help them perform better in class,鈥� he says. The survey 鈥渉as nothing to do with content. There are no questions about physics.鈥� A backs his approach, revealing that highly effective teachers audit their materials regularly 鈥渢o identify what was working or not.鈥� For academic work that involves complex instructions, ask students to talk you through what they think the steps are, and take notes on the whiteboard while offering clarifications.

Classroom transitions are another source of classroom calamity; clear routines are an effective way to minimize these disruptions. 鈥淒ifficulties with transitioning may manifest in鈥� avoidance, decreased attention, resistance, or fight-or-flight,鈥� writes occupational therapist Lauren Brukner. Consider displaying visual scaffolds like anchor charts to remind students of your expectations, spend some time recording yourself to spot areas for improvement, or visit the classrooms of mentor teachers to draw lessons from their experience.

4. Greeting Students at the Door

Spending a few moments at the beginning of class welcoming students鈥攂y greeting them as they enter the class or scheduling a morning meeting, for example鈥攏ot only sets a positive tone, but also can boost engagement and reduce disruptive behavior. In a (replicated with older students in another ), positive greetings at the door increased academic engagement by 20 percentage points while decreasing disruptive behavior by 9 percentage points, effectively adding 鈥渁n additional hour of engagement over the course of a five-hour instructional day,鈥� according to the researchers.

More recently, researchers in a explain that low-intensity classroom management strategies such as positive greetings at the door are effective at 鈥渄efusing problems rather than exacerbating them鈥� and allow students to see teachers less as arbiters of discipline and more as mentors and guides. When students feel welcome in the classroom, they鈥檙e more likely to put genuine effort into their learning, the research shows.

5. Keeping Distractions In Check

In the battle for student attention, you鈥檙e not going to beat the lure of electronic devices and whirring, flashing fidget toys. In a , students who were seated by a classmate browsing the internet on a laptop scored 9 percentage points lower on retention tests than their distraction-free peers. Even those who couldn鈥檛 glimpse the laptop screen were distracted, suggesting that they picked up on the subtle cues鈥攁 stifled chuckle or slouched posture鈥攖hat signaled a lack of academic focus, the researchers found.

At the beginning of class, math teacher Rebecka Peterson asks her students to deposit their devices in a cell phone holder. 鈥淒on鈥檛 make phones a big deal; it鈥檚 just another procedure,鈥� she writes. If keeping devices out of reach isn鈥檛 an option, you can create firm boundaries: 鈥淚 have a doorbell in my classroom鈥� and students know it means to put phones away and take AirPods out of their ears,鈥� writes educator Sarah Said.

Finally, be wary of fidgets that make noise, light up, or can be thrown. 鈥淭here is not sufficient support for the implementation of fidget toys in the classroom,鈥� researchers explain in a . That鈥檚 because students who fiddle with fidget spinners, poppers, and balls鈥攖he most distracting of the bunch鈥攖end to score significantly worse on academic tests and often affect the performance of nearby students, a reveals.

6. Warming Up Your Cold calls

Many students are wary of participating in class discussions, often because they鈥檙e shy, afraid to be seen as incompetent, or simply not interested in the topic. It鈥檚 not uncommon to ask a question and hear crickets in response. Yet not all teachers approach cold calling the same way鈥攁 found that the practice generally fell into one of two categories: 鈥淓ncouraging and engaging on the one hand鈥� or 鈥渃onfrontational and intimidating鈥� on the other.

If you want to keep class participation on track, try warming up your cold calls. In the study, middle school teachers who couched their cold calls in an inviting, respectful manner鈥攗sing language like 鈥淚鈥檇 like to hear some ideas,鈥� for example鈥攚ere able to assuage their students鈥� fears and anxieties about being put on the spot, leading to more fruitful conversations in which students felt 鈥渟afe to take risks.鈥�

Over time, well-executed cold calling can decrease anxiety levels and increase class participation, since 鈥渙nce a student has participated a few times, it becomes easier to participate,鈥� according to a . In fact, when teachers regularly integrate cold calling, participation increases from about 50 percent to slightly above 90 percent, the researchers found, and the approach can be especially helpful for typically quieter students, such as girls, according to a . 

7. Break Time!

A short break after a long lesson can keep students more engaged throughout the day, while reducing classroom disruptions. Brain breaks aren鈥檛 a fad鈥攖hey鈥檙e backed by science and trusted by experienced teachers. A , for example, found that 91 percent of K鈥�2 teachers rely on intermittent breaks to refresh student attention spans and improve information processing.

In a , scientists used brain imaging to analyze cognitive activity after elementary students engaged in short brain breaks鈥攖ossing balls, pretending to be cars and zooming around the classroom, or playing Simon Says, for example. They discovered that four-to-six-minute brain breaks improved 鈥渃hildren鈥檚 neural activity efficiency,鈥� leading to 鈥渟ignificantly higher odds of being observed on-task鈥� during later instructional periods.

Even older students benefit from brain breaks. In a , a brief exercise break reduced off-task behaviors among high school students鈥攇azing off, staring into space, or putting their head down on the desk, for example鈥攂y nearly half, making it 鈥渁 feasible and practical approach鈥� for older adolescents.

8. Let the Small Stuff Go

Trying to catch and fix every minor disruption might seem like a good classroom approach, but it often leads to more misbehavior in the long run. A shows that calling students out for minor issues like daydreaming or brief chatter can erode their feelings of connection to the classroom, leading to even more misbehavior down the road. For some students, this negative attention can actually lead to a 鈥渘egative reinforcement pattern鈥� that 鈥渁ctually amplifies students鈥� inappropriate behavior鈥� over the long haul.

While a stern approach to classroom management may be necessary to combat severe or repeated infractions, it鈥檚 better to start small and focus on de-escalating or defusing the situation.

When teachers react defensively to student behaviors, they 鈥渕ay become locked in a power struggle or an ineffective pattern of communication,鈥� writes special education teacher Nina Parrish. Remain calm and avoid using statements that begin with 鈥淵ou鈥濃�攆or example, 鈥淵ou never listen and follow directions. Don鈥檛 get out of your seat again!鈥濃�攚hich typically triggers defiant behavior. Instead, rephrase it to an 鈥淚 statement鈥�: 鈥淚 would like for all of my students to sit down, listen, and follow directions so that they know what to do next.鈥�

When kids inevitably push your buttons, take things slowly and approach each situation with calm and compassion. playing out tense moments ahead of time: 鈥淭hink through scenarios that might happen in your classroom and how you want to respond before the start of the year,鈥� she writes. 鈥淚t will make those first redirects and interventions less intimidating.鈥�