Strong classroom organization and behavior management skills are critical for both general education and special education teachers (Oliver & Reschly, 2010). Using methods that produce and increase constructive interactions will result in more successful and classroom environments for both teachers and students. This article provides a review of effective classroom management strategies that are designed to create positive learning environments by building in positive supports that will prevent challenging classroom behavior prior to the implementation of more reactive behavioral approaches.
Teachers should work toward creating positive learning environments and therefore be able to identify and remediate classroom conditions that may make it more likely that desirable behaviors occur in the classroom (Hardman & Smith, 1999). When teachers create environments of care, they create settings where potential challenges are planned for, rules and consequences are established, positive behavior is the focus for classroom supports, redirection rather than reprimand is the vehicle behavior change, and students are offered a variety of choices to reach an agreed-upon instructional goal. Teachers that create positive classrooms pay close attention to all of the environmental stimuli that are present in their educational setting.
Classroom management is a multifaceted and scientific process. It is important that teachers learn how to discriminate between problematic behaviors that are best addressed by contingency management and problems that are better addressed by other approaches designed to modify behavior. Mild but potentially disruptive behavior problems may often be due to poor classroom structure. The structure of the classroom environment may influence student’s behavior in ways that does not always require teacher intervention but consideration of how the environment is organized (Smith & Misra, 1992). For example, teachers can control mild problematic behaviors during some group activities just by making sure that seating conditions are not crowded. Prevention of problematic behaviors is an essential part of classroom behavior management. Therefore, antecedent stimulus and strategies that promote prevention are integral components of a comprehensive classroom management program.
The first component of an effective classroom management program is the application of antecedent techniques. Teachers can identify and implement preventative techniques to prompt appropriate behavior and minimize disruptive behaviors in the classroom (Conroy, Sutherland, Snyder, & Marsh, 2008). Empirical studies support the notion of a specific level of management strategies. Active supervision, creating a list of rules, lessons that teach behavioral expectations, and monitoring student progress were themes derived from the literature. Techniques discussed in the following sections are appropriate for all students, regardless of the presence of a disability including arrangement of the classroom, classroom schedule, classroom rules, and teacher-student interactions.
