As a teacher, you know how important it is (and how hard it can be) to manage the classroom. After all, there are so many students - with different personalities, habits, and learning styles - vying for your attention. Of course, you don't want to have to delve into a lengthy explanation every time you need your students to fall in line; that's just a waste of time and energy that can and should be spent on teaching. Moreover, many students are visual learners, who are best instructed by things they see, rather than hear. The best way you can keep your class on the right track without expending all of your verbal energy, is to exercise body language that naturally expresses the class rules and keeps things in order.
The light switch. Try switching the lights off to get students' attention. Just be careful that you are not switching them off and on repeatedly, as this could be considered a dangerous practice if you have epileptics in the classroom. A simple, "lights off" should be enough to have all eyes on you in a matter of seconds.
Clapping. This is easy: clap your hands together several times to create a distraction for students who are over-stimulated. This will put an end to disruptive behavior by drawing attention to the cause of the clamor: you, the teacher.
The behavior chart. Make the classroom rules very clear to all of your students, and have a behavior chart with either colors or numbers to represent good and bad behavior on a graduated scale. That way, when you notice that students are either behaving or misbehaving, you can move their names either up or down on the chart to get immediate recognition and response.
When it comes to using non-verbal queues for classroom management, what's most important is that your students know exactly what they mean. You must take the time to explain what you will be doing, as well as what you expect, from your students before these methods will work. However, once you put the effort into choosing an explaining your non-verbal queues, they can work wonders for your classroom management.
About the Author: Jamey Vazquez knows what it is like to be a teacher and to feel like you need eyes in the back of your head. He enjoys working with students of all ages and encourages everyone to seek out grants for college earlier rather than later.
Here is a guide to non-verbal queues for classroom management:
The peace sign. This one is a classic. Simply teach your students that when you hold up your two fingers (like a peace sign), they need to immediately follow suit with their own peace signs (and, of course, quiet down). You'll be amazed at how quickly this works, as if it is a game.The light switch. Try switching the lights off to get students' attention. Just be careful that you are not switching them off and on repeatedly, as this could be considered a dangerous practice if you have epileptics in the classroom. A simple, "lights off" should be enough to have all eyes on you in a matter of seconds.
Clapping. This is easy: clap your hands together several times to create a distraction for students who are over-stimulated. This will put an end to disruptive behavior by drawing attention to the cause of the clamor: you, the teacher.
The behavior chart. Make the classroom rules very clear to all of your students, and have a behavior chart with either colors or numbers to represent good and bad behavior on a graduated scale. That way, when you notice that students are either behaving or misbehaving, you can move their names either up or down on the chart to get immediate recognition and response.
When it comes to using non-verbal queues for classroom management, what's most important is that your students know exactly what they mean. You must take the time to explain what you will be doing, as well as what you expect, from your students before these methods will work. However, once you put the effort into choosing an explaining your non-verbal queues, they can work wonders for your classroom management.
About the Author: Jamey Vazquez knows what it is like to be a teacher and to feel like you need eyes in the back of your head. He enjoys working with students of all ages and encourages everyone to seek out grants for college earlier rather than later.