The 11 essential strategies every teacher should know to maintain order in the classroom

As Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Thiện Nhân once stated: 'The key to educational development is that each teacher must be a role model for their students.' Teachers who are punctual, diligent, self-disciplined, patient, and organized serve as excellent role models for students through their actions and behavior. Teachers who don't practice what they preach give students an excuse for disobedience. Therefore, if you want your students to speak quietly in class, you should speak softly while walking around the room to guide them.

Teachers often use a ruler to tap on the desk to get students' attention. However, there are many other signals that teachers can use in the classroom, such as raising a hand, turning the lights off and on, changing your appearance, or directly looking at disruptive students. It is important to carefully choose the signals you want to use in class and take some time to explain to the students what you expect them to do when you use those signals.

Another important factor in keeping students engaged in their studies is the atmosphere and decoration of the classroom. Teachers should bring tools that create a fresh, lively, and joyful environment that complements the lesson being taught. A small suggestion is to bring personal memorabilia to share with students, which will surely capture their interest. Overall, it’s essential to make students feel close to their teacher, as this is the key to maximizing their focus in class. The more they know and love their teacher, the more they will want to please the teacher by maintaining discipline and order—not out of fear, but because they don't want to disappoint.

Most students end up in the principal's office for arguing or being defiant toward teachers. However, teachers should understand that this often happens because of their own impatience or lack of conflict resolution skills, turning teacher-student interactions into a battle. Such situations can be avoided if teachers remain calm and address issues in a composed manner, setting an example as educators. A good teacher knows how to prevent a student from becoming the focal point of attention. By walking around the classroom, a teacher can predict potential disruptions before they happen and handle undisciplined students naturally, without distracting the rest of the class. While teaching, a teacher can use a subtle method of 'name-dropping.' For instance, if a student is talking or misbehaving, the teacher can naturally mention the student's name in the lesson, such as, 'Nam, do you find this result interesting?' The student, hearing their name, will refocus without the class noticing.

This form of discipline is quite authoritarian but highly effective, as students tend to fear strictness. Teachers take control and ensure that no student has the right to break the rules or disturb others in the classroom. To implement this, teachers must set clear rules and enforce them absolutely without exception.

This is part of the eighth method, specifically aimed at students who are undisciplined. It's crucial for teachers to speak directly and make it clear what the student should do. Teachers using this method must focus on guiding the student toward positive actions, rather than emphasizing their misbehavior. Saying, “I want you to…” or “I request that you…” is much more effective than saying “I don’t want you to…” or “You mustn’t do...”, which can provoke argument and resistance, as it draws attention to the misbehavior.

To address a student who is misbehaving, you can follow these three steps:

1. State the student's action: “While I was teaching, you were talking.”
2. Point out the consequence of the student's behavior: “Because of that, I had to stop the lesson...”
3. Express how you feel: “I feel disappointed because of this.”

A teacher once spoke to the most misbehaving student in the class: “I don't understand what I've done that caused you to not respect me as you do with others. If I’ve said or done something to upset you, please let me know. I feel like something I've done might have caused this, which is why you’re not showing respect towards me.” After this conversation, the student stopped misbehaving. This method helps students realize their mistakes and feel guilty, making them more disciplined and serious in class.

A skilled teacher should avoid listing what students cannot do and instead use rules to express the positive behaviors they want students to follow.

• Rather than saying “don’t run in the room,” say “walk quietly in the room.”
• Instead of saying “no fighting,” say “resolve issues calmly.”
• Instead of saying “don’t chew gum,” say “leave gum at home.”

Frame the rules as things you expect them to do. Let the students know that these are the behaviors you want to see in the classroom. Also, don’t hesitate to praise good behavior. When you notice a student demonstrating good conduct, acknowledge it, even with just a smile or a gesture, to encourage them.

As a teacher, before you start any lesson, you must ensure that all the students are paying attention. Don't try to teach while students are noisy and not focused, as it will only waste your effort. Many new teachers believe that the class will be quiet once they begin the lesson, but this isn't always true. If you don't pay attention to this, it will send the message that you're okay with the noise and allow students to talk while you're teaching. So how can this issue be addressed? One small suggestion is for the teacher to ask the students to focus before starting the lesson, but not by shouting at them. Instead, stand still and wait, and don't begin until everyone is seated and quiet. The approach of standing still without speaking has proven to be quite effective. Typically, you wait for 3 to 5 seconds for the class to settle before speaking softly. It has been found that a teacher speaking softly is often more effective in gaining attention than one who raises their voice. Rest assured, by following this method, your students will sit quietly and listen to your teaching.

At the beginning of each lesson, the teacher should clearly inform the students about what will happen, such as what both the teacher and the students will do during the lesson, while also setting time limits for each activity in the classroom. To maximize the effectiveness of this approach, teachers can combine it with the first method mentioned above by giving students a few minutes at the end of the lesson to do what they enjoy. Additionally, teachers can end the list of classroom tasks by motivating the students with a statement like: "If you follow what I say, I believe we will have some free time at the end of the lesson to play games, tell stories, chat..." This method ensures that teachers maintain control over time while waiting for students to settle, and still achieve their goals. It won’t take long for students to realize that the longer the teacher waits to begin the lesson, the less free time they will have at the end of the class.

In fact, the key to this strategy is moving around the classroom. Teachers need to be aware of the students' learning progress during the lesson and observe how they are completing their tasks. This way, the teacher can maintain control over the classroom's order. A skilled teacher can simply walk around the class for 2 minutes after students begin their work, and will already know whether the students are on the correct page and have written their names on it. Additionally, this approach helps teachers identify if any students are struggling to understand the task, allowing them to offer clearer explanations. This will help students who are falling behind catch up and will draw the attention of those who are distracted. However, teachers should be careful not to interrupt the class with announcements unless they observe a common difficulty among the students. In that case, the teacher should gently explain the issue to ensure understanding.