When confronted with a difficult class—whether a new class in the beginning of a school year, a class you’ve had for a while and lost control of, or one you see once a day in your subject area—the best thing you can do is slow things down to a glacial pace.
Too many teachers have the opposite reaction to unruly students.
They get stressed and excitable, and they speed things up. They talk louder, get frustrated, demand, yell, and show their anger.
When you head down a negative road like this, the only way you can gain control of your class is through intimidation; being mean enough and threatening enough to cause students to cower and relinquish control back to you.
If you choose this course, however, every day will be a battle.
The Slow Down Strategy
The moment you’re confronted with an out-of-control class, what works best is to slow everything way down. Follow the guidelines below, and you’ll gain control and respect from any classroom.
Start from the beginning. As soon as you see your students, first thing in the morning or when they arrive at your door, stop them and don’t let them proceed any farther until they’re quiet and attentive. If it takes 10 minutes, so be it.
Move deliberately. Slowing down has a calming effect on students. You will also discover that, surprisingly, both you and your students will get more accomplished.
Speak softly and slowly. Make your students have to strain slightly in order to hear you. You can even tell them that you’re going to whisper your instructions to see how well they can listen.
Decide that, no matter what, you will not talk over your students or move on with instruction until they are quiet and attentive.
Use short, direct sentences, and offer simple instructions that incrementally get students to do what you want. (“Place your math book in the top corner of your desk and stand up.”) Increase complexity gradually.
Pause often and a beat longer than feels comfortable. This technique has an almost supernatural way of drawing attention to you and what you have to say.
At any point during the day, if your students aren’t giving you exactly what you want, stop them immediately.
Don’t transition to a new activity until every student understands your instructions. Give them the signal to begin only after a long pause.
Take your time, but never be boring. You can still be happy and enthusiastic in front of your students while at the same time taking things slowly.
Relax and enjoy your day. If it feels stressful, then you’re doing it wrong. Classroom management doesn’t have to be difficult to be effective. Moreover, your peaceful disposition has a profound effect on students.
Once your students are calm and you have established yourself as the leader of the classroom, teach your classroom management plan over again, as if it’s the first day of school.
It’s important to point out that the slow down strategy is just a starting point, a way to get your class under control. You can increase the speed and complexity of your instruction as your students become more attentive and more responsive to you, but being unhurried is always a good idea.
Thanks for reading.
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I’ve posted on a few other articles, and I just want to say, as a first-year teacher entering the second semester, this site has been profoundly helpful. This article is just what I need, too, as I am calmly preparing myself for the first day back. Thanks!
Thank you, Dana!
This information is very helpful. I have been using the slow down strategy for a while now , I never believed in raising my voice just speaking in a soft but stern tone using eye contact to the students misbehaving.
Thank you
I like this. Slow everything down and happy times begin. I,m a retired teacher after 33 yrs. and wish I had learned this a long time ago.
Thanks Rob!
hi, slow down strategy Works, In fact I did a photocopy and share it Among my colleagues.At the end of the semester I got award for being a Team player in my department.
Cool! Way to go, Kaab!
Michael
This really helped me
Excellent David! I’m glad to hear it.
:)Michael
What about when you wait quietly and calmly at the front of the room for the students to quiet down before moving on… and they never get quiet, but louder and more disrespectful? Any advice?
Hi Laura,
Are you asking about your own classroom or a subbing situation? Please email me. I’m happy to help.
Michael
Hi Michael,
Like Laura, I am dealing with a similar situation. It’s a bit complicated and it might be better to email you about it for your advice, if at all possible.
Raquel
Sure, I’ll do my best.
:)Michael
I am forwarding this to our teachers. It is the end of the school year and I know everyone will benefit from Smart Classroom Management posts. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Colleen!
Michael
it good of you to impact the life skills others
Thanks Nelwin!
:)Michael
when students of grade 1oth are so destructive they r just try to destruct the class….. which method we need to use…
Hi Nasir,
I’m not sure what you’re asking. Please email me with more specifics. I’m happy to help!
Michael
Great article- this is exactly what I need to do! Thanks for the information!
You’re welcome, Regan!
Michael
Michael I just read your article, and I am going to try this slow down method. However, my students do tend to make me lose my cool sometimes and I get a bit loud, but with this slow down method I’m hoping it will help me as well as my students. Wish me luck Mike. Thanks for a great post.
Good luck, Sandra! Keeping your cool is a must.
Michael
Does this work with high school students and is it ever too late to regain control? And what if the students get louder and more disrespectful?
Hi Mike,
The strategies are based on my experiences teaching students from kindergarten through 8th grade. However, many, many high school teachers are regular readers of our blog. I do have credentials to teach high school, and if the day comes I decide to do so I would use the methods and strategies found on the site–with mostly obvious modifications. As for your other questions, no, it’s not too late and if you take your time and stay calm, your students shouldn’t become more disrespectful.
Michael
Dear Micheal, I am a new teacher at a Caribbean school used to punishing kids in a corporal punishment manner such as lines, standing in the sun, de merits, staying in at break, staying back after school. Considering all of this and as a new teacher with no teacher training as it is not required on my island to teach how do I manage a class of 38 mixed ability, mixed age range (11-15) students? I am teaching them History. I have been using your website and I have a classroom management system of 5 simple rules. I am struggling with the following things: constant chatter in the class, children moving from the chairs which is a rule that they continuosly break. I find it difficult to remember all of their names eventhough they are in boy girl seating plan! I did a icebreaker the first time to try and learn them all so now I can recall at least 15 of the 38. I have the class once a week and sometimes twice depending on the timetable! I am not struggling with any of the other classes and some of them range up to 28 students. I would really appreciate some help in terms of how to have more control and perhaps a better disciplinary structure. Help! Miss Frank
Hi Miss Frank,
My best advice is to picture in your head how you want your students to behave for you and then show them precisely how to do it. Model in a highly detailed way how you want them to do everything, have them practice until they get it, and then hold them to it. I recommend reading through the articles in the Routines & Procedures category, which will describe the strategies you’ll need.
:)Michael
Michael, I have a classroom where things get off track rather quickly. My boys want to argue and that sometimes turns into physical aggression. I, also, have one student who is constantly calling out random comments, many that are very rude. Parents and administration are not really helpful. What can I do to get things under control and achieve peace in my classroom?
Could I email you for a specific situation?