Classroom Management

Classroom management is the key to facilitating an efficient learning environment for all students in a physical education class. Classroom management is the process by which teachers and schools create and maintain appropriate behavior of students in classroom settings.2 Several factors play a role in developing exceptional classroom management. Factors that are important are expectations, punishments, and transitions.

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Expectations

Rules and procedures for students must be specific. Do not use vague rules.2 Vague rules will cause confusion or misinterpretation of rules. For example, if the rule for a physical education class is to come in quietly, what all does that include? Are students also expected to walk in a straight line when entering the gym? Do they have to keep their hands behind their back when entering the gym? All these questions need to be addressed in the initial setting of the rules.

Punishments

The other factor that is important for classroom management is punishment. In physical education, exercise must not be utilized as a punishment. The purpose of physical education is to encourage a lifetime of fitness and if punishment is an exercise, then exercise will always have a negative connotation attached to it. This will discourage the purpose of physical education. Punishments must also fit the crime. Do not use overly harsh or embarrassing punishments .2 These types of punishments may yield undesirable results and affect the emotional state of students throughout the rest of the school year.

Transitions

Another critical component to great classroom management is the strength of transitions. Most disruptions occur before the bell rings and between activities.1 Strong transitions consist of moving onto the next subject or next assignment as smooth as possible without interruption. Strong transitions only allow students enough time to get ready for the next task and not enough free time to think about misbehaving. Weak transitions create opportunities for students to misbehave. An example of a weak transition in a physical education class is allowing students to have 15 minutes to get dressed before and after class which gives them ample opportunity to misbehave. Only allowing them 5 minutes to get dressed before and after class would reduce their chances of misbehaving.  

Closing

Expectations, punishments, and transitions are factors that impact classroom management, but classroom management is only one of many classroom factors that foster the learning experience of students in a physical education class. In the next blog, several important classroom factors  will be emphasized such as the teacher, teaching strategies, and the environment of a physical education class.

References

1Finley, T. (2016). 19 Big and small classroom management strategies. Retrieved from:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/big-and-small-classroom-management-strategies-todd-finley

2Kratochwill, T., DeRoos R., & Blair S. (2016). Classroom management. Retrieved from:

http://www.apa.org/education/k12/classroom-mgmt.aspx