What classroom management strategies does Ms. Bernstein use to keep her students on-task throughout the morning?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Her strategies fall into several general categories:
• Motivating activities: The high-interest story, attendance song, and active physical tasks (construction of large letter Vs and valentine cards) keep the children interested and engaged in classroom subject matter.
• Pacing: She keeps activities moving at a reasonably rapid pace all morning; thus, there is no downtime in which there is nothing for the children to do.
• Planning for transitions: As the children first arrive in the morning, she reads a story at the red circle. She also uses the red circle as a place for students to convene when she wants to focus their attention on a new activity.
• Withitness: She seems to be aware of what her students are doing at all times; for example, she notices when Josh is looking out the window.
• Cueing: She puts a hand on Josh's shoulder to regain his attention, rings a bell to signal clean-up time, and briefly turns the lights off to indicate that the class is getting too noisy. She also reminds the children that they should "walk quietly to your tote trays...". and "quietly to your seats....".
• Praise: She compliments students on their appropriate behavior