ABSTRACT
Classroom management (CM) is not one-size-fits-all. The strategies we need to employ depend on our strengths and weaknesses, the age of the students, and the dynamic of the students in the class. CM is an ongoing process, but what people do in the first weeks, and especially the first day, is crucial. At the most basic level, behaviorists argue that environmental stimuli control behavior. Operant conditioning is a powerful CM tool because it preemptively strengthens good behavior before undesirable behavior begins through the use of positive reinforcement. An extremely effective group contingency is called "waiting for silence." In the simplest terms classroom rules communicate expectations about behavior. Many teachers are reluctant to discipline a typically good student for a minor offense, especially when other students break the rules more often. Some research suggests that consequences are most effective when they are consistent, not progressive. Natural consequences can make a difference, but they do not always change the initiating behavior.
