Page 1

An overview of the key principles

of classroom management
School resources

Most teachers tend to go into the teaching profession because they believe they can positively impact
the lives of children and youth. While teachers can and do make a difference in students’ lives, the
process can be complex, especially when confronted with behaviour. Student problem behaviour, along
with school discipline, has consistently been reported as one of the top concerns among teachers1 as
one of the greatest demands on time2, causing teachers to experience increased rates of stress and
burnout3 and, in some cases, leading to their decision to leave education4. When teachers are not able
to effectively manage their classroom, students experience poorer outcomes5. Therefore, to support all
teachers and students in achieving maximum benefit from the learning experience, it is critical to create
a positive and productive educational environment for overall success. The purpose of this guide is to
introduce evidence-based classroom practices for classroom management, such as those associated
with Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS), as an approach to establishing an effective
classroom management system.

Why is behaviour important?

In practice, behaviour management often tends to be informal, reactive, and only provided on an ‘as-
needed’ basis. Relying on reactive, consequence-oriented practices creates a negative climate, which can
result in lower educational expectations and higher rates of problem behaviour, and lead to pessimistic
teacher perceptions of students6. Most teachers agree that good behaviour and classroom management
enhance good academic teaching and student engagement, and these experiences are supported by a
growing body of evidence7,8. Understanding the complexity of the association between academic and
social behaviour success is important. For example, teaching students to read does not teach them how
to behave appropriately. Similarly, teaching social skills does not teach students how to read. However,
students who experience preventive behaviour support (social skills instruction) are more likely to be
comfortable in school, academically engaged, and benefit from academic instruction. Similarly, when
students experience academic success, they are more likely to learn and display appropriate social
behaviours. Establishing safety and connection to the school environment can be accomplished with an
effective classroom management system that consists of dynamic teaching, relationship building, and
positive social behaviour.

What is classroom management?

Classroom management is defined as a teacher’s method for maintaining order in the classroom that is
conducive to student achievement. This method typically consists of evidence-based strategies that are
implemented during classroom-wide, small group, and intensified when instructing individual students.
However, implementing strategies independent of an established structure such a management system
or framework can be less impactful and less efficient in achieving a teacher’s desired outcome. The
effectiveness of classroom strategies is maximised when:

• strategies are implemented within a school-wide multi-tiered behavioural framework, such as PBIS
• classroom and school-wide expectations and systems are directly linked
• classroom strategies are merged with effective instructional design, curriculum, and delivery
• classroom-based data are used to guide decision-making9.

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One of these approaches, Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS)i, focuses on important
outcomes of students and teachers, invests in the adoption of evidence-based practices matched
to student needs across a continuum of supports, commits to data-based problem-solving to guide
instruction, and provides a multi-tiered framework that organises support to teachers and families
through high-quality implementation10. While typically implemented school-wide, the goal of PBIS in
the classroom is to establish positive social cultures that maximise the impact of effective academic
instruction by differentiating support practices to meet the needs of all students. Rather than simply
stopping the problem behaviour from occurring (a more traditional approach), PBIS reduces the
occurrence of problem behaviour by changing the environment (prevention), explicitly teaching new
skills, and responding to behaviour differently. By doing this, PBIS enables schools to create positive,
predictable, and safe learning environments and improve the quality of life for students, families,
and teachers.

Research has shown that implementing PBIS practices in the classroom results in more positive
classroom outcomes such as improved academic engagement, enhanced social skills, positive
classroom climate, less problem behaviour, and decreased need for administrative or crisis support.
Evidence-based practices, systems to support implementation, and data to guide decision making
are core elements in PBIS implementation. The culture or context that may influence and impact
implementation and outcomes is important to consider such as local environments (the neighbourhood
or city), personal characteristics (such as race or nationality), learning histories (family, social routines,
customs, experiences and so on), and language (dialect, vocabulary). While classroom PBIS practices
are most effective when they are embedded within a school-wide system, teachers can still establish
and implement PBIS as their classroom management system even if student behaviour is not
supported school-wide11.

Practices for effective classroom management

Effective classroom management encompasses the structure and organisation of the entire classroom
environment and is critical to achieving desired outcomes. This includes implementing effective
environmental, behavioural, curricular, and instructional practices to maximise student learning, increase
student engagement and build safe, predictable, and nurturing environments for all students. While
teachers have flexibility and freedom to design their classroom to best meet their unique, personal style
of teaching and ensure the classroom environment is responsive to the needs of all students, careful
consideration should occur when developing a classroom management system. Below is a summary
of five evidence-based practices that, when implemented with fidelity (as designed) have shown to
lead to fewer disruptions, improved student behavioural and academic outcomes, and more time
spent teaching12.

i To learn more about PBIS, these evidence-based PBIS classroom practices

provide consistent and ongoing social, behavioural, and academic supports for all
students within any classroom setting and helps establish an effective classroom
management system.
Centre on PBIS: https://www.pbis.org/topics/classroom-pbis
Florida PBIS Project: http://flpbis.cbcs.usf.edu/tiers/classroom.html
Northeast PBIS Network: https://nepbis.org/classrooms-training-materials/

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Maximise structure: this involves designing effective, safe, and supportive classroom environments to
promote a positive teaching and learning experience for all students. Specific practices to maximise
structure in the classroom include:

• effectively designing the physical environment

• active supervision and proximity

• developing predictable classroom routines or procedures.

Teaching expectations, routines and procedures: these are essential in creating a classroom culture
based on a vision for success. Establishing a common language for expected behaviour with explicit
instruction that includes teacher-student involvement builds ownership of the shared expectations and
relationships, enhances predictability, and creates a positive classroom climate.

Actively engaging students: this includes providing high rates of opportunities to respond with
instructional pacing (the time students are directly engaged in the learning process), and has shown to
increase positive behaviour and decrease inappropriate behaviour. This practice also increases the time
students are directly engaged in the learning process and delivers ongoing feedback on both student
learning and the effectiveness of the teaching strategy.

• Acknowledging appropriate behaviour: this serves as a teaching tool that results in the likelihood
that desired behaviour will occur more often and helps create a safe, positive, supportive classroom
environment. Practices to acknowledge appropriate behaviour include:

• behaviour-specific praise

• prompts and pre-correction

• 5:1 positives to corrections

• group contingencies.

Responding to inappropriate behaviour: this can prevent the escalation of problem behaviour, create
opportunities for students to learn or practice expectations, maintain instructional time, and minimise
the potential of mistakenly rewarding inappropriate behaviour. Effective responses to inappropriate
behaviour include:

• error correction and redirection

• planned ignoring

• time out from reinforcement

• rewarding around the student.

Systems to support effective classroom management

It is ideal when school leadership puts systems in place to support teachers’ implementation of positive
classroom practices. These systems may include the structure and supports that leadership teams
provide to enhance teachers’ implementation of evidence-based practices with fidelity, and are derived
from data collected across classrooms and schools. Establishing consistency within and across
classrooms with clearly communicated operational procedures can assist in identifying professional
development needs and prevent problem behaviours if students change classroom teachers throughout
the day. System-wide support for classroom implementation of frameworks such as PBIS at the school
level is provided by:

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• documentation of priority

• available supportive resources

• alignment and integration with other initiatives to prevent duplication and enhance efficiency
of resources

• clear expectations and explicit training about classroom practices

• ongoing coaching and performance feedback provided to teachers13.

While not all schools may be invested in establishing practices such as PBIS system-wide, teachers can
certainly establish this positive classroom management system on a smaller scale and collect data to
guide strategies used within their own classrooms.

Data to guide effectiveness of classroom management

Data are useful for both teachers monitoring the progress of their individual students and leadership
teams when examining school outcomes and determining resources (such as curricula and personnel).
Data refer to objective (specific, observable, measurable) information about students, teachers, or
schools that are an active, dynamic part of decision making to help determine whether to continue,
adopt, or modify classroom practices and systems. In education, data are typically used to guide
instruction and intervention by

• assessing how well core features of a practice or system are being implemented (fidelity)

• evaluating progress toward desired goals (outcomes)

• guiding a problem-solving process if adequate fidelity or outcomes are not observed

• informing an action plan for improvement.

Classroom teachers may consider data collection methods such as self-assessment of current
classroom practices to develop effective classroom management systems as well as counting, timing,
sampling and so on to determine individual student progress. Schools may examine overall student
outcomes (such as academic achievement) and fidelity as the types of data used in the problem-solving
process. The four-step problem-solving processii guides effective decision making that can be applied to
individual students, small groups, classrooms, or across an entire school setting. These data help in both
selecting and measuring strategies, and it is critical to consider the local norms and values to ensure
selected strategies are equitable and support all individual students14.

ii (1) problem identification – what is the problem? (2) problem analysis – why is
the problem occurring? (3) identify classroom strategies – what am I going to do
about it? (4) evaluation – are the interventions selected working?

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References
1. Gable, R. A., Tonelson, S. W., Sheth, M., Wilson, C., & Park, K. L. (2012).
Importance, usage, and preparedness to implement evidence-based practices
for students with emotional disabilities: A comparison of knowledge and skills of
special education and general education teachers. Education and Treatment of
Children, 35(4), 499-519. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2012.0030

2. Richter, M. M., Lewis, T. J., & Hagar, J. (2012). The relationship between principal
leadership skills and school-wide positive behaviour support: An exploratory
study. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 14(2), 69–77. https://doi.
org/10.1177/1098300711399097

3. Reinke, W. M., Herman, K. C., & Stormont, M. (2013). Classroom-level positive

behaviour supports in schools implementing SW-PBIS: Identifying areas for
enhancement. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 15, 39–50. http://dx.doi.
org/10.1177/1098300712459079

4. Smith, T. M., & Ingersoll, R. M. (2004). What are the effects of induction and
mentoring on beginning teacher turnover? American Educational Research Journal,
41(3), 681-714. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312041003681

5. Gage, N. A., Scott, T., Hirn, R., & MacSuga-Gage, A. S. (2018). The relationship
between teachers’ implementation of classroom management practices and
student behaviour in elementary school. Behavior Disorders, 43, 302–315. http://
dx.doi.org/10.1177/0198742917714809

6. Mitchell, M. M., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2013). Examining classroom influences on

student perceptions of school climate: The role of classroom management and
exclusionary discipline strategies. Journal of School Psychology, 51(5), 599-610.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2013.05.005

7. Algozzine, B., Wang, C., & Violette, A. S. (2011). Re-examining the relationship
between academic achievement and social behaviour. Journal of Positive Behavior
Interventions, 13, 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300709359084

8. McIntosh, K., Horner, R. H., Chard, D. J., Dickey, C. R., and Braun, D. H. (2008).
Reading skills and function of problem behaviour in typical school settings. Journal
of Special Education, 42(3), 131-147. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466907313253

9. Office of Special Education Programs. (2015). Supporting and responding to

student behaviour: Evidence-based classroom strategies for teachers. Washington
DC: Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from www.pbis.org

10. Sugai, G., Horner, R. H., Dunlap, G., Hieneman, M., Lewis, T. J., Nelson, Scott,
T., Liaupsin, C., Sailor, W., Turnbull, A. P., Turnbull, H. R., Wickham, D., Wilcox, B., &
Reuf, M. (2000). Applying positive behaviour support and functional behavioral
assessment in schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2(3), 131–143.
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11. Simonsen, B., & Myers, D. (2015). Classwide positive behavior interventions and
supports. Guilford Press.

12. Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-
based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research
to practice. Education & Treatment of Children, 31, 351–380. http://dx.doi.
org/10.1353/etc.0.0007

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13. Freeman, J., Simonsen, B., Goodman, S., Mitchell, B., George, H. P., Swain-
Bradway, J., Lane, K., Sprague, J., & Putnam, B. (2017). PBIS technical brief on
systems to support teachers’ implementation of positive classroom behavior
support. Centre on PBIS. www.pbis.org

14. Swain-Bradway, J., Putnam, R., Freeman, J., Simonsen, B., George, H. P.,
Goodman, S., Yanek, K., Lane, K. L. & Sprague, J. (2017). PBIS technical guide on
classroom data: Using data to support implementation of positive classroom
behavior support practices and systems. Centre on PBIS. www.pbis.org

PREPARED FOR THE EDUCATION HUB BY

Heather Peshak George

Heather Peshak George is a Research Professor at the University South Florida
who co-directs Florida’s PBIS Project and the National Center on PBIS and is
past-President of the international Association for Positive Behavioral Support
(APBS). She completed her MS in Clinical Psychology and her PhD in Curriculum
and Instruction with an emphasis in Special Education, School Psychology and
Reading. She has extensive experience in providing training and support in PBIS
at the national and international levels and thanks her two teenagers for the daily
reminders to bridge the research-to-practice gap.

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