If you want to reduce classroom management problems, make your lessons more interactive, more cooperative, more engaging and more FUN then you must try the "needs-focused" approach to teaching.
The principle behind the needs-focused approach to teaching is that there are three main psychological needs that are each incredible motivators. As humans we MUST have these needs satisfied in our lives.
What does this have to do with teaching?
Everything...
If teachers don't provide an appropriate way for our students to meet these needs, they will seek alternative ways to satisfy them. This is often to the detriment of the lesson.
For example, one of these needs is "fun". Yes, that's right...humans need to have "fun" and if we don't provide this need for our students then our students will go about finding their own fun such as talking out in class, writing notes to friends, texting, getting out of their sit, throwing things around the room etc. I'm sure you've seen it all before.
Therefore, you must create lessons that are truly engaging and fun for your students to prevent these types of classroom management problems from occurring.
However, that is only part of the answer.
We all know that you can spend a huge amount of time creating all sorts of fantastic lessons designed to be "fun" and still have classroom management problems or just have students that are simply not engaged.
That is because you are still missing two other vital pieces of the puzzle...
As well as providing "fun" in your lessons, you must also design your lessons to meet the students' need to:
1) Belong
2) Feel Empowered
Fortunately, there are certain activities you can include in your lessons that meet all three needs.
If you want to start seeing an drastic improvement in classroom management AND student achievement then try using this "needs-focused" approach to teaching.
For more information on how to use the "needs-focused" approach to greatly reduce classroom management problems and increase student achievement visit:
http://teaching-tips-machine.com/blog/classroom-management
