Historian Henry Adams said it best, stating
that “Unity is vision; it must have been part of the process of learning to
see.” As ideal as it would be to begin
each school year in a state of perfect order, teacher and students
hand-in-hand, united in a blissful exploration of knowledge, it’s not
realistic. Our classrooms take work – continuous, fluid, hard work – and good
classroom management methods can turn even the most disorganized and mismanaged
classroom into a successful learning environment.
Classroom management can be a comprehensive collection
of methods, skills, and recommendations, but seeking proven methods from valid
sources can weed out the misinformation and help you build a solid classroom
management toolbox, easily accessible and tailored to your teaching styles and
classroom needs. These 5 classroom management books every teacher should read
are great for building that solid foundation of critical classroom management
methods for new teachers and tenured teachers alike. Teaching your class
without classroom control is a recipe for disaster, but embarking on a quest
for classroom management knowledge with these 5 classroom management books
every teacher should read will guarantee a better, more orderly, outcome.
5 Classroom Management Books Every Teacher Should Read
1. Real Talk About Classroom Management: 50 Best Practices That Work and Show You Believe in Your Students – A Corwin Teaching Essentials book by Serena Pariser, Real Talk About Classroom Management presents fifty proven methods for efficient and effective classroom management. Alongside anecdotal evidence, these tips provide a solid foundation for starting the school year right, developing relationships with students, maintaining a sense of order and discipline in your classroom, and managing your own emotional state and work-life balance.
2. THE Classroom Management Book – The title says it all; this Wong and Wong guide to classroom management is THE book to begin your study in classroom management skills and methods. Offering practical solutions to real-life problems in the classroom, Wong and Wong address adaptable classroom management skills that are easy to implement and necessary in a well-managed classroom.
3. Classroom Management Success in 7 Days or Less: The Ultra-Effective Classroom Management System for Teachers – Resource book 1 of Needs-Focused Teaching, Classroom Management Success by Rob Plevin delivers an easy-to-implement 6 part plan. Plevin also includes additional downloadable resources to provide a more comprehensive coverage of the topic.
BONUS! Pick up Plevin’s free Needs-Focused Teaching resources to reinforce concepts discussed in his Classroom Management Success book!
4. 199 Mistakes New 7th-12th Grade Teachers Make and How to Prevent Them: Insider Secrets to Avoid Classroom Blunders – From the same Atlantic Publishing Group as 199 Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Prevent Them: Insider Secrets to Avoid Classroom Blunders, this 7th-12th Grade special edition highlights skills to form stronger, yet appropriate, relationships with your students, coworkers, and other district employees, while highlighting common mistakes teachers make to allow classroom disorder and how to regain order again.
5. Classroom Management Matters: The Social-Emotional Learning Approach Children Deserve – By Gianna Cassetta and Brook Sawyer, Classroom Management Matters provides a developmental approach to ensuring classroom management by fostering healthy relationships with students, assessing development and adjusting your teaching style to ensure student progress, maintaining boundaries, and responding appropriately to classroom conflict.
BONUS! Learn more about Social-Emotional Learning from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)!
SUPER BONUS! The classroom management chapters in A Lesson Plan for Teachers, New or Old (Experienced, that is!) Guidebook also present easy-to-implement, proven methods that provide a down-to-earth approach to classroom management!
You can realize your vision through unity in your classroom, just as Henry Adams expressed. Using these 5 classroom management books for teachers will arm new and experienced teachers with the classroom management skills to effectively manage your classroom and lead your students on a path to academic success. Unpreparedness in your classroom can be detrimental; using these proven methods, anecdotes, and suggested responses, you can prepare for almost anything that will come your way during this school year. Maintaining a sense of order in your classroom is vital and these 5 classroom management books are sure to provide a solid foundation of knowledge for teachers.
Happy Teaching!
