Teacher Movement in the Classroom: How to Maximize Your Steps
An effective classroom classroom largely depends on how well a teacher can manage their students. One great way to keep your classroom running smoothly is as simple as walking around.
Actively Engaged
When a teacher mostly stays at the front of the classroom and does most of the talking, students tend to become disinterested and may start to act up.
It’s no surprise that it’s usually the students seated at the back of the class who misbehave the most when a teacher stays in the front for the entire period.
One of the most important reasons a teacher wants to circulate the classroom is to promote and maintain engagement.
In addition to creating a purposeful seating arrangement, circulating the room helps maintain proximity to your students, they are more likely to stay on track, and you are more likely to prevent behavioral issues from occurring to begin with.
You can use your walks to talk with your students, promote relationships, and keep the learning happening.
Creating a Plan for Success
Walking the room can also be a great way to monitor progress.
By incorporating movement into your management routine, you keep an eye on individual students as well as get an objective observation of how the class works as a whole. These walks facilitate observation and allow the observer to better understand things as they currently stand and areas that need improvement.
Reflecting on observations you gain from these walks can have a positive impact on your teaching practice as well as on your students’ behavior.
How to Easily Incorporate Walking Into Your Classroom
While some teachers feel stuck in one spot while they teach due to limits on technology or space, there are some really simple ways to begin working this walking strategy into your classroom management repertoire.
If you normally teach lessons from the front of the room, you can slowly move from your stationary position during guided practice or when you have partners turn-and-talk.
This will help you gradually begin implementing that proximity so that your students feel comfortable and not intruded upon. Introducing just five more minutes of movement on your part in the classroom is a strong way to effectively begin introducing this management strategy.
Taking a brief walk around your classroom during work times or student discussions can have a long-lasting and positive impact on your students. You will be able to get a better feel for who they are as individuals, as well as who they are when they are together as a class.
You can use walking to prevent problems before they even occur, and you can also use it to conference with your students and simply get to know them better than you already do.
