Written by Russ Gadzhiev, PhD
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” – Rene Descartes
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” – Confucius
One of the most important ingredients of one’s personal and professional success is our desire to engage in life-long learning. We have talked quite a lot about the concept of lifelong learning in our blog and we have explained why it is essential. When it comes to improving your classroom management skills, life-long learning is especially important.
Classroom management skills should be constantly improved. But it all comes with the experience of course. But what to do if you lack experience? What if you have just started your career in teaching and are not sure how to manage your class? Well, the answer is simple: if you are an inexperienced teacher, you can always fall back on the experience and knowledge of those who have been there before.
In this short article, we are going to discuss the best books that are devoted to the topic of classroom management. The authors of these books are seasoned teachers with a wealth of classroom management knowledge and experience. Some of them are not just teachers, but scholars who conducted extensive research on the issue of classroom management and are now keen to share their findings. It is always a good idea from someone who has first-hand experience in something. So, let’s begin.
Fred Jones. – “Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation, Primary Prevention of Discipline Problems”
The author of the book, Dr. Jones, drawing on his research and rich experiences, tells us how successful teachers organize productive classrooms without putting in a lot of effort. One of the main benefits of the books is that being a scholar, Dr. Jones can communicate his knowledge and ideas in a clear, non-academic way. Providing ample examples and detailed guidance, he tells us how to enforce discipline, boost students’ motivation and make your instruction more interesting and engaging. Another useful observation of the author is about strategies and tactics on how to help students concentrate on their studies and avoid distractions, increase their responsible behaviour. And most importantly it explains how to motivate teachers to encourage students to engage in self-learning. Highly recommended for teachers struggling to motivate their students or running out of ideas on how to run their classes.
Michael Linsin. – “Dream Class: How to Transform Any Group of Students Into the Class You’ve Always Wanted”
This book will tell you about fifteen strategies that will make a huge difference for your class. This book will provide a step-by-step guide on how to deal with difficult and recalcitrant students. It will also teach you how to build effective rapport with all your students including those you are struggling with. Likewise, it will tell you how to make sure that each student in your class respects the other and that this atmosphere of mutual respect is preserved for as long as possible. Finally, this book will help be able to predict how students will behave rather than just passively hoping that they will behave the way you want them to.
Jane Nelsen. – “Positive Discipline in the Classroom: Developing Mutual Respect, Cooperation, and Responsibility in the Classroom”
It is true that managing a class these days is becoming more difficult than ever. This is in part since students are easily distracted by the world of the Internet and their gadgets. Teachers found themselves under a lot of stress due to the high expectations of students’ parents and school principals. But you don’t have to stress anymore. This book will equip you with unique strategies on how to enhance your student’s academic success and their ability to learn. It will also help your students master invaluable social skills that will stand them in good stead in their careers. It will help you understand how to effectively use praise instead of simply offering them rewards. Finally, it will help you get a better understanding of students’ motivation. This book will surely transform the way you teach your classes and make a positive contribution to your knowledge about class management.
Michael Linsin. – “The Classroom Management Secret: And 45 Other Keys to a Well-Behaved Class”
Another book was written by Michael Linsin, which will help you improve your classroom management skills. As you can probably see from the title, the book is offering you forty-five tested strategies on how to manage your class. One of the most important aspects of this book is that it deals with the secret many teachers want to know – how to make sure that your students want to behave. After reading this book, you will learn the secret.
Spencer Kagan, Patricia Kyle, and Sally Scott. – “Win-Win Discipline”
This book offers you a comprehensive program on classroom discipline that will make teaching easier for you and learning enjoyable for your students. The authors of the book are seeking to help their readers achieve a more meaningful goal than other books. Instead of just making sure that students have no disruptions, the authors of the book want to help teachers assist their students in satisfying their needs. The authors of the book argue that once they satisfy their needs they will not wish to engage in disruptive behaviour. What does this book specifically talk about? This book will help you turn your anger, caused by misbehaving students, into decision-making. It also tells you how to channel students’ sometimes excessive energy into productive learning and active class participation. Finally, it will tell you how to learn students manage their failures to the point that their mistakes are boosting their self-confidence.
Harry K. Wong. – “The First Days of School: How To Be an Effective Teacher”
This book is a best-seller, which has been sold in over 120 countries and has been translated into eight languages. This book can really give hope to novices in the teaching game. This book will help you. The real-life examples provided in this book effectively illustrate the points that the author is trying to make. The book is very well-organized which makes it easier for readers to search for the information they are wanting to find. This is a book that should be read by any teacher and educator.
Responsive Classroom. – “The First Six Weeks of School”
This book was not written by one person, but by teachers with practical experience. This book will help tell you how to plan your first day effectively and without much stress or excessive trepidation. It will also teach you how to make sure that your class is delivered smoothly. So, if you feel a little lost when planning your first class and lack ideas on how to set your students up for success, this book is just right for you. You can even skim it as a refresher to make sure that the ideas and tips of the teachers who wrote this book always stay with you and inform the decision you make in class.
Michael Linsin. – “The Happy Teacher Habits: 11 Habits of the Happiest, Most Effective Teachers on Earth”
If you are new to the teaching profession, this book is just for you. It will give you hope, motivation and a lot of useful information. The book focuses on eleven main habits that you can introduce into your teaching routine. The book will help you focus on the most important things about your teaching.
In this article, we have discussed the most informative and well-researched books on classroom management. Remember, the most important piece of advice is this – continue learning and be on the lookout for new ideas and teaching strategies. Especially when it comes to classroom management. But believe me, the more you learn and, the better you will be. So why not use the advice of experienced and seasoned teachers if they are willing to share it with you? If you would like to learn more about classroom management and strategies to be an excellent teacher – check out our other articles on classroom management.
Russ Gadzhiev obtained his PhD in history and politics from University of Melbourne. He also holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Moscow State University of International Relations, a top-ranking diplomatic school. Russ is a strong education professional with a history of working in the higher education sector of Australia and effectively communicates with learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. He is enthusiastic about teaching and mentoring, writing, curriculum development, research, information management and public speaking. He is fluent in Russian, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
