Classroom Management

Create a Sense of Purpose

Teachers can encourage a sense of purpose in the classroom by doing the following:

Expect students to fulfill their role as learners. A sense of purpose exists in a class where teachers expect students to fulfill their role as learners and assist them in doing so and where students are trusted to contribute in significant ways.
Be sincere, passionate, and energetic about the scriptures and the gospel.
Prepare edifying learning experiences.
Prepare needed materials and equipment ahead of time. This provides opportunity for the teacher to greet each student as they arrive.
Avoid wasting time. As class begins on time and when students perceive that there is not time to waste, they will feel a sense of purpose.
Establish class routines. Class routines encourage participation from each student and help teachers and students to be more efficient with the use of precious class time. Routines can be established for activities such as retrieving and putting away scriptures and learning materials, organizing and providing uplifting devotionals, and distributing and collecting papers and materials.
Establish the physical setting for learning. Consider how each of the following can assist in inviting the Holy Ghost to perform His role in the learning experience:
- Seating. Every student should have a comfortable place to sit, a place for their scriptures and study materials, and a place to write. Different seating arrangements can be used to support different kinds of learning activities.
- Distractions. Teachers should try to eliminate any distractions that could interrupt the teaching and learning process.
- Classroom appearance. A classroom that is clean and orderly encourages reverence and fosters an environment conducive to the influence of the Spirit.
- Teacher appearance. Students will more readily recognize the importance of the learning experience when the teacher’s dress and grooming is modest and appropriate and reflects the sacred nature of the gospel message.
Invite the Spirit through effective devotionals. Class should begin with a brief and simple devotional. A devotional generally consists of a hymn, a prayer, and a thought from the scriptures. It is most effective when students share feelings and insights they have had in their personal scripture study and when they bear testimony.
Discuss principles of spiritual learning. Train students on behaviors that invite the Spirit of the Lord to be with them in gospel learning as well as on behaviors that cause the Spirit to withdraw. Teachers and students should encourage each other on an ongoing basis to apply the things they agree would invite the Spirit.
Choose learning activities carefully.
Be attentive to student behavior and respond appropriately. If students seem bored or restless, the teacher may need to change something in the lesson presentation. If students are acting in improper ways and causing the Spirit to withdraw from class, the teacher needs to seek inspiration in dealing with the problem rather than ignoring it. Teachers should also watch for students who do not interact with other students or who seem to be lonely. These students may need some additional personal attention from the teacher or from other students in the class. In such cases, teachers may talk to parents and priesthood leaders to determine if there are underlying causes or conditions that they should be aware of.
Correct disorderly or inappropriate behavior. Remember the following general principles to invite proper order and respect in the classroom:
- To have order does not always mean having complete silence. Class should be enjoyable and fun.
- A disorderly or irreverent student or group of students can have a negative impact on the learning process and hinder the influence of the Holy Ghost.
- It is especially important for teachers to keep control of their emotions and to seek the influence of the Spirit. How teachers respond to any given incident may be more important than the incident itself and can either increase or decrease the respect and trust of the students.
- As teachers correct improper behavior, they need to be firm but friendly, fair, and caring and then quickly return to the lesson.
- To ridicule a student publicly may correct a student’s behavior for a time but will not edify either the teacher or the student. It may also result in other students fearing or distrusting the teacher.
- Teachers should seek to teach by persuasion and with long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, unfeigned love, and kindness (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–42).

There are some specific steps teachers can take to handle problems as they occur. These are possible approaches to discipline problems that may not work the same way with every student or situation:

Make eye contact. Often students talk to each other at inappropriate times because they think the teacher will not notice. The teacher could look at the students and briefly make eye contact so they know the teacher is aware of what is happening.
Stop talking. If students are talking when they should be listening, the teacher could stop talking, even in midsentence if necessary. Raising the voice to talk over them will not generally solve the problem.
Move closer. Another action teachers can take to correct behavior without having to directly confront a student is to move and stand beside the misbehaving student. The teacher can continue with the lesson, but the student will usually feel the teacher’s presence and stop what he or she is doing.
Direct a question. Without calling attention to the inappropriate behavior, a teacher can ask the offending student a question related to the lesson. This is not done to embarrass the student but to help bring him or her back into the discussion.

There may be times when students do not respond to these less direct efforts and continue to disrupt the class. Following are some additional, more direct steps a teacher can take to maintain order:

Consult with the student privately. The teacher could counsel with the student about why he or she is misbehaving and let him or her know that the behavior must change or additional steps will be taken. Teachers should make sure they differentiate the student’s behavior from their individual worth. They should communicate to the student that while the poor behavior is unacceptable, he or she is valued.
Separate the students causing the disruption.
Consult with parents or priesthood leaders.
Dismiss the student from class. Before asking a student to leave class for any extended period of time, the teacher should counsel with the parents, seminary and institute supervisors, and appropriate priesthood leaders. In such circumstances it is important that the teacher help the students and the parents understand that the student is choosing to leave seminary by not choosing to behave in an acceptable manner. It is the disruption that is unacceptable, not the student. When he or she chooses otherwise, the student will be welcome to return to class.