Tardiness creates distractions for the rest of the class and requires the teacher to take time out to address the late student. If other students have started work or a lecture has begun, late students pull the attention away from class. Teachers need to devise ways to minimize distractions caused by late students. Scheduling pop quizzes or including bell work at the beginning of class provides an incentive to arrive on time. Bell work consists of three to five questions about the previous lesson and can be written on the board or on a slide.
Keeping the students' attention proves to be an exhaustive task for teachers. Scheduling activities in increments and keeping the lesson flowing help to prevent inattention, and preparation helps to minimize the break between one activity and the next. Most teachers lose the focus of the class when switching activities, so direct the students' attention to the next task without losing any time or creating a break in the educational process. For example, hand out the written assignment as you are finishing up the lecture portion of the lesson.
Classroom disruption may be the most difficult problem that a teacher deals with in a classroom. When the entire class decides they do not need to pay attention to the lesson, you must act quickly to restore order. An effective technique for dealing with disruption is to quickly redirect the class's attention. Ask the students to stand up in front of their desks and tell them to remain standing until each student has been asked a question about the lesson. Students that refuse to stand should receive a parent phone call and visit to the principal's office.
Classroom management can be difficult for a new teacher. If you're unable to locate required materials, you will quickly lose your class's attention and let the classroom devolve into chaos. Keep your classroom organized at the beginning and end of the day as well as between classes. Have extra pencils and paper for students that forget their items, and know where all the materials are located for the classroom activities for the day. Policies about classroom behavior and the school rules should be posted prominently for students to see. Even the decoration of the classroom becomes an essential element of classroom management.