Having hundreds of students as a STEM teacher can be daunting. This blog post of Classroom Management Tips for Stem Class will get you started. Imagine how hard classroom management can be when you barely know your students’ names?! From my years of experience in the STEM classroom, I decided to compile a list of tips that any STEM teacher can use to help them have a smooth-running classroom.
Classroom Procedures Tips for STEM
Here’s a classroom management tip you don’t want to miss in STEM class. If you’ve ever been in the classroom as a homeroom teacher, then you know how important classroom procedures are. Without them, you would get a million and one question on how to do the simplest things. Where do I stand in line? Where do I turn in the paper? How long are math journals going to take? What happens when I’m absent? These are just some of the few questions teachers get.
Now imagine a STEM teacher visiting multiple classrooms a day, and even more in the week. It can be complete chaos, if not a repetition nightmare. This is why teaching classroom procedures in the STEM class is very important.
Figure out what is most important to you for the students to be able to do independently? What set of directions do you not want to repeat? How do you imagine your classroom running like a well-oiled machine?
If you need extra assistance with figuring out what procedures to teach and model, take a look at this blog post with 20 STEM classroom procedures
Classroom Management Tip for STEM Class Tip #1: Three-Step Plan for Classroom Management in STEM
Another tip for classroom management in STEM class is the 3 step plan. In my classes, I keep it very simple and straightforward with the rules and expectations for my students. I give them a total of three rules, 1) Be respectful 2) participate, and 3) have fun. We model and discuss what each of these looks like, but most importantly, I share the plan I have if they don’t follow these rules.
The first step of the plan is to have a private reminder at their desk. The second step is I ask them to step outside so I can have a private conversation with them without their peers overhearing. I try to understand their behavior in a non-threatening way. I respond to their behavior with a caring outlook, so they know that the priority of discussing their behavior is so everyone’s focus is on learning without distractions.
The last step of the process is communicating with their families if the behavior continues. Everything is done in a very restorative way. Because the goal is for the student to love STEM class and learning in general.
You can find more information on the Three-Step Classroom Management Plan for STEM teachers here in this blog post.
Classroom Management Tip for STEM Class Tip #2: Build Relationships with Socio-Emotional Learning Activities
The biggest classroom management tip for STEM teachers is connecting with your students. This is when I try to learn my students’ names. I generally take 5-7 minutes from my class to do a check-in with my students. They are required to get in a circle around the room and take turns saying their name and what number they are checking in at.
We model what the numbers represent. Number 10 is a feeling such as being on vacation. Number 5 is feeling not happy and not sad, but somewhere in the middle. Number 1 is a feeling you feel when you lost a loved one or break a limb.
Generally, if students score under 3, I try to connect with them during STEM class in a casual way. I gauge the situation, and if the student needs extra support I will refer them to the psychologist at the school.
This shows my students that I care about their whole being and not just about always focusing on the learning aspect.
Classroom Management Tip for STEM Class #3: Role-Play with Scenario Cards
My last tip for classroom management in the STEM class is to model as much as you can and plan out scenarios in your classroom.
You can create your own or grab the ready-to-go STEM Classroom Management Scenario Cards by clicking here. Cut them, laminate them, and use them year after year.
STEM Group Jobs
In STEM classes, the bulk of student conflicts come from building in their STEM groups. Each of the group members wants to build, and they don’t know how to take turns. In some groups, you might even find some kids with their heads down. They could be so overwhelmed with the noise or the task at home. In other groups, you can see a couple of students fighting over who will be recording with the tablet.
In my classes, I found all of this to be true in the beginning. I created a system of STEM Group jobs so that the students work in a truly collaborative nature. I created four jobs because the students are always in groups of four. The students also rotate their jobs on that same day, so everybody gets a chance to do all the jobs.
The jobs are engineer, project manager, supplier, and inspector.
The project manager in STEM Groups generally has the set of plans, drawings, or tablets with directions if they are building VEX IQ or Lego Kits. They provide all the directions the group needs. They tell the supplier what supplies to get and hand them to the engineer. They tell the engineer how to use the supplies to build whatever they need.
The engineer is the one that builds. They take the supplies from the supplier and directions from the project manager and build what they need to.
The supplier is the one with all of the supplies in front of them. They have to keep their supplies organized, and take directions from the project manager. The project manager tells them what supply to get and hand to the engineer.
The inspector is the last person in the STEM groups, and the person with this job has a clipboard and the Inspector’s Report. You can find the Inspector’s Report in the FREE download below. They observe and notate how the engineer, project manager, and supplier is doing in their job. The inspector will rate each of the individual’s work and also provide assistance to anyone in the group that needs extra assistance.
You can read a more in-depth blog post on these jobs by clicking here.
Students that thought they loved to build, found out that they actually love another job better. This system worked like a charm. If you want the freebie download to get access to the STEM job tags and rotation posters, you can get it down below.
Connect with Families
There are multiple ways I try to connect with families. If the classes are in Google Classroom, then I will send an introductory email about who I am and what the STEM class will be about their child this year. We also have STEM nights once a year for every school in the district. This is an evening where families and the community get together to learn and complete STEM tasks. Student work will also be on display during this time. I also communicate with families when students need extra assistance with their behavior.
I keep the conversations simple and always let the parents know how much I enjoy their child in my classroom but do let them know about any issues that may be arising. Generally, I follow up with a positive phone call after this to further explain how their child is improving in my class.
I love to connect with families in this way because it opens up a dialogue between the home and the teacher in an authentic way for a STEM teacher. We don’t have a lot of access to parents, because we are not there for pick up or drop-offs. So having phone conversations that vary build strong ties between the child and the school.
I hope that you were able to find a few tips that you can take and use for your classrooms right away! The goal is not to implement them all at once, but to take one or two and try it a few times.
Get the STEM Mega Bundle
Everything mentioned above can be found in the Love Learning Stem STEM Mega Bundle. The price will be discounted 30%, so if you plan on using any stem challenges, holiday STEM resources, STEM classroom management resources, then that is the place to get started.
You will find that the resources are easy to use and set up. Most of them are both digital in Google Slides and in a print-and-go option. Convenience is key, my friend.
Grab the freebie STEM Ultimate Guide
If you are new and want to get started with STEM groups, then you need this EBOOK and resources for All Things STEM Groups.
