Classroom Management Strategies: The last minutes of class

Classroom management can be a struggle, especially if you have a talkative or energetic class. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from a teaching mentor was to teach bell to bell. If I want a well-managed class of active learners, I need to grab my students’ attention at the beginning of class, and hold it until the very end, so they can get into a habit of learning when they are in my classroom. 

If we’re slow to start, or there’s a bunch of time at the end of class, that free time is open for all kinds of distracted behaviour. And it can be hard to reign them back in once that happens.

We all know that the first few minutes of your lesson are very important. You need to grab the students’ attention right away so they are right there with you, ready to learn. But those last minutes are equally significant for student learning and engagement.

Why is that? 

If a class activity just fades off with no closure, a number of problems can occur. First of all, a block of empty time at the end of class is an invitation for distraction and misbehavior. Secondly, if you don’t close the lesson, students may lose the thread of what you wanted them to learn. Just like a good book or a movie, you want your students to leave satisfied that things wrapped up as they should.

You want to end with their attention on the learning, so plan activities that remind them of the purpose of your lesson: what is it that they need to remember? What skill do they need to master? How will they use it in the short and long term? What are their next steps?

You can also use the last few minutes of class to collect information about your students’ learning: Did they get it? Can you move on or will they need more instruction? There are quick and easy ways that you can assess this, and they will provide you will the info you need to plan for your next classes.

I’ve got a page of strategies for you to download, including the exit ticket pictured above. Click here, and they will be delivered to your mailbox right away. And, if you’d like to find out when my digital course on classroom management opens again, you can sign up to be notified here.

Do you have any go-to strategies for closing your class? Please share in the comments!