14 effective classroom management strategies for middle school

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Whenever I tell people I taught middle school, I can predict their reaction. Their eyes widen, and they inevitably say, “Middle school! I know what I was like at that age. I could never teach middle school!” 

The fact is I loved teaching middle school. Middle schoolers have a mix of curiosity and energy, along with a developing sense of independence and ideas about the world. While teaching them can be challenging at times, it’s also incredibly rewarding. What’s the key to successfully teaching this age group? It’s having a solid set of classroom management strategies for middle school.

With more time spent on digital learning, educators also need strategies to manage devices and online behavior. In this blog post, we’ll dive into strategies for managing middle school classrooms, including digital environments.

Middle school classroom must-haves for success

Middle school is a period of transition for kids. They’re navigating social dynamics, hormonal changes and a desire for more independence. They may struggle with self-confidence, and their emotions can shift from one day to the next. As educators, our job is to teach our subject matter while also ensuring learners feel safe, seen and supported. The goal is to build relationships and create an environment where they are ready and willing to learn.

Here are classroom management strategies that helped me manage classes of nearly 40 middle schoolers. This can be adapted for a sixth, seventh or eighth-grade classroom.

1. Set clear and high expectations

This classroom management strategy for middle school isn’t new, but it’s an important one. Clearly communicating high expectations creates a positive classroom environment that supports student engagement and achievement. 

Learners need to know exactly what the goal is so they can work toward it. Routinely post your learning standards and an objective for the day. It’s also important to establish rules for behavior. Frame your class rules as positive statements, such as “We speak and write respectfully,” to develop a culture of positive choices.

2. Greet learners at the door

Middle schoolers need to know that you care about them. When they feel a connection with their teacher, they’re more motivated to learn. A simple smile and a personal greeting at the door every day shows them that they are a valued member of your classroom community.

My daily check-in at the classroom door was one of my most impactful strategies. It gave me a quick read on how students were feeling and offered them a chance to quietly ask for help if needed.

In a digital environment, educators could share the link to a Google Doc or Google Form with a daily check-in question. With a classroom management tool like Hāpara Highlights, the link opens directly onto learners’ devices.

3. Use a signal for attention

With any class, you need a quick and easy way to get everyone’s attention. Here’s a great classroom management strategy for middle school talking. Instead of raising your voice, use a consistent signal. A common one is, “Clap once if you can hear me. Clap twice if you can hear me.” Often, learners will help you get the attention of their peers.

In a digital classroom, this is even easier with a tool like Hāpara Highlights. You can send a digital announcement to learners’ screens or temporarily pause their screens to redirect focus back to you.

4. Create cooperative and flexible seating

Seating arrangements in the classroom can affect your overall dynamic. I loved giving learners the opportunity to collaborate each day, whether with a partner or a group. This allows them to help each other and build relationships. When learners sit in groups, they get the chance to collaborate, speak to partners, help each other and build relationships. It’s a great setup for differentiation, too, because you can place learners with different abilities together or assign groups different topics. Overall, this is a more active environment for learning, so students are more likely to have a positive experience. 

You can also make seating flexible, whether you switch partners or groups month to month or each semester, to give learners the chance to collaborate with different peers. Keep in mind that a cooperative group setup requires clear expectations for group work. Yes, they will have their chatty moments, but the collaborative benefits are worth it. 

5. Admit when you’re wrong

Educators are human, and we make mistakes. If you don’t know an answer or realize you’ve made an error, acknowledge it. Modeling this behavior shows students that it’s okay to learn from mistakes. They will respect your honesty and feel more comfortable taking academic risks themselves.

6. Build a bridge with common ground

Finding common ground with learners should be one of your go-to classroom management strategies for middle school. It’s a powerful way to build positive relationships, which is so important for learning motivation and potential achievement. Talk to learners about their interests, like movies, music or video games. When they feel a personal connection with you, they become more engaged in classroom activities.

You can also encourage connections between learners. For example, using Hāpara Teacher Dashboard, you can instantly share a Google Form survey with learners to explore their interests and then share the anonymous results. This helps build a more positive and welcoming learning environment.

7. Make time for movement

We expect middle schoolers to sit in a chair five to six hours a day. Can you easily do that? Most of us need to get up and move every so often. It’s especially tough when learners are exploring a challenging assignment. Sometimes they need a brain break, and movement can help them engage more deeply afterward with the academic activity.

Edutopia writes that a movement break can “reduce stress and increase blood flow and oxygenation to the brain, helping to keep students’ brains sharp, healthy, and active.”

If you have room, play music and ask learners to walk around the room to the rhythm. I usually didn’t have enough space for this in my classroom, so I had learners stand next to their seats and stretch. I also played music sometimes for a quick dance break. Fun and effective!

8. Use humor strategically

This age group appreciates humor, and it can be an effective classroom management strategy for middle school. Keep it silly and light-hearted, and never direct it toward specific learners. Also keep in mind that not all learners understand sarcasm or jokes. A well-timed funny image or meme, though, can provide a much-needed brain break and a laugh for the class.

With a classroom management tool like Hāpara Highlights, you can instantly share a funny (and school-appropriate) link or image to everyone’s screen.

9. Provide a safe space to refocus

On the first day of school, I would show learners a designated spot in the classroom where they could go if they were having a rough day. This was one of the most effective classroom management strategies for difficult students or anyone just feeling overwhelmed.

Learners knew they could quietly let me know at the door if they needed to use the space. This gave them the chance to work independently and even put their head down for a few moments if they needed to. There are days when learners are going through personal issues, and as educators we can’t expect them to be working at one-hundred percent. 

My learners didn’t take advantage of this, and I was able to check in with them and send them to the counselor if they needed more support. 

10. Offer learners tools to focus

At this age, many learners can monitor their own ability to focus. Keep a basket of small, quiet fidget tools, like squishy toys. Let learners know they can ask for one if they feel they need it to concentrate. This simple tool can make a big difference for learners who struggle with restlessness.

You can also speak with the class about websites that are distracting for them and how to be self-aware when they’re using devices for learning. Ask them to collaborate on a list of websites they want you to add to a Filter Session in Hāpara Highlights. You can set up this session to block those distracting websites so learners can more easily stay focused.

11. Send positive messages home and on devices

You’ve probably heard about the strategy of giving a learner three positive comments for every constructive comment. This works well for learners of all ages and certainly for middle school students as they struggle with self-confidence. 

If you have Hāpara Highlights, you can send a learner an encouraging announcement with an emoji or send them a direct message with the Chat feature to start a conversation. 

You can also send home positive messages. It could be an email, a hand-written note (let the learner know that it’s a “good” note) or a phone message. In this case, my learners usually came in the next day with a big smile to say, “I got a good phone call!” It’s a simple strategy that makes a positive impact. 

12. Incorporate meditative moments

Sometimes learners need to take a moment to breathe. This strategy worked particularly well after high-energy periods lunch or a P.E. class. Turn off the bright overhead lights, ask learners to close their eyes and guide them through a simple breathing exercise. Mindfulness exercises can help their wellbeing.

Playing calming music as they enter the room can also help them transition into a learning mindset. These quiet moments help students reset and prepare for focused activities like reading and writing.

13. Guide digital class activities

Keeping students engaged during digital lessons can be much easier with Focus Sessions in Hāpara Highlights. Focus Sessions let you limit student browsing to specific websites or resources for a set period of time, helping direct their attention exactly where it needs to be. By guiding online activity this way, you reduce off-task behavior and create a safe, controlled digital space for learning. Whether your class is working on research, assessments, or collaborative projects, Focus Sessions ensure everyone is productive and protected online.

14. Record and review student browsing history

You can’t be glued to your computer screen all class period. Effective classroom management often means moving around the room, supporting learners. Hāpara allows you to see learners’ online activity, but you don’t have to choose between monitoring in real time and being involved in instruction. 

With Hāpara, you can record learners’ browsing history during class activities. Later you can review which sites learners visited, see where they stayed on track and spot if anyone struggled or got distracted. This allows you to personalize support and feedback, helping every learner succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the most effective classroom management strategies for middle school?
Effective strategies include setting clear expectations, building positive relationships and incorporating digital tools like Hāpara.

How can I manage difficult students in a middle school classroom?
Classroom management strategies for difficult students include building relationships, setting up a safe space for breaks and using tools like Hāpara to monitor and guide their digital activities.

What are some middle school classroom must-haves for effective management?
Must-haves include cooperative seating arrangements, stress-relief tools like squishy toys and digital classroom management solutions like Hāpara to keep learners on task.

How do I handle excessive talking in a middle school classroom?
Classroom management strategies for middle school talking include using attention signals, setting clear expectations for group work and using a classroom management tool to refocus learners.

How can I manage a digital classroom effectively?
Managing a digital classroom is much easier with a tool like Hāpara that allows you to monitor and guide online class activities.