Classroom management trends: How IT leaders can support teachers

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Classroom management looks different today. Teachers still need to effectively manage a classroom of learners. But now there are devices, digital assignments, online assessments, files in the cloud and a constantly changing internet. As an IT leader, you aren’t just the person keeping the district network running. You are a partner in shaping students’ learning experiences.

Teachers are facing new classroom management trends, and they’re looking to you for the tools to make their lives easier. This blog post will explore the trends that are happening in classrooms right now, and how you can support teachers with tools like Hāpara.

Trend 1: Managing hidden chatrooms in student documents

One of the most common trends we hear from district IT leaders is that students are creating their own chatrooms in Google Docs. You might have heard teachers complain about students who seem to be working on an assignment but are actually just chatting with their friends.

Students have figured out that they can turn shared Google Docs into an instant messaging platform. They title the document something related to the class activity so teachers think they’re on task, but instead they’re having an off-task conversation with friends. 

Even trickier, some students paste proxy links into these Docs to share with classmates, helping them get around web filters.

Teachers need visibility without having to physically stand over every student’s shoulder. This is where a powerful integration with Google Workspace is absolutely necessary. Hāpara offers this integration through Hāpara Classroom Management.

Hāpara Teacher Dashboard

Hāpara Teacher Dashboard gives teachers a bird’s-eye view of all recent Google files students are working on. They can hover over a file to preview it or click to open it completely. If a Doc titled “Science Assignment” is actually a document-turned-chat room, the teacher is able to preview it instantly to see that students are off-task.

Hāpara Highlights

Hāpara Highlights is a browser monitoring tool for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. This tool allows teachers to see students’ current screens or live screenshots of exactly what is open in the student’s browser. In this case, if a group of students are currently chatting in a Google Doc or a Microsoft Word document, the teacher can see the off-task behavior.

Google Drive access in Hāpara

In Hāpara Highlights and Teacher Dashboard, teachers can access a student’s full Google Drive to search for documents. This makes it impossible for students to hide off-task files deep in their folders without their teachers knowing.

By providing these tools, you can empower teachers to manage digital learning and keep students on track with their class activities and using their documents appropriately.

Trend 2: Differentiated monitoring for group work

Teachers frequently break classes into small groups. In a high school science classroom, groups might research different topics and collaborate on group projects online. In a middle school algebra classroom, students might work on math problems in groups by skill level. Or in an elementary classroom, there might be several student groups differentiated by reading level. Plus, students might need a variety of digital citizenship or executive functioning support during digital learning.

Managing differentiation is not easy. A teacher can’t be in five places at once to help every student group.

That’s where Hāpara’s classroom management solution comes in. It makes it incredibly easy for teachers to create student groups, monitor their digital learning and share resources with them. In fact, Hāpara has the most robust grouping and differentiation features of any classroom management tool on the market.

Using Hāpara’s grouping feature during browser monitoring

In Hāpara Highlights, teachers can create a student group with just a few clicks and add or remove students at any time. By creating groups, they can filter their screen to keep an eye on browsing activity specific to that group.

Teachers can also create guided browsing sessions for student groups based on their needs. Guide browsing using “Focus” sessions (locking them into specific sites) or “Filter” sessions (blocking specific distractions).

This empowers teachers to facilitate complex, differentiated lessons without losing control of the digital environment.

Using Hāpara’s grouping feature to share files and links

Creating student groups in Hāpara also allows teachers to easily share resources based on group learning needs. In Teacher Dashboard, educators can share a Google Drive file with a group instantly. They can also instantly share a website link with a student group using Hāpara Highlights. 

Trend 3: Collaborative browser monitoring for co-teaching and administrators

Teachers are no longer working on their own in their classroom. Now we see more co-teaching and administrative involvement in behavioral support.

However, most classroom management software is still built for a single teacher to monitor their own students. If a student is in algebra, usually only the algebra teacher can see their screen. But what about co-teachers, special education staff members or administrators?

IT leaders need to look for classroom management platforms that support collaborative browser monitoring.

Hāpara is unique because it is the only classroom management solution where students can be monitored in two classes simultaneously.

Scenario A: Special education teacher

A student is in a high school history class. Their special education case manager can create a separate class in Hāpara to monitor that student’s progress and keep them on task, even while the history teacher is teaching. Both educators can have visibility.

Scenario B: Assistant principal who oversees discipline

An assistant principal can create a support class in Hāpara to monitor a group of eight students across different grade levels who are on behavior improvement plans.

This collaborative approach ensures that students who need more support get the help they need.

Trend 4: Monitoring digital learning without sitting behind the computer

Teachers face the challenge of keeping an eye on student online activity without being glued to their computers. Walking around the room, helping students face-to-face and answering questions on the spot is essential for classroom management. It builds strong relationships and supports learning. However, that can make it hard to monitor what’s happening on all those screens.

Record student browsing during learning

This is where Hāpara’s record student browsing feature stands out. Instead of forcing teachers to constantly monitor live activity, Hāpara lets them start a browsing recording session at the beginning of class. Teachers can then freely move around, help students and know that all student browsing activity is being logged.

Review browsing history to support students

Later, teachers can review this browsing history for each student, flagging off-task behavior or digital citizenship issues, or seeing which students are making responsible choices. This flexibility helps teachers focus on engagement with students, while still getting insight into online learning. 

Trend 5: Helping students without interrupting the class

Not every student feels comfortable raising their hand. Another classroom management trend focuses on social-emotional learning (SEL) and finding ways to engage introverted or anxious students. These students often fall through the cracks when extroverted students grab attention. But they need support just as much as the vocal ones.

A classroom management solution shouldn’t just be about policing behavior. It should be about building positive connections with students and supporting every type of learner.

Hāpara’s two-way chat feature allows teachers to check in privately and provide personalized support without drawing attention to a student in front of their peers. Students can also message their teacher directly with questions they are too shy to ask out loud. This builds trust and ensures every student gets the help they need.

Trend 6: Moving to digital hall passes

Our final current trend in classroom management is upgrading traditional hall pass systems. The old wooden block or laminated lanyard is inefficient (and unhygienic!). Schools are realizing they have very little data on who is in the hallways, how long they’ve been gone and where they are headed.

Transitioning to a digital hall pass solution like Hāpara Hall Pass helps schools prioritize student accountability and campus safety. With a digital hall pass, you can protect instructional time and ensure students aren’t wandering the halls, give the entire school team visibility into student movement, and get data into “hot spots” in the school where students are congregating.

Hāpara Hall Pass allows a school team to:

• Limit the number of students in the hallway at one time
• Track how often specific students are leaving class
• Know where every student is during an emergency
• Give parents peace of mind that the school is prioritizing safety
• Proactively support student needs, rather than be reactive after an issue arises

By moving away from traditional hall passes, you provide school administrators with real-time data and teachers with fewer interruptions.

Bridging the gap between trends and the right tools

As an IT leader, your role is to choose tools that bridge the gap between technology and pedagogy.

Teachers don’t need yet another tool or app that is too complicated to use day to day. They need intuitive tools that solve classroom management challenges they face, especially in a digital environment. Whether it’s catching a hidden chat in a Google Doc, supporting a shy student or digitizing hall passes, the right platform makes all the difference.

Hāpara’s all-in-one solution isn’t just about monitoring screens or student movement. It’s about empowering teachers to lead their classrooms effectively and help administrators keep their school safe and efficient.

Ready to upgrade your district’s approach to classroom management? Start by evaluating your current tools against these trends to see where you can offer better support.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the latest classroom management trends?
Classroom management trends are shifting because of digital learning. Teachers are tackling challenges like hidden chatrooms in student documents, guiding differentiated digital learning and trying to effectively manage hall passes while protecting instructional time.

How can IT leaders support teachers with classroom management?
IT leaders can empower teachers by providing intuitive tools that address classroom management challenges. Solutions like Hāpara help teachers monitor student activity, support a variety of learning needs and manage hall passes without adding to their workload.

What are some effective classroom management ideas for digital learning?
Teachers can use tools like Hāpara to monitor student screens, create guided browsing sessions and even privately chat with students who need extra support. These strategies help maintain focus and build positive relationships in a digital classroom.

Why are digital hall passes becoming a trend in schools?
Digital hall passes, like Hāpara Hall Pass, are replacing traditional systems to improve student accountability and campus safety. They allow schools to track student movement in real time, limit hallway roaming and provide valuable data for proactive support.