PDF Summary:Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers, by Michael Linsin

Teaching art, music, or physical education comes with specific challenges that many educators face: managing hundreds of students across multiple grade levels, dealing with limited class time, and overcoming the perception that these subjects are less important than core academics. In Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers, Michael Linsin addresses these challenges and offers practical strategies for creating calm, well-managed classrooms.

Linsin outlines methods for establishing clear rules and consequences, maintaining consistency, and staying calm under pressure. He explains how to build trust with students through fair accountability, foster positive classroom environments, and handle misbehavior without damaging student relationships. His approach emphasizes giving students fresh starts and using straightforward systems that reduce stress for both teachers and students.

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(Shortform note: A review of 38 studies found that classrooms with a few clear rules and a fixed sequence of mild consequences had significantly less disruptive behavior. This supports the idea that three rules and three outcomes can help students take responsibility and reduce the need for teachers to raise their voice or give long speeches. The review also found that positive reinforcement was more effective than punishment in changing student behavior. This suggests that focusing on positive outcomes, like praise and rewards, can be more effective than relying solely on consequences.)

The advantages of managing accountability like this include conserving time, preserving positive student relationships, decreasing stress and tension, eliminating any uncertainty or ambiguity, and minimizing conflict and arguments. If you're dedicated to crafting a learning environment that's enjoyable for the kids, it's the most effective method to reduce misbehavior. Define the guidelines and repercussions for the students. It's crucial for all your learners to fully comprehend each rule's meaning, what behaviors violate them, and the precise outcomes of any violations. You'll also need to explain the reasoning behind each consequence. In the first three or four classes, dedicate 15–20 minutes to fully instructing your students in your plan, using modeling and role-playing for the most typical situations.

(Shortform note: The idea of devoting the first few lessons to teaching students how the classroom works was systematized in the 1980s by Carolyn Evertson and Edmund Emmer, who found that teachers who did this had fewer behavior problems and higher academic achievement. This research was published in the book Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers, which is now in its 10th edition. Evertson and Emmer’s work is notable for explicitly linking classroom management to academic achievement, rather than just fewer behavior problems.)

Trust is built by consistently applying the plan. By doing so, students are aware that you’re not taking their misbehavior personally. Students understand you aren't trying to punish them but are simply following the plan. This helps them be accountable for how they act and consider their errors. They understand that the outcomes stem from their actions, not your personal feelings toward them. This helps maintain a positive connection with students.

Counterpoint: Trust Is Built Through Collaboration

Alfie Kohn, author of Beyond Discipline, disagrees with the idea that “Trust is built by consistently applying the plan.” He argues that any approach that rests on a fixed system of rules and consequences is fundamentally about control and compliance, not about helping children become ethical, caring members of a community. He explains that genuine moral growth depends less on making students experience the results of their behavior and more on working with them to create a classroom culture where decisions, expectations, and problem-solving are arrived at collaboratively.

Implementing the Plan Regularly and Calmly

Linsin emphasizes how crucial consistently and calmly implementing your management strategy is. The plan's goal is to ensure that all students have the right to learn and take pleasure in participating in your class. It's designed to allow them to appreciate the advantages of feeling valued in your class. To be successful, you need to differentiate between the behavior and the student, and avoid letting it negatively affect your relationship with them. If you respond to misbehavior with emotion, it leads to conflict and resentment. Students will be mad at you rather than considering what they did wrong and owning up to it.

(Shortform note: Research supports Linsin’s claim that responding to misbehavior with emotion is counterproductive. A synthesis of research on teachers’ social and emotional competence found that when teachers frequently responded to misbehavior with anger or frustration, students’ trust in them decreased and disruptive behavior increased over time. This suggests that emotional reactions not only damage teacher-student relationships but also make students less likely to reflect on their behavior.)

Running your classroom through intimidation and force is tiring, stressful, and damaging to students. It'll push you closer to burning out each day, and it won't be very effective. Simply knowing that you can rely exclusively on your classroom management plan, however, and that you don’t have to try and convince or intimidate your students into behaving, will give you more than enough confidence not to react emotionally to misbehavior. You can rest assured that ultimately, a composed and somewhat clinical strategy will be more effective every time.

(Shortform note: While a calm, clinical approach is often the best way to handle misbehavior, there are some situations where it’s not appropriate. If a student is in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, your priority should be to keep everyone safe, not to follow your classroom management plan. In these cases, you should follow your school’s safety and crisis-intervention procedures. This might involve calling for help, removing other students from the area, or using physical intervention if necessary. While these situations are rare, it’s important to be prepared and to know how to respond quickly and effectively.)

If you remain calm and continue with your lesson only when students are prepared, they'll become used to it. They'll settle more quickly and become better prepared over time. They’ll realize that when they’re with you, the learning experiences and lessons are enjoyable, but they also have a role to fulfill. Your class is reciprocal. You offer them your utmost effort, but they also need to do their best in return. By pacing yourself and evaluating your learners from the start, you maintain control. You can handle the most challenging group of students in the school—delivered to your room wild, unruly, and agitated—and send them back cheerful and composed, excited for the next week.

(Shortform note: In Lost at School, Ross W. Greene argues that many students who exhibit challenging behaviors do so because they lack crucial cognitive skills, such as flexibility, adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem-solving. He emphasizes that these students aren’t misbehaving out of defiance or a desire to disrupt but because they genuinely struggle to meet the demands placed on them. Greene’s approach involves identifying these lagging skills and working collaboratively with students to develop them, rather than relying solely on traditional disciplinary methods. This perspective suggests that remaining calm and continuing with your lesson only when students are prepared may not be effective for students who lack the necessary skills to meet those expectations.)

If you feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and shouting over the classroom's noise, then you're not in control. You must address it immediately. The longer you delay, the harder it will become to set things right. You'll need to be open to completely transforming your current methods and starting fresh. The good thing is that you have the ability to restart classroom management whenever you want, even during a lesson. Initially, you'll need to capture the calm focus of your students, which might be challenging for some educators.

(Shortform note: While Linsin suggests that you can restart classroom management at any time, even in the middle of a lesson, this approach could backfire. In Motivating Students to Learn, Jere Brophy explains that teachers who rely on controlling strategies—like tight surveillance, frequent reprimands, and an emphasis on obedience—tend to undermine students’ intrinsic motivation and sense of personal responsibility. Over time, students in these environments become more resistant, dependent on external control, and less willing to cooperate voluntarily. In contrast, classrooms where teachers convey trust, provide rationales, and share responsibility for rule making foster greater student engagement and self-regulation.)

Whatever the method, be open to applying it. You need a fundamental degree of control before starting fresh. When the students are silent and focused on you, you can start turning the class from disruptive and disrespectful to engaged and ready to learn. The secret is to hone your skills on a single task. Linsin suggests an easy ritual such as forming a line and exiting. The cooperation, conduct, and discipline necessary for forming a line and leaving are also required to effectively follow nearly any other direction you provide.

(Shortform note: This “secret” may not work for all art, music, and PE classes. In many middle and high school classes, students don’t line up at the door. In fact, many students would find it infantilizing. In these cases, it’s best to focus on a different task. For example, in a high school art class, you might focus on getting students to clean up their workstations and put away their materials. In a middle school music class, you might focus on getting students to put away their instruments and sit quietly. In a high school PE class, you might focus on getting students to put away equipment and sit on the bleachers.)

Calmly and patiently explain in great detail exactly what you expect your students to do. Be patient and ensure you aren't compromising or accepting anything short of your goals. Let several students try it out initially, then have the whole class practice. Watch carefully, and if they slip up or err, stop them at once and ask them to repeat it. When you're satisfied with how students are queuing and departing, go over your behavior management strategy in the same detailed way. Essentially, you're starting fresh, reteaching the fundamental behavior skills that your students need to thrive and have fun in your class. It only succeeds if you commit to it. This will succeed if, when you meet those classes again, you maintain accountability, applying your approach to each student and the repetition technique for the whole group.

(Shortform note: In Peak, Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool explain that deliberate practice is a method of skill development that involves focused, goal-directed repetition of specific skills, combined with immediate feedback and correction. This approach helps individuals gradually refine their performance by reinforcing correct actions and eliminating errors. As students repeatedly practice queuing and departing, they receive immediate feedback and correction, which helps them internalize the correct behaviors. Over time, these behaviors become automatic routines stored in long-term memory, reducing the need for conscious control and freeing up mental resources for more complex aspects of the activity. By applying deliberate practice principles to classroom management, teachers can help students develop essential behavioral skills that support a positive learning environment.)

The most effective method for issuing a consequence is extremely straightforward. It’s quick and uses minimal class time. The first repercussion is a warning. A warning isn't a true consequence. It's actually a consideration for your learners. It's a display of mercy to let them know that you see the rule violation but aren't imposing a real consequence. So if a student violates a rule for the first time during a class, you should calmly walk over and tell them, "This is a warning because . . ." and concisely explain the violation and which guideline was breached.

(Shortform note: The idea of giving a calm warning before any real consequence is not new. In 1976, Lee and Marlene Canter developed a classroom-management system called Assertive Discipline. This approach was based on the idea that teachers have the right to teach in a classroom free from disruptions. The Canters’ system included a hierarchy of responses to rule-breaking, starting with a warning and escalating to more serious consequences.)

If the violation is evident, such as speaking out without hand-raising, this step is unnecessary. A quick "You've been warned" is enough. Then turn and walk away. Avoid expecting a reply or justification. No further comments are necessary. When initially introducing your behavior management strategy, make sure to clarify to your students that a warning isn't the same as being in trouble. It simply indicates they’re nearing a timeout. This comprehension influences the effectiveness of your warnings. Understood this way, your students will recognize a warning as a chance to be accountable, to learn from their errors, and to decide not to provoke the following consequence. However, they'll connect these ideas only if you avoid lecturing, scolding, or being confrontational. Just deliver your warning calmly and matter-of-factly and be on your way.

(Shortform note: While a quick “You’ve been warned” may be effective for some students, it can also unintentionally silence students and mask the underlying causes of their misbehavior. In Lost at School, Ross W. Greene argues that kids do well if they can, and when they’re not doing well we need to stop asking, “How do I get this kid to behave?” and start asking, “What’s getting in this kid’s way, and how can I help?” Greene’s approach emphasizes listening carefully to the child’s concerns, understanding the problems that are setting the stage for the challenging behavior, and collaboratively solving those problems rather than merely reacting to the behavior itself. By always responding with a quick warning and walking away, teachers may miss opportunities to understand the root causes of misbehavior and to help students develop the skills they need to succeed. This approach can also make students feel unheard and misunderstood, potentially leading to increased frustration and resentment.)

If that student violates a second rule in that class, you'll calmly approach them and say the same thing you did when warning them. "You need to head over to the time-out spot for breaking rule three by failing to keep your hands to yourself." Again, you’ll turn and walk away. Naturally, you'll check if the student is going to time-out, but you won't accompany them. Escorting a student to time-out makes it more likely they’ll argue or refuse to comply.

(Shortform note: Johnmarshall Reeve, an educational psychologist, explains that teachers who adopt a controlling motivating style rely on pressuring language, surveillance, and externally imposed directives. This approach thwarts students’ need for autonomy and thereby provokes psychological reactance, oppositional defiance, and diminished engagement. In contrast, an autonomy-supportive style works by taking the student’s perspective, providing a clear rationale, and then allowing the student volition in how to carry out the requested behavior. By giving the direction and then stepping away, you preserve the student’s sense of autonomy in carrying it out.)

If the student stays silent and focused during time-out, approach after 15 minutes, smile, and ask, "Do you want to join us?" If they agree, then gladly reintegrate them. When the student has done their part, the consequence concludes, and they can return to class with a clean slate. Writing a letter for students to bring home is an efficient and simple task. As the class ends and your students line up for their teacher, give the student the note and ask them to have it signed and returned the next day. Avoid pausing for any reply or disagreement. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the child’s parents and prefer to make a phone call home, ensure you inform the student in advance.

(Shortform note: In trauma-sensitive classrooms, having a student stay silent and focused during time-out for 15 minutes and then writing a letter for students to bring home or making a phone call home may violate policies that prohibit isolating or shaming students. For example, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education prohibits the use of time-out as a form of punishment or discipline. Instead, time-out should be used as a behavioral support strategy to help students regain self-control and return to the learning environment. The policy also states that time-out should not be used to isolate or shame students, and that students should be able to access the curriculum and participate in classroom activities during time-out.)

Addressing consequences this way, which is hands-off and low stress, effectively makes the misbehaving student entirely accountable. There's nobody else they can hold accountable, get mad at, or accuse besides themselves. Although they might be unhappy about receiving a time-out or a letter for home, they’ll recognize internally that it's due to their actions, not yours. And this changes everything.

(Shortform note: Some students will still blame others for their misbehavior, even if you deliver consequences in a hands-off, low-stress way. For example, a student might blame a classmate for “making” them misbehave, or they might blame you for not noticing the classmate’s misbehavior. Additionally, some students might feel that the consequence is unfair, even if they know they’re responsible for their actions. For example, a student might feel that a time-out is too harsh for a minor infraction.)