Classroom management strategies are about more than just maintaining discipline and control of a room—or Zoom—of students.
They’re a cornerstone of effective teaching. They shape student engagement, motivation, and participation, and even reduce the risk of academic misconduct. As such, they’re critical to student, program, and institutional success.
However, with class sizes growing and more teaching online, it can be challenging.
In this article, we’ll explore classroom management strategies to help you create inclusive, engaging learning environments where students feel seen and motivated to learn.
What does feeling “seen” mean—and where do classroom management strategies come in?
Feeling seen in the classroom means individual students feel recognized and valued by their tutor. It’s about teachers using classroom management strategies to turn an anonymous face in the lecture hall into an acknowledged member of a learning community. It also transforms a (potentially) transactional experience into something more personal.
Making a student feel seen could include:
- Making an effort to know their name and pronouns, and greeting them appropriately.
- Recognizing individual identities and the unique challenges people may face.
- Providing personalized feedback tailored to students’ individual work.
- Creating space for them to speak in group discussions.
- Referencing and recognizing their ideas in class.
This sense of recognition makes students feel safer and more motivated to participate, which positively impacts their educational outcomes.
Effective classroom management strategies are at the heart of this effort. They don’t just help address disruptive behavior, they proactively support a positive learning environment. Whether that’s through inclusive teaching methods or personalized feedback, strong classroom management lets educators respond to individual needs and, at the same time, build a cohesive learning community.
These strategies are especially important in larger class sizes where personal connection can be harder to achieve.
Classroom management strategies in practice: The impact of acknowledgement on effort
It’s no secret that humans appreciate acknowledgement. As early as infancy, our brains react in significant, unique ways to hearing our own name . And research shows that even subtle recognitions can make a big difference.
Take an experiment where participants were paid to perform a set of mundane paper tasks that, once completed, required them to turn in the sheet of paper to the experimenter.
Researcher Dan Ariely and his colleagues Emir Kamenica and Drazen Prelec found that a simple acknowledgement from the experimenter inspired participants in group one to continue their work significantly longer than the other groups who received no acknowledgement whatsoever when they completed their task.
How does feeling seen improve learning outcomes?
Understanding the psychological and academic impact of feeling seen is essential for designing effective classroom management strategies; strategies that don’t just maintain discipline but create a positive and productive learning environment. Here are seven ways being seen supports learning outcomes.
1. Creates a sense of belonging
According to Deleon Gray, Ph.D. , an associate professor of educational psychology at NC State College of Education, “When students feel a sense of belonging, it can lead to increased educational success and motivational outcomes in multiple ways,” and Gray goes on to assert: “Students choose to be in environments that make them feel a sense of fit.”
2. Increases engagement
When students feel a sense of belonging, they are more likely to engage with their learning. A study by Allen and Bowles (2012) cites numerous sources that show a sense of belonging “significantly predicts academic outcomes, influencing motivation, effort, and low absenteeism” as well as leading to “more positive attitudes towards learning and academic self-efficacy.”
3. Supports diversity and inclusion
Feeling seen is especially important for students from marginalized or under-represented groups in education, such as students from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBT+ identities, low-income or low-participation households, and those with disabilities. These students may have experienced environments where they are stereotyped or excluded. Being seen in education can help buffer against this risk to their outcomes ( Murphy et al., 2020 ).
4. Improves academic integrity
Being seen also creates a sense of reciprocity ( Wang et al., 2024 ), which has been proven to increase engagement and reduce the risk of academic misconduct. Research has found that when students lack a sense of belonging, they may experience less resistance to academic misconduct ( Coetzee et al., 2022 ).
5. Boosts assessment performance
A research study conducted in 1958 by Ellis Page revealed that students who received personalized comments on their assignments performed better on subsequent assessments compared to those who only received a grade. Even standard comments helped students feel seen and were associated with improved performance.
6. Reduces attrition rate
A study from Australia revealed that strong relationships between students and mentors or faculty also “played an important role in reducing the attrition rate” in higher education programs. When students feel connected to adults in their environment, they are more likely to feel valued and persist.
7. Improves classroom behavior
While classroom management strategies aren’t just about behavioural management, a sense of being seen can improve behavior and self-regulation. Students who feel seen are more likely to follow classroom etiquette because they’re more invested in the learning process ( Roorda et al., 2011 ).
Classroom management strategies in practice: Cold Springs, Nevada
A notable example of a classroom management strategy to help students feel seen comes from the Washoe School District in Cold Springs, Nevada. The school launched a social-emotional learning (SEL) initiative to increase graduation rates. “Every student needs to belong and connect to at least one teacher or one adult in this building every day”, asserts Principal Roberta Duvall.
They called the initiative “Every Child, by Name and Face, to Graduation.” Faculty made an effort to learn about each student personally. Five years later, graduation rates increased by 18 percentage points, along with improved attendance and academic performance.
Classroom management strategies to build a sense of belonging
Instructors are always looking for inclusive teaching practices that make students feel seen in their classroom. Here are eight simple but powerful classroom management strategies to build meaningful individual connections, foster a sense of belonging, and create a psychologically safe learning environment.
1. Learn and use students' names
The easiest way to make students feel seen is using their names—in conversation, in class discussions, in written feedback. This reduces feelings of anonymity or invisibility, especially in larger class sizes. Make an effort to learn the correct pronunciation and correct any mistakes without drawing attention to them.
2. Take an interest and check in regularly
Taking an interest in your students and checking in regularly on their well-being gives them a sense of being valued and belonging . It also provides an opportunity to raise any support needs they have, which can reduce misconduct. Ask students what interests them and seek opportunities to integrate these into the curriculum if possible.
3. Personalize feedback
Feedback strategies can impact engagement and belonging. Research shows that narrative feedback, as opposed to just an alphanumeric grade, can boost student outcomes. Plus, formative feedback and feedback loops let students apply what they are learning as they progress , versus simply receiving a grade on a final assessment.
4. Invite student perspectives
Encourage students to share their personal experiences and perspectives, especially on complex topics or topics where students are experts by experience. Validating their contributions creates a psychologically safe environment. When students feel their voices are heard, they feel respected and valued. As John Hattie said, “A positive, caring, respectful environment is a prior condition to learning.”
5. Reflect diversity in content
Integrate examples into your teaching that reflect the diversity of your students’ identities and experiences, such as authors, case studies, and media. Use inclusive language and students’ preferred pronouns where appropriate.
6. Create intentional opportunities to connect
Design activities that promote interaction between fellow students and you as an educator. This could include small group discussions, collaborative feedback, or peer-to-peer feedback. PeerMark within Turnitin Feedback Studio is an option that allows students to provide feedback for one another.
7. Use recognition and positive reinforcement
Acknowledging students’ efforts helps them feel visible and appreciated. It also encourages a growth mindset and engagement with authentic learning. This could be as simple as praise in class, personalized feedback, or showcasing student work in the classroom and broader community spaces.
8. Optimize your time
Manual grading reduces time for more meaningful interactions with students. Advocate for digital tools that let you spend less time grading and more time building connections and feeding back to students. ( Learn how grading technology can make large classrooms feel small .)
Digital classroom management strategies to boost belonging
Digital and hybrid teaching create additional barriers to meaningful connections. However, there are online classroom management strategies to help you build a sense of belonging in remote learning, too.
- Try to greet every student by name when they arrive in a session, and use names throughout.
- If this is not possible, start the session with a poll to check in on student wellbeing, emotions, and even personal news—read some of these aloud and discuss with the student in question.
- Use breakout rooms to encourage peer-to-peer interaction and social connections.
- Make time to recognize different students’ efforts.
- Monitor attendance patterns to spot potential disengagement, and reach out personally to students who have missed a session.
Final thoughts on classroom management strategies
It’s no small task to ensure that every student feels acknowledged. But with such clear, measurable benefits to their learning outcomes and, perhaps most importantly, to their engagement and overall well-being, it’s worth making the effort.
By exploring and implementing a variety of classroom management strategies, educators can cultivate an environment where every student from any background or skill level can feel seen, valued, and acknowledged.
Learn how Turnitin uses technology to seamlessly integrate classroom management strategies: