Thoughts on the "bag of tricks" or concepts we'd love to have in the classroom, to help manage effectively?  Share them here...

• When a student appears to be off task during a lecture, bring him/her back on task simply by asking him/her a question by name... you don't even have to say anything about the student not paying attention, and the key is ALWAYS to keep any irritation or "gotcha" tone out of your voice... just ask the student a question, and he/she will often come right back on task
• An oldie but a goodie... PROXIMITY.  During lecture, wander the room instead of standing at the front (if you need a remote to be able to advance a power point presentation during lecture, or you want a laser pointer, so you don't have to stand at the front... just ask!).  During independent or group work, move about the room, at least periodically, instead of spending the time grading papers or checking email at your desk
• There is absolutely no replacement for ENGAGING AND RELEVANT classrooms.  Kids watching movies that they love, or playing video games that thrill them, or reading books on things they're interested in, always have great attention spans and typically control their own behavior.  What can you do with your curriculum content to make it interesting or engaging to students?
• When you're dealing with teenagers, remember that if you make a behavioral issue into a battle or argument, you'll lose.  You may be able to punish them in the short term, but they'll remember how you dealt with them in front of their peers, and you'll lose the war in the long term.
• Got a kid who's just way too full of energy? Give him/her a productive task to do.  (The old-school, elementary-school version of this is to ask the student to erase the board... some variation on that is still as good as ever)
• Got a kid who's always determined to be the jokester in your class? Turn it to your advantage... find a way to INVITE him/her to be funny during an appropriate point in the lesson, and he/she is less likely to be that way during an inappropriate point in the lesson.
• Remember that good will between students and teachers can probably do more for managing classroom behavior than most individual 'tricks' you'll read about in educational 'guides' (creating "good will" is NOT the same thing as being their buddy!)
• Rewards and punishments ... try to use them in a 2:1 ratio.  Rewards can be tangible... tokens, benefits, points... but intangibles also work well... praise when you really mean it, some part of a lesson that's amazingly fun and interesting, whatever.
• Speaking of praise... remember that the kids who get it the least often need it the most.  When a kid who's been driving you crazy does something really well, try to remark on it in a positive way.   It can be the behavior s/he showed that day, it can be how well s/he did on a particular assignment, it can be an interesting contribution s/he made in class.  You don't have to fall all over them to praise them, but a well-placed, casual recognition here or there can make all the difference in the world.
• Set your classroom discipline tone from the beginning.  You know your abilities best.
   
   
  Found this great, quick-read article about principles of classroom management, straight from a teacher in the trenches:  http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/08/21/34tln_anthonycody_web.h18.html
   
   
  Interesting article about the importance of environment and engagement as classroom management tools: 
   
  How to Smile Before Christmas