Moving Toward the Best Practice: a Matter of the Mind and the Heart

Holding a greater vision is based on the understanding that creating a great learning environment takes more than developing sound curriculum. True classroom management creates conditions for each student to prosper and be at their creative best. There is an element of freedom, an element of ease, and at the same time the goal of instruction is crystal clear to both the instructor and the students. This mechanism of management involves knowledge of how our minds work. It is also a matter of the heart, the practice of holding the highest vision of each student.
I've found five elements which impact greatly on classroom management: 1) clear intention, 2) awareness of the role of the inner critic, 3) awareness of automatic reactions and practice of continuous inquiry, 4) diagnosing and building student readiness and 5) sensitizing ourselves to the classroom energy meter. Each element, when practiced consciously, builds an alliance of the mind and the heart. When the mind and the heart are united, all our thoughts and actions carry conviction. This conviction which comes from balanced mind and heart is what students respond to.