Behaviour Problems: Students Not Bringing Equipment to Class

Here are some classroom management strategies to help deal with students who 'forget' to bring materials and equipment to class...

1. Offer to loan them some of your equipment in return for 'collateral' such as a shoe.

2. Give a brief period of time at the start of the lesson for pupils to borrow items from other members of the class

3. Reward those who bring required equipment

4. Focus on teaching right action and correcting behaviour of persistent offenders: Offer them support in the way of special reminders and inform parents that this key issue is causing concern; get the parents to follow up at home and issue reminders at home.

5. Be prepared - always have a complete box of materials and equipment on your desk. Cut out the tendency for students to keep/borrow/forget to give back/steal your materials by having them clearly and boldly marked. Pink nail varnish tends to be a good deterrent.

6. Keep a clear record as the the number of times this happens. It is beneficial to give students a clear picture of how significant a particular problem is. A chart provides a clear record for both teacher and student of how many times materials have been forgotten. It also gives a definite starting point from which to improve: "Nathan, you have forgotten your materials every day this week, let's see if we can get one positive mark on the chart tomorrow shall we?"