Stand where you can see every face

Every classroom has blind spots, usually the near corners and directly behind your usual standing position. Students learn your geography within a week. Break it. Kounin (1970) called the underlying skill "withitness": the class's sense that you see everything. His research found it separated effective classroom managers more sharply than how they responded once misbehaviour had already started.

In practice

• Teach from the sides and the back, not only the front. The corner diagonally opposite the door usually sees everything.
• When students are working, circulate on a route that passes behind every screen and every notebook at least once.
• If you can't see a face, you can't read confusion on it. Position is a checking-for-understanding tool, not just a behaviour one.