WARNING! This website is no longer actively maintained. It is an archive of 2 years work by Doug Belshaw who now blogs at dougbelshaw.com...
There’s no ‘right answers’ or ‘cure-alls’ when it comes to behaviour management, just heuristics - guides, ways of doing things which will, on most occasions result in some kind of improvement in a situation. Here’s some things I do to try and improve student behaviour…
One thing that my temporary status as a supply teacher has meant is that I’ve had to sharpen up my behaviour management skills. When you don’t know students’ names, have very little authority within the hierarchy of the school and (in some cases) have no idea of the content of the lesson before you walk into the room, things can be quite difficult! 99% of it is confidence, however. Know what your standards are and don’t deviate from them.
1. Set your stall out and, if necessary, make examples - although it may not seem like it some times, most students don’t want to actually be in trouble, and no-one likes being singled out and shouted at. Explain the framework, make sure students know where they stand with you, and then apply the sanctions (moving seats, sending outside, etc.) that you say you’re going to carry out. Once the class see that you mean business, heads will most likely retreat below the parapet…
2. Time everything - don’t just set students off on an activity, tell them how they’ve got to do it. Keep telling them how long they’ve got left and where most of them should be up to. Give them times which mean something (e.g. four and a half minutes) rather than ones which are usually just used as vague signifiers (e.g. ‘five minutes’)
3. Give positive feedback - everyone likes to be told they’ve done well, even those who are usually ‘naughty’ or have a problem with authority. If students answer a question well or complete the work set then do something about it. I’ve got a stamper with a star logo on it that says Mr Belshaw says well done. Students (Year 11 and VI Form included) love it. You can introduce it with an ironic tone of voice, but in reality it’s simply an affirmation that they’re doing well.
4. Be human - apologise if you’ve done something wrong. Admit you make mistakes. Tell stories that say something about your life outside school and connect with the experiences students may have had. Don’t leave emotion at the classroom door - although it’s a standing joke, some students do half-believe that either you live in the school cupboard or that certainly you have no life outside school. Break down those barriers by presenting yourself as a human being that has emotions and makes mistakes sometimes.
5. Position yourself effectively - some students need the encouragement that you know what they’re up to in order to get work done. So position yourself in the classoom in such a way as to let them know you’re aware of what they’re doing. If they keep disturbing someone near them, go and mark someone’s work nearby. Physical proximity is a powerful tool in preventing low-level disruption. There is a balance to be struck, however: milling around the classroom willy-nilly can lesson the impact this proximity have. Use it wisely! 
Going further:
There’s lots of good books and websites about behaviour management and a quick Google search will come up with a plethora. I’m therefore only going to recommend one of each:
Website: Creating a Behavior Management System for Your Classroom
Book: 
Getting the Buggers to Behave 2 (by Sue Cowley)
Popularity: 6% [?]
Some great advice there, thank you for sharing it.
However, I feel I must comment on your choice of book. I see two main problems with the Sue Cowley text: 1. the content is a mixed bag of odd anecdotes tied to uncertain (and very outdated) research. 2. the title. I honestly feel the title says it all - If an author (or a teacher) is so disrespectful of the young children in their care that they feel it necessary to describe them in that way I worry for the ‘profession’. Muttering in staffrooms is one thing - a title of a book is quite another. There are (as you say) many, many other books to choose from. Most have a much higher opinion of the children in our schools and all of them have better researched and more practical advice.
Thanks for your comment John. People will always disagree on things like books, music, etc. but I feel I can defend my choice on this one. Getting the Buggers to Behave is quite a controversial and arresting title - and was no doubt designed to be such - but the content offers practical advice from a teacher with a wealth of experience. This, I believe, is of more value than abstract ‘techniques’ which can be espoused in some publications.
PS Love the Grape Vine website - I hadn’t come across it before!
Thanks for your comments, I thought this was worth sharing
“A teacher’s response has crucial consequences…
it creates a climate of compliance or defiance, a mood
of contentment or contention, a desire to make aments
or to take revenge… Teachers have the power to affect a
child’s life for better or worse. A child becomes what
he/she experiences. While parents possess a key
to their offspring’s experience, teachers have a spare key.
They, too, can open or close the minds and hearts of children.”
Haim Ginott,
from the introduction to Bill Rogers’ superb Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide to Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague Support
… not a ‘bugger’ in sight.