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Classroom Management Plan Kelsey Sorenson University of Utah

Select a philosophical model of classroom management and discipline Teaching is a wonderful career because it is full of surprises. Every day is different! Because of this, I have learned firsthand this semester that it is important to always be prepared and plan ahead as a teacher. This includes planning for classroom management, especially when I am on my own without any help from my site teacher. When I begin my first year as a new teacher, I will need some kind of road map for the year. Creating a classroom management plan will give me a place to start. The first step in creating plan for classroom management is selecting a philosophical model of classroom management and discipline. This will help me to establish procedures and discipline based on my teaching style and what I want my classroom to look like. While looking at the three main models of teaching that we discussed in class, I decided that the interacting model would be the ideal classroom management model for my classroom. This is because I believe that it is important that both the teacher and student have control in the classroom. It is important to have student-centered activities that allow students to discover information on their own in order to learn to love learning new things. This can be done by giving students autonomy and choices. However, it is also important that the teacher is still in control and that the students respect the teacher as the adult in their classroom. The teacher also needs to have some teacher-centered time when doing explicit instruction, etc. I believe that there needs to be a balance between teacher-centered and student-centered learning, and that both should be used in the classroom when needed. As far as discipline, I believe that positive reinforcement is the best kind. It is always better to point out the positive rather than being negative all the time in order to have a positive learning environment for all students. I believe in using positive reinforcement in several ways to promote good behavior and prevent misbehavior, rather than just waiting for expected

misbehavior and punishing. However, there comes a time when consequences are needed, and this should not be overlooked altogether. The consequences for breaking rules should be a natural consequence for the rule they broke. Organize the physical environment There are many aspects of a physical environment to consider. These include the layout of the desks and tables, bulletin boards, storage, and the classroom library. Ideally, I would love to have my students sitting in tables for several reasons. I like to have lessons where students interact with each other, so this makes it easier to have students in groups and be able to interact with each other quickly and easily at any time. I also believe table points are a great way to promote good behavior in students. My desk will be out of the way since I wont be in it very often during the day while Im teaching my students. However, it will also need to be in a place where I can easily access my computer to pull up materials Im using with my class. The corner of the front of the room has worked well for me while student teaching, so I think I will keep this aspect in my own classroom as well. I will also have a table in the back to pull out small groups. As far as storage, I will have several filing cabinets and shelves that will be around the outside of the room. This is where I can keep materials that I will need for my classroom. On the walls I will have several bulletin boards. I will have a word wall with all of our main vocabulary and parts of speech. I will also have vocab walls for other subjects such as math, science, and social studies. I will also have an author spotlight each month on one of the bulletin boards. Another important aspect of the classroom organization is the classroom library. I will have the library organized by level and topic. My books will all be leveled so students are easily able to select books that meet their needs. Manage Student Behavior

It is important that students are aware of the responsibilities that they have as students. Since rules are responsibilities, I will try to focus on having my students remember their responsibilities rather than rules. We will discuss these as a class at the beginning of the year, and I will guide a class discussion on what our responsibilities should be. Since students will be agreeing to the responsibilities we discuss, they will feel more ownership of them, rather than me telling them what they should not do. They will be phrased in a positive way, which means that they will know what they are expected to do rather than a long list of what not to do. As far as helping students live up to these responsibilities, I believe that positive reinforcement can be a powerful motivator for kids. This is why I want my classroom discipline to be focused on positive reinforcement rather than punishment. One of my ideas is to use table points for my students. The students will be divided into tables where they sit, and when I notice that everyone at a table is doing a great job, I will give their table a point. This creates a friendly competition among the students that motivates students to behave. It will also help students at the tables encourage positive behavior, rather than me having to nag them all the time. The table with the most points at any given time gets to line up first for lunch or recess. Another incentive is that when a table earns enough points, they will earn some type of reward. This will depend based on the interests of the class and will be discussed at the beginning of the year. I also think it is important to acknowledge students behavior individually. Ideally, I think I would like to try using a clip chart. Pulling tickets is not my favorite method of class discipline, which is what we are using right now. I like the clip chart idea because students have a chance to improve throughout the day and it incorporates positive reinforcement, and not just punishment. If students end the day at the top of the clip chart, they will get a ticket that they will be able to use

for a raffle or a class store. I can also give students a ticket at any time if I am very impressed by their behavior. While I want my classroom discipline to focus on positive reinforcement, there are times when more has to be done when a student misbehaves. It is important for students to learn that there are consequences in life for their actions. The consequence should align with the infraction. For example, if a student is goofing off in class and distracting others, they may need to take a moment to think about what they did in a buddy teachers classroom. I do not want to use punishments that are clearly just to punish the child and do not help teach them the natural consequences of their actions. I also think it is very important to be open to communication with the students and discuss why their behavior is inappropriate. It is important to explain why so they understand both emotionally and intellectually. Create a respectful, supportive learning environment It is crucial that the classroom be a respectful, supportive learning environment for all students in the class. I will do this by creating a classroom community in which all students feel involved and important. The students will know that the classroom is a safe zone and that they are accepted for who they are. I will help the students build relationships with each other by giving them ample opportunity to communicate and work with each other. We will do a variety of team building activities that are integrated through the curriculum. We will also discuss how diversity is important in the classroom, and how everyone brings something special to the classroom. Students will also be expected to include all students in the classroom. No exclusion will be allowed. When students actively involved each other and work well with each other, I will positively reinforce that by giving them more opportunities to work with each other. I will also tell them that they are doing a great job. When students are behaving in ways that hinder our

classroom community, I will have a discussion with them to help them understand why their behavior is not helping our class to be an enjoyable environment for everyone. Manage and facilitate instruction The key to effective classroom management is teaching and practicing procedures with the students. Procedures are crucial in order for teaching to go smoothly. These procedures need to be modeled explicitly and practiced regularly, especially at the beginning of the year and after breaks. The procedures include routines for the beginning of the day, transitions, signals, lining up, where to turn in assignments and even more. There are so many procedures that go into classroom management. One procedure I plan on using in my classroom is having my students begin the day each day with a journal entry so the students will know exactly what is expected of them. Students will also need to practice going from their desks to the floor in a quick and orderly manner. I will also need to teach students an attention prompt. The one that works well for my class right now is a clapping signal, but it depends on the class. Some verbal signals work for some classes. This may change from year to year. I will also have students signal to me when they have finished their work by holding up their pencil. These are just a few of the many procedures that I will need to teach my students. Differentiation is important because it allows students to receive instruction tailored to their individual needs. I plan on doing this through working with small groups during reading and math workshops. It is important that students have time for tier 2 instruction so they are able to progress. I will divide students into ability groups for workshops based on their ability, because I will need groups of students at approximately the same level to work with during small groups. However, these groups will be fluid and subject to change at any time based on improvement or need for more intervention.

I will also differentiate students spelling lists based on their needs. The students who struggle more with spelling will have fewer words they need to study, while gifted and talented students will have some more difficult words added on to their lists. It is also important that students are accountable for their own learning. I will have my students keep track of their own work and their progress so they are able to see how they are doing. When students self-report, they are able to make the connection between where they are at and where they should be. They will also be able to tell if they are putting in enough effort. This will hold them accountable for their work. Promote classroom safety and wellness By promoting a classroom community, I will create a supportive community of students who look out for each other. The expectations will be set, and the students will know what they need to do to live up to them. There will be an emphasis on being kind to others and including everyone. I will have no tolerance for bullying of any kind among my students. When there are incidents of bullying, I will need to talk to the student and explain why the behavior is not appropriate. They would need to apologize to whoever they offended. Other consequences will depend on the particular situation. Depending on the severity, the student may also need to fill out an infraction form so the incident is reported to the school. I will also look out for students wellness by promoting healthy habits in my classroom. When appropriate, we will discuss the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity. Students will also learn about proper hygiene- including bathing and hand washing. Students will be expected to wash their hands regularly to prevent the spread of diseases, especially during the flu season. Interact with colleagues, parents, and others to achieve classroom management objectives.

It is very important to interact with parents so they know what is going on at school with their students. At the beginning of the school year I will send home my philosophy letter that will include my philosophy of education and a basic overview of my classroom management procedures. This will give the parents an introduction right up front. I will also regularly communicate with parents through my class website. I will keep parents up to date on what their students are doing in class, what assignments need to be done at home, and upcoming events. I will also post students work (with permission) so they can be displayed for parents. (This will also be a way to motivate students to do their best work- because if they do it may get put on the website!) I will also send emails or notes to parents regularly. I will send out group letters and emails on a regular basis, but I will also send them to parents individually. I will address any concerns with parents, as well as praise about their student. By doing this, I hope that I will be able to make a relationship with the parents. I will also try to get parents involved in the classroom, and welcome them whenever they would like to volunteer or visit. Parental involvement is crucial in education so I will promote it as best as I can. Last, but certainly not least, I will communicate with parents at parent teacher conferences. However, my goal is that this will not be the only time I meet with them! Interaction with colleagues is also something that is important to do. Collaboration can not only help us share ideas for creative lessons and units, but teachers can also work together to make their classroom management more effective. One way I plan on doing this is having a buddy teacher. When a student is misbehaving or needs some time away from the class, they may go and sit in the buddy teachers room. It would work the same way if that teacher had a problem student, then the student would come to my classroom. Students are much less likely to act out if they are in a foreign classroom. In this way, we would both benefit from this

relationship. We can also discuss with our collegues what is going on in our classroom, and what management procedures have worked and not worked for our students. This should always be positive conversation to figure out how to best serve our students rather than complaining about how difficult our students are, since doing so can give the student a bad reputation around the entire school. Conclusion Classroom management is a crucial part of teaching. This classroom management plan will give me a starting point when I student teach as well as when I have my own classroom. I feel much better knowing that I have a plan that I can follow as I continue my teaching journey. As I try things out, I may discover that something doesnt work and change as needs be. One of the great parts about teaching is that we never stop learning, so I look forward to trying out these ideas and finding out what really works for me in the classroom.