Apprentice Teaching in Secondary Mathematics and Science

Classroom Management Implementation Plan

Completed Instrument Due: Monday, October 27

Observer: Deanna Kicklighter

Class Date: October 21 & 23

Class Location: GHS

Class Time: 3rd Period

Name of Class: Math for College Readiness

Observed
1 and 2

Rules, Routines and Procedures

Classroom rules
1. Posted.
2. Emphasize appropriate behavior.
3. Adhered to without exception.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, and 7.

Classroom routines and procedures are taught and

practiced.
1. Getting students attention.
2. Beginning and ending of class
3. Materials acquisition, distribution and
collection.
4. Sharpening pencils, heading papers, etc.
5. Students who are tardy, returning from an
absent, or absent from class.
6. Incomplete or missed work.
7. Expectations for group work, seatwork and other
activities.

Number of students: 28

Observed impact on student behavior

The classroom rules are posted on a bulletin board in the
back of the room. There is also a NO CELL PHONE
sign that is posted on the outside of the classroom door
and in multiple locations inside of the classroom.
Appropriate behavior is emphasized in the classroom
with regards to be ready to start class when the bell rings,
coming to class prepared, not having food or drink out,
being respectful to peers and teacher, and obeying dress
code. All of these rules are adhered to and followed.
However, one rule that the students tend to push is the no
cell phone rule they will not necessary have it out and
be texting/etc but they will have their music playing
through headphones. Almost every day Ms. Long has to
tell someone to take their headphones out and turn off
their phones. So, I would say that this room is not being
adhered to without exception. Due to this leniency,
students continue to bend this rule and see if they can
get away with listening to their headphones and not get
caught.
The students are in a good routine of coming in and
getting in the mindset to work. If for some reason the
students get loud, Ms. Long uses a whistle to get their
attention. At the beginning of class, students have a
routine of taking out their hw from the previous night and
checking it. The students do not have a routine or
procedure for ending the class (with the exception of first
period ending with the announcements). As far as
collection goes, all classes have a bin on the right side of
the room. All work that is to be collected is turned in
through there. When work is to be distributed back to the
students, Ms. Long asks for volunteers to turn work back
at the end of the period. The students also have a routine
for using their textbooks. The students in 2nd period are
responsible for getting a textbook for that desk for
students in the remaining classes to use. Students in 5th
period are responsible for returning the textbooks back
onto the shelf at the end of every day. Students also have
a routine with turning in their hw assignments for all
hw assignments, they must show all work and highlight
their final answer. For students who are absent, they are
given 3 days to turn in make-up work, but if students
were present and do not do hw they receive a 0. If
students turn in hw without showing their work or
completing the assignment 100%, they receive an
incomplete (0). Students are not permitted to make-up
incomplete work. The expectations for seatwork are to
stay on task, and they may work with one another to
complete assignments. There has not been an activity that
was specifically designed as group work. With that, it

Apprentice Teaching in Secondary Mathematics and Science

seems to me that the students are in a good routine for her
classroom.
~1, 2, ~3, 4,
and 5

2, ~3, 4, ~7,
8, and 9

~1, 2

Physical Environment
1. All students can see presentation of instruction.
2. Teacher can observe all students at all times.
3. Furniture arranged to facilitate learning and
maximize space.
4. Classroom is attractive, bulletin boards are
current and student work is displayed.
5. Frequently used materials are accessible.

Instruction and academic work

Teacher
1. Varied teaching strategies.
2. Well-planned lessons at appropriate level for
students.
3. Assignments are relevant and meaningful to
students.
4. Clear questions/directions/instructions.
5. Balanced interactions with students.
6. Circulates around the classroom.
7. Utilizes formative assessment to guide the
lesson.
8. Positive atmosphere and expectation for success.
9. Appropriate praise-tell them when they excel
and how to improve.

Student
1. Attentive and on task.
2. Accountable for their work.

Due to the shape of the room, it is difficult for students

sitting on the far right side of the room to see any
presentation that is done on the board to the far left side
of the room. With the set-up of the rows, it is easy to
observe students at all times, although it is a tight squeeze
between the rows. Again, with the shape of the room and
the location of Ms. Longs desk, the desks are arranged as
best as they can be to facilitate learning. However, the
arrangement of the desks could facilitate learning so
much more if it were different. As of now, the desks are
only in rows and it is difficult to circulate and for students
to work together on problems. The appearance of the
classroom is cool Ms. Long has multiple pieces of
student work displayed around the room and there is an
informative bulletin board in the back to the room. Ms.
Long also has an agenda posted on the front white board
that contains the topic for today, hw for today, and hw
from the previous day for those that were absent. All
materials are accessible for all students. With this being
said, it seems to me that students could be engaged more
and should be checked to see if they are able to see the
presentation of instruction.
Ms. Long only uses direct instruction. With that being
said, her lessons are always planned out ahead of time
with examples that she is going to use that are at the
appropriate level for the students. The assignments that
assigned for hw do correlate and are aligned with the
lesson that she gives, but most of the time do not make
any connections as to why they are important and
relevant to the students. Ms. Long does always give clear
directions and instructions in here lessons and in her
examples. The questioning in her lesson is limited, but
when she does ask questions, they are clear. There is little
or no interaction with the students. Due to the direct
instruction, there is not a lot of room for student
interaction in the lesson. This causes the students to start
on the hw while Ms. Long is teaching the lesson, or glaze
over and not pay attention. Ms. Long does not circulate
around the room. Once she is done with instruction, she
returns to her desk. The only formative assessment is
what the students turn in for hw. Ms. Long is very
enthusiastic and motivating for the students. These
students are seniors and sometimes they need a little extra
push to get them through the day and Ms. Long gives that
to them. When students are struggling with a certain type
of problem or area, she tries to explain it in a different
way or breaks it down into smaller steps which really
helps the students.
With the class being so big, most of the students stay on
task but there are a few who choose to not use their time
wisely. Ms. Long makes them be accountable for their
work by making them turn it in the next day. If students
did not show all work for every problem, she gives them
an incomplete and they are not allowed to make it up.

Apprentice Teaching in Secondary Mathematics and Science

1, 2, 3, 4

1,

Discipline
Teacher
1. Calm, fair and consistent in word and deed.
2. Models positive behavior.
3. Knows students names.
4. Demonstrates respect for students.
5. Addresses conflict quickly and positively.
6. Consequences for inappropriate behavior.

Student
1. Understands and has been taught the rules.
2. Understands there will be consequences for
inappropriate behavior.
3. Student takes responsibility for his behavior.

Ms. Long is very patient with the students when learning

new and difficult material. She is very consistent in how
she teaches and deals with students who struggle. She
also offers tutoring every Tuesday and Thursday for those
who are struggling. Ms. Long also models positive
behavior which shows through the behavior of her
students. When I first started, I was worried about them
not respecting me, but they give me the same respect that
they give Ms. Long. Ms. Long does know their names
and when she accidentally calls someone by the wrong
name, she immediately goes No, thats not you, hold on,
dont tell me and the kids usually laugh and she
remembers their name. There is a mutual level of respect
and it shows. She treats every student fairly and the same.
There is no student who gets special treatment and she
treats them like adults, which I feel that they respect her
more for this. Being that they are about to graduate, they
respect her more for treating them like they are not kids.
There has not been any conflict for me to observe how it
was handled. There has not been any inappropriate
behavior for me to observe how it was handled.
All students know the rules and procedures and it shows
when they students come in and immediately take out
their hw to begin checking, when Ms. Long starts to talk,
they stop talking, and for the most part they do stay off
of their phones. There are a few who try to listen to music
off of it and she tells them to put it away. So far, she has
threatened to write people up, but has not done so yet.

After observing the classroom and the students behavior reflect on the following:
1. Think about how rules, routines, and procedures are established and why they are important to your classroom learning
community. List a set of general classroom and/or laboratory rules, routines and procedures and briefly describe how you plan to
implement rules, routines and procedures in your classroom and how they contribute to the functioning of your classroom learning
community.
Rules:
1) Come to class prepared every day. This means you have your textbook, pencil, paper, and any homework that was
assigned to you.
2) Have a positive attitude and be willing to participate in class.
3) Respect both your teacher and your fellow peers.
4) Put away cell phones unless asked to have them out.
Having these rules set in place will assure that valuable class time is not wasted on things such as making sure that they
have paper and pencil for the day. These rules will also help create a positive and safe environment for students to learn.
Procedures:
1) Come into class ready to being working on the Bell Ringer.
2) Turn in all HW to the appropriate basket.
a. Label your paper with your First and Last Name, Assignment, and Period
b. You must show all work to receive credit.
c. Highlight final answers.
3) Sign In and Out for using the bathroom.
4) You may not leave class until you have completed the Exit Slip for the day.
These procedures will ensure that the students are working bell to bell and not wasting any time during class. It will also
provide smooth transitions from one activity to the next. For example, having a Bell Ringer up on the board will create a
routine of coming into class and getting down to business and not spending 10 minutes getting students to sit down, be

Apprentice Teaching in Secondary Mathematics and Science

quiet, and get ready for todays lesson. By having the Bell Ringer, they will have something to do as soon as they come
into the classroom.
2. Observe the physical environment of your mentors classroom. Draw a floor plan of your mentors classroom, paying attention to
the arrangement of furniture and materials and the impact on student behavior. Label the different areas and write a short explanation
of how different areas are used and whether and how this supports the classroom learning community.

Counter

Table

Whit
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RTB
OAR
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Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Desk

Teacher Desk

Water
Fountain

Desk

Book Shelf
With the set-up of this room, it is very easy for the students in the back rows and the very far corner (closest to the water fountain) to
become off task when Ms. Long goes to her desk after giving instruction. It is also a very crowded room and hard to circulate around
the room to enforce that students are staying on task. The arrangement of the room also makes it very hard for students to see the
instruction on the board. There is also one student who is in a row (or column) all by their self and it kin-of isolates them from the rest
of the class when students are working in small groups. The room is very cramped. The book shelf is used every day and so is the
counter space this is where students turn in their work. I feel that this room limits the learning community feeling due to how
crowded and cramped the room is.

Apprentice Teaching in Secondary Mathematics and Science

3. After observing the teacher and student behaviors associated with instruction and academic work, reflect on the impact the
observed behaviors have on creating the classroom learning community. Discuss your plans for instruction and academic work and the
learning community you hope to create in your classroom.
The behaviors of students in regards to instruction and academic work are coming along better and better with each week. In
the beginning of the semester I noticed that the majority of the students were not paying attention during instruction and were not
completing any homework. Now, most of the students are paying attention and completing their homework. However, with more
student interaction, I feel that the students would be more involved in their work and be willing to participate in discussion. As for my
classroom, I hope to create a learning community that encourages classroom discussion and student exploration. These two elements
can completely change the environment of the classroom and engage students more. For my instruction, I hope that I can find
activities and/or videos that will engage the students and give them the opportunity to explore topics without straight direct instruction.
It will definitely be tough but this is my goal for my classroom. It may be not be able to happen every day but I will strive to have this
happen at least once a week. As far as academic work goes, I feel that students should be held accountable for completing their work.
Instead of going over homework problems before class starts, I will probably quickly check students hw as they complete the bell
ringer and if students have any questions about the hw from previous night, we will go over 1 or 2 problems at the end of the period
instead of completing an exit slip for the day.
4. Observe the teacher and student behaviors associated with discipline in your mentors classroom. Describe the most effective
techniques used by your mentor teacher when dealing with student behavior. Include any additional techniques you would implement
in your classroom.
The most effective technique that I have seen is having respect for the students. I have not encountered a time where a student
has acted out and Ms. Long has had to deal with them. There have not been any behavior issues in the classes that I have observed, so
I am hoping for the same outcome when I have my own classroom. I know that the level of respect that Ms. Long has with her
students is something that I will have to build over time with my students. I hope to accomplish this by holding students accountable
for their actions and when they do misbehave, they are punished accordingly, whether it is an after-school detention with myself, a
parent phone call, a parent conference, or referral.