[Miss.

Chamberlains Classroom Empowerment Plan]

Statement of Philosophy and Purpose
I believe in a scholarly classroom environment in which the students
are valued, their ideas are utilized in order to further the content, and
problem-solving skills are developed through inquiry based learning. We
live in a time in which our students will require divergent and critical
thinking skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively, after
graduation, and I believe our classrooms are the springboards from which
these qualities must be developed. Each of my students is a resource in my
classroom, and for that reason my lessons and my teaching pedagogy
encourage, if not necessitate, the participation of my students in the
learning process.
Additionally, I understand that every student learns and expresses
their knowledge in different ways and at different times. For this reason, I
utilize multiple forms of assessment that promote student choice. Our
students need to learn how to make decisions for themselves, how to
complete projects that fulfill requirements while also promoting selfknowledge and passion, and how to incorporate Language Arts skills into
real life scenarios.
The classroom is a vibrant space that is reflective of the real life of
my students. Students are expected to think and engage with one another
at a scholarly level, and thus they are also permitted the benefits afforded
to scholars. Their voices are valued, they exercise control over the
curriculum and their research projects, and they are respected as the
intelligible, responsible beings they are. I have one hour with my students
per day, and I choose to use that hour to engage in exciting, rigorous,
cooperative learning that has real-life applications for my students. I do
not believe that life ends at the doorway to my classroomrather, we live
in a time in which we have unique and exciting access to the outside world,
in terms of technology and community resources, and we also live in a time
when knowledge of how to use such resources is more necessary than ever.
Our classrooms look and feel different precisely because the world
today presents new challenges and new resources.

Classroom Expectations
1) Everyone is respected.
2) We are all responsible for the learning that occurs in the classroom.
3) Learning is fun and reflects and enhances the lived experiences of all in
the class.

Consequences
Punishment works only superficially, primarily when the
misbehaving students are in view of those in authority. But
punishment does not create empathy in students and encourage
them to internalize a commitment to behave properly (Costello
2009). Thus, in restorative practice we must separate the deed
from the doer and look at the misbehaving students as good
people making bad decisions (Costello 2009).
1. We assume that the student is not only capable of change, but that he or
she can be an active participant in bringing about that change in behavior.
2. If a discipline issue is persistent and/or interfering with the classroom
learning, students will conference with the instructor as to how to solve
this problem. Additionally, the instructor will adhere to school-wide
behavior and safety policies.
3. Students should be made aware of their responsibility to their
classmates and to themselves. This is where establishing a personal
investment in the classroom learning process becomes vital to promoting
student success and behavior.

Monitoring System
1. At the beginning of every school year, students create a personal list of
goals for that year. These goals are workshopped with peers and then
conferenced on with the instructor. This is an agreement between the
teacher and the student, but more importantly it is a personal contract for
the student. For that reason, the goals must be constantly reassessed and
they must be student-initiated.
2. The goals will be monitored throughout the school year, either through
peer-review, individualized conferences, or formative assessments. Goals

should align with the students strengths, experiential knowledge, and

personal interests. This will permit the student to identify a point of
engagement for the classs content.
3. Students participate through multiple forms of assessmentstructured
discussions (see Sec-Ed Model) offer opportunities for all students to
contribute to the classroom learning in a meaningful and differentiated
ways.
4. Final projects will reflect the growth of the student and the achievement
of stated goals. Students will present their research at the end of the
semester/school year. A component of their grade on this project will be
based on their own ability to illustrate their development, both
intellectually and socially/emotionally.

Classroom Procedures
1. Our classroom is a collaborative, interactive space. When students
enter the classroom, they will know exactly what their expectations are for
the day. We will follow the Sec-Ed discussion model at the beginning of
every class period in order to establish community and learning/research
goals.
2. Students will respond to the quote, artwork, or music selection for the
day. Students will have multiple options for response (journaling, critical
questioning, graffiti, art, music response, etc.).
3. Class will then form a circle and begin the structured critical discussion.
The goal is for the instructor to assume the role of participant in the
discussion, not leader. Students should lead the critical discussion by
reflecting on their analytical responses.
4. After we have completed the discussion, students will work
collaboratively on inquiry-based projects (to be determined with each
lesson).
5. Discipline issues will be handled on a one-on-one basis. I am a firm
believer that a classroom community must be established and the students
should be engaged in meaningful learning experiences that promote their
voices and value their knowledge. If a discipline issue becomes class-wide,
then we will use restorative circles to refocus the classroom and to rebuild
community.