Erin Stratakis

Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management

Philosophy of Classroom Management

I believe that a teacher should establish trusting, responsive relationships with their
students in order to effectively manage their classroom. By setting clear, concise routines, and
involving students in the development of classroom rules, a teacher can gain the trust of their
students, and promote self-efficacy. Although students constantly seek independence, they also
desire to have firm yet fair rules to abide by. I believe that through allowing students to help to
establish these rules, a teacher can create an environment where students feel safe and are
comfortable reaching out to learn academic and social skills.
One of the theorists that I most identify with is Urie Bronfenbrenner. Bronfenbrenners
Ecological Systems Theory explains a childs interactions with their environment and how those
interactions both directly and indirectly impact the child. This theory shows how through creating
an open line of communication between the school and the families, teachers can take their
classroom management a step further and connect it to the childs home environment. By
connecting the micro and mesosystems, the teacher can align the rules of home and school,
further reinforcing behavioral expectations. Because I intend to create deep relationships with
my students families, I will be practicing Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Theory. These
connections will help to reinforce expected behaviors both at home and at school by creating
consistency in the environments.
In the article, Teachers as Leaders: The Impact of Adler-Dreikurs Classroom
Management Techniques on Students Perceptions of the Classroom Environment and on
Academic Achievement, by Hamid Alizadeh, et. al; the authors show us that student-teacher
relationships are an important aspect of a positive classroom environment, (Alizadeh, H. et. al,
p. 2). By promoting student independence and encouraging students to share their ideas, I will

make a point to develop positive relationships with all of my students. These relationships will
have a great impact on my classroom environment. Through allowing students to feel valued
and respected, I will reduce the need for negative discipline in my classroom.

Use in the Classroom

It is important that students have a say in the rules of their classroom. By allowing them
to decide what good classroom behavior looks like, the teacher instills a sense of ownership and
responsibility in the students. Because they help to create the rules, they feel more obligated to
follow them, after all, it was the students who decided what was important. In my classroom,
part of the first day of school will be scheduled as a brainstorming session for the classroom
rules. Students will work together in small groups to come up with the rules that they feel are
important and that allow for the most respectful and efficient learning environment. After sharing
the groups ideas as a whole class, they will see any rules that overlap and establish those as
classroom rules. Part of this activity will be that I help to scaffold students toward any rules that I
feel are important (no running, raise your hand when talking) but the students are not coming up
with on their own. Students will work together to create an anchor chart that contains the
classroom rules. I will be sure to remind students that the rules that they establish should also
align with the schools rules.

Specific Rules and their Purpose:

No running in the classroom- this is a general safety rule and follows the guidelines of
all school systems.
Raise your hand to speak- this rule is generic but ensures that all students have an
equal opportunity to participate in the class.
The person who is sharing will hold the talking hedgehog- this is a rule I established
with my fourth graders last semester, there was a plush hedgehog that was passed
around the class as students participated in whole group discussion. The person with
the hedgehog was the student who has the floor. This ensured that students raised
their hands and waited their turn to participate. It also helped to get students who
typically wouldn't participate to add insightful comments to the group.
During group work, students must ask at least one friend their question before asking
their teacher- this rule will help to promote collaboration in the classroom. It will also

help to minimize the number of times students ask the date or how to spell a particular
word, leaving time for me to focus on assisting students who need help with the
content of the lesson.
I will teach students these classroom rules by doing a rule walk around the classroom at
the beginning of the first day. This rule walk is where I will show the students the areas of the
classroom and tell them the basic rules for each space. The rules for specific areas of the
classroom will differ depending on the grade level that I teach. For example, the book nook will
be a safe space for students to read independently or listen to books. I will continue to teach the
students these rules by reminding them of the rules as situations occur or when the rule needs
to be enforced. Students will learn these rules through repetition and reinforcement. The rules
for each area in the classroom will also be posted in that area so that students are reminded of
the expectations.
One of the incentives that I will use will be to make positive phone calls home to
students families when they have had a good day or accomplished something academically. I
will also periodically mail students post cards to compliment them on their participation or to
simply thank them for brightening my day. These phone calls and post cards will be an
unspoken incentive for the students, but will work to promote positive behaviors and student
motivation.
I intend to involve parents in their childs learning through emails and phone calls home.
I will make a point to call for positive reasons as well as when students are having trouble in the
classroom. This open line of communication will help me to keep the families informed of their
childs learning. I will also involve families by keeping a classroom website or twitter page. This
will be a place where I can post student work, lessons that are upcoming, projects, and even
upcoming classroom events that the families can get involved in. Finally, I would like to involve
the students families by setting up the app, Remind 101. This application lets teachers send
students and parents reminders, notifications, and even group chat; all without giving out

cellphone numbers! This application will be a helpful tool for unit tests, projects and positive
reinforcement for students.

Appropriate/On Task Behavior

One of the instructional management skills that I use now, and will use in my future
classroom is proximity control. By circulating through the classroom, I will remind students to
pay attention to group discussions, and also eradicate inappropriate student behaviors. I will use
signal interference in my classroom as an active way to quite classroom discussions that
become too rowdy. One way that I will use signal interference is to play silent simon says (tap
my shoulders, touch my nose, pat my belly, etc.) when students are too chatty with their peers.
Verbal redirection will be used in my classroom in the form of counting down from five to regain
student attention. I am an avid fan of contingent praise in the classroom, I believe that by
praising students on specific, desired behaviors they and others are able to quickly and clearly
see the teachers expectations for the given task.
Social-emotional management skills that I will use in my classroom include a student
birthday wall where students birthdates are placed along with their picture so that the entire
class is aware of the upcoming classroom birthdays. Each week, beginning a few weeks into the
school year, I will feature a Student of the Week on a small bulletin board in the classroom.
The students will fill out a questionnaire, bring in a photo of themselves, and be asked to
complete a poster during morning work the week prior that tells the rest of the class all about
them. On Monday morning of their week, the student will share the answers to their
questionnaire with the class. This questionnaire will contain questions that relate to the students
cultural background, hobbies, family and social activities. This board will give students a chance
to get to know others who are not their BFF, and find common ground with classmates who
they may not typically socialize with.

Responding to Violations of Rules

Minor Disruptions:
Students who find themselves wandering around the classroom, or out of their seat
when it its time to be completing seat work will receive a verbal warning for their offense. This
warning will include a redirection that reminds them of the desired activity. Students who talk out
of turn during whole or small group work will be reminded gently of the talking hedgehog policy
in my classroom. They will be asked to wait until it is their turn, which is marked by holding one
of the classrooms plush hedgehogs. For each outburst, I will hold up a finger, counting up to
three. Students who are unable to safely sit in the seating arrangement of their choice (stool,
chair, yoga ball) will be given two reminders to sit in the appropriate manner before being asked
to choose an alternative seating arrangement. Upon choosing this arrangement, I will be sure to
compliment the student on their choice to remain safe in the classroom by choosing alternate
seating.
Major Disruptions:
Students who are unable to wait their turn to speak or who are continually out of their
seat will be required to change the placement of their name on the classroom behavior chart.
Prior to this, students will be given two reminders to substitute their behavior with behavior that
is more appropriate for the learning environment. Students who are non-compliant or refuse to
complete classroom work will be provided with a choice of two options. The first option will be
for them to take a 30 second breather/stretch break, and then join the group. The second option
will be for them to call their parent and explain why they are unable to complete their work for
the day. Students who show signs of emotional outbursts in class will be given an option to
stretch on a yoga mat in the back of the classroom for two minutes, or take a cool down in the
book nook for the same allotted time of two minutes. After these two minutes, the student will

be expected to return to the classwork, and the teacher will offer to have a quiet conversation
with them at the time of their choosing (lunch, immediately, during transitions). This option for
choice will let students feel in control of their behaviors and also make sure that they feel cared
for and valued in the classroom.

References:
Soheili, F., Alizadeh, H., Murphy, J. M., Bajestani, H. S., & Ferguson, E. D. (2015). Teachers as
Leaders: The Impact of Adler-Dreikurs Classroom Management Techniques on Students'
Perceptions of the Classroom Environment and on Academic Achievement. Journal Of
Individual Psychology, 71(4), 440-461.