1

Sydney Van Fossen

EDUC 370
Classroom Management Model
April 26, 2015
Classroom Management Model
The purpose of classroom management should not be control over the class, but rather
cooperation among the teacher and students. The environment of the classroom should be one
that supports learning as well as one that sets high expectations for student behavior. Without
student behavior being set to a high standard, the learning of students will be minimal and
become frustrating for all parties involved (school administration, teachers, parents/guardians,
and students). The purpose of classroom management should also be to develop a positive and
encouraging experience for students that support learning and positive behavior, This should be
done in a way that allows students to look back on their experience and not have it be negative
and only focused around what they could and could not do or how they should or should not act.
Classroom management goes further than just the teacher and the way they run their
classroom; it includes everyone involved in the school. Classroom Management starts with the
school as a whole. This includes the administration and fellow teachers. The school should have
a management plan implemented that serves the whole school and provides a foundation for
expectations. These expectations should be something that applies to all of the students in the
school. The schools role should also be to support the management styles of each of their
teachers as well as offer guidance on bettering their management systems.
To continue, teachers are the next in line for their role in classroom management.
Teachers are the ones who are going to enforce not only the schools rules and procedures, but

their own as well. Teachers are in charge of their classroom and they are going to have the
biggest impact on a childs behavior. They are the ones who spend the most time with students,
including their parents, in a day thus having the most influence. The teachers also have to
support their school and administration and the expectations they have set for the students.
Next are the roles of parents. They may not play a direct role in the everyday of
classroom management, but in a way they do. It is important for parents to be included in both
the schools and the individual classrooms process of developing a management plan. Parents
play an important role and teachers should reach out for their support whenever possible. Parents
can help at home by reviewing with their child the schools and classrooms expectations as well
as setting high expectations in their own home. Nothing is more important than the support of a
parent, who can back you up when conflict arises involving their childs behavior.
Lastly, are the roles that the students play in the family of school. Students make the
choice everyday whether or not to follow school and classroom rules and procedures. They are
also the ones the school, parents, and teachers are influencing and this should be kept in mind at
all times. Without students, there would be no reason for schools and teachers. The influence we
have on students can be the most inspiring and positive aspect of working in a school and the
roles of the school and the teachers should be taken seriously.
Teacher needs in terms of student behavior are important to consider when developing a
classroom management system. The teacher needs to think about what they want their classroom
to look and sound like as well as the overall behavioral goal. These needs may include
expectations of students that allow for the lesson to move progressively throughout the day with
as little disruptions as possible. Teacher needs may also include the need for student participation
to add variety to the lesson as well as the communication between student and teacher.

Other aspects that teachers might consider are the attributes and preferences they have for
student behavior. Attributes might include respect. Respect between student and teacher, student
and student, and/or student and administrator. Setting the expectation for mutual respect allows
for smoother classroom management. Other attributes could be being kind to one another, being
considerate of the teachers and other students needs, or simply treating one another they way
we would like to be treated. Preferences might be the students raising their hand when they
have something to say rather than blurting it out or preferring students to talk with one another
about a conflict before coming to the teacher. However, the needs, attributes, and preferences
will be different among individual teachers and will depend on their personality and personal
style of running a classroom.
When determining my own set of classroom rules and guidelines for the start of the
school year there are some things that are already done for me that will help me set a foundation
for my class expectations. For example, the school rules are already set for me by the
administration and cannot be changed. I can use this to initially introduce the rules and
procedures for my own classroom.
Ideally, I would like to teach first grade so that is what I am going to model my rules and
guidelines from. According to authors Evertson and Emmer, there should only be between four
and eight rules that encompass the expectations for classroom behaviors. (pg. 33) This is
suggested because young learners should not be bogged down with rules and guidelines and the
ones they are given should be easy to remember. When determining the rules I would like to set
for my first grade classroom I need to consider what kind of classroom I want to see and hear.
For me, it is important that my students are kind to one another. It is also important to me that
my students have good listening ears so that I can give directions and we can move from one

activity to another with as little disruptions as possible. When I think about what I want my class
to sound and look like, I think quiet, but welcome productive peer discussions and expressions of
emotion. I also think about students looking engaged in their work or activity while still having
smiles are their facing because they are having fun learning.
After thinking about the specific rules that I would like to set for my classroom, a few
different sets of rules came to my mind that I have seen before or used at camps that I really like
and will most likely use a combination of them in my own classroom. These rules include the
following: 1) Listening Bodies; 2) Raised Hands; 3) Quiet Mouths; 4) Walking Feet; 5) Helping
Hands; and 6) Caring Hearts. I like these six because they incorporate all of my expectations of
what I would like my classroom to look and sound like and they are short, easy to remember,
attainable rules.
Since these rules are short, this is where I would incorporate my students opinions and
participation. Evertson and Emmer, authors of Classroom Management for Elementary
Teachers, offer several examples of how to incorporate student participation in rule setting.
Some of these suggestion include: having students give examples of specific behaviors that
correspond to a particular pre-determined rule; have students offer suggestions of what the class
rules should be and to name specific behaviors everyone in the class should practice; and lastly,
to not offer student participation at all, but rather state the rules and offer examples that are clear
and understandable for the students. (pg. 35)
I personally prefer to state the rules and then have students offer examples of what those
rules might look like in our class. For example, Listening Bodies might mean to listen while the
teacher or others are talking; and/or Caring Hearts might mean that students should use kind
words when speaking to one another. I think having the students name specific behaviors of pre-

determined rules is the best way because they feel like they have contributed and the teacher can
refer back to what they said and put the responsibility back on them in a way if they start to
misbehave.
As a teacher I am very aware that misbehavior is inevitable and will happen at some
point, they are kids, and kids are going to misbehave. My goal, however, is to avoid as much
misbehavior as possible and give my students and myself the tools to promote positive behavior.
Evertson and Emmer thankfully offer four guidelines that will help teachers prevent and/or
handle misbehavior when it occurs. These include: Monitoring student behavior and academic
progress carefully; are being consistent in the use of procedures, rules, and consequences;
managing inappropriate behavior promptly; and maintaining a positive climate with an emphasis
on reinforcing appropriate behavior (pg. 147).
I think these four guidelines are essential to classroom management and I agree with
them fully. I do have my own interpretation of what each of them mean, but for the most part, as
was outlined in the text, they mean exactly what they say. Monitoring student behavior is key
and can be done simultaneously with whole group, small group, or collaborative instruction. This
just requires that the teacher maintain active eyes and makes a point to look around the room
and check to see that students are doing what they are supposed to be doing so that if they are not
they can intervene accordingly. Being consistent in the use of procedures, rules, and
consequences just seems like common sense to me. Students need structure and should not have
to wonder every time they do something if it was wrong or not, is there a consequence or not,
and what that consequence is. Teachers should state clearly the specific expectations they have
and exactly what is going to happen if those expectations are not met and then follow through
and keep their word. Managing misbehavior promptly is simply acting quickly and appropriately

when misbehavior does happen. There are levels of misbehavior and a teachers response should
parallel that same level.
Finally, maintaining a positive climate while enforcing appropriate behavior is probably
the most important and essential to the success of your classroom management system. Students
should come to class knowing that they are excepted and respected and that they are safe. They
should know that their opinions and thoughts are heard and valued and should feel that they have
a voice. With that though, comes the personal responsibility they have over their own behavior.
Students should want to please the teacher and fellow students and positive behavior should
become habit. As the positive behavior continues the better the atmosphere of the classroom will
be and the happier both students and teacher will be. Students should also be praised when they
maintain positive behavior so they remain encouraged and are motivated to continue with the
good behavior rather than resorting to misbehavior for attention.
When I think about how I might respond to misbehavior in my own classroom there are a
lot of theories and practices that come to mind. I personally resonate more with Linda Alberts
theory of Cooperative Discipline and the outlook this theory forces one to take. Albert believes
that students choose their behavior and I could not agree more. Yes, there are circumstances that
might shape how they decide, but overall they make the choice themselves. Albert also explains
that when students misbehave, they are trying to reach one of four goals: attention, power,
revenge, or avoidance for fear of failure (Gilbert, 2013). I think this is important for a teacher to
consider when deciding how to respond to a specific misbehavior. The teacher needs to know
where this misbehavior is coming from in order to make an appropriate evaluation and then
respond just as appropriately.

Research done on Linda Alberts theory offers some suggestions on how to respond to
particular misbehaviors that I like and will most likely implement in my own future classroom. If
students are seeking attention I can simply stand by them, letting them know that I heard them
and provide them that desired attention without disrupting the entire class. If a student is seeking
power and trying to be the boss of you in a sense, then it is best for me to avoid any direct
confrontation; instead, for example: If a student is refusing to do their work because you cant
make them, your response could be, Youre right, I cant make you finish this worksheet, but I
will be collecting it at the end of the day. This acknowledges the students initial statement,
while still maintaining your teacher authority (Brooke, 2010).
If a student is seeking revenge, then the teacher can respond by using what Linda Albert
refers to as the Three Cs; capable, connected, and contribute. As the teacher I would use the
three Cs by first making the student feel capable. If they are seeking revenge, they mostly likely
got mad or frustrated about something, which also comes from not feeling adequate or capable. I
would try to figure out what exactly went wrong and then start from there. Through this
conversation I am also trying to connect with the student and let them know that they have been
heard and that I care about their needs. Lastly, I would have them contribute by either having
them apologize to whoever they may have hurt or by having them contribute to the whole class
by helping me pass papers out or clean the chalkboard. Something to where they feel special, but
understand why it is important to contribute.
Finally, if a student is avoiding an assignment for the fear of failure, I could use the three
Cs again. To make the student feel capable I could modify the assignment to be a tad bit simpler
to where the student feels that they can complete it with success. To make the student feel
connected; I could assign them a partner who could work with them to get an assignment done.

In order to allow the student an opportunity to contribute without feeling judged or embarrassed,
I could have the class report on their assignment and how they felt about it rather than signaling
one student out.
Unfortunately, there is no one perfect management plan where it seems like one size fits
all. Fortunately, however, there are plenty of management styles and combinations that are out
there that teachers can use to develop their own personal style to fit their class. I understand that
each year with every new group of students I will have to modify or even change my
management style completely according to the needs of my students. My hope, however, is to
develop a management style that is productive and encourages positive behavior so that the
students and myself can enjoy being at school and most importantly enjoy learning without
having to get wrapped up in the chaos that often comes with frequent misbehavior.

Works Cited
Brook. (2010, November 6). Cooperative Discipline. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://managementclassroom.wikispaces.com/Cooperative Discipline
http://faculty.washington.edu/cadavis1/503%20Readings/AlbertChapter.pdf
Evertson, C., & Emmer, E. (2013). Classroom management for elementary teachers (9th ed.).
Boston: Pearson
Gilbert, J. (2013, February 25). Cooperative Discipline: Kinder, Gentler Classroom
Management. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://info2.thertc.net/blog0/bid/226859/Cooperative-Discipline-Kinder-Gentler-Classroom-Management