Kari Cadwell karicadwell24@gmail.

com (517) 862-8679

Classroom Environment Plan: Creating an Atmosphere for Growing

It is rare for most plants to grow in a harsh, arctic climate. Yet nearly all plants, including

those left shriveled by the blistering sun or battered by unforgiving weather, can be invigorated and

expected to grow, even beautifully blossom, in the proper environment. Much like plants, our students

need the same nurturing care and proper environment if we expect them to grow and achieve their

potential. As a student and teacher, I will strive to create a welcoming, productive atmosphere in my

classroom by modeling positive behavior, setting high expectations, emphasizing student value and

classroom participation, using education technology, and establishing sound procedures and classroom

management techniques.

Several interrelated factors contribute to creating an environment of respect and rapport in the

classroom, such as modeling positive behavior and communicating the value of all classroom

members. I must set the tone by conveying characteristics that are particularly vital in today’s

educators, such as being positive, supportive, equitable, caring, patient, and polite. I must

communicate and model these qualities in my interactions with all individuals (students, staff, parents

and community members) if I expect the same from young scholars. I will emphasize through my

words and actions the importance of embracing diversity and welcoming individual differences,

including various perspectives, attitudes, abilities, strengths, and struggles.

To develop a sense of trust in our classroom and foster meaningful student-centered

participation, I will not permit negative or harmful comments. I want students to feel that they can

take risks in their learning and participate in our classroom without fear of rejection or ridicule from

their teacher and peers. At the same time, I will strive to provide opportunities for collaborative

learning and lively discussions, which indeed necessitate an environment in which students feel

comfortable. Methods I have used to achieve this end in my placement classroom include calling on
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three or four students at a time during discussions and letting them develop their ideas in a

conversational manner in which they build off each other’s ideas without depending on teacher input.

I will demonstrate to students that I value their presence and care for them by greeting students

at the door, having a friendly demeanor, engaging in conversations about non-academic topics, and

making an effort to learn about their experiences and interests outside of the classroom (Advocates for

Education, 2004). Taking time to learn about their lives will help me to convey that I care about them

and their successes as learners and as people. It will also allow me to connect learning and class

content with their experiences and interests, which will likely increase their engagement.

I can also illustrate to students that they are valued members of our classroom community by

providing them with choices and opportunities to participate in decision-making whenever feasible.

For example, rather than rely solely on more traditional forms of summative assessments, such as tests,

I plan to utilize a variety of assessments from which students can select the option(s) that they believe

will sufficiently display their learning. I have also encouraged students in my placement classroom to

voice their opinions, even in seemingly insignificant situations. I recently asked students to vote on

whether they would like to individually watch a film on their Chromebooks using headphones or view

the film together on the projector. Holding a vote on this decision may appear relatively

inconsequential, as most students probably prefer viewing films a larger screen and either outcome of

the vote would have an impact on me in any meaningful way. It is my hope, however, that students

interpreted the vote as a way for me to acknowledge their thoughts on how our class functions and

communicate that I value their input.

Additionally, my professionalism and dedication to lifelong learning will contribute to a safe

and amiable classroom atmosphere, even if in a more indirect way than previously mentioned methods.

I must always be prepared to instruct and engage students in the learning process, which will indicate

that their learning is my priority and will ensure that I am fulfilling my expectations to the best of my
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ability. I must strive for continuous improvement by taking advantage of professional development

opportunities, participating in staff and community organizations, and constantly honing my craft as

best practices evolve. If I expect my classroom environment to consist of enthusiastic learners who

consistently aim for progress, I must be willing to model diligence and dedication in my roles as both

an instructor and a lifelong scholar.

Creating a culture for learning requires that I have positive, high expectations for students and

intentionally invite them to learn. My words and behavior must reflect my belief that all students are

capable of attaining success, even if their success criteria and methods for achieving it vary according

to personal strengths and struggles. Harry and Rosemary Wong summarized decades of research that

suggests that teacher expectations strongly influence educational outcomes. They noted that “teachers

who set and communicate high expectations to all their students obtain greater academic performance

from these students than teachers who set low expectations” (2009, p. 42). I can communicate my high

expectations of all individual learners by treating them as valued members of our classroom,

addressing them with respect and dignity, and conveying that I care for and support them on their

journey to success.

As a proactive teacher, it is critical that I prepare classroom procedures in advance and then

explicitly teach procedures at the beginning of the year. Well-thought-out procedures, along with

effective teaching and communication of procedures, can reduce behavior problems and provide

structure, as students are fully aware of how they must conduct themselves on a regular basis (Wong &

Wong, 2009). It is understandably difficult to follow procedures if one is entirely unaware of them;

therefore, I will teach classroom procedures during the first days of the new year and include time for

students to practices them. Throughout the first months, I might need to frequently review our

procedures when completing specific tasks. Students sometimes struggle with making smooth

transitions, so I will specifically establish well-organized procedures for entering the room, getting
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class started, transitioning to a new activity, and exiting the room at the end of class. Overall, a focus

on implementing procedures from the beginning of the year will help the class run smoothly by

providing structure, thus increasing the amount of time we can dedicate to learning.

While the establishment of proper procedures will help students act appropriately, developing a

system for managing student behavior is also an integral part of effective teaching. I appreciate and

plan to implement elements of several prominent classroom management models, specifically

Capturing Kids’ Hearts and Linda Albert’s Cooperative Discipline system. Both models are congruent

with my views on education, including the importance of educating the “whole” learner, building

relationships with students, and helping students develop self-discipline.

Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) is premised on the ideas that teachers can better educate

students if they are able to foster personal connections and a classroom culture that values caring and

cooperation. For example, teachers make it a priority to individually greet students as they entire the

classroom, which helps to strengthen relationships and communicates caring. CKH also emphasizes

that teachers include student input when crafting their classroom’s “Social Contract,” which will be a

key component of establishing my classroom management system during the first days of school.

Teachers and students collaborate to determine how they want to be treated by the teacher and others,

as well as the consequences for transgressions. Another strength of CKH that I intend to implement is

its method for managing undesirable behaviors that breach the Social Contract. Teachers first remind

students of the Social Contract that they agreed upon and then ask the student a series of questions to

help them recognize and reflect on misbehaviors and self-correct in the future: “(1) What are you

doing? (2) What should you be doing? (3) Were you doing it? (4) What are you going to do about it”

(Advocates for Education, 2004). The questioning process is similar to other management methods,

such as the Responsible Thinking Process, but because CKH combines connection-building and the
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development of self-disciplinary skills, I feel that it is an invaluable management model that will

heavily influence my personal classroom management methods.

Linda Albert’s system of classroom management, known as Cooperative Discipline, shares

similarities with Capturing Kids’ Hearts in that both emphasize teacher-student-parent cooperation and

the importance of relationships in creating a productive classroom. Teachers can use her discipline

system to “(1) establish a classroom that is safe, orderly, and inviting, (2) provide students a sense of

connectedness and belonging, and (3) turn all behavior mistakes into opportunities to learn” (Albert in

C.M. Charles, 2008, p. 93). Albert asserted that students misbehave when they feel that they do not

belong and thus strive to achieve mistaken goals (including attention, power, revenge, and withdrawal)

to satisfy their desire for acceptance in the classroom. Teachers can reduce acting out as a method to

gain belonging by emphasizing the Three C’s: capability to succeed, connectedness,

and contribution. A strength that Cooperative Discipline shares with Capturing Kids’ Hearts is its

focus on cooperatively creating a class code of conduct that establishes expectations and consequences

for all parties in the classroom. Albert’s suggestions for handling confrontational with students is

another practical strength of her process. She argued that teachers can effectually manage such

situations by keeping four essentials in mind: “(1) focus on the behavior, (2) take charge of your

negative emotions, (3) discuss the misbehavior with the student later, and (4) allow the student to save

face” (Albert in C.M. Charles, 2008, p. 98). Similarly, she advised that consequences for undesirable

behaviors must be related to the offense(s), reasonable, respectful, and reliably enforced if they are to

be effective. I have already found Albert’s model useful in handling confrontational students in my

placement classroom and I intend on utilizing her methods further in my own classroom.

An important aspect of establishing my classroom environment is how I intend to organize the

physical space. I aim to ensure that all materials are stored in an orderly, consistent fashion so students

and I can quickly obtain necessary resources without delays and inquiries, thus reducing distractions
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and time spent on locating items. I will also create student seating arrangements that are neat, which

will contribute to a safe environment and allow me to circulate the classroom while leading class.

Uncluttered seating will also increase my ability to easily monitor class, informally assess understand,

and assist individuals during worktime. I will use various seating arrangements that align with specific

goals of student learning, such as using rows during lessons that rely more heavily on lectures or

presentations and using group-centered arrangements during collaborative student-based activities.

I find that assigned seating can benefit the classroom environment by decreasing distractions

and temptations to disrupt others. Assigned seats will also allow me to consider preferential seating

based on individual needs. For example, several students in my placement classroom require seating

in the front of the room or in more isolated areas due to poor eyesight or difficulties with maintaining

focus. Further, by evenly distributing students of various abilities and strengths throughout the

classroom, I can increase the likelihood of effective small-group collaboration. Assigned seating,

when found unsuccessful, also provides a unique opportunity for students to practice self-reflection

and problem-solving skills. During parent-teacher conferences, I spoke with a student who struggled

to maintain his attention and, consequently, complete his assignments in a timely manner. When I

recommended that he brainstorm solutions to address these issues, he suggested that I change the

seating chart to allow him to sit at an isolated table near my desk, as that location might better support

his efforts to focus and resist distractions. I was impressed by his ability to reflect upon some of the

underlying causes of his poor academic performance and his willingness to practice self-management

skills by selecting a more optimal seat based on his needs.

Educational technology, specifically the use of Google Classroom and Google Drive, will also

support my learning environment by providing students with organization and opportunities to

collaborate while simultaneously allowing me to formatively assess learning.1 Just as we currently do

1
Note that extensive use of Google Classroom requires 1:1 student access to Chromebooks or other computer
devices. I recognize that such a situation would be ideal but may not be realistic in all school settings; consequently, I
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in my placement classroom at Holton Middle School, I will post assignments and resources on Google

Classroom and students will use Google Drive applications for completing, storing, and submitting

work. This system increases organization and time spent on learning, as it eradicates several factors

that tend to disrupt the classroom. For example, the use of Google Classroom eliminates the need for

writing utensils and streamlines the distribution and submission of resources and assignments.

Students cannot misplace their work or leave it at home, turn it in without a name, or worry about my

ability to decipher their handwriting. Further, it allows students to work with others regardless of their

location, which contributes to a culture of learning that encourages student participation. Using the

“share” function on Google Drive, students can easily collaborate, contribute to documents in real time

and peer edit using the comments tool. Additionally, the use of Google Classroom promotes

communication and transparency between parents/guardians, students, and teach regarding class

content, assignments, and student progress.

Google Classroom and applications will expedite my feedback process and expand

opportunities for formative assessments as well. I can quickly locate, review, comment on, and return

student work from any location. I can access their work at any time during the process of completion;

therefore, I can check understanding and provide direction or support before students submit

assignments. If a student has a question about an assignment on a Friday evening, no longer will they

have to wait until Monday to see my feedback or clarifications. Although using educational

technology may require me to spend time explicitly teaching technology skills, Google Classroom and

Google Drive allow students to sharpen their 21st century skills while utilizing incredibly valuable

systems of organization and speedy communication. Moreover, both applications increase

opportunities for collaborative learning and simultaneously reduce the amount of time wasted on

locating, distributing, collecting, assessing, and returning student work. In this sense, the use of

would need to adjust my strategies for using educational technology based on availability. Additionally, I acknowledge
that not all students have access to technology and the internet at home. To circumvent any issues related to accessing
homework, my cooperating teacher allows students to print any materials they might need to complete their work.
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educational technology will enhance our classroom environment because I will be able to dedicate

more time to our ultimate goal of learning.

Creating an environment plan for my future classroom has taught me that working in today’s

schools involves far more than merely mastering and dispensing content knowledge. Effective

teaching also requires creating a productive and welcoming classroom environment in which all

students are invited to learn and expected to achieve, regardless of ability, needs, and behavior.

Removing any one element of my environment plan has the potential to decimate the entire proposal

and could ultimately result in an atmosphere in which students cannot and will not strive to learn.

Rather, I will frequently reflect upon my plan and my experiences, make alterations as necessary, and

continuously expand my knowledge of best practices as I take steps toward educating young minds and

encouraging them to blossom.

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References

Advocates for Education. (2004). Capturing kids’ hearts.

Charles, C. M. (2008). Building Classroom Discipline. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

The Grand Rapids Press. (2009, February 2). ‘Capturing kids hearts’ is goal of more west Michigan
school districts. The Grand Rapids Press.

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher. Mountain
View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.