Classroom Management Plan

Jessica Barna
1042970
EDUC 5903 E
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My biggest goal as a teacher is to create a positive learning environment where students

feel safe, welcomed and are excited to be at school. I will strive to find creative ways to teach

the curriculum to meet the needs of each student. Creating positive relationships with your

students is important to establish at the start of the school year. By the end of the year, I want

to be a teacher that has had a positive impact on a student’s social and academic environment.

This plan lays out elements that I would like to implement into my classroom management

plan.

Rules and Discipline

According to chapter two, “Dignity and Responsibility in the Classroom” by Marzano,

when students are aware of the reasons behind the rules you as a teacher and the school have

created they will honor them and will more likely accept consequences if they break them. It is

very important as a teacher to establish rules the very first day of class so that students are

aware of your expectations and know the class rules will be enforced. As well as establishing

rules, consequences need to be created for inappropriate behavior. Incorporating your

student’s ideas will assist in their accepting of the rules and consequences. Once the rules and

consequences have been determined, I would write them down on a sheet of paper and get all

my students to sign the sheet before hanging it up in the classroom. Getting the students to

sign their name is like having a classroom pledge or promise. The consequences will be stated in

a lock-step progression or sequenced consequences. Establishing three consequences with the

class and after every violation of a rule the consequence increases in severity. (Three being the

most severe).
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Based from previous experience, intergrading the light chart in a K-2 classroom is very

effective. If students are in the green, they are following the rules. Yellow means warning and

red is a consequence. I enjoy this approach because I do not believe that as soon as a student

misbehaves they should receive a consequence. The idea of giving a student a warning is

sometimes all a student need’s to be able to realize their behaviour is unacceptable for the

classroom. I believe that implementing the overcorrection method into your classroom is

beneficial. This gives the students the opportunity to correct their behaviour and learn from

their mistakes. Students become accountable and responsible for their actions. Being aware of

your mistakes and correcting the behaviour reduces the chances of the student repeating the

negative behaviour.

Being consistent is crucial, if a student knows there will be no consequences for

breaking the rules they will not respect the rules. Students need structure, rules and

consistency. These elements help enhance a good learning environment. Implementing a

routine is important for students. Most students function better if a routine is established.

Minimizing down time and smooth transitioning between activities eliminated potential

behavior problems. When students are aware of a routine, they know what is excepted of them

and will work efficiently and independently. No matter the grade level I will continually

encourage my students to work independently.

Rewards

When a teacher is seeking obedience, reward and punishment are the main

enforcements and intervention being used. However, if a student gets used to a certain
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punishment or reward, it loses its value and effectiveness. It is important for teacher to change

their reward system every so often. One system that was mentioned in Marzano’s module

eight and that I have seen in many classrooms is the point system. Collecting points is a fun and

easy way to reward positive behaviour. Many teachers use beads, stickers, token and have not

only received positive feedback but great success with this reward system. Students are

awarded points for things such as their efforts, engaged during a lesson, working hard, helping

others… This can be done individual as well as in groups. Students who collects the most points

may be awarded with a small prize. Collecting more points than your peers and receiving a prize

gives students the extra motivation to behavior in a positive way. As a future French immersion

teacher, I would use this point system to also encourage my students to speak French. The

sentence structure does not have to be perfect but students who try and put the effort should

be rewarded. This will motivate other students to speak and practice their French.

Classroom set up

As a teacher, I want to create a positive and welcoming learning environment. My

classroom should be inviting, accommodate the needs of every student and a place where they

can come to when they need assistance or guidance. I want to create positive relationships with

my students. Inclusion will always be a part of my class. Every student has the right to learn and

be a part of the classroom no matter their exceptionality.

I would like to have a welcoming reading corner in my classroom with a variety of genre

of book. Promoting reading and finding books that interest my students so they develop a

passion for reading. My seating plan will depend on my students. I enjoy the U-shaped seating
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plan and small groups of four of five students. I would let my students choose their seating

plan however, if their choice affected their learning negatively I would change it to what would

be beneficial to them.

After reading Colorso “Kids are worth it! Raising resilient responsible, compassionate

kids”, the author mentions six steps to problem solving. With the help of the steps and

classroom experience, I would like to incorporate a reflecting corner or a calming corner into

my classroom. Sometimes a child acts out because they are frustrated. I would create a

designated area where a child can reflect on their negative behaviour. During the reflection

times, students are encouraged to not only reflect on their behaviour or actions they must take

accountability of their mistake and come up with a few options that they believe will be

effective for problem solving. After some time, I would approach the student to discuss what

happened and collaboratively think of ways to deal with the situation in an appropriate way so

next time the event occurs, the negative behaviour will not be repeated. Students need to be

able to problem solve and evaluate their solutions on their own. However, the teacher can

assist the students with guidance, support and encouragement. If teachers always solve their

student’s problems, students will become dependent that an adult will always resolve their

issues.

Mindset

When a student is faced with a challenge, their perspective on the situation determines

their success. As a teacher, reinforcing and teaching a growth mindset is a mind-set I want all

my students to have. Working hard and never giving up. We will all be faced with challenges in
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life but how we deal with them determines our success. I want my students to learn how to

solve their problems independently. Praising my students for their efforts instead of their

intelligence will encourage my students to try hard. If they don’t succeed, they will find a way to

resolve their problem.

Furthermore, I want my students to reach their full potential. I want to recognize my

students’ individual strengths and weaknesses to be able to collaborate with them about their

individual goals as students and the areas they need to focus on. Setting individual goals as

well as classroom goals are important for self-growth. Classroom goals involve students

working together in order to achieve their goal. Working well with others, working as a team,

leadership, hard-work, are all qualities my students will develop by having a class goal.

My plan is subject to change to meet the needs of my students each academic year. As I

gain experience in my teaching career, elements may be added or subtracted. However,

creating a sense of community, a positive and safe learning environment and building a positive

relationship with all my students, will always be implemented in my classroom management

plan.
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References

Coloroso, B. (2010). Kids are worth it! Raising resilient, responsible, compassionate kids.
Toronto: Penguin Canada.

Marzano, R.J., & Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2005). A
handbook for classroom management for works. Alexandria, Va: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.