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Chrisandra Bierne

Final Project

Classroom Management

December 7, 2018

My view of an effective teacher is one who cares about their students, can manage their

classroom, and is constantly learning. Most teachers aren’t in the profession for the money, they are in

it for the students and to make a difference. An effective teacher is one who cares about their students

and constantly encourages them to do their best. Effective teachers is also someone who can manage

their classroom. You don’t walk into their classroom and the room is in full chaos and there is more time

spent on getting students on task than actual instruction. An effective teacher has procedures in place

to help the classroom run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Finally, an effective teacher is

someone who is constantly learning. They aren’t someone who is stuck in their ways and refuses to try

new things. They are someone who is taking classes, trying new practices, asking for help, or changing

up their lessons to be more relevant. Their top priority is their students and doing everything possible to

help them succeed.

According to The Classroom Management Book the three characteristics of an effective teacher

are classroom management, lesson mastery, and positive expectations. I think these characteristics are

very similar to my view of an effective teacher. An effective teacher has procedures and practices in

place to maintain an environment where their students can learn. An effective teacher also has lesson

mastery, so how well they know and provide instruction of a concept so students can comprehend and

master that concept. Finally, they have positive expectations for their students. They believe in what the

student can achieve and how that belief of achievement influences the success of the student.
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As a future teacher, I hope to combine my view of an effective teacher and the view described in

The Classroom Management Book. I hope to be someone who believes in my students and what they

can accomplish. I also want to be someone who is constantly learning, taking classes, reading articles,

and trying new concepts or techniques. Finally, I want to be a teacher with good classroom

management. In class we have created many different procedures that we can implement in our

classrooms to help them run smoothly. I want to have procedures and practices in place so that students

can learn in a chaos free environment.

Classroom management involves having various procedures in place. Below are procedures for

1) The First Day of School; 2) For Students; 3) For the Classroom; 4) For Instruction; and 5) For Teachers.

The first set of procedures is for The First Day of School and I have included procedures for taking

attendance, dismissing the class, getting a pencil, hallway, and the agenda.

Taking Attendance:

 Students will each have a clothespin with their name on it.

 Upon entering the classroom, students will move their clothespin from “Absent” to either “Sack
Lunch or “School Lunch”
***This will also serve as lunch count
 The helper for the week will move the clothespin back to “Absent” at the end of the day
Dismissing the Class:

 Students will have the last few minutes of the day to do “A, B, C, D”

All materials put away

Belongings gathered
Chair pushed in
Dismissed when the teacher says “Have a Nice Day!”
Getting a Pencil:

 Students will raise their hand and wait for permission from the teacher to grab a new pencil
 Students will quietly walk over to the counter
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 Students will place their dull pencil eraser up in the bin labeled “dull” and grab a new pencil out
of the bin labeled “sharp”
Hallway:
 When walking in the hallway we:
1. Have our arms at our side
2. Have our voices off
3. Are one tile away from the person in front of us
Agenda:

 The agenda will be posted and updated each day on the whiteboard
 The agenda will have numbers for each event, rather than start and end times
 Students should check the agenda upon entering the classroom at the beginning of the day

The next set of procedures is for the students and I have included procedures for absent folder,

organizing homework, paper headings, collecting notes and forms, and classroom tardiness.

Absent Folder:

 If students are absent there will be a folder labeled “Absent Folder,” on their desk with the
papers from the day(s) that were missed
 Students will have 2 days for each day missed to complete the assignments in the folder
Organizing Homework:

 Each student will have a folder labeled “Back and Forth Folder”
 The left pocket is for completed work and is labeled “Done”
 The right pocket is for unfinished work and is labeled “To Be Completed”
 Each student is responsible for bringing their folder back and forth to school.
Paper Headings:

 Students will label their papers with their name, number, and the date in the top right hand
corner of their paper

Collecting Notes and Forms:

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 There will be a basket on the teacher’s desk labeled “Notes from Home”
 Students will put any note or form from home in the basket
 There will be a list of accepted items near the basket
Classroom Tardiness:

 Students who are tardy will place the tardy slip from the office in the basket labeled “Tardy
Slips” by the attendance
 Students will quietly move their clothespin to the correct lunch option
 Students will quietly move to their seat and get materials ready

The next set of procedures is for the classroom and I have included procedures for getting student’s

attention, classroom jobs, classroom transitions, keeping desks orderly, and daily closing message.

Getting Student’s Attention:

 I will say, “1..2..3..eyes on me,” the class will respond “1..2..eyes on you”
 When students hear this, they will stop what they are doing and listen for instructions
 The noise level should be silent
Classroom Jobs:

 There will be a job wheel for deciding classroom jobs

 Students will check the job wheel for their name and job
 There will be a job listed posted next to the job wheel with the;
1. Name of the job
2. Description of the job
3. Time of the day the job is done
4. Frequency of the job
 We will switch jobs every week
Classroom Transitions:

 The teacher will “give you 5” when it is time to transition

 Students have until the teacher gets to 0 to put materials away and prepare for the next task
Keeping Desks Orderly:

 There will be an anchor chart of what is considered an organized desk

 We will have daily “One-Minute Clean-ups” to organize student’s desks
 We will have a wipe down of desks once a week where we will wipe down the desks and clear
any garbage
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Daily Closing Message:

 At the end of the day/class we will review the events of the day
 Today, in (subject), we ________
 Homework for tonight is ________
The next set of procedures is for instruction and I have included procedures for class discussions,

reading any place, taking a test, students correcting work, and working in groups.

Class Discussions:

 Each student will have a craft stick with their name on it

 Students will be called on by randomly selecting a stick from the container
 Eyes and ears are on the student speaking
 Students will raise their hand and wait to be called on if they have something to contribute to
the discussion
Reading Any Place:

 Students may either sit in a comfy chair OR take a pillow to sit on or lean against
 Students need to be at least an arm’s length away from their neighbor
 There will be no talking to classmates
 Students will quietly put borrowed books and pillows away and return to their seat at the end of
silent reading
Taking a Test:

 Students must keep their eyes on their own papers

 Students must have their dividers up on their desk or table
 Students will remain quiet until everyone is finished with their test
 When students are finished they will turn their test over and put their dividers away
 Students who finish early will work on the assignments listed on the board
Students Correcting Work:

 Students will be fair and honest when correcting a classmate’s paper

 Students will use a colored pencil/pen to correct
 Students will place their number on the bottom right hand corner of the first page
 Students will make sure they do not have their own assignment
 Students will only mark next to incorrect answers
Working in Groups:

 Students will be assigned to groups

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 Groups can choose from various locations around the room

 There will be a countdown timer for transitioning into groups
 Students are responsible for their own behavior and work
 Ask fellow group members for help if there is a question
 Try your best to help group members if they have a question
 Ask Miss Bierne for help if the entire group is stumped
The next set of procedures is for the teacher and I have included procedures for substitute teacher

handbook, parent volunteers, back-to-school night, technology in the classroom, and new student

orientation.

Substitute Teacher Handbook:

 The handbook should have the following information

o Welcome letter- thank the substitute
o Student roster and seating chart
o Information about students
o Daily schedule
o Lesson plans- tell where teaching materials and manuals are located
o Classroom procedures
o Classroom rules
o Referral slips
o Contact information- include yours as well as a colleagues information
o Blank paper for notes and comments- request a note be left documenting how the day
went
o Classroom review
Parent Volunteers:

 Create a job list

o Have parents sign-up
o Provide a variety of tasks
 Survey parents
o Create a survey for parents to complete and return
 Ask about areas of expertise and where they would be willing to volunteer
 Make a schedule
o Include dates, times, specific tasks, and detailed job descriptions
o Post the schedule and send it home
o Call and thank parents, invite them to attend the parent-volunteer orientation meeting
 Schedule a parent-volunteer orientation meeting
o Discuss parents’ role, classroom procedure and rules, school dress code, and when and
how to praise students
 Make a To-Do list
o Prioritize the list
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 Schedule and appreciation event

o Present certificates of appreciation
o Ask students to write thank you letters, have a framed picture of the class holding a
thank you sign
Back-to-School Night:

 Dress for Success

o Avoid loud colors, bold patterns, rumpled clothing, faddish attire, oversized jewelry, and
anything that is flashy or distracting
 Greet parents at the door
o Have a sign-in sheet for parents
o Prepare a brochure with classroom procedures and rules, course overview, and contact
information
 Be prepared
o Include answers to questions parents might ask in your presentation
 Create a list of talking points
o It is not all about you
o Tell parents you are prepared to teach well and give your best each day
 Provide contact information
 Share important information
o Show parents the class website and how to use it, explain homework and make-up work
policy, and display textbooks and samples of student work
 Ask for questions
o Address personal questions about students in private
 Thank parents

Technology in the Classroom:

 Develop an Online Safety Pledge

o Assume nothing and plan for everything
o Have students, parents, and you sign the pledge
o What is considered safe? What is considered appropriate?
 Prepare a Parent Waiver
o Outline what technology students will be using
o State that you, the school, and the district do not accept responsibility for harm caused
either directly or indirectly to users
o Require a parent signature before the student goes online
 Help students understand their responsibilities
o Remind students of the privilege and the responsibility
o Tell students you trust them but their usage will be monitored
o Remind of responsibilities each time technology is used in the classroom
o Let students know they are responsible for replacing any equipment that is damaged
due to their abuse
 Monitor students use of technology
o Walk around and monitor student browsing activity
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o Define what is appropriate browsing, language, and content

o Assign students to the same computer throughout the year
o Do not tolerate inappropriate use of technology in the classroom
New Student Orientation:

 New Students Basket- basket with an extra set of documents

o Classroom rules and procedures, list of required supplies, permission slips, school maps,
list of emergency codes and procedures
 Train students to be New Student Greeters- class members are responsible for greeting new
students
o Retrieve and explain the documents to the student
o Student should be friendly, outgoing, and excellent communicators
o Encourage the students to exchange emails or phone numbers in case of questions
 Assign class numbers- assign the new student the next number after the last student in the
class, or the number of the student who left
 Keep a digital photo seating chart
 Prepare a New Student Checklist- ensures all important information is relayed to the new
student
o Give the new student complete set of documents, school map
o Discuss school rules, classroom procedures, list of required supplies
o Show how to set up class notebook and how to head a paper
 Introduce the New Student to the class

I will teach the procedures and expected behavior by using the three-step approach listed in The

Classroom Management Book; teach, rehearse, and reinforce. The first step is to teach the procedure. I

will state and explain the procedure, provide examples and non-examples of the procedure, and model

and demonstrate the procedure. I like the examples of having a few students role play the procedure

and create a skit demonstrating the procedure. The next step is to rehearse the procedure. I will have

the students practice the procedure until they demonstrate they can do it correctly. Finally, I will

reinforce the procedure. I will reteach, rehearse, reinforce, and practice the procedure with students

until it becomes a routine.

I plan to reinforce expectations with behavior-specific praise, rewards, and group contingencies.

With behavior-specific praise I will explicitly acknowledge a specific behavior, “I like how Sally quietly

moved her clip to sack lunch.” I will also have use rewards to reinforce expectations. I will have a long-
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term reward for the class. For every time the class follows the hallway procedure quietly and correctly,

they will get a star on the board. Once there is a total of 30 stars on the board, the class will earn an

extra recess or class party. Finally I will use interdependent group contingencies. For every time students

complete “A, B, C, D” ,quietly and correctly, for the end of the day they will get a sticker on the sheet in

their Back and Forth folder. Once the sheet is full with 10 stickers, the student may choose a prize from

the prize bucket.

In order to actively engage students, I will use verbal responses and action responses. I will use

choral responses when reviewing information previously taught from the day before or at the end of the

lesson. I will have students talk with their partner or explain a concept that was just taught to their

partner. Finally, I will use mini whiteboards and have the whole class respond to questions on the board,

this will also serve as a formative assessment. These strategies provide an opportunity for me, as a

teacher, to see what the students know and don’t know. It also holds students accountable for paying

attention during instruction.

When managing behavior I think the most important rule is that you should never get into an

arguing match with a student, because you will never win. We discussed three steps for dealing with

misbehavior, the first is to allow choice and/or student control. Allow the student to choose between

two activities, for example if a student is refusing to do their work, “you can do the assignment at your

desk or at the trapezoid table.” In the second attempt, you should allow less control. If the student is

still refusing to do their work, tell them they need to complete it next you at your desk or table. Finally,

the third attempt will result in consequences. If the student still will not do their work, inform them that

they will have to stay after class to complete the assignment.

We have talked a lot in various classes about consequences for misbehavior. You should never

take recess away as a consequence for a student not getting their work done or misbehaving. Many
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students need that time to run around and get some energy out, and you should never take that

opportunity away from students. Consequences should fit the misbehavior. For example, if a student

fails to complete an assignment they need to either stay after school and complete it or complete it

during free time or silent reading. Consequences should never be random, they need to fit the

misbehavior.

Establishing rapport and relationships with students is key to being an effective teacher. If

students think that you don’t care or don’t like them they aren’t going to do any work for you. To build a

relationship with my students, I will try to get to know them. I can do this by asking about their likes and

dislikes, and try to understand their world. I will also greet each student in the morning and ask about

their night or weekend. I will also not shut down students who wish to share stories, I will provide a

specific time during the day for students to share with the class. We mentioned in class that we may not

like all of our students, but it is important that we never let our students know that. Some relationships

may be harder to form than others and as teachers we need to work at it and try to find something to

relate with the student about. Finally, we need to create an environment in which all students are

accepted and feel accepted.

I believe that classroom management is the key to being an effective teacher. Implementing

procedures in your classroom helps prepare you for the various situations that may come up while you

are teaching. These procedures, at least for me, make you a little less nervous for dealing with various

situations. Good classroom management also means you have more time for instruction. If you spend a

majority of your time trying to get students to focus and quiet down, you lose that time for instruction.

Discipline has always been a little tough for me, because as a teacher candidate in someone

else’s classroom you never really know your place or even if you are supposed to discipline students.

Regardless of my nervousness in dealing with discipline, I do believe that when and if you need to give
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consequences they need to fit the misbehavior. You should also never jump right to sending a student to

the office, you should try to handle the situation within your classroom. We also talked about not

getting into an arguing match with a student and to focus on the situation and not the student. Rather

than saying, “You are a bad student,” you should try saying, “Your behavior is unacceptable.” Finally,

you should give the student the opportunity to correct the behavior on their own and with choices.

Offer students an option of places to sit while they complete an assignment if they refuse to do their

work.

I don’t think anyone’s classroom will ever be perfect and they will love every student and every

student will love them. I do believe, however, that with good classroom management you can get pretty

close. Have procedures in place and clearly explain and model those procedures to your students. If

students practice and practice the various routines, soon they will become habit. Once they are habit,

students will not have a chance to say “I don’t know what I am supposed to do,” because you have it all

prepared and practiced. I believe that with good classroom management your classroom will run more

smoothly; providing you with more time for instruction and for building important relationships with

your students.
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References

Wong, H. K., Wong, R. T., Jondahl, S. F., & Ferguson, O. F. (2018). The classroom management book.

Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.