Rachel Counts

ED 327

Classroom Management Plan

Social studies as a field is comprised of many components that encourage civil

engagement and a systematic understanding of the world we live in. It is important for students
to learn about events and theories within the field of social studies because it gives them a better
understanding of the development of society. This includes how culture, politics, and economics
inform our own lives. Living in a democratic society, people have the opportunity and the
responsibility to actively participate in their government and their community. The field and
teachings of social studies help to instill these values for life-long civic learning. In order to
promote civic duty, I will engage my students in the classroom by using a variety of instructional
strategies. Classroom management is imperative to ensure these instructional strategies are
effective. It provides guidance and structure for students so they can learn in a positive classroom
community. According to the Center for Early Adolescent’s “7 Development Needs of
Adolescent Learners,” students at this developmental level need clear limits to guide their
exploration and learning. Guidance associated with social interaction and learning opportunities,
promotes positive social experiences. When students have guidance and learning opportunities to
create a positive classroom environment, they are more likely to be engaged with the material
and take risks that support continuous learning. It is also imperative to acknowledge student
success, since adolescents have the need for competence and achievements at this developmental
level. Opportunities for students to showcase their accomplishments, even when they may feel
self-conscious about it, allows them to demonstrate to themselves and their peers that they are
being successful.
I believe that learning is an on-going process that should be focused on the student.
Student-centered instruction is vital to creating an environment where students feel welcome and
invited to collaborate with and learn from each other. Student collaboration is essential in
promoting a successful learning environment. Through student collaboration, students have the
opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each other, which enhances Lev Vygotsky’s Zone
of Proximal Development. Vygotsky suggests that educators should give their students learning
experiences within their zone of proximal development, or their level of ability. Students who are
partnered with those of different academic or language abilities will be able to learn from each
other and reach a higher zone of development as they share the reciprocal relationship of being
the student and the teacher. Students are also diverse individuals, with different backgrounds,
personalities, and learning styles. With so many differences, it is practically impossible to reach
all students with standardized curricula or strategies. Thus, I believe that academic diversity and
differentiation should be embraced. This can be achieved in the classroom by including Howard
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which suggests using a variety of visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, and reading or writing strategies to reach all learners. Student-centered instruction
embraces and engages the individual student by addressing their individual academic needs to
promote continuous curiosity.

Instructional and Assessment Strategies that Promote Management Goals

In order to meet my students’ academic needs, I will focus on strategies that are grounded
in student-focused instruction, while also incorporating real-world issues and situations to
ensure that the content is relevant to their daily lives. A large practice of the field of social
studies is discussion. Through discussion, students have the opportunity to express their opinions
and participate in a whole-class activity. Discussion also allows students to practice articulating
their ideas, beliefs, personal events or simply their answers to a question. Student discussion
promotes student control in the classroom, as students’ answers dictate the direction of the
discussion. However, discussion is still under the guidance of the instructor to make sure that it is
reflective of the topic and that there is a continuous respectful structure to the activity.
Simulation is another instructional strategy that helps students to kinesthetically understand
information about a particular concept. This instructional strategy may incorporate reading,
writing, constructing, debating/discussion, or collaboration in order to grasp the concept at a
microscopic level.
By using student-focused instruction, I will also need to incorporate instructional
activities that accommodate students with different learning styles, cultures, and circumstances.
One of the ways in which my instructional strategies can accommodate for differentiation is
through creativity. Throughout the social studies field, there are maps, infographics, posters,
speeches, and other forms of visual or auditory aids that enhance theory, beliefs, or events.
Students have the opportunity, through these instructional strategies, to express themselves
artistically. These strategies inherently allow for student choice, allowing the student to design
or create their response to the activity however they would like. Students who learn better
visually or kinesthetically, or students where English is their second language, may benefit from
creating and seeing a visual of the concept or event.
In order to evaluate my students’ learning, I will use appropriate assessment strategies
that reflect the practice of my instructional strategies. It is difficult to assign a multiple-choice
test for instructional strategies that invite students to express their view of a concept, whether
that be through spoken or written opinion, or artistically. Due to this, my formative assessment
strategies in class will consist of observation of student work and discussion, strategic
questioning, classroom polls, exit slips, and homework. Homework is included in the formative
assessment category due to my intended emphasis on its function—for additional practice and to
assess students’ ability to incorporate literacy concepts on their own as the continue in the
learning process. Summative assessment strategies may include creative extension projects,
essays, or oral presentations. Some summative assessments in the form of quizzes will help to
check basic student understanding and the recalling of facts. I will give students feedback on
their assignments in an appropriate amount of time to support continuous growth and further
student achievement. Teacher feedback can help students qualify their work to better understand
how they are doing, as well as encourage and motivate students through individual suggestions
of how to improve. I will allow my students to correct their work so that they understand that
learning is a process and not a final product in the form of a grade.
In order to prevent students acting out in the classroom, I will institute appropriate
instructional strategies that engage the learner. I will use a variety of instructional strategies
throughout a unit that include different aspects of Garner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
Adolescents have a great need for movement and physical activity. In order to incorporate this
into my instructional strategies, I will have students move into groups or partner work, or enact
occasional “brain breaks” to allow students to refocus by moving around. Group and partner
work provides students with the opportunity to socialize with each other. While students will
need guidelines and identifiable expectations, group work promotes positive social interaction
among adolescents. I will also spend time at the beginning of the year scaffolding expectations
and protocol through mini lessons with my students, as an instructional strategy to mitigate
confusion and related behavioral issues throughout the rest of the year. By doing this, I will be
practicing proactive classroom management.

Expectations
Although specific school policies are in place, the following are expectations that I have
for my students and classroom to create a positive classroom community.
Students will have a voice in my classroom, as they will help to guide my choice in
instructional strategies with activities that help them learn best. When using a new instructional
strategy, I will ask students for constructive feedback and suggestions. In addition to verbally
asking for student feedback, I will occasionally ask students to complete an exit slip asking them
to reflect on the instructional strategies they liked or disliked. I will also have a suggestion box at
the back of the room. For creative extension projects, students will have the opportunity to
choose the topic of their project. This will give them the opportunity to see the relevancy
between the subject they research and their own lives. Students will also help to create a
“Classroom Constitution” that displays the expectations they have for themselves, their peers,
and their teacher to create a positive classroom environment where everyone is held accountable.
In order to promote student collaboration and community building, I will arrange my
classroom desks in small groups. Within these small groups, each student will be assigned a
specific role when we are completing group work. Each student will become an expert in their
designated role and will have the opportunity to switch roles when groups are changed. This
allows students to be leaders in their groups, while also ensures that students hold each other
accountable to complete the task of each role.
Even though my students will create a “Classroom Constitution,” designating their own
expectations for the year, I expect them to be respectful, responsible and prepared. I also
expect them to be an active and engaged participant in the classroom, however I will help them
to do this by creating engaging lesson plans. At the beginning of the year, I will also ask students
what they expect from me. To name a few expectations that I hold myself to, I will be prepared
everyday with an inviting lesson, accommodate for my students’ needs, encourage my students,
and provide my students with appropriate feedback that enhances their learning of the material.
I will keep a consistent routine so that my students have structure in the classroom on a
daily basis. At the beginning of class, my students are expected to come to class prepared and be
in their seats when the bell rings. This will help to maximize time in the classroom. I hope to
spend a couple of minutes at the beginning of the class period to ask how students are doing and
address any concerns students may have. I will have an updated agenda on the board for students
to reference throughout the class, although I may not always verbalize it. I will begin my class
with a warm up, whether that be pertaining to that day’s lesson or a fun brain break activity. I
will pass out papers when students are participating in group or partner work. Sometimes I may
have students help me pass out papers if they finish an assignment early and the papers to be
passed back are for a completion grade. Papers that students will need for the entirety of the class
will be placed at the back of the room for students to pick up. I will cue a transition in my lesson
by passing out papers that are needed for a later portion of the class. Unless students have time at
the end of class to work on it, homework will be passed out at the end of class or will be placed
at the back of the room for students to pick up. I will have an organized absent work folder at the
back of the classroom for students who missed class on a particular day to mitigate the often-
monotonous question, “what did I miss?”
 I have expectations for my students because I know that they have the ability to reach
their full potential. I also believe that classroom expectations enhance the learning environment
that enables students to grow towards that potential. The expectations that I have set forth, the
most prominent being respectful, responsible, and prepared (although not limited to these, as my
students will help me create a “Classroom Constitution”), are in place to promote a safe and
welcoming environment where students can learn. The expectations will also help create
structure in the classroom because students at the adolescent developmental level need clear
limits. All students will sign a contract at the beginning of the year designating their recognition
of the expectations I have for them and that they also have for themselves. I will also sign a
contract, with each class of students as my witness, in recognition of the student-created list of
expectations that students have for me.
If students struggle with meeting these expectations, I will provide a series of learning
opportunities that promote the construction of appropriate behavior. I will first use proximity,
depending on the incident, to quietly address it. On the first incident, if proximity does not curtail
the behavior, students will receive a verbal reminder about what is expected in the classroom in a
one-to-one setting. If the incident reoccurs, students will be reminded of the contract they signed
at the beginning of the year. The student will have the choice to work with me in a one-to-one
setting to amend their contract by adding more specific expectations, to write a reflection about
the incident, or to choose a privilege that they will lose temporarily. On the third incident, the
student will be asked to review his/her contract with his/her parents or legal guardians and have
it notarized by them. I will ask the parents or legal guardians if they would like to meet and
collaborate on future learning opportunities for the student. If the incident persists, meetings with
the parents/guardians will occur. The principal will be involved only as a last resort and if all
other options are exhausted. It is hopeful that certain motivations in my classroom will promote a
fun environment and dissipate any misunderstanding of expectations that could result in
misbehavior.

Motivation
Students often have a difficult time staying motivated in the classroom when they have
class all day, five days a week. In order to keep my students motivated throughout the year, I will
use a variety of motivators. In the short-term, I will use intrinsic motivators, such as giving
praise, writing positive timely feedback when students have excelled, or writing each student a
“thank you for being you” card. While both feedback and cards take a great amount of time, this
could turn into a long-term motivator by developing a positive classroom environment where
everyone feels welcomed to learn and that they are growing as a learner. By getting to know my
students and creating relationships with them, I will be able to help my students create goals they
are proud to attain. I intend to make sure that these goals do not focus solely on grades, but rather
focus on growth within the content or content literacy.
Students will have a choice in the classroom and be able to help guide my lesson
planning. When students have greater control of their own learning, they will be more motivated
to learn (Vatterott, 2007). Student choice will ensure that the curriculum is relevant to promote
active participation and engagement. Since students will learn to understand that they have the
ability to guide my lesson plans, they may be intrinsically motivated to participate or voice their
opinion so that future lesson plans reflect their particular interests or learning styles, or even if
they had fun with a lesson or activity. Throughout the year, I also plan to do mini lessons that
focus on the development of identity and community within the classroom. Students at this
particular developmental age are in the process of developing their identity. Due to this, I believe
it is important to provide opportunities for students to think about who they are becoming. While
I will promote community in my classroom by engaging my students, I also intend to have
occasional team building activities that focus on different concepts of community. I hope that
this will not only build a community within our classroom, but will also support skills students
can use in any community they belong to.
To extrinsically motivate my students, I will have a student of the month in each class.
These students will express positivity, growth, and engagement in the class, among other
complimentary characteristics. I hope to reward the student of the month not only with
acknowledgement and a certificate, but also a mini-gift basket (with candy, pencils, or other fun
things) to show my appreciation. Students will have the opportunity to nominate their
classmates. This extrinsic motivator allows students to showcase their achievement and
competence, which is imperative at this developmental level. I also intend to use homework as
an extrinsic motivator by grading it for completion. If students complete the homework, their
grade will reflect their effort. I may also add another motivator by allowing homework
assignments to count as extra credit once they hit a certain number of homework assignments
completed or if they revise their homework assignments after we review them.
My motivation techniques reflect a positive and fun environment that I hope to create
with my students throughout the year.

Building Relationships with Students & Parents/Parental Guardians

In order to encourage a fun and positive classroom community, I will build relationships
with my students and their parental guardians. At the beginning of the year, I will begin building
these relationships by inviting guardians to write a little about their child, including strengths,
weaknesses, or interests. I will also have the students do a similar activity, only ask them to write
about their future endeavors, goals for the year (academic and personal), and what they hope to
learn from my history or government class. This will be in addition to evaluating their strengths
and weaknesses. I also hope to have my classes take a learning styles quiz so that I can better
prepare my lessons to include or alternate most learning styles represented in the class. I intend
to spend the first couple of days with instructional activities that develop the students’ sense of
identity and community to encourage the building of our classroom community. If possible
within the curriculum, I hope to include a segment on Fridays to discuss current events. Each
student will select a Friday (out of a hat) to choose the current event of the day. The current
event could be of any discipline and should be something that interests them. Although I will
learn more about some students that share their current event interest earlier on in the year, this
ensures that I will continue to build relationships with my students throughout the year, while
also incorporating cross-curricular strategies.
I will communicate with guardians at the beginning of the year by sending a welcome
email. Guardians will provide me their email when they return their “Get to Know My Student”
worksheet. This email will introduce myself and my class, and also encourage communication to
promote each students’ learning in the classroom. If a guardian or I have a concern about their
student, I will invite them to meet with me face-to-face and ensure that it is time that works best
for both parties. Even if their student has a behavioral issue, I will add positive attributes to the
conversation that the student exhibits in class so that the guardians know I am advocating for
their student as much as they are. I will also focus on the common goal of student success. I hope
to accommodate guardians’ schedules during parent-teacher conferences so that all who want to
can participate. I will also offer them some type of refreshments so they feel welcome and
relaxed in my classroom. Parent-teacher conferences are often negatively-connotated; I hope to
reverse this sentiment by making my classroom a welcoming environment for guardians as well.
It is important to build positive relationships with both students and their guardians to
create an inclusive and welcoming classroom community. Although guardians are not in the
classroom, their support encourages students to excel. By exhibiting positive relationships with
students, it is evident that not only is the content important, but also students’ lives. It ensures
that they are valued individuals in society and have a lot to contribute. Students may also feel
more comfortable in the classroom if they know that their teacher cares for them and their well-
being. Classroom management begins with building relationships. When positive student and
guardian relationships are built, the classroom community is able to prosper.

I believe that learning is an on-going process that, when focused on the student, encourages
student success to flourish. In order for this to happen, classroom management is vital to
promoting a classroom environment that is fun, safe, engaging, and welcoming for students to
grow. According to the Center for Early Adolescent’s “7 Development Needs of Adolescent
Learners,” students at this developmental level need clear limits to guide their exploration and
learning. Guidance associated with social interaction and learning opportunities, promotes
positive social experiences. This begins with the creation of student and guardian relationships,
as well as setting expectations for my class and my students setting expectations for me. Student
motivation and student-focused instructional strategies are also vital to engaging students in the
curriculum. They address students’ individual academic needs to promote continuous curiosity.
This classroom management plan scaffolds my hope to foster life-long learning in the students
that I teach.