Running head: CLASSROOM AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT 1

Classroom and Behavior Management

Scarlett Palmieri

Regent University
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Introduction

Classroom management goes beyond implementing rules and managing misbehavior.

It is a practice that extends to every area of the classroom. It can be as simple as how students

line up for dismissal or as complex as how students’ interact with one another on a daily basis.

A teacher’s classroom management directly impacts the school building, learning climate and

immediate community just as much as it affects the specific individuals within that classroom.

Because effective management supports effective instruction and vice versa, skilled teachers are

able to seamlessly balance their management with their instruction.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

To demonstrate my commitment to classroom and behavior management, I have chosen

to attach a personal, comprehensive classroom management plan. This plan is organized into five

parts. The first part (Theoretical Introduction) includes my philosophy of classroom management

and assumptions of the nature of young people and learning. In addition, I compare principal

teachings of various theorists to determine which ones I predominantly agree with. Part B

(Expectations/Policies/Rules/Boundaries) includes my expectations for students and classroom

climate, as well as any additional rules and procedures I plan to implement within my classroom.

Part C (Instructional & Assessment Strategies That Promote Management Goals) details how I

will go about meeting my students’ various academic needs, promoting my own management

goals, allowing for variable styles, cultures and circumstances, meeting the diverse needs of my

students, and preventing students need to act out. The second to last portion of this

comprehensive plan (Motivation) deals with motivation, both short term and long term, and

addresses how I will plan to motivate the students in my classroom. The fifth and final portion of

this document (Vision) details my vision for my future classroom climate and community of
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learners. Furthermore, it includes what I anticipate an instructional day would look like from

start to finish from my unique perspective as the teacher.

To accompany this classroom management plan, I have included a “SOAR” Think Sheet.

On this think sheet, students describe the nature of their misbehavior, identify the expectation

they did not meet, whether it be safety, ownership, attitude or respect, and describe how their

misbehavior affected others. In addition, students will determine what they should do next time if

they were to find themselves in the same situation and determine if an apology is necessary.

There is also a section dedicated to describing the actions taken in response to their misbehavior.

This think sheet has recently been implemented school-wide, and in each classroom, as an

extension to the PBIS initiative. It has been useful in curbing some of the behaviors we have

been seeing recently and is working to deter those same behaviors from repeating themselves.

All in all, this think sheet is an effective tool to manage behaviors that are incondusive to

learning in the classroom because it fosters empathy and encourages students to be reflective,

exercise self-control, and admit their faults.

Reflection for Theory and Practice

Classroom management is an umbrella that encompasses all aspects of what happens in a

classroom on a daily basis. It includes how a teacher delivers the content, how students interact

with the delivery of the content, as well as how the students and teacher interact with one

another. According to Sugai and Homer, effective classroom management can be broken down

into three central components: maximized allocation of time for instruction, arrangement of

instructional activities to maximize academic engagement and achievement, and proactive

behavior management practices (Sugai & Homer, 2002). Management in the classroom setting

extends into the physical arrangement of classroom, structure of classroom environment,

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transition times, instructional management, procedures designed to increase appropriate

behavior, and procedures designed to decrease inappropriate behavior also (Simonsen,

Fairbanks, Briesch, Myers & Sugai, p. 352, 2008). Most importantly, effective classroom

management involves clear communication of behavioral and academic expectations, therefore

maximizing the time students spend on learning (Wiseman and Hunt, 2008, p. 6).

When it comes to management in the classroom, rules in theory are much different from

rules in practice. Classrooms that are conductive to learning are birthed long before students

enter the classroom. Teachers who plan their management before the school year begins are

more likely to be successful in their various endeavors because they know the expectations they

will hold students to, as well as the specific tasks students will need to undertake throughout the

year Simonsen, Fairbanks, Briesch, Myers & Sugai, p. 366. 2008).

With classroom management contributing to such a large part of student success, it is

worrisome that in service teachers historically regard classroom management as a major concern

(Martin, Yin, & Mayall, 2006). Discipline, minimal parental support, violence, weak

administration and social/emotional matters all play into this concern, however the most frequent

problem teachers have in managing student behavior are fundamentally linked to lack of student

motivation (Sieberer-Nagle, 2016). When a student is intrinsically motivated to learn, they are

more likely to practice restraint and self-control in the classroom. Likewise, a student who is

operating under a specific set of clearly established expectations will be more likely to prioritize

their learning.

For those educators who believe in Christ, effective classroom management becomes

something more than a mindset or theory; it becomes something you practice in order to

exemplify your understanding of God’s most precious and esteemed creation, his children. By
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providing my students with healthy boundaries and firm expectations, I am able to take part in

the great work God is doing in their lives by bringing them up in the way they should go

(Proverbs 22:6). 1 Timothy 3:4 states, “He must manage his own family well and see that his

children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.” (NIV) While the Bible

speaks of management and submission in this verse as it relates to the heretical family unit, these

wise words can be readily applied to a different kind of family unit as well… the classroom.

Educators who are grounded in love and exercise dignity at all times ensure their students remain

obedient, respectful and, ultimately, prepared to learn and soak in the knowledge God has

prepared for them.

As a Christian educator, I understand that each of my students’ is a child of God and a

representation of his outpouring of love. With that in mind, it us up to myself to honor each of

the student’s in the classroom by treating them with the respect, mercy, forgiveness and care that

is extended to them through their heavenly father. Furthermore, it is up to myself to discipline

my students’ in response to my delight in them. The bible makes it very clear that God

disciplines those he loves. Proverbs 3:11-12 demonstrate this idea by stating, “Do not despise the

Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves.” The

chapter of proverbs goes on to say “Whoever spares the rod hates this children, but the one who

loves their children is careful to discipline them.” (Proverbs 13:24)

Together I trust that these artifacts demonstrate my approach to classroom management

and the ways in which I go about demonstrating Christ’s character through the establishment of

rules, procedures and expectations in the classroom. Through my management methods I ensure

that I continually challenge my students to grow into the likeness of Christ.

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References

Martin, N., Yin, Z., & Mayall, H. (2006). Classroom management training, teaching experience

and gender: Do these variables impact teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward classroom

management style? Paper presented at the annual conference of the Southwest

Educational Research Association. Austin, TX.

Sieberer-Nagler, Katharina (2016). Effective classroom-management & positive teaching.

English Language Teaching, Vol. 9 (No. 1), 163-172.

Sugai, G., & Horner, R (2006). A promising approach for expanding and sustaining the

implementation of school- wide positive behavior support. School Psychology Review,

35L 245-259.

Wiseman, D., & Hunt G., (2008). Best practice in motivation and management in the classroom

(2nd ed). Springfield: Charles Thomas.

Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based

practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education

and Treatment of Children, Vol. 31 (No. 3), 351-380.