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Classroom Management Plan Tyler Stephens ED 310 Organizing and Managing Classroom Environments 12/8/12

Classroom Management Beliefs

Instructor/Student Relationships My classroom management plan revolves around my ability to create and develop strong, meaningful relationships with my students. I believe that learning occurs best when the instructor and student have the ability to interact positively, and learn from one another. When students respect the instructor, and the instructor respects the students, the students are more liable to do what is asked of them, and the instructor is more likely to find ways to accommodate individual students learning needs. Regina Miller and Joan Pedro highlight that a major component of a respectful classroom is the development of relationships. Teachers are models for developing relationships. Students will observe teachers to see how they negotiate the social and moral environment (Miller, Pedro, 2006, p. 296). Choices within the classroom context Another guiding principle for my classroom management plan is the idea of providing the students with choices with in the class framework. I dont like being told what to do, and I dont know many students who enjoy being directed around either. Therefore, whether it is through the class schedule that day, if they get to work in groups or individually, or the administration of consequences, I believe in providing my students with choices. In Jim Fay and David Funks book titled Teaching with Love and Logic the authors state that human beings have a strong need for control. If you feel like you have choices, you will feel like you have some sense of control (Fay, Funk, 1995, p.28). I like to give my students lots of choices, albeit they are ones I am comfortable with.

3 Enforce concepts, not rules I like developing a social contract of sorts with my classes in which the students and instructor mutually develop a plan for how they want to be treated in the classroom. I like to give the students expectations that stipulate, other classes may have their own rules, your house might operate differently, and your friends might act differently, but this is how we are going to treat each other in this classroom. The social contract can then be referenced at any time it is needed to address student misbehavior. This helps to ensure that I am enforcing principles, expectations, and behavior, as opposed to a listed set of rules and consequences (Fay, Funk, 1995, p. 11-13). Healthy Classroom Atmosphere Similar to Lev Vygotsky, I believe that the classroom environment should consist of a community of learners. In order for students and instructor to view the classroom as a community, the atmosphere of the classroom must be safe, welcoming and inclusive. This requires trust, honesty, and relationships that allow students to voice their opinions and ask questions without fear of ridicule. Research by Jere Brophy suggests that classroom managers who approach management as a process of establishing an effective learning environment rather than as emphasizing their roles as disciplinarians (Brophy, 2010, p.41). Learning is Fun My last major principle isnt so much a philosophy of management, as it is a life philosophy. Life is fun. Learning is fun. The classroom should be fun as well, and if the classroom environment isnt perceived as fun, or tolerable at the very least,

4 learning will not occur. I do an activity on the first day class where students share with me their previous experiences in English classes, and what they enjoyed and didnt enjoy. I like to use this as a lead in to a class discussion about how my goal is not to get you to love English or the concepts in this class, but to maybe get to the point where you can respect it, understand it, and use them in your future. When kids are having fun, engaged, or concerned about a topic, there will not be a need for them to act out. However, if the instructor does not design activities correctly, or if the students become bored, there is ample opportunity for students to get off task, and get in trouble. This is something that I have not seen in a lot of the research we have read this semester, but it is fundamental to my philosophy of learning, and classroom management. Teachers should be having fun doing their job. If they are having fun, working hard, and working with the students as co-learners, the students will follow the instructors lead.

Philosophy of Classroom Management:

As listed above, the five major things my classroom management plan will be grounded in are 1) Instructor/Student Relationships, 2) Choices for Students, 3) Enforce Concepts not Rules, 4) Healthy Environment, 5) Learning is Fun. Carlette Jackson Hardin suggests that classroom management can be used in three different ways. That is, classroom management can be used as a form of discipline, as a system, or as a form of instruction (Hardin, 2012, p. 2, 4, 6). The goal of my classroom management plan is that it will allow all three of these different ways of implementing classroom management to help create my classroom environment. There will be a system for how I discipline students, and the goal of the discipline

5 will not be to merely show my dominance over students. I think the ultimate goal of classroom management should be to provide instruction, as students need to learn from their mistakes, instead of just being punished or reprimanded for them. Our students make decisions everyday and will be making them for the rest of their lives. Hardin notes that classroom management should be based on instruction that helps the student make ethical judgments and decisions (Hardin, 2012, p. 6). At some point over the course of the school year, my goal is that students will take responsibility for their own learning. I realize that this will be at different times for different students, and it will be important to recognize that some students may simply not be ready for this step. However, I believe my system of classroom management will help move them closer to being able to take responsibility for their own learning.

Organization of Physical Environment

Ceiling Projector

I chose to arrange my room in this fashion for a number of reasons. This particular seating chart and classroom design is for a tenth grade English Language Arts (ELA) room. I believe in treating students of this age as adults, and they are allowed to sit where they would like. I let them know that this is a privilege and that if they prove they can handle, they can remain seated by the people of their choice. The desks are arranged in rows of two, as I believe the majority of group work should consist of no more than two people. This seating chart ensures that they can only be sitting next to one person, and since they were able to choose whom they sat next to, it will usually be someone they would like to work with as well. Two theorists who influenced this design are John Dewey and Lev Vygotsky.

Teacher Desk

Smartboard

Whiteboard

7 Vygotsky believed that most learning occurs through collaboration, or social interaction (Wilhelm, Baker, Dube, 2001, p. 1-29). The students can easily be paired up with the students next to them, and groups of four are easily made by turning desks around. John Dewey believed that students learning is dependent on their ability to construct knowledge within themselves (Tracey, Morrow, 1-32). My seating arrangement allows for both individual and group work, and it is easy to navigate through the classroom to provide help for students who need it. The teachers desk is up in the front left-hand corner of the room. I dont spend a lot of time at my desk while teaching, and having the rows arranged in columns of two allows for easy movement throughout the classroom. When I am at the desk during class, or showing a video on the overhead projector, it allows me to easily view the entire class.

8 Sample Visuals 1)

I plan on hanging this poster somewhere near the front of the class with a quote by Rudyard Kipling that reads, For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack. I love this picture, and am very passionate about the environment and this poster opens the door for students to talk to me about something other than school curriculum. I also use the quite to reinforce the idea that our classroom is a community, and that we are all in this together. It helps me talk about how to maintain your individuality but to realize that you are a part of something bigger than just yourself.

9 2)

This is another poster that I plan to display in my classroom. I believe a major goal of our education system is to teach students about the role they will someday serve in our democracy. This poster can be talked about around a wide range of subjects including colonialism, governments, geography, history, and oppression. However, I would use it mostly to remind students how lucky we are to live in a land where you are allowed to make choices.

10 3)

This is a poster that is popular amongst English teachers and other professionals who are fond of linguistics. I enjoy using this poster, and allowing my students to laugh at how crazy a language English can seem like. Ive done a project where students create their own English is a crazy language poster, and they really have fun discovering the idiosyncrasies of this language.

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4)

My mom made me a poster of these four album covers, as they are four of my favorite artists of all time. All have also actively voiced their opinions about social issues, politics, and their beliefs. I play some of their music when appropriate during class time, silent reading, and work shopping. This is another item that allows the instructor and students to talk about something outside of classwork. Two other items that I plan to use in my classroom are a board dedicated to student artwork, and a whiteboard titled the Bazinga Board. I enjoy recognizing students artistic accomplishments, and I think it is important for them to be able to display art, drawings, or poems they have created.

12 The Bazinga Board is a whiteboard in which students are rewarded for exceptional answers, performances, acts of kindness, or connections that they are able to make. This goes on throughout the week, and is erased at the end of the day on Friday. Everyone starts Monday with a clean slate, as it doesnt really matter how bad or good you were last week, but how you conduct yourself today. I will talk more about the use of rewards and praise in the section titled Classroom Incentives.

Organization of Social Environment

Classroom Rules: The classes themselves will decide the rules in my classroom. I plan to lead each hour through a democratic activity in which each student lists five one word ideals or concepts that they wish to see in the classroom or how they expect to be treated on a half sheet of paper. I will then collect the half sheets of paper and tally up the eight most popular words. The list always includes things like Honesty, Respect, Equality, Responsibility, No Bullying, etc. I will then proceed to write the eight most popular words or phrases on the board. This will be done in each of my class periods. Over the course of the first week, time will be spent each day voting to determine which four major words are going to guide and shape the environment of our classroom. Once the four ideals have been selected, they will be prominently displayed on a poster that hangs over the entrance of the door. This poster will be student created. A short half page description of the activity, and the final guiding principles will be sent home with the students. There will also be a place in the syllabus for them to write down the four guiding principles.

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Classroom Procedures:
Activities and lessons will all be designed with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The students, from the very beginning of the lesson, will know what is going to be talked about in class, and what they are going to learn in class on that particular day. When students have clear goals and objectives, they are much more liable to be on task, and working towards completing the activity. This belief is supported by research performed by James H. Rimmer that states that an instructor must make sure directions are concise and that students understand what is expected them (Rimmer, 1989, p. 64). Students homework, or daily work done in class, will be handed in at the front of the class, at a desk near the instructors desk. There will be a black tray that corresponds with each hour. Each tray will be identifiable by having the number of the hour printed on a piece of paper over the tray taped to the wall. Late work will be accepted with a 20% reduction in the grade up to one week after the assigned due date. I have a late policy form that they must staple to the assignment in order for them to hand it in. The broad schedule for the week will be posted on the whiteboard. The assignments and readings will be written in for each day, and the students will always be able to see what week will look like. They will also be required to write this in their planners on Monday, which will allow students who are absent to work on their homework, or do the assigned readings out of class so that they can jump right back in.

14 I plan to use multiple ways of getting the classs attention. I believe that if you only use one or two ways, eventually your voice will be falling on deaf ears. Rimmer also suggests in his research that if you bombard children with too many instructions- many children will tune you out (Rimmer, 1989,p.64). Counting down from 5, naming students who are ready, quietly beginning to talk, holding my hand in the air, flicking the lights off briefly, or playing music are all strategies I intend to use to get the classes attention. I have also found it very helpful to give them a time frame for how long I need to them to pay attention before I begin giving information out. In structuring transitional times, my instructions will be extremely clear, and direct. It can be extremely difficult for students to stay on tasks during transitions, and I have had my own problems figuring out ways to move from activity to activity without having to refocus the group at the beginning and end of each activity. I have also found it useful to give a time frame for how long it should take students to move from one activity into another. For instance, when transitioning from a writing activity to a reading activity, I would say Okay, thirty seconds to put your writing away, and join me on pg. 135 of your red textbook. About midway through the 30 seconds, I would begin saying Alex is ready, thank you for being ready Karla, John is almost there and things of that nature.

Classroom Incentives
I will do a number of different things to support my students individually and as a group. Im a big believer of catching students when they are behaving appropriately, working hard, or doing something notable. Its important to let them

15 know when they are doing well. This can be done through simple thank yous, written comments on their work, or through time when you have to talk to students one on one. I also think it is crucial to make sure you catch students doing well in front of their peers, but you must have a relationship with the student where you know it will be okay for them to receive recognition in front of their peers. I dont intend to have in incentive system or reward system in my classroom, other than the Bazinga Board as previously mentioned. I say this because research done by Alfie Kohn recognizes that at least seventy studies showed that extrinsic motivators such as grades, praise, and tangible rewards are not merely ineffective but are also actually counterproductive to producing ethical, responsible individuals (Kohn, 1993). My goal of classroom management, as stated previously, is to help students learn from their mistakes, not punish them. In order to effectively ensure that my incentive system or classroom atmosphere is respectful to students of all learning styles, cultures and abilities, I intend to implement an evaluation sheet every four or so weeks, as designed by Jim Fay and David Funk. They suggest posing the question Weve been around each other a lot, and Im wondering if anything I do gets on your nerves. If so, Id really like to know (Fay, Funk, p.22). I would do this as an anonymous writing prompt to ensure honesty, and then I would proceed to ask the students if they would like to know if they do anything that gets on my nerves. I think this would lead to a healthy relationship, and would leave room for behavioral growth from both the instructor and the students. Barbara J. Dray and Debora Basler Wisneski cite that it is important to share your reflections withparents to learn more about expected

16 and observed behavior in the home (Dray, Wisneski, p.32). I believe this is crucial, as it is impossible to be mindful and knowledgeable about every culture, home situation, and expected behavior at the home of your students. Instructor/Parent interactions and relationships can help develop healthy relations with your students. Its important to present yourself as a three-person team, consisting of the student, teacher, and parent, in which you all have the best interests of the student in mind. The Bazinga Board system is pretty simple, and I would explain it to my students, parents, and administrators by citing that it is reserved for exceptional student work, behavior, or insights. I dont think I would have to take many steps to increase the likelihood that they would all buy into this system, but I would explain that I dont want a classroom that relies on extrinsic rewards for student behavior. The system is simple, only requires a whiteboard and some dry erase markers, and I would provide the markers out of my own pocket if there were not enough available from the district.

Responding to Disruptive Behavior

Disruptive behavior is something that I would define as any language, actions, expressions, or otherwise behavior that prevents the student, or their peers from being able to participate in class and learn effectively. When I deal with disruptive behavior I usually adhere to the Three-strike policy. When a student is misbehaving they are usually bored, distracted, or desperately want your, or their classmates attention. The first warning consists of a simple Dylan, thats your first warning. The second usually includes an option, Dylan, would you like to have one more chance to continue sitting there and work, or do you think you would be better

17 off in the transition desk. The transition desk is a sort of time-out chair where a student is sent. They are not expected to talk, gesture, or interact with their peers when they are there. Finally, if a third warning is needed, the student is removed from their original seat, or transition desk into the hallway. At this point, I would give them two or so minutes to calm down before I talk to them privately in the hallway. If there is one thing I have learned this semester during my Student Assisting, it is that if you make a promise, you have to follow through with it. This sets the tone for the rest of the students, and allows you to establish yourself as the leader of the classroom. If I have a situation with an individual student, I would try to take care of it within the classroom, by having the student come to my desk, or by approaching them at their desk. If this were not an option, I would ask if I could talk to them in the hallway. In dealing with a problematic group separation, I would first separate the individuals within that group. I would either attempt to talk with each of them individually, or have them write down on a half sheet of paper what was said, or what happened that caused the initial disruption. The authors of Teaching with Love and Logic suggest that an instructor should make a list of the students involved, and prioritize the list (Fay, Funk, p. 48). Although I have not tried this method yet, I can see myself using it in my classroom. I would involve the parents if it was an issue in which the problem was recurring and I was not making any progress within my classroom by trying to handle it myself. I would also contact the parents if something was so volatile or traumatic that I would expect an email or phone call from them anyways. I would

18 like to let the parents know about a so called situation before their son or daughter gets home and tells them all about it. I would notify an administrator anytime there is suspected child abuse of any sort, recurring bullying, physical altercations, or racial/derogatory statements about race, gender roles, or sexual identification. Students do have rights. I like to tell them that they have the right to question my decisions, my actions, and me provided they do it in a respectful manner. They also have the right to ask, Why do we need to learn this? I do tell them I reserve the right to answer their questions at a later time, such as during their lunch hour, before or after school, or another scheduled appointment time. Ive found that most students drop their arguments when they find they have to take time out of their day to come meet with me to further discuss their issue.

Building Community
Community in my classroom is the atmosphere that the instructor and students create together. I realize that some class atmospheres will be better than others, and I dont seek to create them all the same as cookie cutter cutouts. Community is dependent upon the environment, and the individuals involved with it, and I hope to create a positive experience for kids in which they look forward to coming to Mr. Stephenss class each day. The social contract, positive interactions, and taking genuine notice of student behavior or work is not something that can be practiced for the first week, or even the first month of the school year or semester. I intend to foster community in my classroom by actively working at getting to know

19 my students, sharing experiences with them from my life, and by allowing them to share theirs. The only reward or extrinsic motivator that my classroom has is the Bazinga board. This falls in line with Hardins recommendation that the instructor reduce or eliminate your and your students dependence on extrinsic rewards to achieve desired behavior (Hardin, 2012, pg. 141). When interacting with students and parents, I like to highlight to the parents that we should view ourselves working together as a team, with the best interests of the child in mind. This helps set the stage for how I view each child, as well as lets the parents know that we shouldnt allow the student to play us against one another. This is an example of a late policy slip I would send home with students, to communicate the atmosphere of the classroom, as well as to allow the parents to know what my late work policy is

Stephens Late Form Accidents happen. I dont hate you. Ive turned in work late too. Its better than not doing it at all. By turning this work in now, you are showing me that you care about your learning, and that it matters to you. You will be penalized for turning in your work late. Potentially, you can still pass the assignment with a maximum of 80 %.

I will continue to treat you with respect.

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The social contract would go home in a letter, highlighting the words that the students had chosen for how they wanted, and expected to be treated in this classroom. Dear Parents, Your children worked as a team to choose these four principles as the foundation for how they are going to behave in this class over the course of the semester. Over the last few days, they have debated, argued, and voted to determine how they would like to be treated, and how they plan to treat others. The four guiding principles are Honesty Responsibility Respect No bullying

The students will be held to these standards by me, as well as by each other. If you have any questions you can contact me at the school, or through email.

21 References Brophy, J. (1998). Classroom Management as Socializing Students into Clearly Articulated Roles. In Journal of Classroom Instruction (Vol. 33). Dray, B. J., & Wisneski, D. B. (2011). Mindful Reflection as a Process for Developing Culturally Responsive Practices. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44, 28-36. Fay, J., & Funk, D. (1995). Teaching With Love And Logic. Hardin, C. J. (2012). Effective Classroom Management (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Kohn, A. (1993). Punished By Rewards. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Miller, R., & Pedro, J. (2006, April). Creating Respectful Classroom Environments. Early Childhood Education Journal, 22(5), 296. Rimmer, James H. "Confrontation In The Gym: A Systematic Solution for Behavior Problems." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 60.5 (1989): 64. Print. Tracey, D. H., & Morrow, L. M. (n.d.). Lenses on Reading: An Introduction to Theories and Models.