Jill Zdenek

10/25/2017
EDI 638
Classroom Environment Plan Paper

My ideal classroom environment is one that involves various strategies, practices, and

guidelines to cater to the whole-child approach. A whole-child approach is one that prepares

students for academic success as they continue on through schooling and into the workforce,

while also practicing heathy habits, creating a safe place for students and teachers, and

supporting and connecting students with their communities (ACSD, 2017). Certain educational

theorists and articles, have contributed to my thoughts and ideas as to how I would like to set-up,

create, and form my classroom, teaching habits, and teaching styles.

Personal presentation is important as a teacher. I have certain ideals as to how I would

like to dress as a professional. If the school I am working in has casual days, I would like to

dress to the dress code but also show my school spirit by wearing a shirt that displays the school

I am attending or working at. This way the school and community sees that I still respect the

school and am proud to work at it. It is important to dress sophisticated and professionally, as a

teacher because students are expecting the best from you at all times. Educators Wong and

Wong mention that “as you are dressed, so you shall be perceived, and as you are perceived, so

shall you be treated” (Wong and Wong, 50). If I dress in a professional manner, I expect to be

treated accordingly. The way I dress also means the way I show my emotions. When I meet the

students for the first time, I want to dress with a smile on my face so students feel welcome and

accepted (Wong and Wong, 50). Presentation is one aspect that I believe can create a welcoming

and accepting classroom environment.

Respect and rapport is another factor that I want to create in order for students to feel

welcome and accepted, and for them to be able to achieve at their highest potential. Respect and

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rapport need to be consistent, which is what educational theorists Jim Fay and Foster Cline

believe. Respect between my students and myself needs to be earned, as it can prevent future

problems from arising in the classroom (Spencer, September 28, 2017). If I cannot show my

students that I respect them, then I do not believe that I will earn the right for them to respect me.

Respect needs to be earned and kept on both sides. If students feel respected they are more

inclined to participate in learning and do what is asked of them (Spencer, September 28, 2017) .

If I feel respected, I too would be more inclined to invest in my students. Respect should not be

earned at the beginning of the year, and then expected throughout the remainder of the year

without continually showing it. Fay and Cline believe that consistency is key. If you are not

consistent with your students then they will be less inclined to respect you as they will not know

what to expect (Spencer, September 28, 2017). Consistent respect will hopefully lead to greater

cooperation and willingness to participate and learn.

Classroom management is critical to student learning and success. One way to create this

is to make and enforce a social contract with my students, at the beginning of the school year.

The social contract will contain rules, guidelines, and expectations for not only the students, but

for myself. Everyone will be required to adhere to the social contract at all times. Most

importantly, the students will be in control of what goes on the social contract. Educational

theorist Flip Flippen believes that a social contract should be “created in the classroom to

establish norms, rules, and consequences” (Edenburn and Stack, October 5th, 2017). The social

contract should be written in a positive way, avoiding words such as “cannot” and “do not”. For

example, instead of writing “do not hit people” one of the social contract rules could be “please

keep your hands to yourself. That way the contract is not directed towards anything negative but

rather directed towards positive behaviors, norms, and expectations. Flippen addresses the

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importance of creating at least four to five points that deal with misbehavior (Edenburn and

Stack, October 5th, 2017). This way students will know what to expect in terms of misbehavior

and what will not be expected of them. I want my social contract to be visible from most points

of the classroom, so that students, and myself, can be continually reminded of it, and if we need

to be re-directed to it. Classroom management also deals with discipline. There will be times

when students act out or need to be disciplined. I want to make sure that I establish a clear line

between discipline and punishment, and that I never punish my students for their actions.

Educational theorist Barbara Coloroso explains how discipline allows for “students’ dignities to

remain intact” while punishment is “adult-oriented” (Gamble and Thompsett, October 12, 2017).

If I need to discipline my students, I want to make sure that they learn from their mistakes and

how they can prevent continual occurrences of the mistakes. In order for me to enable in good

discipline, Coloroso suggests that I show and explain to students what they have done

incorrectly, that I allow them to take ownership of the problem, that I provide ways in which

they can solve the problem, and that their dignity is intact (Gamble and Thompsett, October 12,

2017). I want to follow these guidelines to help with my classroom management skills. I need to

consider as well that if students continually need to be disciplined that it does not mean that they

are bad people. Educational theorist Alfie Kohn stresses the importance of having a positive

view of children and believing that all students are fundamentally good (Glowney and

Leindecker, October 19, 2017). There will be times where I am very frustrated with my students,

but I need to make sure that I do not take any of their actions personally. I need to believe that

my students will make mistakes, act out, etc. However, it is important to note that if my students

are constantly acting in a negative behavior, that I try to understand the root of the behavior.

Educational theorists Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler believe that students misbehave

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because one or more of their needs is not being met. In order to meet their needs and have less

misbehavior, teachers need to let students know what they need from them and to ask students

what they need from you (Hile and Warren, October 26, 2017). If I see a student misbehaving I

need to assess what needs of theirs I am not meeting and to address those needs.

As an educator, I am looking for ways to excite, entice, and encourage my students to

engage in learning. Part of this can attribute to the way I provide an environment in which

learning, of all kinds of styles, are welcome. As someone who often struggles with learning and

understanding ideas and concepts immediately, it is important that I take that into consideration

when teaching others. With that being said, I want to present material through various learning

techniques, i.e. visually, kinesthetically, auditory, etc. The more learning styles and methods I

use, the greater the likelihood that I will appeal to most if not all of the students and be able to

engage them. Giving students choice when they learn is another factor I want to implement as

often as possible in my teaching. Students benefit when given choices in how they learn.

Educational theorist Dr. William Glasser believes that students should be given choices to make

their own decisions (Benson, Fitzsimmons, and Zdenek, September 21, 2017). Though I cannot

control whether my students are given choices outside of school, I can control their ability to

make choices in school. An example of giving students more choices, that I would like to

implement, would be with assignments. Students are often expected to show what they have

learned, in a very specific way. At the end of units, students are usually given a unit test or

asked to write a paper. I want to give my students more summative assessment choices. I

believe that giving my students more choices will allow them to express their learning in a more

creative manner and that they may enjoy the assessments more. Glasser also believes that

students should be given choices for what they will study (Benson, Fitzsimmons, and Zdenek,

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September 21, 2017). Though I may be teaching in a district with a regimented curriculum, I

want to give my students the option of how they learn the material. This can be executed

through teaching the material through various learning techniques, as I mentioned prior.

Students must also be given choices, sometimes, as to when they complete their work and tasks.

Jim Fay believes that choices should not be secluded to just what they are learning but when they

choose to learn. There may be times in my classroom, when certain students are simply not

willing to do their work at a certain time. Fay believes that during these times students should be

given the choice to do their work and/or task at that time or at a later time. He stresses the

importance of asking your students the question “would you like to work on this later?”

(Spencer, September 28th, 2017). That way students know that they will have to complete the

task at some point that day, but if they need a break at that time, they can make that choice for

themselves. According to educational theorist Flip Flippen, students should be encouraged as

well to explore materials that are of interest to them. I would like to get to know my students, to

find out what topics they are interested in and provide materials that capture kids’ interests and

engage them in learning.

The physical space of a classroom can determine the ability at which students can

effectively learn. The layout of my classroom will be specifically designed to create a

welcoming atmosphere and one that promotes excitement and curiosity about learning. Curwin

and Medler suggest that students be allowed to have some control in their learning, therefore I

want students to choose where they sit, during certain activities, such as quiet reading or group

work (Hile and Warren, October 26th, 2017). I would like to have various types of furniture

such as traditional desks, lower desks, bean bags, and bouncy balls. I would like to incorporate

movable desks so that students can have the ability to face the teacher during whole-class

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discussion This allows for the encouragement of all students being able to participate (Cuban,

2014). Desks should also be movable to permit for small and individual group work. Desks will

also be situated in pods to allow for student collaboration, to allow for me to work the crowd

more easily, and to easily observe students. It is also important that I am in relatively close

proximity to my students at all times. Therefore, desk and furniture arrangement will adhere to

close student proximity (Jones, 2016) I want the class to be filled with various learning

materials and posters that provide insight and examples for students. Lastly, I want to greet my

children with a smile as they enter the classroom, so that they know they are loved and capable

of anything that they set their minds to. I believe that with the aforementioned skills, styles, and

techniques, that I can create an effective classroom environment.

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 References:

-Ascd. (2017). ASCD whole child initiative. Retrieved from www.ascd.org/whole-child.aspx.

-Benson, C., Fitzsimmons, N., & Zdenek, J. (2017, September 21). Dr. William Glasser:
Discipline guided by choice theory. Presented in EDI 638 at Grand Valley State University,
Grand Rapids, MI.

-Cuban, L. (2014, March 19.) Arranging classroom furniture: An unobtrusive glimpse into how
teachers teach. Retrieved from https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2014/03/19/arranging-
classroom-furniture-an-unobtrusive-glimpse-into-how-teachers-teach/

-Edenburn, J. & Stack, T. (2017, October 5). Flip Flippen: Capturing kids hearts. Presented in
EDI 638 at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI.

-Gamble, S., & Thompsett, S. (2017, October 12). Barbara Coloroso: Inner discipline and
bullying prevention. Presented in EDI 638 at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI.

-Glowney, A. & Leindecker, V. (2017, October 19). Alfie Kohn: Creating community.
Presented in EDI 638 at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI.

-Hile, K. & Warren, A. (2017, October 26). Curwin and Mendler: Discipline with dignity.

-Jones, F. (2016). Effective Room Arrangement. Retrieved November 01, 2017, from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones001.shtml

-Spencer, T. (2017, September 28). Jim Fay and Foster Cline: Love and Logic. Presented in
EDI 638 at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI. Presented in EDI 638 at Grand
Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI.

-Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher.
N.p.: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.