Classroom Management Plan

Classroom Management Plan

1.    Philosophical Beliefs

Learning involves the co-construction of knowledge, meaning that the teacher is not the source of all information.  I see myself more as a guide who presents ideas for the students to then work with, evaluate, and even synthesize to the highest order of thinking.  While teaching is more student-centered than in years past, management strategies must also be adjusted. Pod models of learning, for example, are utilized more often so that students can collaborate, building on prior instruction and co-creating new understandings, but this presents new challenges in classroom management so that students are actually working and not just socializing.  It also demands that I be willing to give some control over to the students.

Basing my teaching philosophy and approach on the confluence of English and Communication practice and theory, authority no longer has to reside in the teacher alone.  Ultimately, I as the leader and adult in the classroom hold the authoritative veto-power, but if students can be engaged with a task and given a specific role within a group, shared authority can be a successful endeavor.  The benefits of shared authority are two-fold.  First, students feel like they have agency over what happens, and in doing so, they are more likely to dedicate themselves to a positive outcome.  Second, if students are working in a group and they have an assigned role, the group, and not I, holds the student accountable for his production.  Peers/classmates do not like to disappoint one another, especially considering how important peer relationships are to adolescents. 

Many students enjoy working in groups, but the challenge in doing so is that it only works (well) when a classroom community has been built, when students feel comfortable talking to one another, and when students respectfully respond to me should they get off task.  With freedom comes responsibility.  The freedom is being able to work in groups; the responsibility is their dedication to the task. My job, therefore, is to motivate students to uphold high standards of respect and accountability.

Students must trust me, and the way I build trust is by respecting them and establishing good boundaries.  Students need boundaries because when they don’t know the rules their curiosity resides in figuring out the rules rather than exploring content ideas.  It feels just as chaotic to them as it does to me.  I believe in starting the semester being a bit rigid with the rules and expectations and then lightening up as students prove their responsibility.  The rules must be clearly stated, and I must follow through on threats of consequence.  I also think it is ok to explicitly ask students for their respect and to tell them why. 

2.    Classroom Physical Space

My classroom is not for me.  It is for my students and it should reflect that.  While I may reserve one corner for myself and my artifacts, including a Fathead of Auburn Cam Newton, I would like to invite the students to bring in memorabilia of their own to decorate the walls.  At the end of the year they take it with them, and the next class can do the same thing.  There will be ample filing space.  My desk will be toward the back of the room in a corner.  Ideally, I would like to have tables where groups of 4 students can sit, but if that isn’t possible, I would arrange desks into pods of 4 leaving open space for me to walk around the tables.  I also want to have a library corner with books, lamps, and a couch.  I like to walk around when I teach in order to reach every student, so the classroom should be open and conducive to movement.   Safety is key, so keeping the exits clear and posting emergency procedures will be important.  Students will be made aware of safety guidelines.             

3.    Classroom Procedures

Routines are important because they are habitual and center the students on a certain task.  Here are some routines I will use:

·      Collection baskets in a fixed location for collecting work

·      Regular due dates for certain assignments such as vocabulary or journals that are due every Wednesday

·      During grammar units or mini lessons, each student has a folder s/he should get at the start of each class.

·      A question of the day might be posted to bring their attention to the board

·      Exit tickets will be collected to provide formative data to me and to reinforce application of learning for the students

Transitions will go smoothly when I am prepared.  Students should be able to follow 3-step instructions to facilitate transitions, and to the degree I can have materials on their desks during the transition, the more time we will save.  Also, if I let students know what to expect at the beginning of each class, they will not wonder what is happening between learning sets. 

Grouping strategies are completely dependent on the task.  Sometimes it is appropriate to group students based on social connections.  Sometimes it is best to group students who have demonstrated similar achievement results.  (Sometimes the opposite works best.)  Regardless, grouping should be purposeful.

I may have the opportunity to have an aide in the classroom or a teacher’s assistant during prep periods.  Those people are part of the classroom and should have a designated role.  Communication between myself and the aide on lesson design and concerns for students with special needs will be critical to our collaborative success. 

4.    Policies and Rules

Here are my five rules that will be posted to my wall and included in my disclosure:

Have fun – Learning should be fun, and it is fun to play with ideas and to take intellectual risks, but we cannot have fun if we disrespect one another. 

Work hard – My expectations are high.  I am going to help students along the way, but I need them to be ready to work.  Working hard sometimes means working hard to respect one’s neighbor.

Be careful – Safety is our number one concern.  Always.

Don’t be a bully – Bullying people isn’t nice, and it really shows a weakness in in the person doing the bullying.  I want students to walk away from bullying and tell a teacher.

Tell me if you need help – I am happy to help students, but I won’t always know when a student is struggling.  Helping students achieve their goals is my job!  If a student is struggling with something personal, I will guide him/her toward the help s/he needs. 

5.    Positive Reinforcement & Hierarchy of Consequences

Positive reinforcement is a great way to get students to repeat good behavior.  The Montana Behavioral Initiative emphasizes the importance of stressing to kids what TO do and not overloading them with what NOT to do.  It is true that people can be intrinsically motivated to behave, but not all the time.  Similarly, students can be extrinsically motivated, but at some point it has to come from within or the student or teacher burns out on ways of extrinsic reward.

I have used the following for positive reinforcement:

·      Free time in class for completing a task early

·      Playing music during class

·      Taking the last few minutes of class on a Friday to watch videos of their choosing

·      Food rewards

Hierarchy of Consequences:

·      Body positioning

·      A firm look

·      A verbal warning

·      A private meeting

·      Detention

·      Parent call

·      Referral to administration

I have never given a detention, though I have reminded a class that I had the freedom to do so even as a student teacher or substitute. Occasionally I have reprimanded the entire class by having everyone sit quietly, but primarily I try to have a reasonable conversation with the student who misbehaves, and that usually works.  For chronic misbehavior, I try to understand the cause.  Often at the secondary level it involves chronic talking, so the best idea is to move that student to another desk.