Ashley Mulder ED 310

Classroom Management Plan (CMP) Guide Classroom Management Beliefs

At the heart of this Classroom Management Plan are the following core principles of my teaching philosophy: o o o o o o Democratic Society Collaborative Learning Student-centered Communication Community Accessibility

My philosophy of classroom management: My philosophy of classroom management stems from readings and discussions I have had with fellow teachers, as well as, personal experience in the classroom. While I will have a set management plan in mind when teaching, I also need to be aware of the changes in the classroom and make sure adjustments are made accordingly. The first and most important thing for me is developing rules and procedures. I have found that the sooner structure is introduced in the classroom, the quicker students respond. That being said, I plan on running a democratic classroom where students use real-world situations to problem-solve and have a strong voice in the classroom. Students need to feel comfortable, and allowing them voice in rules and procedure making is a great way to incorporate their ideas. Additionally, this puts the students in real-world situations where they 1

have to use communication to work together and solve problems; this is a great way to get student involvement. When students are involved in the rule making process they can be held accountable for the rules they created. Aside from rule making, I want the students to get used to the process of working with one another. I believe in a lot of group activities with the younger students because they are typically learning at similar pace. Establishing good connections with the other classmates from the start fosters this idea. I have a very studentcentered approach to teaching and getting my students to communicate, work together, and help create their classroom environment is a huge part of my approach. Collaborative learning is also a great way to create a classroom community. This is something that I feel an effective classroom needs to have. When students are part of a community they feel comfortable expressing their opinions, working with one another and holding conversations. This leads into my next part of my philosophy communication. Communication is a big driving force for learning. Students need to feel that they can communicate openly with one another and with myself. Creating bonds is something that comes pretty naturally to children, but this social interaction in the classroom is pertinent to relationship building at any stage in life, in and outside of the classroom. Not only do I want my students to communicate with each

other, but I want them to feel comfortable enough to communicate with me as well. I want open-communication within my classroom so students can ask me questions and share problems with me as well. Something else my management philosophy focuses on is accessibility. Students need to be able to access supplies in the classroom and any other learning tools. This is the main reason I have a very open set-up in my classroom. I want my students to have open pathways to things around the room. I also want to have an open pathway to get to my students. This accessibility keeps movement in the classroom and allows me to be up and away from my desk the majority of the day. Within my management plan you will see aspects of my philosophy showcased. Students will have a lot of say and communication in the classroom. I will take a hands-off approach to see what my students different learning styles are, doing my best to accommodate each one. I will foster a classroom community that will build strong relationships between students and myself. Additionally, I will create an open classroom set-up that allows the most accessibility for my students and I. My goals of classroom management: My goals for classroom management are: Development of personal realtionships Student-centered learning and teaching

Strong development of classroom community Firm and established rules and procedures Great organization Clear goals and outcomes Accessibility to all students

Organization of Physical Environment

Room arrangement map:

Sample Visuals: 4

(Figure 1)

(Figure 2)

(Figure 3)

(Figure 4)

(Figure 5)

(Figure 6)

(Figure 7)

(Figure 8)

(Figure 9) Room arrangement narrative:

(Figure 10)

I chose to set my room up in this way because when dealing with young students I think that it is important to have a lot of group work and good educational conversation. This collaborative learning is something that I am very passionate about, and find that keeping students in groups can really promote this idea. With the circle tables it allows all students to see each other, but also allows them to face the board or front of the classroom if needed. For this reason, I focused the students around the board and whole group area because they have easy access to both. 7

My desk is also in the front of the room, because I believe being visible to the students makes them more apt to come and speak to me and ask questions. It also allows me to see the students working. Furthermore, I am more inclined to be up and away from my desk interacting with the students when I am at the front of the room because I can go to them much easier than they can to me. Additionally, I chose to have a lot of open space in my room because I want to allow my students to be able to access everything. Accessibility is a huge factor in student learning. If things are within easy reach or distance to the students, they are more likely to use the tools. These open and clear paths serve another purpose as well. They allow me to get to the students in a timely fashion and can aid in deterring misbehavior. I also have areas separated because I want my students to move around the room to do different activities and work with different subject areas. If we reference the room arrangement map, we can see that there are 6 different areas in the classroom.

Organization of Social Environment

Classroom rules: Key o o o o o o Rules: Be respectful of each other Use your manners Raise your hand/Dont blurt out Work quietly No talking when the teacher or other classmate is talking Be honest

o Stay on task o Dont do anything that is going to disturb others learning o The rules will change yearly, but these are main points that I want the students to include. Determined: o Rules will be determined in a number of ways. Many of the rules will come from the code of conduct/schoolestablished rules; however, other rules within our classroom will be developed as a class. Students will collaborate with each other and myself to determine what is important in the classroom. o Conversation will be had, voting will take place and then the rules and social contract charts will be created. Communication of Rules: o Rules will be communicated with students in the classroom. We will regularly discuss our rules and reference them throughout the year when necessary. Since we have created the rules in the classroom, we will have a poster or bulletin board that displays all of our rules like Figures 2 and 3. o Parents will get a set of our school and classroom rules sent home with their student to review. I will also keep my rules posted on my blog/classroom website, or I can email them to the parents and put them in the first newsletter of the year. o Administrators will be made aware of our rules through a handout. I dont feel it is necessary to discuss every rule with the administrators as school rules apply to everyone, but as long as the rules are clear and concise, they will be very self-explanatory. Written Rules: o Rules will be posted in the classroom either on a poster or on a bulletin board where they are clearly visible and accessible to the students. o Rules will also be sent home to the parents in a letter/newsletter.

Classroom procedures: Structure of Activities and Lessons: o When doing lessons with the class, I will make sure that we 9

o o o o

are doing a lot of whole group learning. This will allow me to make sure that everyone is getting the same information. Students will know what is expected of them during this time based on their magnet expectations, shown in Figure 9, on the board. Lessons and activities will begin by discussing the goal, what we are doing and for how long. Engage Model Scaffold

Homework Turn In Procedure: o For in class work, there will be a turn in basket next to the teachers desk that students should turn their completed work in to. o Homework will go home in the to do section of their homework folder and should return completed in the turn in section of their homework folder. These assignments will either be collected personally by the teacher or will be turned in to the turn in basket. Deadlines: o Deadlines will be written on the board and on top of assignments. o Students will also be told when the assignments are due. Help: o Students can raise their hand or come to the teacher to ask for help if working on an assignment or with group activities. o If help is needed during a teaching portion of the lesson, students should simply raise their hand to be called on. Getting the Class Attention: o If we are moving on or the classroom is simply getting too noisy I will use a variety of methods to get the class attention. Hand clapping Asking questions, If you can hear me clap once Ringing a bell o If we are working quietly at our desks though I can simply instruct the students that we are going to be moving on. Transition Time:

10

o Since we lose a lot of attention during transitions, I will make sure to tell the students what we will be doing next to keep them focused. o Countdown method with explicit instruction. o Time frame o Procedural list on board. Rules and procedures narrative: I feel it is necessary for my students to have a say in the rule and procedures process as its key to developing a classroom community and teaching valuable skills to be used in a democratic society. Allowing kids to create their own classroom rules and social contract gives them a sense of ownership and importance in the classroom. Since I am a very student-centered teacher, I want me students to feel like their voice is heard and that they are valued in the classroom. This will help them stick to the rules and guidelines that they created because they feel special for having a say in them. In respect to having the rules communicated, students will have constant access to the rules and social contract because it will be permanently placed in the classroom. For the parents, a letter home is the perfect way to communicate the classroom rules and expectations. This allows the parents to know that their students were the ones to help create the rules and that they are expected to abide by them. It will also allow the parents to use the classroom rules to hold the students accountable for their schoolwork at home. This applies to the administration as well. I will provide them with a letter that details all the rules and a copy of our social contract so anytime they come into 11

the classroom they will know what to expect.

When discussing activities and lessons, it is important to keep in mind the age of the students and be mindful of their attention span. Therefore, it is important to have an engaging activity, demonstration, intriguing questions or group discussion to gain student interest initially. I have noticed, from my experience in classrooms, that this is fairly easy to do and is effective. Following an engaging activity it is important to discuss objectives/goals and the instructions for the activity. This tells the students what we are doing and what we hope to gain after the lesson/activity. After instructions are gone over and any questions are answered, I would model the lesson for the students. I believe in scaffolding instruction so the model of I do, we do, they do, you do is something that I will implement. Meaning that I, the teacher, will model, then, the whole class will do it with me, and then groups or partners will do it together, followed by independent practice. This gives the students many chances to correct mistakes, and/or further develop skills and knowledge on the lesson. This is a great way to go from teacher to facilitator in the classroom.

Transition times between lessons or activities can become problematic if they are not handled properly; this is why I plan on

12

having a variety of ways to tackle this problem. I will do things such as write procedures for the lesson out on the board prior to starting, use a countdown method, starting at 10, while giving explicit instructions on what to do next, or give them a time frame such as, we will work on this for 2 more minutes and then were moving on. These are all effective ways to keep students on task between lessons.

When discussing homework and deadlines, I will make sure that my instructions are explicit. As homework is given throughout the year, students will be given directions verbally and will have the directions typed out on the top of their papers as well. Homework will typically be done at home, however, there are times that students will have an opportunity to work on their homework in class. If students are in class and they finish their homework, there will be a turn in bin next to the teachers desk that they can simply turn their homework in to. If their homework needs to be done at home, students will put it in their homework folder in the to do pocket and will return it in their to turn in pocket. Procedures for turning in homework and the requirements for their homework will be posted on the wall at school and will be discussed at the beginning of the year. In respect to deadlines, students will be given verbal deadlines and all assignments will also have deadlines written on them. If there are long-term homework assignments regular reminders will be given

13

and the due date will be written on the board.

Classroom Incentives
Classroom system for encouraging positive behavior: Individual Incentives: o Bucket Fillers: Students will receive bucket fillers (pompoms) throughout the week for going above and beyond in the classroom. Students will have guidelines and reasons for getting bucket fillers posted on the wall so there is consistency for all. These bucket fillers can be traded in for privileges in the classroom. (Figure 7) o Clip Chart: Students will each have their own clip that moves up and down throughout the day depending on their behavior within the classroom. (Figure 8) Group Incentives: o None Fairness With the Incentive System: o Bucket fillers can be given for a variety of reasons, but the main reasons that they are given will be listed on the wall next to where the buckets hang. I am not going to give students pom-poms for things that are already expected of them, but if they go above and beyond they will receive a bucket filler. o These fillers are done on an individual basis; however, the main reasons for getting a bucket filler are universal in the classroom. o There are times when the system can be modified, based on teacher decision, if there are students in the classroom who have special needs, their bucket filling system may be individualized. Teaching the System to Students: o The system will be modeled for the students during the first week of class. I will go over the guidelines for bucket fillers and the rules the students must follow and show them the different privileges they may earn by turning in their bucket fillers. Partnering With Parents and Administrators: o I will send out information on how the bucket filler system works in my classroom to the parents and administrators 14

at the beginning of the year. I will explain the reason for doing it and discuss the procedure and privileges that the students can earn in the classroom. o I believe that the parents and administration will see this as a positive in the classroom because it teaches students valuable lessons. Such as not getting rewarded for behavior that is expected, but being recognized when they do something above and beyond. o I will make parents aware of the system immediately and tell them they can contact me with any issues or concerns. Items in the System: o The system will require privilege passes that can be created right on the computer. The students will be able to choose from an array of passes, but the items will not cost me any money.

Classroom incentive narrative: Using incentives in my classroom is something that I have fought with myself about many times, however, I think that this system is beneficial in the classroom. Having students receive candy or a tangible item does not teach them anything; rather it supports a bad practice of giving students things just because. This is why I developed a system for students going above and beyond normal tasks. This way students are not expecting a reward for doing something that they should normally do, rather if they get caught going above and beyond they are rewarded. I will have guidelines and ways rewards are offered listed on the board next to the bucket fillers, but as mentioned previously this is an individual incentive. While, the majority of the class will receive bucket fillers for doing the listed things, there may be some students that I

15

have to modify this system for. This idea is based off of Fay and Funks Love and Logic Theory of the Principles Approach. There may be times when fairness doesnt equate, but what is fair to one, will not be fair to another so I have to take that into consideration as well. Deciding what types of rewards to use was something else that I went back and forth on, and I decided that something material was not sending the right message; this helped me develop the idea of privilege cards. Rather than getting a pencil, eraser or candy, the students can choose privilege cards depending on the amount of pompoms they have collected at the end of the week. These cards could include things like sit at the teachers desk, lead morning message or be the line leader for the day. These are things that they wouldnt normally have access to, but by allowing the students the privilege; it makes earning their pom-poms more enjoyable. This system is designed to motivate the students, rather than having students complete assignments just to get by. That being said, I will constantly try to motivate my students, not just to get a reward, but also to teach them valuable lessons in life.

Responding to disruptive behavior

Define disruptive behavior Disruptive behavior is vocalizing or carrying out actions that interfere with my teaching and the learning of other students. Action steps for responding to disruptive behavior:

16

Warnings: o Students will receive one warning for their action and then they will be required to clip down on the clip chart (Figure 8). Actions for Deterring Disruptive Behavior: o There is an array of different ways responding to disruptive behavior. I have listed ones that I believe are effective in the classroom. o Proximity Control move closer to the student and even place a hand on their shoulder letting them know they need to get back on track. o Opportunity to Respond ask the student a question about what we are talking about and have them answer it to get them back on track. o Rule Reminder make a quick reference to the rules in the classroom stating that we need to make sure we are following the rules we developed as a class. o Eye Contact make eye contact with the student for a few seconds allowing them to see you making note of their behavior. o Praising Appropriate Behavior point out someone in the classroom who is doing exactly as you asked or being a good role model. o Temporary Escape ask the student to step away from the situation by having them move to a different spot in line for example. Steps: o Use an action such as eye contact, rule reminder, etc.- this is a quick reminder that the student should get back on task. o Give the student a verbal warning this can be done by getting the students attention by calling their name, or having a quick conference with them. o Move clip down students will be asked to move their clip down when they are continuing to make poor choices. o If action continues move clip down again if poor choices continue the student will move their clip down the chart and a consequence may be given. o If further action needs to take place there will be a conference with the teacher and student to determine the next consequence Follow-through: 17

o Students will see follow-through as clips are moved down and consequences are handed out to students who continue to be disruptive. Individual Within a Group: o The individual will be pulled aside to talk with me and then the whole group will have a constructive conversation together. Problematic Group Situation: o Group situations will be handled by talking with each student individually to gather all the facts and perspectives. o I will then pull all the students together to talk about the problem and discuss the issues that I gathered from the individual discussions. o We will then create a few options to take for handling the problem and choose one together that best suits the group. Parental Involvement: o I feel that the parents need to be involved quite regularly in the classroom; therefore, I will make a conscious effort to get a hold of parents not just when conflict arises in the classroom. o Since the parents know what is expected in the classroom already, I hope that they will hold their student just as accountable and discuss issues with them at home. o Informing the parents of problems in the classroom when they originate will keep the parents from having surprises and will open communication between the parent and myself. Administrator Involvement: o I will involve the administration only when serious issues arise such as physical altercations or bullying as neither are tolerated within my classroom or the school. o I will typically try to keep the disruptive behavior classroom contained as to not involve others if it is not needed.

What are the students rights? Voice Opinions respected Case heard

18

Share their concerns and feelings

What are the teachers rights? Be respected Exercise the right to implement school rules Take disciplinary action as they see fit Be heard Disruptive behavior response narrative: Developing this type of classroom is something that takes work, but with goals and standards in place, it is possible. Disruptive behavior is one of the most frustrating things that a teacher will encounter. However, being an effective teacher means that you have established a disciplinary approach for dealing with such things in the classroom. The first step in developing a classroom disciplinary approach is to select areas to focus on and a system that will work best for the age group. In my classroom we will use a clip chart, as it is something the students can see and take ownership of by moving their own clips. The chart has multiple levels; ready to learn is what every student starts at. If the students are to move their clips up they next go to good day, then great job and finally outstanding. If the students are to move their clip down from ready to learn, they go to think about it, teachers choice and finally parent contact. This system will be put in place from the very beginning so they will all come to understand what each level of the chart represents and how and why they move their clip up or

19

down. Before making a student move their clip down I will use a deterring action such as the ones listed above. Doing such things as using proximity control, for instance, can be a quick and easy reminder for students to get focused again. After the teacher provides a small action for the students to respond to, the student will receive a warning for their misbehavior. It is important to make this warning known to the individual it is intended for, but the rest of the class should not be disrupted by it. Once the warning has been issued, the student will be asked to move their clip down if negative behavior continues. This is something that the students will do on their own as it gives them the responsibility and ownership of their clip. Moving the clip will continue as students continue the misbehavior. With the second clip down, a consequence will be issued that is logical to the problem in the classroom. For example, if Joey and Zach are sitting next to each other and cannot stop talking, I will ask one of them to move seats for a while so the task can get completed. If the student continues to misbehave even with the movement of the clip, we will have a short conference/intervention to discuss what can be done to help the student, and the student and I will confer about an appropriate consequence. This is a great way to deal with poor behavior as it allows students to really reflect on what they were doing that got them in that position.

Rights within the classroom are important to discuss as well. If we do not address these, students may be confused as to what they

20

can and cant do in the classroom and the teachers may expect something from the students that the students were unaware of. Students nowadays are afforded more rights in the classroom then have ever been there. Discussing that the students have the right to be heard in the classroom and express their opinions is crucial; they need to know that they are respected within the classroom. I want to make sure that my students arent intimidated to answer questions or participate in discussions. On the flip side of that I want to ensure that the students know that I have rights too. I reserve the right to overstep our rules in the classroom and take disciplinary action if I find that we have a major problem, I have the right to be respected just as they do and I have the right to be heard as well.

Building community:
What will community mean in your classroom? Community means working together to promote positivity in the classroom both socially and academically. It means accepting everyone for who they are and developing a sense of belonging. Within a community students should be able to hold discussions, work collaboratively and deal with conflicts appropriately. How will you foster a sense of community in your classroom? There are many ways to foster a sense of community in the classroom. Hardin (2012) notes many ways to do this: o Greet students at the door o Work in groups/cooperative learning o Value each student o Have whole group discussions o Play games o Help students make connections with one another o Hold classroom meetings

21

o Go on field trips o Create classroom jobs o Develop traditions What role will the students and perhaps parents have in nurturing this sense of community? Students are the heart of the classroom community; they will help to create the community, I will simply guide them. I will have students start the school year by doing icebreakers. These will help students get to know each other on the first day and throughout the first week of school. Through these icebreakers meaningful friendships can be made. Throughout the year we will be working with groups. These groups foster collaborative learning as students work together to complete assignments, investigations and projects. This is another way that students are developing the classroom community because they each bring unique characteristics to the table and everyone comes to rely on those characteristics. Having classroom traditions will be a great community builder because theses traditions are things that only their class shares. Maybe we could create a secret chant or signal that only our class understands. This is a great way to develop those community-building skills. With regard to parents, I feel that parents need to be largely involved in the classroom. Having parents in the classroom regularly shows that the students have support not only from each other and myself, but also from their parents and their classmates parents. This can help to develop more positive attitudes toward school and the classroom. Building community narrative: I believe that developing a classroom community starts with the students. Students are the heart of the classroom; I simply act as a facilitator. The biggest way that classroom community is developed is through collaboration. Communicating with one another and discussing problems that arise in the class is important. As students work together to develop rules and policies in the classroom they are getting to know each others likes and dislikes. Through this collaboration

22

friendships are being created and personalities are shining through. Aside from collaboration, I feel that simply creating traditions and memories in the classroom develops classroom community. I still look back on things that I did in kindergarten and remember the friends that I did them with. That community will always be part of my life, and I think that creating these types of opportunities in the classroom will create that with my students. Hardin (2012) created an extensive list of ideas for building community within the classroom that I feel would be easy to implement but would be effective. Things such as playing games, discussing, recognizing students unique qualities, holding classroom meetings and having classroom jobs are all suggested ideas that could be done easily in the classroom. Another way to do this is to include parents in classroom. This instills within the students that they have support from others aside from myself. Having parent volunteers, chaperones and classroom parents are great additions to the classroom. With these parents around all the time, students come to see them as another part of our community. Developing a classroom community is something that is important to have and can really be done quite easily. If the students are wiling to work together and discuss with each other, developing a community falls right into place.

23

Bibliography Hardin, C. J. (2012). Effective classroom management: Models and strategies for todays classroom. Boston, MA: Pearson.

24