Descriptive Statement

 

The classroom management plan paper is a graduation requirement of Manchester College and a course requirement for Classroom Behavioral Management.  This document is to help determine what philosophers we relate to, what beliefs we would like to carry into our classrooms, and the procedures and routines that we will set.  This document is meant to prepare us for challenges that many first year teachers have in regards to classroom management and behavioral issues faced in the classroom due to lack of preparation.  The document encourages thinking about our philosophy, beliefs, procedures and routines, and how they will be implemented.

 

Philosophy

 

I believe that for students to have the ability to learn they must want to.  In order to ensure that students want to learn I must be able to provide instruction that is engaging, fun, and relative to what they can use in their personal lives.  Beyond the overall lesson, I think that it is important to teach to the needs of each individual student and to continuously assess the class.  This will ensure that all of my students understand the information.  I think by providing a classroom in which all students can learn will help to establish positive relationships, foster a supportive learning environment, and decrease the likely hood of behavioral issues.

 

Top Ten Beliefs

**My top ten will be labeled 1, 2, 3, and so on.**

**Bulleted points are  theorists principle relating to my top ten beliefs.**

**These are based on a kindergarten through second grade classroom.**

 

Many of the principle teachings that are relative to my own classroom include the theorists Kagan, Kyle, and Scott, Glasser, Canter, Nelson, Lott, and Glenn, and Jones.  While each of these theorists has a variety of ideas and theories it is important to determine which methods will be most appropriate and fitting for my personality and that of each class.  The following theories and beliefs are those in which I would like to implement into my own classroom.  I do however realize that all students are different and that no theory is perfect.  I believe that the ten beliefs below are preventative strategies that can be used in order to prevent behavior problems.  The strategies listed would be most beneficial if they are implemented together.  I think it is important to use a variety of strategies in order to create and maintain a classroom in which is manageable.  The main idea of the belief is in bold.  Also provided in the paragraph is a short explanation of what I can do in the classroom in order to use the strategy and an explanation of the theorist’s thoughts. 

 

  1. Engagement is an important tool used in teaching and controlling the classroom behavior.  If the students’ basic need of having fun is being met, then students will be more focused on the learning than that of the everyday distractions.  By having lessons that will engage students and by providing a variety of activities in the classroom that are of high interest I will be able to keep the students focus on the lesson and prevent off-task misbehavior.  Glasser considers engaging lessons as quality education.  If a student is not paying attention because the lesson is boring they are going to be distracted and have a lack of focus, however, if the lesson is interesting then the students will naturally pay attention.

 

  1. Active learning will help keep students engaged and will help prevent misbehavior within the classroom.  By using Jones’ say, see, do method, students will become active learners, thus reducing the amount of off-task misbehaviors.  This method helps students keep busy while the teacher circulates and interacts with the students.  This ‘doing’ approach engages students and the visuals included in this method help to guide students through the process of tasks and performance.  In my classroom I will be able to create lessons to help students become active learners.  By providing lessons that allow students to inquire I will be able to help keep misbehavior to a minimum.

 

  1. By allowing students to have a say in their learning and lives I will be able to have a classroom that is of interest to everyone involved.  I plan on learning about my students and finding out about what their interests are.  By knowing which students are interested in certain topics, I will be able to direct lessons that will be engaging and provide a variety of assessments.  This will allow students to choose activities that will most benefit them.  Nelson, Lott, and Glenn provide a class meeting idea similar to the idea of allowing students choice in their learning.  Their idea is one in which class meetings are help and students are able to express concerns and use their power and skills to solve problems.  By beginning with small meetings in which students talk about what is happening in their lives I can begin to understand each of them.  Once I have established classroom meetings and students are comfortable with each other I plan to use the information in lesson planning.  By doing this and opening up educational options, students will be able to make choices on their learning.

                                       

  1. Glasser claims that motivation is the key ingredient in learning.  Students are motivated by what they find pleasurable at any given time.  In order to motivate students I plan on allowing students to find topics of strong interest and digging for more information.  This is important because the student is learning about what interests them.  This does not mean that they student chooses the subject area.  The lesson should be teacher directed, but student focused.  For example, if the teacher is talking about dinosaurs and one student is interested in the triceratops, then the student(s) can do an in-depth study on the triceratops.

I think that it is also important to question the students in my classroom.  By asking appropriate questions, students will become deep thinkers and be able to explain their reasoning for their beliefs.  It will also encourage students to search for answers and create their own questions about topics.  By inquiring about different topics they can begin to apply certain ideas to their own personal lives.

**I do not completely agree with this.  Students learn a variety of information and it can all be applicable to any student.  This is why it is important to incorporate Gardner’s multiple intelligences and consider that each student is interested in learning about different topics.**

 

  1. I believe that by gaining the trust and respect of the students I will be able to manage my class.  The Canters believe that good discipline grows out of mutual trust and respect.  By listening to what my students have to say, speaking respectfully to them, and treating everyone fairly I can build trust between myself and the students.  I will constantly model what I would like to see in my students.  This will hopefully gain their trust and respect and they will in return respect me and the classroom expectations.  Other ways in which I can implement this into my classroom is by getting to know my students.  This includes their interests, preferences, and being able to speak with them on a personal level.

 

  1. Parental involvement is extremely important in a child’s life.  For this reason I believe that it is important to develop positive relationships with parents.  Kagan, Kyle, and Scott believe that the parent’s in-put support, follow-through, and back-up strengthen the likely hood of a responsible student.  In order for this to be a success it will be important to keep parents involved in their student’s education.  This means it will be important to contact the parent within the first week of school, create news letters about the class, develop a class website, and send letters home.  All of these means of communication will help create a strong relationship between the teacher and parent.  Beyond letter, web, and phone contacts, parents can also be involved in the classroom as a volunteer.  This helps the parents feel like they are valued as allies and will help when, if ever, there is a discipline problem with their student.

 

  1. Making the best use of time for students is important in any classroom.  Jones noticed that in unruly classrooms misbehaviors happened 2.5 times per minute, whereas in a manageable classroom off-task behavior occurs once every two minutes.  This is why it is imperative to have engaging lessons that keep students active.  Without engaging lessons, student’s off-task behaviors such as rummaging around, staring out the window, or getting out of their seats.  If the lessons do not entice students, they learn helpless hand-raising.  In order to prevent this it is important to engage students and keep them active during the lesson.  By being positive and brief with helpless hand raisers they will begin to become responsible for their own behavior.

 

  1. By allowing students preferred activity time as an incentive for positive behavior will encourage and help foster the desired behavior.  Incentives that should be offered should include activities that are learning games or enriching.  This could include activities such as hangman with word wall words, art projects, or even reading for some students.  This is typically used as a whole class incentive.  This can easily be incorporated into my classroom by allotting 10-15 minutes of built in time at the end of the day.

 

  1. Nonverbal communication can also help manage classroom discipline.  Jones expresses that proper breathing, eye contact, physical proximity, body carriage, and facial expressions will help decrease the amount of misbehavior in the classroom.  By remaining clam in situations it will appear as though I am strong enough to handle the situation.  By taking a few breaths in a situation it will also provide me a few seconds to gather my thoughts and gain self-control.  In most situations students who are off-task just need a teacher to walk by their desk, or have the teacher place a hand on their shoulder.  This helps redirect the students focus.  If I am aware of the way I carry myself physically, I will be able to communicate with my students in a nonverbal manner.

 

  1. One of the most influential controls of behavior is the classroom structure and the routines that are within the classroom.  By having a classroom that is structured to help provide focus and attention on the teacher and lessons I will be preventing behavior problems.  Jones believes that creating the room arrangement, class rules, chores, and routines help structure the classroom.  I believe that this theory is accurate.  It is important to set expectations in the classroom.  For this reason I would create classroom rules and explain my desired procedures within the first week or two of school.  This will help the students to understand what is expected of them.  I would also include the students in developing rules and procedures because it will help them feel as if it is their classroom.

 

Procedures and Routines

 

 At the beginning of the day the teacher should great the students with a smile as they enter.  The students should place their coats and bags into storage and gather their belongings for the morning gathering.  Once students have put their things away they will meet on the square rug.  Once all students are on the square rug the teacher will begin the morning routine of reciting the date of the calendar, reviewing the days of the week and the order of months, and reviewing the day’s events.  Materials needed for this procedure include a large gathering rug, a calendar, a list of days and months, and a teacher with a positive attitude and smile.

 

In order to recognize individuals, both the teacher and students should learn each others names.  Besides greeting students at the door, the teacher could also implement this procedure by placing name plates onto the student’s desk.  This will help the teacher quickly learn the name of each child.  Also, during the first few weeks of school the teacher and students could gather on the rug and learn about each student.  I would choose to students each day and have them share their likes, dislikes, information about themselves, and create a paragraph about them to hang, as well as a picture of them.  This will give students an opportunity to learn about their classmates and put a face to a name.  Another tactic the teacher could use would be saying each students name aloud when working with them.  In order to begin recognizing individuals the teacher will need graph paper for the student paragraphs, a camera for pictures, name plates for the desks, and a classroom rug.

 

In order to get the students attention and signal for silence the teacher needs to inform students of the signals that will be used.  I have several ideas for this.  I remember that when I was in elementary our teachers would dim the lights to signal that the noise was louder than what it should be.  Once the teacher would flicker the lights, the students would lower the volume of their voices and continue to work.  Another method used to quiet students is that of a bell.  Once the teacher rings the bell, students would once again lower the volume of their voices.  Another method I have seen that worked well is saying ‘5’.  This reminds the students that they should have two listening ears, two watching eyes, and one quiet mouth.  The last method that I would use to quiet a classroom would be the clapping technique.  This method allows the teacher to clap a pattern.  The students then repeat the pattern in order to encourage silence.  Once everyone is paying attention further directions are given.  These methods only require nonverbal messages that quickly get the students attention and quiet the room.  The only material that may be needed would be that of a bell.

 

When selecting groups, the teacher needs to remain fair.  I prefer to use the popsicle stick method when selecting groups or choosing a student.  This method requires the teacher to write each students name on a popsicle stick and place it into a jar.  Then when the teacher needs to place students into groups, she just needs to pull a stick out of the jar and set the groups.  Other methods of creating groups can include birth month, favorite color, favorite food group, etc…  The teacher simply needs to create a jar of popsicle sticks and have a list of ideas for group creating.  Once the student knows what group (s)he is a part of they can join the group and begin the task set forth by the teacher.

 

Classroom helpers are important because it helps the students feel as if the classroom is actually theirs.  In order to create a system in which each student is assigned a task is often tricky.  It is important to ensure that each student gets a chance to participate.  In order to do this I would create a chart that has each students name and week that is throughout the semester (this would be done 2x a year).  Each week I would rotate student’s roles as helpers and place a color coordinated sticker on their square upon completion.  Roles can include putting chairs down, getting milk, gathering and passing out papers, etc…  It is possible to create a role for each student, but more realistic to rotate the roles and have some students ‘vacationing’ for a week.  The teacher would need to create a chart for this and the students would need to know the responsibilities of their roles.  The teacher would also need to oversee the classroom helpers to ensure that they are doing their ‘job’.

 

At the end of the day (dismissal), teachers need to allow students time to gather their belongings, get their homework folders around, and check their mailboxes.  Once student’s bags are packed they need to put their chairs on their desks and pick up the trash around their desk.  This requires that the teacher leave sufficient time for the student to gather their belongings.  This may also mean that the teacher checks workspaces to make sure that things have been put away for the day.  The students need to be responsible for gathering their belongings and cleaning up their space and areas that they may have been working.  Materials needed for this include patience, materials in mailboxes, and supervision.

 

Implementation of Practices

 

Expectations in the classroom are one of the most important pieces in order to have positive classroom management.  Within the first week of school I plan on implementing classroom rules.  In order to do this, I will have a class meeting so that the students can have an opinion and say on the rules.  While it is important to have the students help with the rules, I will have a general idea of 3-5 rules I want in place.  Some general examples could include, be safe, be honest, be considerate, and set a good example.  These ideas were provided by Vicki Eastman.  General rules allow for students to categorize their rules under the main rules.  I will also have expectations for myself as the teacher.  I need to be able to prevent misbehavior through the use of my teaching methods.  This means I need to prepare lesson plans that are engaging, as well as challenging that will keep the attention of all students.  I need to be able to recognize when the class or lesson needs to be restructured to fit the needs of my students on an individual and whole group basis.  By having these preventative and supportive methods, I will be able to help control the behavior in my classroom.

 

Consequences need to be fair and consistent.  This is why it is important for all of the students to know the expectations in the classroom.  When using corrective strategies it is important to be sensitive to the situation but to follow through on the consequence.  The consequences in my classroom will be as follows:

I will also use nonverbal communication as a means to keep the misbehaviors to a minimum.  My goal is to have few, if any, students who need a call home.  I hope that the consequences of speaking with the parents or meeting with the principal are absolute last resorts.  However, I believe that it is important for parents to know about their student’s behavior regardless of good or bad so I will be keeping parents informed of both positives and negatives in regards to behavior.  I also think that there should be positive consequences for student behavior.  This can be in the form of a smile, verbal praise, or preferred activity time for the entire class.

 

Communication of expectations, procedures, and consequences in the classroom, school, and in general are important.  If a student is unaware of the expectations set upon them then they will not feel as though they are breaking any rules.  This is why I believe that it is important to include the students in the rule making process.  It is vital that in the first two weeks students are aware of the rules and the expectations of the teacher and the school.  One way in which students can begin to develop a sense of these rules is by watching the teacher(s) model.  If I model the behaviors I want in my class and how to behave in the halls then students will begin to mimic these behaviors.  I refer to this modeling as ‘Monkey See, Monkey Do’.  I think modeling is both important in behavior and in lessons.  Students should be able to see what you consider good work versus not so good work.  This will also help Gardner’s visual intelligence students.  I also believe that it is important for parents to be included in their student’s education.  For this reason parents will be sent a letter of the rules and consequences developed by me and the class.  This letter will give parents an idea of my classroom management, the expectations, and the consequences.  The parent then has the opportunity to support the discipline plan and create a partnership with the teacher to help direct the student’s behavior.

 

Conclusion

 

I am ambitious about beginning my teaching career and am confident that I will be capable of managing a classroom.  I believe that each of the theorists have ideas that are able of being implemented into the classroom.  Personally, my leadership skills tend to lean towards the various styles of Kagan, Kyle, and Scott, Glasser, Canter, Nelson, Lott, and Glenn, and Jones.  I am a believer that modeling and open communication will help to control the discipline in the classroom.  All teachers should have preventative, supportive, and corrective techniques that help students remain on task and active in the classroom.  By gaining the trust and respect of both my students and their parents I will be able to work cooperatively with all parties to meet my desired expectations.  Preparation is also a key to having a manageable discipline plan in the classroom.  I know what type of lessons I want to teach, the expectations that will be in my classroom, the types of communication I would like to have with students and parents, and the rules, procedures and routines that I will have.  Since I have these philosophies I am confident that my first year of teaching will be smoother than most other first years.

 Parent Letter

August 23, 2006

Dear Parents,

As the new school year begins, I would like to inform you of the classroom rules and consequences.  During the first several days of school, your students have helped determine classroom rules and consequences.  It is important for your students to feel important in making decisions that will influence them in their own classroom.  The class came up with several rules that should be followed and we placed them into four categories. 

They are:                                              Examples include:

 

The class also developed consequences for breaking the rules.  They are as follows:

 

I am looking forward to this coming school year and am excited to see what your students will bring to the classroom.  I believe that communication is a key for us to feel comfortable and successful.  Please let me know if there are any comments or concerns you have about this year.

 

Thank you,

Amanda Hayward

 

~~~~~~~~~Please sign and return the bottom portion of this letter so ~~~~~~~~~~

I know that you had an opportunity to look over the rules and consequences.

 

I have seen and am aware of the rules and consequences for Ms. Hayward’s classroom.

 

Signature:_______________________________________________  Date:___________