Running Head: Classroom Management

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Classroom Management Plan University of Utah Yajaira Martinez

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Classroom Management Plan I believe that having a well developed classroom and disciplinary procedure can contribute to the amount of learning that is taking place in the classroom. I believe every teacher runs their classroom differently. It is usually run according to their philosophy of management and discipline. My philosophy about classroom management and discipline is to create a classroom that will allow students to come and learn without feeling intimidated or insecure. I personally do not believe in a classroom that is teacher directed. I do not believe that teachers should use their role to intimidate students or feel that things should run his or her way only. I do believe that a teacher is the adult in the classroom and has great power to be a role model and influence students development. My students will understand that they have the choice to be successful and to behave properly. I will educate students to understand that certain behaviors are not acceptable and have their consequences. Consequences will be provided in a way that are none treating, and instead are given in a way that they can understand and improve from it. As a teacher I should always be a role model and teach students what proper behavior should look like. I want my students to feel comfortable around me and respected. Personally I never remember learnig from a teacher that will put me down or was intimidating, more than 100 students reported positive teacher student relationships were the foundation of effective classroom management and could reduce behavior problems by 31 percent. (p.17, Jones, 2011) My classroom will have control, but not only by me. It will have control because I am a big believer of having procedures in place. I want them to know that their teacher cares about them as individuals. I will work hard to not only give them the content that they need to be successful but I will also work hard to understand their personal needs and help them find was to fulfill their academic and personal needs. Understanding why my students behave the way they do is important in finding solutions to help them and get them to focus back to learning, students

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cannot have energy for learning unless their basic personal needs have been met (Maslow, 2011). I will provide my students with the support they each need, the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths and the tools to overcome their weakness. My classroom will be about working together to maintain a learning environment in which children from all cultures and their ideas are valued, and we will support and respect each other. Organize the physical environment Although a classroom is given to a teacher and we cannot add more wall space we are in control of the interior design of our classroom. How teachers arrange everything inside their classroom is as crucial to a students learning as having a procedure and disciplinary action in place. Students should walk into my classroom and feel happy and welcomed. The set up of a classroom is very important to how a classroom is being managed, the teacher needs to make sure his/her classroom is arranged for the students to be productive (Cluff,2006). I will be able to see each and every one of my students faces. They will not be hidden from me or the white board. They will not be in solitude, but around peers that will make them feel comfortable and supported. I want to arrange my classroom where everyone is facing the board. I want students to be able to get in and out of the classroom safely and quickly in case of emergencies. I also want space in between both roles of desk for teacher and students to easily get to the front of the board and to the back of the classroom. I want a library in my classroom that has plenty of books arranged by levels of difficulties. I want to promote reading in my classroom. I also want activity tables where we can rotate from one learning activity to another or that I can use for writing centers. My ideal classroom would have computers. In the classroom that I am student teaching at this time its easy for students to hide behind computers. I feel they get in their way of looking at the board. If I had a choice they would not have computers in front of them but somewhere in

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the classroom. In order for instruction to take place we have to call the students to the carpet and is not the most comfortable place to sit and write, it also takes time from the lesson to transition from one place to another. My ideal classroom will be set up as shown below.
Window Teac
Computers Storage

Supplies other materials

Learning center

S m a r t b o a r d

Table 7 Table1 Table 2 Table 3 B u l l e t i n b Table6 Table 4

carpet Table 5

Table 8

Learning center Library

Classroo m door

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Manage student behavior Like mentioned before I do not want to be a teacher that intimidates students, but I do strongly believe that guidelines and rules and procedures should be in place in every classroom. If students are not familiar with daily procedures or what rules apply to them, how are they suppose to know what a teacher expects from them. Students should understand what acceptable and unacceptable behavior is. They are not mind readers and they should not have to guess what the teacher wants. The rules should always be displayed in a classroom where every child can see them. Rules should not be overwhelming but kept simple and should have as few as possible. Expectations and consequences should always be discussed on the first day of school. Students should understand what they mean and have examples and non examples of them. Reinforcement should be kept positive to get students that are not following the rules to start following them Reinforce positive responses to rules, such as a student following a class rule by raising his hand instead of calling out an answer (Nissman, 2009). My classroom rules will be 1. Never say I cant 2. Try your best and believe in yourself 3. Respect others like you would like to be respected 3. Follow Directions carefully 4. Raise your hand and respond to teachers prompt for attention 5. Wait for teachers dismissal not the bell 6. Follow classroom procedures. There are 13 types of misbehaviors that teachers come across some of these types are far more serious than others, yet even those that seem benign require your attention because they can be disruptive or otherwise detrimental behaviors students should not do, but to have a discussion with students about them. When one of the rules is broken my students will know my procedure to deal with it. When a rule is broken there are certain things to keep in mind before disciplining students it needs to suit the teacher needs and those of the students, remain compatible with your convictions, and always works in the best interest of your

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student (Charles, 2011). For my disciplinary action I will give them a nonverbal warning if it continues I will have the students put their name on the behavior log. This is something my teacher uses now, she sends it home every Friday to have it sign by parents. Its nice because students do not want to have to take it home. The only thing I would change is sending it home only if the child reaches the last consequence. For example they are to still put their name on 1st warning 2nd warning go and think of what you could of done better and apologize and third take me to your parents. My classroom will have set procedures. Personally I am the type of person that has procedures even at home. I have procedures I go through daily, they keep me on track and I feel that they can keep me on track as a teacher too. Some of my classroom procedure would be as follows. When students come into my classroom in the morning there will be a homework bin. Next to the bin will be a cup with pencils that reminds students to write their name on their homework. There will also be two cups one will be filled with popsicles sticks that have the students name on them. The other one will be empty were they are to put their sticks if they are present the ones left are the absent kids. Students are to walk in and while I welcome them into the classroom they are to put their homework in the bin, sit down and start on their morning self starter. While they work I will be taking attendance using the sticks. We will go over the morning starter together. After we will start with our day, throughout the day my transition routine will be to give them ten seconds countdown to get to one place to another. Students will turn in their class work into the classroom work bin when they are done and will have the schedule on the board to know what comes next. Attention prompts are important to get students attention quick. In class we have focused on the Big 8! For classroom management, attention prompts should be used as verbal prompts and

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physical stance to get students attention for upcoming instruction or directions (Brinkman, Forlini, Willimas, 2011). I will make sure to teach my students the attention prompt on the first day of class and how to respond to my attention prompt. I found this cute attention prompt that I want to use Hocus Pocus and the children will say everyone focus. I will also explain that it means that when I say this that Mrs. Martinez should have collected everyones eyeballs. For students to use the restroom I will have students understand that for the whole day they have two bathroom passes each. They can only go twice and should be used wisely. They are not to get up and go during instruction time and they will need to raise their hand and go with permission. They need to turn their bathroom passes to me so I can keep track of how many times each one has gone. Even little things like using the bathroom should have its set procedure, clearly define bathroom rules from the first day of class and never use the forbidden use of the bathroom as punishment (Nissman, 2009). At the end of the day I will put their passes in their desk for the next day. For the end of the day routing I will have students stop the last five minutes and go through an end of the day checklist that will be posted on the walls. 1. Cleaned up my area 2. I have turned in all my work. 3. I have put my homework in my backpack. 4. Tell your partner to have a great rest of the day. 5. Wait for teachers dismissal. I will also not allow students to sharpen pencils instead they are to leave their broken pencil in the pencil box to be sharpened and grab a sharpened one. a teacher should determine what procedures are needed, break them down into simple steps, we should teach them visually, orally and kinesthetically, practice them, reinforce them and periodically review them (Caldwell, 2012 Notes). Create a respectful, supportive learning environment

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As stated on my philosophy having a classroom that respects one another and understands that they should respect others just how they want to be respected is huge for me. I want my students to feel respected by me and I want respect from them. I will educate my students that when someone is talking we do not talk over them. We will also know that we do not put people down or laugh at their comments, or say rude comments. I will encourage my students to help one another when they are struggling with an assignment or response. The first day of school students will learn that we are a family in the classroom, that we care about one another and we never hurt anyones feelings or make them feel uncomfortable in any way. My students will know that bullying is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in my class. They will recognize that everyone has something special to bring to the classroom and that we work together to be the best that we can be. Students will also be taught that we are all equal and it doesnt matter where we come from or the language we speak, being culturally sensitive is key to a safe environment (Caldwell, 2012 notes). My class will know that if one of us fails we all sink together. In my future classroom I will teach my students that they are to let me know if anyone is in danger. I also recognize that for students to feel comfortable doing this requires me showing them that they can trust me and be opened with me. Students will learn to say good morning to each other and have a great day at the end. They are to use the words thank you, and sorry. Instead of encouraging bad behavior a student should know to encourage their classmate to do better. Telling on each other will not be acceptable. I will have a procedure in place that if anyone hurts someone in my class or their feelings. I will have them pull out a block from a set up mini Jenga. This will represent them taking away from the class set up and if we keep pulling blocks out than we will all collapse and

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fall together. When assigning groups students will never respond with a negative comment instead they will be instructed to say yes!! when given a group (Mrs. Britanies class). Manage and facilitate instruction I want to make sure that I come to class prepare everyday not just to teach but to be prepared to engage my students. I do not want my lessons to be teacher focused, instead I want instruction to always have open discussions, and are student focused. I do not want instruction to drag but to be effective; the more time you take teaching doesnt mean you are filling the students with more information, but the more students you are losing. Students should not have to sit in their desk for hours working on worksheets, but instead learning through lesson plans that teach them through the three different ways students learn, verbally, visually and kinesthetically(Erichsen, 2010). Students should be accountable for their learning (Nissman, 2009). I will call on students during instruction to make sure they are focused and understanding. This is not to intimidate them in any way. I will explain that they should never fear their answer or think that their answer is stupid. I will explain that its a way for all of us to help and learn together. I will give out homework but not overwhelm them with it. I will assign homework according to what we learned that day in class and only homework that covers concepts I have explained. I understand that some students do not have the support at home they need and this is why I want to assign homework my students can work independently on. My lessons should also be focused on my students level of understanding. I will have support for my ells by allowing them to collaborate with non ells and assigning things to them at their level. My classroom will have a bin with Popsicle sticks for my early finishers. These sticks will have assignments they can work on if they get done quickly and will count for extra credit.

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During spelling my site teacher has two different groups Words their way and imagine it group. At the beginning of the year she tested every student and it assessed their spelling skills. I like how they are all on different spelling words according to their level. I want to do the same with my class. I also like how she has reading time for her Ells while the rest of her students work on their math work. I like this because the ELL groups get small group instruction with reading and fluency. For my lessons I want to always use manipulative for children to learn. I want to come up with lessons that students will not forget. In order for that to happen I need students to enjoy learning and its my job to make it enjoyable. Promote classroom safety and wellness To promote classroom safety and wellness students will know the following procedures. If something minor happens like a cut they will know where my health kit is located at. They will have a set procedure to go by during a fire drill or any type of evacuation. We will practice these procedures through the school year. I will also have a box that will have a slit where students can drop off any concerns they have, but may not want the rest of the class to know. This procedure will require me to explain to children that its not a gossip box or telling on others box, but only to be used for big concerns. I will have a corner in the class where students can go and take a minute to take a deep breath. I will call it my inner peace station with a picture of Kung Fu Panda saying inner peace. I use this with my son already whenever he throws a tantrum I sent him there he goes and takes a breath. I tell him to take a second and relax. This station will let students calm down and think before they act. If I have a child with anger problems I will make sure to sit that child by the door this way when he has one of his melt downs I can easily remove him from the environment and talk to him in the hall. I will also teach students that when something like this happens they are to stay calm and continue working.

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Interact with colleagues, parents and others to achieve classroom management Being a teacher and having your own classroom does not mean by any means that you work alone. It is extremely important for teachers to work together and support one another. I can already see all the different reasons why you need a buddy teacher. Buddy teachers are great for misbehavior, bounce lesson ideas of with one another and to collaborate together on a weekly schedule. (Classroom notes). It is important to build a positive relationship with co workers and parents (classroom notes). I know of many parents that do not get involved in their students learning, not because they do not care but because of language barriers. My parents will know that I appreciate each and every one of them and that they are always welcomed in my classroom. This will require me to send out a sign up volunteer list at the beginning of the year and invite parents to talk about their cultures when an activity relating to culture comes up. They will also always be informed by having access to my teachers website and being able to volunteer even when they cannot physically come into the classroom.

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References Caldwell, D. (2012). Classroom Management University of Utah Cluff, D. (2006, May 28). Classroom arrangement. Retrieved from http://www.edarticle.com/article.php?id=127 C.M, C. (2011). Building classroom management. (10 ed., pp. 1-322). Pearson. Erichsen, G. (2010, January 4). Do we learn in different ways?. Retrieved from http://www.about.com/dowelearnindifferentways.com Jones, V. (2011). Practical classroom management. (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1-256). Boston, Ma: Pearson. Nissman, B. (2009). Teacher-tested classroomm management strategies. (3rd ed., pp. 1-155). Boston, Ma: Pearson.

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