Christina Le Classroom Management Plan

Philosophical Statement I believe that classroom management is one of the most important factors in creating an effective and safe environment that fosters learning. With classroom management, there are many approaches to creating a classroom that will benefit the teacher and the students. Some models or approaches that I would incorporate in my classroom management plan are, Nelson, Lott, and Glenns model of positive discipline, and Mendler and Curwins social contract approach because these models help students develop a better understanding of themselves and the world around them and help them to develop responsibilities.

Room Arrangement I believe it is important for teachers to understand how setting up the classroom could affect the students learning environment. Throughout the program, I have gained a better understanding about the possible differences of the students within a classroom. Students learn at different paces and have different learning styles. Therefore, I am aware that it is imperative to have different setups within the classroom to accommodate the different learning styles of the students. Within my classroom, I will have several areas set up for different uses, such as a whole group area, workstations, a teacher-directed small group area, areas for workstations, and tables set up for the students to work at. The whole group area will be an open space in the middle of the classroom. I will use this area by having all the students gather together on the floor. Although there are many uses for this area, some activities that could be done in this whole group area are

to teach lessons, mini-lessons, or for interactive read-alouds. As a pre-service teacher, I also know that there will be times when I will have to work with a small group of students or work one-on-one with a student. For my teacher-directed small group area or one-on-one area, some activities that I would use this for would be guided reading, interactive reading and writing, or any activities that are needed to reteach students who were unable to understand the lesson the first time. This area will be set up in a corner of the classroom with the teachers chair towards the back of the wall. This is done to ensure students safety because I will be able to overlook the classroom even while working with the small group or the individual. I would like to have the same setting with my teachers desk. A desk placement in the corner with the back of the chair against the wall will allow me to overlook the classroom. Also, with a corner area for the desk, it will give me two walls to place small shelves for supplies that I will need and use. Having the shelves against the wall and behind my desk will also help me ensure that students are unable to access things, such as students work, data, or grades. The students seating will be set up for cooperative learning. Students will be placed four to five at a table, which will help them learn how to work together and help them develop pro-social skills. Activities that could be done at the tables are center activities that reinforce student learning or classwork. Against a wall, I would like to set up a shelf that has different resources to use. By having it against a wall, the shelve will not block my view from any students. This will ensure that I am able to see all my students at all time. Also, having the shelf of resources will allow students to access the information that they may need or

want. Students should always feel that the work theyve done is good enough to be displayed. Therefore, I will have a whole wall that is divided into squares with a students name labeled in each box. Having a wall display of their work encourages and motivates student learning. I also feel with a square for each student, they will be able have ownership over their display box and their work. These examples are just a small way to show that there is plenty of thought with many reasons when planning how to set up a classroom environment that will induce an effective learning environment.

Classroom Rules/Norms Having rules and guidelines helps students monitor their behaviors, which could prevent misbehaviors and help a classroom run smoother. One way that I would create rules in the classroom is to have a social contract. Curwin and Mendler stated that social contracts are one of the most effective ways to help teachers take charge of their classroom while allowing students to still have a voice in class decisions (Manning & Butcher, 2007). With social contracts, students, alone with the teacher, come up with rules for the classroom that will benefit students and keep students safe. Because students are also coming up with the rules and signing the contract, it will allow them to monitor their behavior and to hold themselves accountable for following the rules. Some rules that may be included are: walk to your destination, speak in a 12-inch voice in the classroom, or keep your hands and feet to yourself. I believe that it is important for teachers to also work the rules in a positive manner avoiding negative words, such as

dont. Rules for the students will be written on a poster board big enough for the students to see from wherever they are in the classroom. Parents and administrators will be able to access this information of the classroom rules on the teachers website or in the first monthly newsletter. However the rules may be communicated to the students, parents, or administrators, it is important that they know to help guide the students to follow the rules.

Classroom Procedures I believe that having procedures and routines benefit both the teacher and the students. When the students know the procedures and routines, they know what to expect and what is expected of them. At the beginning of the year, I would like to teach students routines on how to begin and how to end the day. The procedures of the routines will be taught in a mini-lesson during whole group. I will also model for the students how to do the routines and two students model the routine to ensure that the students understand the procedures. The procedures will include how to enter the classroom, take out their materials, put up their backpacks, and start their warm-ups or waiting activity for the morning, and how to put away their materials, collect their belongings, and line up to leave for the day. For transitions, I will use different ways to get them to move from whole group to their tables or from their tables to their workstations. One way to transition them may be to have a pocket chart that lists the names of the centers and the students at the center. This way, the students will be able to see exactly which workstation they will be at for the day. With each workstation, I will

introduce and explain the activity in a whole group mini-lesson, model each step of the activity, and then have do a quick example of how the activity is done with the students. Because students mainly work without the teacher during workstations, it is important for them to know the rules for the activities they are doing. To help the students, I will have a mini poster of the rules or a sheet of paper with the rules for each of the workstations at the station.

Differentiation for Special Populations Encouraging students motivate the students to learn and to do well. Using encouragement also boosts confidence and self-esteem (Manning & Butcher, 2003). I intend to encourage my students by giving them feedback about their work and improvement that they may have made over time. By showing the students that they are improving, I am helping them see their own capabilities and successes. Also, by specifically grouping students to certain groups, they are able to feel that they are capable of learning from others or teaching others by working together.

Student Roles in Classroom Management I believe that students are able to be more responsible for the classroom when they feel like they are a part of the class. One of the best ways to ensure that students take an active role in maintaining the classroom is by giving them a way to help the teacher (Wolfe, 2006). By giving them a job in the classroom, they are able to feel important and helpful. Student jobs encourage classroom

involvement because they assign specific jobs to specific students until the jobs are rotated. During the time of their jobs, students are able to feel like they have an important responsibility or duty to the classroom. When students feel like they have a reason to be there, they are more motivated to be involved in the classroom.

Works Cited Bucher, K., Manning, M. (2007). Classroom Management: Models, Applications, and Cases (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education Inc. Wolfe, S. (2006). Your Best Year Yet! A Guide to Purposeful Planning & Effective Classroom Organization. Scholastic