Classroom Management Plan Mayra Sanchez Select a Philosophical Model As a teacher, I want to provide my students with quality instruction.

I still want to make some decisions and have a sense of control in the classroom. I believe that the classroom should have boundaries and that there are consequences for how students behave. However, I also believe that the classroom should be a classroom community. Students should have respect for each other and want to help each other in reaching the expectations that have been set for the classroom. Students should also learn to make good decisions on their own and act responsibly. Because of this, the model that I think best fits my beliefs and the way that I should and want to be managing my classroom is the Interacting Model. I as the teacher would have medium control and so would the students. I want to work with students so that they can solve their problems, act responsibly, and make good choices. I dont want students to act a certain way because of rewards or punishments. I want them to see the consequences of their actions and why certain behaviors are more acceptable and effective. Organize the Physical Environment The way a classroom is organized can enable students to learn better and be more focused. The physical environment can help lessons run more smoothly and orderly and even give the students a sense of belonging. To create a better sense of belonging, the classroom should have space to showcase student work. This should be in an area where students can see their work displayed. In my classroom, if I am to have a lower grade classroom, I will need a space for students to sit on rugs. This space will also need to have enough space for a bulletin board and an easel whiteboard. On this bulletin board I will have a word wall and the calendar. I

also will need space for a filing cabinet, storage for supplies, and bookshelves for both me and the students. The student bookshelf will have books that are rotated throughout the school year by theme, reading level, content area etc. If it is a higher grade classroom, then the student bookshelf will contain books separated by genre and labeled with reading level. Students will be seated in groups. I like the idea of students having their own desk space, so the desks will be arranged in groups. They will also be arranged in a way that I can efficiently and quickly get to students in the classroom and one way this can be done is by arranging the groups in a horseshoe formation. Classrooms usually lack enough space. Thus, I would choose to not have a desk and have a kidney table instead that I can use for many purposes. This would mean however that I would also need a small table for my computer and document camera or use a laptop instead and more storage space. If the room still had space, then I would also put in some tables to use during center time or for placing projects to dry. Kindergarten rooms sometimes have a dramatic play area. I would like to have this as well if I have a kindergarten classroom. I would try to set it up in a place that does not block the wall space for bulletin boards and word walls and that wont distract the students when they are in their other centers. Manage Student Behavior I will follow the Wongssuggestions for the first days of school. The class runs more smoothly when students know what they should be doing and how they should do it. Students need to know why the procedures are put in place and how they are helpful for the whole class. On the first days of school I will explain what I expect of my students. As a class, we will decide on class rules. I will have rules in mind so that I can guide my students to come up with

appropriate rules that include what I have in mind as well. Then, the students will sign them. Students will feel a greater responsibility to follow the rules if they are written as a contract and students agree to follow them by signing it. Students will also learn about the consequences for their actions. What will happen when rules are followed and when they arent? They will be introduced to the color clip chart. Students will learn the consequences for each color and how you can move back up. We will discuss proper behavior at the rug. We will practice what sitting on the rug looks like and sounds like. This is also where I would introduce any signals or prompts that will be used to redirect the students attention. Also, it is important to talk about when it is acceptable to go to the bathroom and how students will use the pass to go to the bathroom. It often can create a disruption if students ask to use the bathroom during teaching. Students will also need to be shown where the bathrooms are and the procedures for leaving the room. Students may even need to take a tour of the school to know where things are. Younger grade students will also need to learn the appropriate procedures for staying in their seat and how to keep their desks organized. Students will need to practice how to line up for lunch and how to line up for other events such as in the morning, after recess, before leaving the classroom etc. For Kindergarten, it is of extreme importance to practice the procedure for going home. Once the bell rings, there are many students walking through the halls and all over the school. Students need to remember to stay with their class and make eye contact with me before they leave. This way I will know that they have left and with whom they left. This is important not only to be orderly but also to be safe. Another procedure that students need to learn and rehearse is the procedure for centers. Students will need to practice how to rotate, how centers should look before they rotate and their noise level at each. Lastly, I have seen that having water bottles for students has minimized the problems of having students out of their seat or taking too much time to let

everyone drink water after recess. Students will then just learn the appropriate times to fill up their water bottles which will be in the morning during starters or when I give special permission. Create a Respectful, Supportive Learning Environment First of all, to create a supportive learning environment, I will get to know my students. This way, I am able to know what they like and I can become approachable. Students will be comfortable with coming to me both with their problems at school and successes. By knowing my students, I can modify my teaching with what interests them and know how to better meet their learning needs. I will also greet students at the door every morning and give short comments. Glasser, Kohn and Marshall have stated the importance of classroom meetings. I will have a classroom community meeting once a week in the morning. Here we will talk about a character trait and talk about how they are feeling that morning. I will also have a prompt for students and a talking stick. I will then ask students if they have anything they want to talk about and occasionally have an activity to strengthen our classroom community. Students will learn what behaviors are acceptable in this classroom and which behaviors are not. I will teach that all students should be respected and that we should follow the 3 Cs (I care about myself, I care about others and I care about my community). Kohn suggests that to create a greater sense of community, students should be able to work together. Students will be sitting in groups so that they can talk to each other. Students will learn that when they have a question about an assignment, they first need to ask their neighbors. If their neighbors cannot help, then they can come and ask me. Sometimes students were just not paying attention to directions but someone in their group could have been listening. The

classroom also has a better sense of community when students are able to help each other succeed. Early finishers can also be great helpers. Students can gain a sense of belonging and cooperation skills when they are able to help each other understand important concepts. Students will also be introduced to Coveys 7 habits so that students can learn to be leaders. Students learn how to make the right choices and how to keep others in mind as well. With such habits like seeking first to understand before being understood, win-win, and synergy; students learn to be responsible and work as a team. I would also like to implement class jobs. Students need to feel like they belong, like they have a personal responsibility in the classroom. In my site classroom, we do not have class jobs and some students for example, get angry or sad when they arent the ones that are helping pass out papers. So in my current classroom, I would have two passers, calendar helper, and lights student. I also want the jobs to resemble real jobs in the world so I would label the jobs mail carriers, news reporter, and electrician. Then we would rotate them every day and they would be posted. Rotating the jobs frequently would help reduce the issues with having students comment about how they never get a turn. I will also need to do my part in creating a classroom community. I will need to be a model for the behavior that I want to see in my classroom. I will show my students that I am interested in their learning. I will watch how I react to situations in my classroom and be respectful to my students as well. I will also establish positive relationships with my students by avoiding Glassers seven deadly habits of criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging, threatening, punishing and rewarding. Instead I will build strong relationships with my students by using the seven connecting habits of caring, listening, supporting, respecting, encouraging, trusting and negotiating differences.

Lastly, I will also talk to students after they have behaved inappropriately or made a bad decision. This is because many times when students move down a color or pull a card, they dont understand what it is they did wrong or why it was wrong. It is equally important to talk to students and find solutions to the problem behavior as it is to have logical consequences for their behavior. This way, they learn alternate behaviors and what they should be doing. Students will see that I genuinely care about their well-being and their learning. Manage and Facilitate Instruction To manage and facilitate instruction, I will use the Big 8. The first of these is setting expectations. Students should know what they are going to do and how they are going to do it. I will front load the behavior that I expect before I begin a lesson and what it is we will be learning. In the morning I will also review the schedule for the day. I will chunk it and say everything we will do the whole day and repeat the afternoon schedule in the afternoon. Content and language objectives will be posted on the board as I can statements and read for the students. Students will also know from the beginning of the school year that I expect all students to do their best and provide quality work. Students also need to be aware of time. Time can be wasted when students dont use it wisely or when teachers dont manage it well. Transitions also need to be brief to give students optimal work time. Students will be given a countdown to return to their desks after whole group instruction at the rug or to move to the rug for instruction. Students will also be given time limits for activities such as pair and share, you have 2 minutes to talk to you neighbor about Students also need to know how much time they have left to finish a task and to clean up after an activity.

I will give students reminders and cues to redirect students attention and clarify. To accomplish this, I will praise students that are doing what they are supposed to be doing to remind students what they should be doing. I will be specific when I provide praise. I will also remind students to do their best and what not to forget. For example, I can say, Remember to write your name. I will use a verbal cue of get ready to re-direct students attention. Attention prompts give teachers a way to focus the students attention when wanting to provide instruction. One attention prompt that I will use is saying, class, class. Students will then respond with what, what. Another prompt I will use is saying, I am at 321 Students will then know that they are expected to bring their attention up front and stop what they are doing. The classroom and desks will be organized so that I can move around the room. The setup needs to allow for eye contact with my students as I move along the room. When I am giving instruction I will be in front of the students where they can see me and if I need to move to a different area of the room, students need to be able to rotate around without being uncomfortable. I will also use proximity to my advantage during instruction. When students are not paying attention or are off-task, I will move closer to them. Signals are a non-verbal way that students can show understanding or something they need. Students will show me that they are done with a task by putting their pencils down and folding their arms on top of their desks. Students will show their level of understanding with a thumbs up or thumbs down for young students or 1-3 fingers for older students. Students will signal to me when they are ready at the rug by having their eyes on me, sitting crisscross applesauce and their lips closed. These are mostly the same signals when they are in line to show they are ready to leave the classroom. Finally, to go to the bathroom, students will signal with

their hands raised and fingers crossed. Then the lesson will not be interrupted and I can respond non-verbally. I will be enthusiastic and make sure that students can hear what I am saying. When students are off-task or talking, I will lower my voice. During read-alouds, I will change the pitch of my voice to capture students attention. I will also use student friendly words so that students will understand what I am saying when I give directions or teach the lesson. Activities and lessons should also be engaging. Students shouldnt have to just sit there and listen to me talk. I will provide opportunities for my students to talk to each other and participate in the lesson. I will devise questions that they can answer and have different ways for them to answer. For example, students can write the answer on their whiteboards, or pair and share. Students can also come up to the board to do something or show me with their fingers the answer to a math problem. Some responses will be whole group and others will be individual. Having a wide variety of activities during the lesson can keep the students engaged. Students also need time to wiggle and move. In our school we have been learning yoga and we can do yoga when they are tired of sitting down. We also could exercise, stretch or sing. Whatever it is that we do for breaks; large sections of instruction need to have moments of movement. Promote Classroom Safety and Wellness In our classroom community meetings and 7 habits lessons, students will learn how to deal with difficult situations. They will learn about having their right to feel safe and how we can ensure safety. However, some students may still make the wrong choices. There should be consequences for the wrong choice that they make that put others at risk. When student safety is at risk, students may be removed from their peers or separated from those that they are hurting. In my classroom I will not allow bullying of any sort or cliques or form. If this happens in the

classroom, then students will lose the privilege of sitting with their friends, sitting out from the activity, or do the activity again appropriately. Parents will also be notified when this kind of situation occurs. If the situation continues, students will have a conference with the teacher and other school staff may also be involved. I will also encourage and praise the class when students are being kind and providing a safe environment. I will constantly remind students and motivate them to act respectfully and manage impulsive behavior. Interact with Colleagues, Parents and Others There are many others both in school and outside of school that can provide great suggestions for managing a classroom. No class is the same and some things may not work for all students. Parents can be a great resource to figure out the needs of the students in my classroom. They can also reinforce the lessons that are learned in school. Parents should know how their student is doing as well. Each week I will provide parents with a letter that shows them how they have been behaving all week and when a consequence was used. I will also speak with parents when there is a problem that needs to be dealt with immediately, or is recurring etc. I will also speak to the various support teams that the school provides for the students and for me. My grade level team, special education, and intervention teams can all offer suggestions when I am out of ideas or I need a new perspective on a problem or behavior in my classroom. These are all the ways that I plan to manage my classroom. Most are ways that I can prevent problem behavior in the classroom but others are ways that I can deal with the problem behavior when it arises. I wont always have the right answer or know the right way to respond but I do have people that I can go to for help with solutions and support. If I can manage my classroom well, then students will be able to have a safe and inviting environment to learn and grow.