Classroom Management Philosophy

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Classroom management is an invaluable skill that all successful teachers need to maintain a
healthy learning environment. Through personal research, I have explored many
techniques that are useful in properly managing a classroom: having a safe and stimulating
environment for students to learn, establishing routines and time management, rules and
discipline, social interaction, facilitating group work, and bullying. Here, I will present my
ideal classroom with the components listed above and how I intend to implement them in
my future classroom.
A Safe Learning Environment
In any successful classroom, there needs to be sharing and growth as a community.
Establishing an environment that is founded on respect, dignity, and sharing allows
students to learn from each other through an open concept of sharing new ideas. It is
extremely important students are aware that making a mistake may be a fruitful
experience as it allows room for growth and development. I intend to establish this type of
environment from the beginning of classes so that students may adopt this philosophy to
help them feel comfortable in their learning. In order to implement this open and respectful
environment, I plan to have activities that enable students to participate and share
something about themselves. When there are many opportunities to learn more about each
other, students not only have the chance to get to know their classmates better, but I will
also have more chances to make connections with them.
Routines and Time Management
Establishing routines and time management are organization techniques that go together:
effective time management may be the result of appropriate routines to save valuable
instruction time. Being a creature of habit, I am a definite promoter of this practice. Once
Classroom Management Philosophy
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these routines have been established, students will be co-leaders in the classroom with me
and allow their contribution help the whole class run more smoothly. To establish routines
in my future classroom, I plan to introduce them to students on the first day of class. I
intend to create a schedule of who is responsible for which duty and when. When a routine
is an individuals responsibility, it is key for all students to be aware of when it is their turn
to lead responsibility for a certain action. It is important that all students are aware when
they are responsible and in charge of a task for their fellow classmates.
Forming Rules and Discipline
Forming rules and maintaining appropriate discipline are two essential components when
managing a classroom. I have four main principles regarding classroom rules: that I may be
in control and the class is ordered, the seating plan is adapted according to the activity, that
I may have a few concise rules that encompass other important limits, and that I am
consistent in my rule enforcement so that students may know their boundaries well. I
believe that these principles may promote an environment of respect and one that
encourages much growth and development of all.
With respect to discipline in my future classroom, I hope to collaborate with fellow
teachers to establish a grade level disciplinary system or even a school-wide plan. I find a
consistent discipline plan with either grade levels or school-wide will allow students to be
more aware of their boundaries and hopefully be more likely to respect them. I am in
favour of a school-wide discipline plan because then students will be aware of the rules
from their first year at that school and also a strengthened sense of community among
teachers. These two highly positive effects make a school-wide discipline plan a recipe for
success.
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Working in Groups
When social interactions of a classroom are appropriate, its important for students to have
the opportunity to work efficiently in groups. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to educate
my students on the importance of establishing roles in group work and having an open
channel of communication between all members; these helpful tips will make group work a
more efficient and fruitful experience. Whether the dimensions of the project demand small
group work (i.e. 2-4 students), formal in-class activities (i.e. tutorials, concept mapping), or
formal out-of-class collaborative assignments (i.e. presentations), students need to be
conscious of collaborative work instead of just cooperative work.
Bullying
Bullying is a severe conduct, which is not to be taken lightly. I feel it is critical that students
are aware of the signs of bullying and should therefore be educated about its dimensions. I
intend to have an informative poster in my classroom that distinguishes between teasing
and taunting so that students may identify if the alleged behaviour is bullying or not. It is
my responsibility as a teacher to be aware of the previously identified bullies during my
introduction to a new school, so that I may be aware of potential predators. In response to
bullying, I believe that bullies should have a positive action consequence rather than a
negative one. For example, if a student acts inappropriately on a regular basis towards a
special needs student, then perhaps the bullys consequence is to carry his or her books to
class. When the consequence of the bullying action is in contrast to the inappropriate
behaviour, the bully is forced to experience the result of the proper behaviour. This
approach offers the bully the benefit of feeling good about his behaviour and encourages
him or her to consider this feeling when he or she may think of bullying in the future.