Elisabeth Moore !

A. THEORETICAL INTRODUCTION

Philosophy of Classroom Management

I believe that the classroom environment is a key aspect of learning. Students need an
environment where they feel safe, accepted, and loved in order to achieve to their highest
potential. A classroom that is clearly organized and has outlined procedures minimizes classroom
management issues. When the students see that their teacher takes learning seriously, they will as
well. The classroom should be a positive place, full of predictability, where students know what
is next, and what the expectations are. Although the classroom will not always function with
predictability because of events happening beyond our control, it is important for the students to
have a sense of school being a “reliable” and “consistent” place. My classroom will be a
welcoming environment where the students will be encouraged to learn and grow.

Assumptions the Nature of Young People and Learning

I believe that all children have a unique level of potential. Not all children will
necessarily achieve at the same level; however, each child will be able to grow their knowledge
and learn more each year. Every child has a unique and different learning style. The teacher
should also consider the students’ background, culture, and/or language. This could have a
tremendous effect on the students’ potential for learning. A students’ capability of learning could
also depend on the teacher’s style of teaching. As a teacher, I will ensure that I am using
differentiation and other strategies to reach every child in my classroom; therefore, if I consider
the students’ background and differentiating lessons for the purpose of reaching all students, my
students will be able to achieve to their highest potential.

Theorist Comparison
If I were to compare my philosophy with that of theorists and their theories, I would say
that Constructivism (Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, and Bruner), and the Theory of Multiple
Intelligences (Gardner) greatly align with my beliefs. I believe that, in accordance with
Constructivist beliefs, students should be active participants in their learning. Students should be
engaged during a lesson, and not just learn visually or by listening, but kinesthetically as well.
They should know how the information they are learning impacts their life and be able to apply it
in real life situations. In regards to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, I believe that some
children may have areas in which they can greatly excel; however, those same students may
struggle in other areas. For example, students who are proficient in Math and Science may
struggle in English and Social Studies. Just because a student struggles in one area does not
mean that they struggle with all subjects.
Elisabeth Moore !2

B. EXPECTATIONS/POLICIES/RULES/BOUNDARIES

Expectations of Students
In my classroom, I will expect my students to respect me as well as their classmates. I
will communicate to the students that I want them to try their hardest and best in everything that
they do, and to always follow the school-wide rules. I will expect my students to try to do new
things before saying that they can’t or asking for help. Sometimes, they are capable of much
more than they think! I would also expect my students to consider that what they say, do, and
how they act can have an effect on others. I would ask them to ask themselves questions before
making a decision to say or do something. Questions such as “Will this hurt anyone?” and “How
will this decision make other people feel?” will help the students to become compassionate and
empathetic people.

Expectations of Classroom Climate

First and foremost, my classroom is going to be a safe place. Not just safe physically, but
also emotionally. There will be no bullying or negative talk allowed and the students will know
that they are in a room full of people of love and care for them. It will be positive, encouraging,
and full of life, love, and laughter. Eventually, the students will come to see their classmates and
me as their confidantes. In my classroom, people will always assume the best about others. In
that same way, as a teacher, I will try my best not to assume that the student is not following
instructions until I have received proof.

Rules and Policies

Although many teachers have rules and policies about no talking in the classroom I
believe that structured conversations are vital to the learning of students. An organized classroom
where students are learning does not necessarily mean that the classroom is quiet. Instead of
requiring my students to remain silent for most of the day, I would encourage them to have
conversations with each other; however, I will guide and construct those conversation times to
include an educational topic instead of just random conversations. The students will be expected
to remain silent, however, while I am talking and to raise their hand if they have a question. Of
course, there will be policies posted and reviewed regarding the volume level in the classroom.
In addition to the school-wide rules, I will expect my students to keep their hands to themselves,
and avoid making negative statements while in the classroom. The students will be expected to
offer help to a classmate whenever it looks like they may need help either academically or in
another tangible way.
Elisabeth Moore !3

C. INSTRUCTIONAL AND ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE YOUR

MANAGEMENT GOALS

What Do You Do As An Instructor That Meets Student’s Academic Needs?

As a teacher, it is my goal to reach each student from where they are both academically
and emotionally. Because of this, I will not only focus on the class as a whole, but also on the
students as individuals. I will use differentiation strategies, varying instruction to include visuals
as well as interactive activities such as reciprocal teaching in the classroom. I will also make sure
to break down the concepts in to simple steps to ensure that all students are grasping the concept.
Another aspect of differentiation would be breaking the class up in to small groups or pulling a
small group during a whole group activity. I would do this if a student or several students were
struggling with a specific concept. This way, I am able to give a few students my special
attention. I would also make sure that all the information needed to complete the homework
expected would be sent home on an “instructions sheet.” If the parents are unsure of how to do
help the student with their homework, they are able to read the instructions sheet and help their
child accordingly. If a child was continuing to struggle after trying several different strategies, I
would contact another employee of the school such as a counselor to see what could be done
about tutoring.

What Do You Do As An instructor To Prevent Students’ Need To Act Out?

In order to prevent my students from “acting out” I will begin by keeping them busy!
Students who are active and entertained have much less time to act out than if they were bored. I
will also keep the atmosphere in the classroom positive. The rules and policies will be reviewed
daily for the first several weeks and posted; therefore, the expectations of student behavior would
be clear. I will also offer positive reinforcements for individual students as well as the whole
class. These strategies are outlined in the Motivation section of this paper. If specific students
were having a difficult time following instructions, I would create a behavior plan with goals and
rewards along the way. The student as well as his or her parents must sign the behavior plan.

How Does Your Assessment Promote Your Management Goals?

Assessment will be a vital part of my classroom. I believe that informal as well as formal
assessments are important in a child’s education. When it comes to informal assessments, I
would listen a lot to the conversations that go on in the classroom. In this way, I will be able to
assess if a student has grasped a new concept, what they are struggling with, and how they feel
about the topic based on the way it was taught, i.e., did they think it was boring. Having the
students raise their hands or “turn and teach” their classmate a new topic are other forms of
informal assessment. The formal assessments will help me to gauge whether or not the students
are grasping the information as well as my performance as a teacher. My management goals are
that the classroom would be a safe and fun place to learn, that students would grasp life concepts
and not just academic ones, and that they will help me to grow as a teacher. By using informal as
well as formal assessment, I will accomplish these goals.
Elisabeth Moore !4

How Do You Allow For Variable Styles, Cultures and Circumstances in Meeting The
Diverse Needs of Your Students?
I believe that embracing and learning aspects of other cultures in the classroom is
necessary to effectively teach students from other cultures. If I had a student that was from a
different culture or background, I will try to consult with others who are from that same culture
or background to learn about the student’s language, and cultural aspects of their home life. I will
also discuss different cultures in a positive light within the classroom with the other students. I
would like to take one country every other week and talk about their food, culture, climate, etc.
to give the students a taste of what lies beyond their borders.

D. MOTIVATION

From Your Point of View, What Motivates Students? In the Short-Term? In the Long-Term?
I believe that a teacher truly knows his or her students when he or she can effectively
motivate them. The motivation of students depends on the student themselves. Some students
would be heartbroken if the teacher talked to them in a stern voice, said she was disappointed in
the choice that they had made, and they would fervently try harder not to make that decision
again; however, some students need more material rewards as motivation. I believe in the short-
term, students need encouragement and positive reinforcers to help them make wise choices in
the classroom. They need to learn how their actions don’t just effect them, but they effect others
as well. Items such as a clip chart, behavior plan, or token economy would be great short-term
motivation for the students. I also believe that eventually, the students will grow, learn, and begin
to have moral motivation to make wise decisions. This is the long-term motivation for the
students. Although they may make wise decisions because of a reward in the beginning,
eventually, they will make wise decisions because they know that it is the best for them as well
as the people around them. They will begin to consider others in their decision making and not
just themselves.

How Do You Plan To Motivate Your Students?

As a form of motivation for the whole class, I will use one aspect of the “Whole Brain
Teaching” method called “Scoreboard.” The scoreboard has a happy and sad face on it.
Whenever the students are participating well and the class as a whole smoothly transitioned or
improved on something that we had mentioned needed some work, they would get a point on the
happy face side. Every point will mean an extra minute of recess; however, if they struggle
during class or during a resource, they will get a point on the sad face side which would mean
one minute taken away from recess. If the students receive more than three minutes of free recess
time every day, they will have a treat at the end of the day on Friday. This treat could be a
“popcorn party,” free activity time, or anything that I have found greatly motivates my students.
Individual students’ motivation will be outlined in their behavior plan.

How Would You Characterize Your Approach?

If I were to characterize my approach to classroom management, I would say that my
beliefs greatly align with Progressivism. Although I will be focused on teaching academics, the
Elisabeth Moore !5

development of the child is the most important aspect of teaching. The students should be active
learners in the classroom and develop not only academically, but also socially. I care about the
students as children, not just as students that need to be managed or brains that need to be filled.
Each one is unique and beautiful in their own way. They should be treated not as “subjects” but
as explorers in the world of learning.

E. VISION

What is your vision of a classroom or instructional day from start to finish (from a teacher’s
perspective)?
Although the classroom schedule would depend on the grade level as well as the resource
times, lunch times, etc., this would be an ideal schedule. First of all, throughout the day, if I find
that the students are struggling with focusing on their work, we will do different “brain break”
activities. These activities would include music and sometimes dance. They would last for about
5 minutes before the students would get back to work.
I would begin the day by greeting each one of the students and having small
conversations with them about how their morning/weekend/afternoon was. When the students
enter the classroom, they will organize their things and begin their morning work. This morning
work will be practice for whatever topic we are currently learning. The morning work will be
posted in the front of the classroom via SMART board or whiteboard. As the students are
beginning this work, I will check their homework from the previous day to ensure that they had
completed it correctly. After the bell rings, we will watch the “school news” before having a
morning meeting. Our morning meeting will take place on the carpet with all of us in a circle so
we can see each other’s faces. During this meeting, I will greet the class and we will begin to
talk about one area in which I found that we needed to work on whether that be behaviorally or
logistically. We will also do an activity, time permitting, that would help the students get to
know each other better and would work on their social skills. This could be something as simple
as practicing introducing themselves, or a friend, to someone else. After the morning meeting,
we will begin with language arts centers. These particular centers would depend on the grade
being taught. After language arts centers, we will being our math practice and/or lecture,
depending on the day. After Math, the students would have lunch and then recess. During lunch,
I would set up anything that may need to be prepared for Science. After recess, the students will
participate in science activities. Although the schedule may vary depending on the school, I
would try to place my science time after lunch, recess, or a resource so that I would have time to
set up any supplies that we may need. When Science is finished, the students will go to their
resource for the day. When they return, we will work on History or Social Studies depending on
the day. The students will then copy down their homework and prepare to leave. Once they are
ready to leave, we will have a closing meeting where the students can share what their “high”
and “low” was for the day. As the teacher, I will share with the students progress in the area
needing work that was mentioned in the morning meeting (did we do better?). This is also a time
to give compliments and to praise the students for everything that they did which was excellent!
The afternoon meeting will not contain any correction unless it is urgent. We will end our day on
a happy note!