Classroom Management Plan - Manchester University



Classroom Management Plan

Ashley Libben

Education 360

November 29, 2006

Descriptive Statement

This document is a detailed plan for how I plan to manage student behavior in my future classroom. This plan encompasses my teaching philosophy and how it relates to student behavior. It also explains how I plan to achieve my goals for student behavior, classroom environment and implementation of these procedures.

Philosophy

I believe that all people have the right to a quality education, and as a teacher, it will be my responsibility to ensure that each of my students is given that right. Because I am passionate about children, I believe that it is the responsibility of all teachers to stand for the rights of children.

I believe that a teacher's role in a classroom is to be a co-learner and a facilitator of true learning and education. A teacher must respect and honor the opinions, beliefs and rights of his/her students. A teacher should guide students through the learning process, never just lecture or hope that the students will pick it up eventually. The only way this can happen is if the teacher puts the students first and strives to plan lessons that are both engaging and educating. My classroom will be a place where students can feel safe to express their opinions openly and honestly and learn in a shared effort with each other and me. I believe that I will learn as much, if not more, from my students as they will learn from me.

I value lifelong learning and appreciate the interrelatedness of the world. I will teach students, not a subject. As such, it is my job as a teacher to open my students' eyes to the world around them and guide them into an understanding of the world. I believe that Language Arts and Literature can become the means of opening my students' eyes by connecting what we are studying in class with other things students have or are learning about in other aspects of their lives, whether it be in other courses or outside of school. By making these connections, I believe my students will begin to understand that learning can take place outside of the classroom.

Through my passion for children and learning, I hope to inspire and encourage my students to truly enjoy and aspire to a lifetime of searching and seeking knowledge and education.

There are three theorists whose beliefs and practices align very closely to my own. The first theorist is Fred Jones. Jones is a psychologist who developed the Positive Classroom Management approach. Jones believes that it is essential to leave the students each day with dignity and respect. In the classroom, this means that the teacher is genuine and invested in each student. Jones says that the best way to leave this dignity intact is to be flexible with students and work together — with the teacher as a learning facilitator. Jones also supports the use of PAT (Preferred Activity Time) as a reward system for positive and appropriate classroom behavior. Jones’ approach connects wholly with my belief that, as a teacher, I must respect and honor my students and their opinions. The students have a right to be treated with the utmost respect and attention to their education and betterment.

Another theory I identify with is Lee and Marlene Canter’s Assertive Discipline approach. This approach is a focus not on student behavior but on teacher behavior. The Canters believe that teachers should be assertive in their classroom, meaning that they are clear, consistent and confident in their instruction and behavior management. The Canters believe that students and teacher alike have a right to an effective and positive classroom environment. I agree with the Canters that everyone has a right to a quality education. One of the ways that I can do this, according to the Canters, is to plan and lead classes that are efficient and productive. This will help to limit misbehavior in my future classroom.

Finally, I also connect to C.M. Charles and his Effective Discipline approach. Charles is all about student choice. He believes that students should be able to formulate their own classroom rules and should help to develop an effective classroom environment. While I think C.M. Charles’s theories may not always be practical (e.g. giving students complete control of classroom rules), I could not agree more with the importance of student choice and a warm, efficient and effective classroom environment. I want my students to understand that I am a co-learner and a facilitator. I will never have all the answers and will likely learn something from my students each and every day. If they know this, they will be more invested in the learning process.

These three groups of theorists, Fred Jones, Lee and Marlene Canter and C.M. Charles, have become great resources and inspirations in helping me to develop my own philosophy and beliefs relating to the classroom and student behavior. An awareness and understanding of them can only enrich my future classroom.

Procedures and Routines

In order for my class to run smoothly, with as little time taken away from instruction time as possible, and to prevent misbehavior, I have a few procedures and routines that I hope to use in my future classroom.

Beginning the Day

* Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to begin when the bell rings.

* There will be some kind of bellwork written on the board each day for students to complete until instruction begins (typically five to ten minutes).

* Bellwork may include journal writing, puzzles or vocab words.

* Students are expected to be responsible for their own bellwork folder. This folder will be collected periodically for grading.

Organizing Student Work

* Each class will have an individual and labeled basket for homework.

* Students will place their homework in this basket before the start of class.

* I will also use this basket to return student work.

Homework/Assignments

* There will be a class calendar in the syllabus (subject to change at my will) as well as a bulletin board with the assignment for each course (not period).

* If the assignment is not typical homework or in-class work, the students will be given a detailed description of the assignment along with the rubric by which they will be graded.

* I want work to be completed in either blue or black ink (no pencils) on lined paper. Essays should be word-processed at size 12 font, double-spaced.

* Incomplete work cannot receive any higher score than the work that is done. (For example, if only 6 of 10 questions on a handout are completed, students cannot receive above a 60%.)

* Late work (except in the case of a school-excused absence) will not be accepted. Assignments are to be turned in on the day that they are due.

* As a heading for their work, students should write their name, due date of the assignment and title of the assignment across the top of the paper.

* Students who have an excused absence may have the number of days missed to make up their work (gone 2 class days - student has 2 class days to make it up, etc.).

* I will keep track of all handouts, assignments and in-class work for students who are absent. They may turn the make-up work in directly to me.

* If absentees are so far behind that they need additional help, I am willing to tutor them after school or set up a peer tutoring session.

Expected Behavior for Cooperative Learning

* During cooperative learning, all students are expected to participate to the best of their ability. I will supervise each group to make sure that everyone is participating. Participation in group will be considered in the participation grade for the course.

* Students should remember not to interrupt each other.

* Cooperative learning activities should be treated like any other class activity. Absolutely no misbehavior or disrespect will be accepted.

Selecting Partners

* When instruction calls for partner work, students will use the partner clock system to determine who their partner will be.

* Students are responsible for keeping track of their clocks (see page 13).

* During the first few days of class, students will fill out these partner clocks, making sure to have set up a time with everyone in class. Once students have found times for everyone in the class, they may begin repeating partners.

* I will rotate the clocks everyday so that students will work with everyone in the class. This will also prevent behavior issues when choosing partners.

Test Day

* Days when students are testing will be silent from beginning to end. This will allow students plenty of time to complete the test.

* Students must bring a book or other work with them to class. If they forget, they may select a book or magazine from the class library before the test begins. Students will not get up or move around the classroom (with the exception of turning the test into the teacher directly) during the test in order to minimize distractions, interruptions and cheating.

* Once the test is turned in to the teacher, it cannot be returned.

Implementation

My central classroom rules are as follows:

* Respect others and yourself.

* Come prepared to learn.

* Listen when others are sharing.

* Obey all school rules.

These rules will be posted in the classroom at the front of the classroom (like a bulletin board or above the chalkboard). The rules will also be in the syllabus and letter to my students. We will also discuss these rules as a class, and I will explain each rule thoroughly by giving examples and reasons why these rules should be obeyed. I am not opposed to allowing students to make their own rules, but these four rules are not subject to change by the students; they are central to running an effective and efficient classroom. If I do decide to let students choose their own rules, several actions must take place: a class discussion of the rule, majority support of the rule and teacher approval. In order to enforce these rules, I will first follow school procedure, as the school may already have an enforcement system in place. If not, my system is simple. The first offense will be a verbal warning. The second offense will be loss of participation points for the day. The third offense will be contacting parents/guardians about the offense. The fourth offense will be referral to the office. These consequences apply to all students and are finite.

Outside of traditional rules, I believe that a crucial part of preventing student misbehavior is to make the students feel like they are a member of a learning community. They must know that their peers and I are all learning and sharing together. I can create a sense of community and belonging by using a variety of integrative and engaging instruction. By employing Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences both in everyday instruction and projects that students can choose their final project. Student choice will give students a sense of ownership and pride with their education. With this ownership comes a responsibility and maturity that will help to prevent behavior issues. I also plan on using cooperative learning strategies and group work. Cooperative groups reinforce the feeling of community learning that helps to prevent misbehavior. Finally, by challenging and setting high expectations for my students, I hope to prevent behavior issues. When students are bored by old or below-level material, they are much more likely to act out their frustrations in various ways. By challenging my students, I hope to keep them focused on learning and growing.

It is my goal that my classroom management style be preventative, supportive and corrective. In order for this to happen, there are a few considerations that I must remember. Foremost, I must take into consideration the home life of the student. It is easy to think of the students only as students, the people who sit in our classroom everyday. However, we only have the students for a small portion of the day (but, it is my goal to fully utilize this small time period), so whatever is going on at home has an immense effect on the student and the student’s behavior in the classroom. If mom and dad are fighting every night until 3 or 4 in the morning, it is no surprise that their child is irritable and unwilling to cooperate. Also, if students do not have parents who show them appropriate behaviors at home, it is my responsibility to attempt to fill that gap. Part of good classroom management is working individually with students to correct their misbehavior. If it is needed, I will not hesitate to work individually with students, helping them to set personal goals and self-monitoring systems, in order to aid them in correcting their behavior.

Another important consideration I need to make is regarding me. I need to have awareness about what is going on in my life, and then, not let that affect my behavior towards the students. If I am really tired from grading research papers the night before, it is not my students’ fault, and they deserve to have a teacher who is fully dedicated to them and their education. Or, if one student is really getting under my skin, I should never, ever respond from anger. So much of the little things we say and do affect our students in many different ways. In order to do this, I will be very reflective with my teaching through reflective journal writing and talking with my colleagues about things that are happening in my class. If I am aware of my emotions and responses to them, I can be much more supportive and helpful to my students.

Ideal Classroom

Letter to Parents

* Note: I would attach the syllabus and classroom rules when I have my placement.

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