Student-Centered Classroom Management System



Student-Centered Classroom Management System

“Building Relationships to Ensure Success”

Andrea Shakespeare

Texas Woman’s University

Section I

Classroom management and discipline are two things that are intertwined in daily interactions with students. In a sense, the better classroom management a teacher has the less discipline they will have to enforce. Throughout this semester, I have developed a working system that I will employ in my future classroom. With the help of mentor teachers during observations, and the many theorists we have studied, the culmination of ideas has come together to form a cooperative plan. My strategy is based on mutual respect and positive relationships. I believe that once I prove to my students that I am worthy of their respect, we can work together to build a knowledge base for future learning.

Philosophy of Classroom Management

To be an effective teacher, I must have a firm philosophy of classroom management developed prior to setting foot in a classroom. After giving it much thought, I have developed a well-rounded philosophy that I feel reflects my beliefs about education in relation to my students. I believe all students should have equal access to an appropriate education, educational resources, and caring teachers. As a teacher, it is my job to motivate, inspire, and encourage my students to become participants in life long scholarship. I need to model this type of learning daily by constantly evaluating the relevancy of my information to provide the most current education possible. I believe students should have a democratic role in the management of the classroom in order to instill trust and personal responsibility. However, at times, my role may move from moderator to monarch. Students have rules in the classroom that aid in providing a structured learning environment. I intend on holding all of my students to high standards, pushing them to their academic and personal best. I believe the best learning environment is a comfortable place for building relationships among students and with the teacher. It is my job to incorporate the global and local communities into our learning environment so that I may help mold my students into responsible and active citizens. I will work alongside my fellow teachers and administrators to advocate for my students’ right to an excellent education. Students also have a right to privacy and safety, which must be upheld on a daily basis.

Ethical Standards

Ensuring the safety and privacy of all students within my classroom will be determined largely by my actions. I must be familiar with the state and local school district policies on discipline and codes of conduct so that I may be consistent with my students, their families, and my co-workers. All of my correspondence, whether verbal or written, will be conducted with consideration and in the most professional manner. It is also important to consider any personal information that may be available to the public. My actions outside the classroom need to reflect positively on the school district to which I am employed. My classroom will have student behavior expectations posted and accessible to each student in order to ensure respectful student-student and student-teacher interactions. If any student becomes a hindrance to the learning in my classroom, I will take the appropriate steps as quickly as possible to prevent any future distractions. Preventing embarrassing confrontations within the classroom will help to further my students’ trust in me. Student records will be kept in a secure location within the classroom and only used in lesson preparation, unless required by law for some other purpose. All of these procedures work together to protect each student’s right to privacy while providing a more productive learning environment. As a teacher, I must take responsibility for establishing a climate of respect and motivation to help my students flourish.

Teacher Responsibilities

Teachers should be seen as facilitators, coaches, and team leaders within the classroom. One thing that I believe to be crucial to a successful school year beginning is collaborating with the students to create enforceable classroom rules. For consistency to develop, I must teach and reinforce my classroom rules on a daily basis. As Thomas Gordon stressed in his classroom management model, Teacher Effectiveness Training, the teacher must create relationships with each student through positive behavior interactions.

The classroom environment must be positive and encouraging so that each student feels they have an equal opportunity to learn. John Maxwell (2004) once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” (p. 91). The same principle applies to respect. When my students see how much I respect them and their education, it is my hope they will in turn respect me in my pursuit. After reading Jim Fay’s Love and Logic techniques, I incorporated the delayed consequences strategy into my repertoire. I believe that this method allows students to take responsibility for their actions before consequences are applied. Another strategy I took from Love and Logic that I will implement in my class is the idea of fair but not equal treatment of students. Although equal treatment is an idealistic principle, it is not realistic with the diversity of students in today’s classrooms. American students have a more diverse set of issues and interpretations of the material than ever before. As a teacher, I must be able to relate to every student as I help them learn to make better decisions. Another strategy that the Teacher Effectiveness Training model taught me is the use of active listening in order to engage the students in problem solving, whether the issue is personal or academic. Although outlining my teacher responsibilities may be foremost, I have a predetermined idea of student responsibilities and expectations as well.

Student Responsibilities

After studying the different theories and models during this semester, I have completed a short, but encompassing list of student responsibilities for my classroom. I want my students to participate in the creation of the classroom rules. While students may suggest the “typical” rules, I will encourage them to think of solutions that have worked in other classes, and ones that have not. I want the students to feel as though their voices are heard and their ideas are part of the classroom environment we are creating. Next, I want my students to learn, understand, and obey these rules. Part of my job as a teacher, is to ensure my students understand and learn the expectations that I have for them. It is my intent to actively engage my students as I want them to be active participants in this journey. Finally, I want my students to be responsible for choosing their behavior and owning the consequences. There should never be a situation where a disruptive student is completely surprised when I enforce the appropriate consequences. At times, my entire class may be anxious and disruptive, but I must remain patient and understanding. However, there are appropriate incentives, based on grade level and development stages, which may be of use within the classroom on a regular basis.

Incentives

All of the classroom management and disciplinary models studied in this course have echoed the fact that supportive feedback is perhaps the most effective incentive there is for students. Students may not receive encouragement and support in other areas of their life, so it is imperative that they receive it from their teachers. Several of the models, including Love and Logic, suggest that this encouragement and feedback should be different than praise. Encouragement may be the means, while praise is an end for some students. More tangible incentives may also be employed in the classroom, such as special privileges and phone calls or notes to home. In a high school setting, I will need to be creative with any special privileges allotted, such as taking role or delivering notes to the front office. Sending positive notes or calls to a students’ home is another way to demonstrate the investment I, as a teacher, have made in each student. Perhaps the most exciting way to engage my students will be to find ways to make the curriculum relevant and meaningful to their lives. The hardest way to motivate a student is by teaching straight from a set of principles. The final, and possibly hardest, incentive that I am excited to implement in my classroom is the drive to help my students find internal motivation in school. All students are driven by completely different things, and my goal as a teacher is to help each one recognize his or her own strength and use it to motivate them internally. There are, however, times when students will be resistant and I will need to be prepared to intervene.

Interventions

Throughout my observation times in middle and high school classes, I have seen several intervention techniques that are particularly effective. During my most recent set of classroom observations, I learned about a strategy called “the book.” “The book” is a binder organized with individualized forms for each student in the class. If a student is disruptive or does not meet the classroom expectations, the teacher may ask that student to sign “the book.” With each increasing signature, the consequences worsen as well. “The book” is great because it serves as written documentation for the actions taken within the classroom. Along with “the book,” several other techniques may be applied, such as a verbal warning or reminder. This may be given aloud for the entire class to hear, or may be softly given to the individual student. Another idea that Love and Logic employs is the “evil” eye, which is a universal concept to most people. This is a type of non-verbal warning to the individual or group of students. In a class discussion or lecture, I may also find it helpful to use naming in order to redirect the students to the task at hand. I have seen the proximity concept used successfully while the teacher is speaking. Simply moving closer to the disruptive student sometimes muffles the problem. As mentioned, I find the Love and Logic model to be one that I choose most of my strategies. The “I” message comes from this theory and is a great way of helping a student realize the impact of their actions on the classroom as a whole. As a teacher, if I tell the student how their actions make me feel, it causes them to re-think their decision. Delayed consequences and “let’s talk about this later” go hand in hand. When a student acts out in class, I may go up to that student and whisper, “let’s talk about this later” which is essentially delaying the outcome of their behavior. Another option could be giving the student options in choosing a later time to set an appointment to discuss the behavior. These techniques focus on giving the student choices and responsibility, which are things that I am accountable for teaching along with the curriculum. If there is a situation where a student is in danger of harming his/herself or other students, I may need to remove them from the classroom and enlist the help of the administrative staff.

Referral Guidelines

In today’s school systems, there are typically predetermined procedures for documenting student misbehavior within the classroom. So initially, the teacher should refer to these processes. However, I must also know how to handle a disruptive situation before one happens in order to remain calm under pressure. It is crucial to properly document each action taken with the student for administrative reasons. Also, the student’s parents may want to see how I handled the situation and why. Parents need to be contacted any time their student is sent to the office for disciplinary reasons. Students may not always inform their parents of this type of behavior, but I will ensure that parents are never misinformed. The Response to Intervention method may be successful with certain students who may be struggling academically or emotionally, but this must be determined collaboratively with the school’s administrators. If such a plan were to be implemented for specific students, the school office would need to be cooperative.

Conclusion

Prior to this semester, classroom management and discipline were the most frightening aspects of teaching for me. I was afraid that I would have to be mean in order to command respect and gain control of the classroom. These were things that I did not want to do, and are not consistent with who I am. However, after studying the different models and theorists available, I realized that there is no one correct way to manage a classroom. Whichever model I choose, or combination of a few, must be consistently enacted and reflect who I am as a teacher. Although at times it may be necessary for me to be tough, most of my strength in classroom control will come from the relationships I develop with each student. I value them as people, and want them to know that first, then the material will come second.

Works Cited/Consulted

Maxwell, John C. (2004). Winning with people: Discover the people principles that work for you every time. Dallas, Texas: Thomas Nelson.

Wolfgang, Charles H. (2009). Solving discipline and classroom management problems: Methods and models for today's teachers. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Section II

I. Classroom Layout

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I chose to use this layout because I like the idea of a “U” shaped classroom that welcomes discussion. While reading about the advantages and disadvantages of this type of layout I decided that I still wanted each student to be able to see the projector or white board without turning their body sideways in their desk. I will be able to move around the desks while lecturing and can see all students working while I am at my desk. I chose to use desks because this is what I have seen typically used in a high school classroom. Also, when doing group work, I can have the students move their desks together into groups of four. I chose to be optimistic and use several windows (assuming my classroom is on a corner) because I like the natural lighting the energy that students get from it. I created a computer station with a few student computers in the back of the room. I only used three because most high school classes must go to a computer lab in order to do class computer work. However, these are convenient if students need to make up work or need to have lessons adapted to meet their needs.

On the left side of the room I made an information center that could also be used as an activity center. I put a corkboard on the wall to post information, schedules, assignments, or upcoming events. The rug under the table makes it a welcoming area for students to work at. The trash can is also located by the door so students may throw things away on their way in or out. The pencil sharpener is also in this area because it is an easy location and is near a trash can to empty the shavings. On the other side of the table, I put a small bookcase that may contain materials that my students are welcome to use. Also, in the back of the classroom I added another small bookshelf and type of reading area where students can sit on the rug to read. I like the open spaces that are available in this layout so that we can move the desks frequently to meet the needs of certain lessons. The desks make it easy to move into a “fishbowl” arrangement or groups of desks that act as small tables. If I needed to proctor a test, I would probably move the desks into rows to create a more formal atmosphere. At my desk, I also have a trash can that will be helpful for me, but is also available for students on that side of the room. I put two filing cabinets behind my desk to store important information and student records. I also have the classroom phone at my desk in case I need to make phone calls during my conference period.

II. Rules/Procedures

Ms. Shakespeare’s 11th Grade English III

|Beginning the School Day/Starting Class |

|‘Warm-ups’ beginning of class work |

|Students will be told to come into the classroom ready to work. |

|Students will go straight to their desks and sit down. They are allowed to socialize at a reasonable volume until the bell rings. |

|Once the bell rings, students will pull out their notebook and begin the warm-up written on the white board. |

|The students will be allowed 10 minutes to complete this task silently. |

|This will be graded on a weekly basis. |

|Ending the School Day/Class |

|Expected student behavior upon class dismissal |

|I will express to the students that they are to remain working until the bell rings. The only exception to this rule is if I tell |

|them they can put their materials away early. |

|Once the bell rings, I will confirm that the students can leave the classroom, assuming I have no further information or |

|announcements. |

|Students will be expected to gather their things and walk out the door in an orderly fashion. |

|If any student has specific questions, they can briefly ask me during the passing period. |

|Small-Group Activities |

|Expected behavior while in small groups |

|Students are to speak only to the other students within their assigned group. |

|Voices must softer than usual class participation, as there are many students talking at once. |

|If the group has a question for me, only one student in the group should raise their hand and wait for my assistance. |

|Students are expected to be respectful to everyone in the group. Conflicts will not be tolerated. |

|All students are required to participate in group work and will be graded by their group-mates as well as me. |

|Student Work/Assignments |

|Where to turn in |

|Students will walk quietly to place their work in the tray at the front of the classroom that corresponds to their class period. |

|Students are not to touch or read any other student’s work, whether it is from their class period or not. |

|For big projects or multiple assignments in a certain class period, I will specify where to turn each in. |

|Checking Process/Assignments |

|Long-term projects/assignments |

|After explaining the guidelines and expectations for long-term assignments or projects, I will check for understanding. |

|I will also assign check points each week prior to the due date to ensure that each student is managing their time appropriately. |

|I will be available before and after school for individual questions regarding the assignment. |

|Students will be able to discuss project themes, problems they have encountered, and suggestions as a class on the day of each |

|check point. |

|Feedback |

|Communicating with parents |

|I will send a parent/guardian information form home with each student on the first day of class that must be returned during the |

|first week of class. This form will ask for the parent/guardian’s contact information along with preferred means of correspondence.|

|When contacting the parent/guardian the first time, I will use their desired means of communication. |

|If I get no response from them within 48 hours, I will try another method. |

|If I still do not get any response I will contact the front office to see if there is another listed means of communication. I may |

|need to involve an administrator. |

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