Classroom Management Plan/Project
Section One: Context
My ideal age teach would be elementary school. I have worked with students from pre-school all the way to fifth grade and I have enjoyed each grade for different reasons. Never have I had a negative experience. In terms of the subject that I would like to teach, as an elementary teacher I have to teach all subjects so I do not have a specific preference to one subject I have had experience in urban communities, suburban, and wealthy private schools. As for the student population, I would like to work with both male and female students who are ethnically and culturally diverse.
Section Two: Physical Design
There are two big elements of Steel's framework that I think are very important. One of them is security and shelter. It is very important for students to feel comfortable in the classroom, this way they can learn better. There are elements of softness that I want in my classroom and those are sofas and bean-bag chairs in a retreat area for the students. They will feel comfortable here and they may be more inclined to read there when given the option. Sitting in a retreat on a comfortable couch will make them feel safe. Also, I made sure that there was enough space for all the students and I to walk around the classroom easily.
Social contact is another element that I believe is important to think about when setting up a classroom. I have four tables which will seat (usually, probably) 4-5 students. This is not too many, but enough. When there is supposed to be quiet, the students can be and when they can talk to each other it is not too loud because they are close together focusing only on each other. I set up the desks in a way that I could easily walk all around and in between the desks if help is needed. It is human nature to talk and as long as I set up the classroom where my students do not get too distracted but still have an opportunity for quiet and talk then this is successful.
Section Three: Rules
Students should be a part of the rule-making process. Students have a good idea what is wrong and right and will be able to help a teacher create a vast amount of rules. What a teacher needs to do then, it create 4-6 general rules that the class needs to follow. Personally, my plan is to have students write down rules on post its, we read them together, and get to the general rules of the class together. The post-its that they write will be put underneath the general rules we write. Everything that they have thought of is accounted for and they will feel ownership of the rules we have written together. The rules would be written in a positive language and posted in a place where the students could see them at all times. We would go over all of the rules and I would explain demonstrate each one of them so they knew exactly what the rules mean. I would also involve my students in the demonstrations and have them practice following the rules as well. I would give the students a few days to practice and fully enforce the rules after a few days so they felt comfortable with the rules. I would ask for any questions that they may have and they would also have to sign the paper with the rules. This way, they show that they agree to them and feel like it is their "own" contract that they have to follow.
The rules that I would use in my classroom would be: be respectful, always do your best, be safe, and have fun! These are positive, if a student is doing those there should not be any reason for misbehavior, and they are easy and reasonable.
Section Four: Routines
When it comes to class-running routines, there are several simple routines that can transform a classroom. Students may not know how to do something correctly, unless there is a set routine in place. One of the routines that can cause a lot of problems if not taken care of properly, is pencil sharpening. The way I plan to implement this routine is I will (or I will assign a student) to sharpen a set amount of pencils for the week. If a student's pencil gets unsharpened, they will come to a jar that is full of sharpened pencils and exchange theirs. At the end of the day, the person whose job is to sharpen pencils will sharpen them (or I will).
Getting supplies can sometimes ne challenging. I plan to have a bin with all supplies that students will need in the middle of their tables for easy access. In the bins there will be pencils, scissors, crayons, erasers, etc. They will not have to get up and get anything; it will already be always on their table. If other supplies are needed that are not on their desks I would set them up for the students to get easily and I would call up one table at a time to get the supplies.
The way that papers get distributed is an easy routine to set up for the students. Every week there will be a new person whose job it is to pass out the papers when I need them to. They will come up to me, get the papers, and pass them out to their classmates.
The "going to the bathroom" routine that I have seen in the field that I like the most is when students need to use the rest room they stand by the door and wait for the teacher to acknowledge them. There can only be one person of each gender out at a time and because hall passes are not really too sanitary, I will have a sign out sheet where students sign in and out. If one student is signed out, another of the same gender cannot go.
The morning/class arrival routine would look like this: students come in, unpack, hang up their backpacks, coats, etc., turn in homework, grab morning work off of the rug in the front of the classroom, and work on that. If that is completed, they can pick a book to silently read at their desks.
When it comes to lesson-running routines, there are extremely important because without them, teaching and learning are hard to occur. If students are confused about what they should be doing, then this could cause misbehavior. For things such as what to do with finished work, I plan to have a bin by my desk where students can put their finished work into so I can grade it. This will be explained and practiced with the students.
When a student is out of the room or absent for the day, their routine will be to go into a folder which I will have ready for them that has the work that they missed. They can sit in with me to go over it but I will also have directions in there for them.
As for interaction routines, it is human nature to want to talk. Some talk is okay sometimes and other times talk is not permitted. We know that as teachers, but we must relay this message effectively so our students know it and can follow the routines for different times of the day. I plan to go over what it means to be silent, have quiet talk, regular talk, and playground talk, and when and where these types of talk are permitted.
Section Five: Relationships
3 specific strategies that you plan to incorporate into your practice that will allow your students to know that you care about them:
3 specific strategies you plan to incorporate into your practice that will help foster a sense of community among your students:
Section Six: Discipline
Because there are general types of misbehavior that could occur in a classroom, there are different ways to respond to each of them. First, it is important to find ways to prevent misbehavior from happening at all. However, if it does happen, here are the types of misbehavior and ways to respond to it:
Section One: Context
My ideal age teach would be elementary school. I have worked with students from pre-school all the way to fifth grade and I have enjoyed each grade for different reasons. Never have I had a negative experience. In terms of the subject that I would like to teach, as an elementary teacher I have to teach all subjects so I do not have a specific preference to one subject I have had experience in urban communities, suburban, and wealthy private schools. As for the student population, I would like to work with both male and female students who are ethnically and culturally diverse.
Section Two: Physical Design
There are two big elements of Steel's framework that I think are very important. One of them is security and shelter. It is very important for students to feel comfortable in the classroom, this way they can learn better. There are elements of softness that I want in my classroom and those are sofas and bean-bag chairs in a retreat area for the students. They will feel comfortable here and they may be more inclined to read there when given the option. Sitting in a retreat on a comfortable couch will make them feel safe. Also, I made sure that there was enough space for all the students and I to walk around the classroom easily.
Social contact is another element that I believe is important to think about when setting up a classroom. I have four tables which will seat (usually, probably) 4-5 students. This is not too many, but enough. When there is supposed to be quiet, the students can be and when they can talk to each other it is not too loud because they are close together focusing only on each other. I set up the desks in a way that I could easily walk all around and in between the desks if help is needed. It is human nature to talk and as long as I set up the classroom where my students do not get too distracted but still have an opportunity for quiet and talk then this is successful.
Section Three: Rules
Students should be a part of the rule-making process. Students have a good idea what is wrong and right and will be able to help a teacher create a vast amount of rules. What a teacher needs to do then, it create 4-6 general rules that the class needs to follow. Personally, my plan is to have students write down rules on post its, we read them together, and get to the general rules of the class together. The post-its that they write will be put underneath the general rules we write. Everything that they have thought of is accounted for and they will feel ownership of the rules we have written together. The rules would be written in a positive language and posted in a place where the students could see them at all times. We would go over all of the rules and I would explain demonstrate each one of them so they knew exactly what the rules mean. I would also involve my students in the demonstrations and have them practice following the rules as well. I would give the students a few days to practice and fully enforce the rules after a few days so they felt comfortable with the rules. I would ask for any questions that they may have and they would also have to sign the paper with the rules. This way, they show that they agree to them and feel like it is their "own" contract that they have to follow.
The rules that I would use in my classroom would be: be respectful, always do your best, be safe, and have fun! These are positive, if a student is doing those there should not be any reason for misbehavior, and they are easy and reasonable.
Section Four: Routines
When it comes to class-running routines, there are several simple routines that can transform a classroom. Students may not know how to do something correctly, unless there is a set routine in place. One of the routines that can cause a lot of problems if not taken care of properly, is pencil sharpening. The way I plan to implement this routine is I will (or I will assign a student) to sharpen a set amount of pencils for the week. If a student's pencil gets unsharpened, they will come to a jar that is full of sharpened pencils and exchange theirs. At the end of the day, the person whose job is to sharpen pencils will sharpen them (or I will).
Getting supplies can sometimes ne challenging. I plan to have a bin with all supplies that students will need in the middle of their tables for easy access. In the bins there will be pencils, scissors, crayons, erasers, etc. They will not have to get up and get anything; it will already be always on their table. If other supplies are needed that are not on their desks I would set them up for the students to get easily and I would call up one table at a time to get the supplies.
The way that papers get distributed is an easy routine to set up for the students. Every week there will be a new person whose job it is to pass out the papers when I need them to. They will come up to me, get the papers, and pass them out to their classmates.
The "going to the bathroom" routine that I have seen in the field that I like the most is when students need to use the rest room they stand by the door and wait for the teacher to acknowledge them. There can only be one person of each gender out at a time and because hall passes are not really too sanitary, I will have a sign out sheet where students sign in and out. If one student is signed out, another of the same gender cannot go.
The morning/class arrival routine would look like this: students come in, unpack, hang up their backpacks, coats, etc., turn in homework, grab morning work off of the rug in the front of the classroom, and work on that. If that is completed, they can pick a book to silently read at their desks.
When it comes to lesson-running routines, there are extremely important because without them, teaching and learning are hard to occur. If students are confused about what they should be doing, then this could cause misbehavior. For things such as what to do with finished work, I plan to have a bin by my desk where students can put their finished work into so I can grade it. This will be explained and practiced with the students.
When a student is out of the room or absent for the day, their routine will be to go into a folder which I will have ready for them that has the work that they missed. They can sit in with me to go over it but I will also have directions in there for them.
As for interaction routines, it is human nature to want to talk. Some talk is okay sometimes and other times talk is not permitted. We know that as teachers, but we must relay this message effectively so our students know it and can follow the routines for different times of the day. I plan to go over what it means to be silent, have quiet talk, regular talk, and playground talk, and when and where these types of talk are permitted.
Section Five: Relationships
3 specific strategies that you plan to incorporate into your practice that will allow your students to know that you care about them:
- I think it is extremely important to take a look at research and use that information that has been supported by evidence to make yourself a better teacher. Knowing that there are several things that students consistently say about how they know that teachers care we should use that information and grow upon it. One huge strategy that I believe is extremely important is the willingness to help. Teachers are here to help and that is what I want to do for my students. Whether it be help in schoolwork on in their personal lives, I want to help them. I can do this by first providing time for my students to talk to me and be open to talking to them. Getting that message across is very important so that students can feel comfortable and take advantage of the opportunity. Then once you talk to them, listening is key and sometimes that is all the help that they need. If they need more help, you can help them find solutions to their problems without any roadblocks to communication.
- Another simple strategy that is very important is to smile and greet students at the door. By welcoming them and making them feel like you are happy they are here, they will feel good and more willing to learn. I plan to do this every day for my students because I really believe that it makes a difference.
- A third strategy that I plan on using is making sure to be fair to all students. This is not as easy as it sounds but I will try my best to be fair to each student and that does not mean treating them all the same. To be fair is to treat each student in a way that is benefiting them and helping them. Not all students will be treated the same way because of personal differences. I will be sure to explain this to my students by providing examples to them so they understand that I will be fair. If they know that I am trying to be fair, they will know that I care.
3 specific strategies you plan to incorporate into your practice that will help foster a sense of community among your students:
- In the beginning of the school year, I plan to do several community building activities so that students know each others' names and that they know about each student. If they all get to know each other, they will feel like a community.
- I plan to do a Morning Meeting everyday to help build a sense of community among my students. If they greet each other every day, they will feel good and a part of a caring community. Also, during morning meeting I will have a different group share something each day and later ask questions to ensure everyone was listening. By knowing that your classmates are listening to you and that you are being heard helps a student feel a part of a community.
- Another way to help my students feel like they are a part of a community is by assigning jobs every week where they will feel responsible for something.
Section Six: Discipline
Because there are general types of misbehavior that could occur in a classroom, there are different ways to respond to each of them. First, it is important to find ways to prevent misbehavior from happening at all. However, if it does happen, here are the types of misbehavior and ways to respond to it:
- Minor: for minor misbehavior that would be correctly and stopped quickly and easily I plan to use: "the look" which lets students know that I realize what they are doing and that they should stop, going along with that just making eye-contact can be effective, walking towards the student lets the student know that I am coming and they need to stop whatever they are doing (because chances are, they know that what they are doing is wrong), and I will also use hand signals. All these are effective because not only do they get the message across but they are quiet and do not interrupt the flow of the lesson.
- More serious: More serious misbehavior comes with consequences. If a student is misbehaving in a more serious way, I plan to bring the student aside and speak to them calmly and making them explain to me what they did was wrong. Afterwards, an appropriate consequence that relates to the behavior will be given to the student. Maintaining positive relationships afterwards in essential and I plan to do that as well.
- Chronic: when chronic misbehavior occurs, it may have to be dealt with by administration, but there are steps to take before it leads to that level or if it is not as serious, but still chronic. I would work in steps with a student who is misbehaving chronically. First, there would be a warning and conversation as well as a consequence (same as more serious). If it persisted and/or got worse, a note and/or phone all home would be made. If the behavior still progressed, the student would be sent to administration.