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Classroom Management Plan

Scarlett Palmieri

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of requirements for UED 406, Fall 2018

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A. THEORETICAL INTRODUCTION

Philosophy of Classroom Management

Classroom management goes beyond managing misbehavior. It is management

that extends to every area of the classroom and can be as simple as how you go about

passing out worksheets or as complex as how you and your students communicate

together.

I believe that all children are capable of learning and growing as both students and

individuals. Because of this belief, I plan to implement instructional strategies and

practices that will challenge and encourage my students to become independent, critical

thinkers. In order to make learning meaningful to my students, I plan to utilize

instructional resources and materials that promote learning goals and foster inquiry,

metacognition and collaboration. I am highly committed to ensuring that each and every

one of my students feels safe, loved and respected. I will communicate to my students

that I am trustworthy and dependable by establishing positive, caring teacher-student

relationships and supporting them at various levels (academically, emotionally, etc.).

In my classroom, I will focus on valuable long-term goals, such as respect and rapport,

over short-term goals like compliance and tolerance.

To me, effective classroom management is founded upon three crucial

components: mutual respect, clear expectations and consistency. Rules in practice are

much different than rules in theory and I know that in order to achieve the kind of

classroom environment I wish to have, I will need to be prepared to follow through with

my rules and procedures on a regular basis. I plan to devote the beginning of the school

year to the explicit teaching, modeling of rules and procedures. As the school year goes

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on, specific rules and procedures may need to be revisited, practiced some more,

modified or even done away with.

Discipline in my classroom will be low profile and pro-active. This means that my

students will know the consequences of their choices beforehand and know how to

proceed when they make poor ones. This also means that I will reinforce students who

are exhibiting positive behavior as a way to subtly regulate negative behavior. Because I

follow an authoritative model, consequences for misbehavior will be logical and

dependent on the severity of the situation. Since downtime is one of the largest causes of

misbehavior, transitions in my classroom will be smooth, teacher/student interruptions

will be minimal and instructional time will be maximized.

Assumptions of the Nature of Young People and Learning

I believe that all young people have the ability to learn. This belief, in and of

itself, is a simple one founded upon the idea that we, as human beings, were created by

God with intricate, internal processing systems that are constantly seeking to understand

the world around us and the truths found within it. With that being said however,

I believe that learning in the classroom looks very different depending on the student.

Not every student will start at point A and get to point B; some may start at point A and

reach point D, while others may start somewhere different and end up somewhere

completely new. For some students, learning occurs in giant leaps; to others, it occurs in

the smallest steps. To me, the important part isn’t the time it takes to grasp a new concept

or the path in which students travel to get there; the important part is that students are

growing in some way each and every day in their overall abilities.

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I also believe that learning occurs on various fronts. These fronts include

cognitively, academically, behaviorally, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Because I

believe in supporting the whole child (not just the part of them that scores well on the

SOL tests), I hope to encourage learning on all of these fronts in my classroom.

I understand that students come from different walks of life and will enter my classroom

with preexisting biases, opinions, knowledge and assumptions. I plan to challenge all of

these things in the most nurturing way possible, encouraging students to educate

themselves and expose themselves to different perspectives before coming to their own

understandings and conclusions.

Theorist Comparison

In studying the various, predominant theories related to classroom management,

I found myself agreeing most with the principal teachings of Rudolph Dreikur.

Dreikur’s theory maintains that students are capable of self-control and should be given

responsibility in the classroom that validates that capability. His theory goes on to

suggest that students are interested in contributing to the classroom’s productivity and

efficiency just as much as the instructor is, and should be treated as so. Dreikur

denounces autocratic and permissive classroom, as do I, and instead celebrates

classrooms that follow a democratic approach to discipline. In a democratic classroom,

consequences are logical, good behavior is rewarded and misbehavior is taken seriously.

Because students often exhibit faulty logic, teachers should recognize that there is always

a root to misbehavior. Mistaken goals, such as attention, power, revenge and inadequacy,

can be combated by simply giving students are given a sense of belonging in the

classroom.

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All in all, I am fond of Driekur’s theory because it emphasizes self-regulation in

the classroom and features a democratic approach to management in which the teacher is

seen as a reliable, considerate leader rather than an evil dictator. It does not belittle

students or regard them as anything less than active members of the classroom who

understand that structure is necessary to a functioning learning economy.

B. EXPECTATIONS/POLICIES/RULES/BOUNDARIES

Classroom Rules

Classroom rules will be explicitly communicated to students on the first day of

school and reinforced throughout the school year. Rules will first be introduced to

students through a PowerPoint and discussed in small group and whole group settings.

Violations to rules will be addressed either in morning meeting or one-on-one.

Anchor charts will be constructed throughout the first few weeks of school to remind

students of expectations. Rules will be taken seriously by students and understood as

helpful guardrails to learning and behavior. Students will have input into rules, but

understand that the teacher has the final say into which rules are implemented.

Rather than expounding upon which rules are necessary and which aren’t,

I, as the instructor, plan to spend time involving my students in more encompassing

matters surrounding rules. For example, I will ask students questions such as “Why are

rules needed?”, “How will this particular rule help you succeed?”, “What are some rules

we have in the world?”, “What would happen if we didn’t have rules in our world?”

and “Can you think of sometime someone broke an important rule and something bad

happened as a result?” These questions will develop students’ critical thinking skills,

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encourage them to form deeper understandings of the importance of rules in society and

hopefully strengthen their adherence to classroom rules.

Expectations of Students

Students in my classroom will be expected to follow the three R’s by being

respectful, responsible and ready to learn at all times. I expect that students will

understand that, 1) I will not lower my expectations, 2) that my classroom is a place of

learning and, 3) anything that inhibits their learning or a peer’s learning will be regarded

by me as a serious offense to the safety and well-being of the classroom. I also will

expect my students to thoughtfully regulate their behaviors/actions/words by THINK-ing

before they act/speak, “Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it

Kind?”. Students will be expected to exercise respect towards any adult they may

encounter during the school day and use “please” and “thank you” in their conversations.

Expectations of Classroom Climate

My classroom climate will emphasize learning and kindness. To help do this,

I will display inspirational sayings that encourage self-reflection and post exemplary

student work. Anchor charts outlining my rules and expectations will be displayed

throughout the class for easy viewing. An example of an anchor chart I would display

might read something like, “Ms. P is with a group but I need help” and give students

suggestions to guide their next actions. Media and resources that promote learning goals

will also be found around the room, such as “I can…” statements, a word wall, and a

well-stocked classroom library.

Visually, my classroom will be welcoming, organized, airy and clutter-free. As to

the arrangement of my room, I am not sure yet; I want to go with a setup that minimizes

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student distractions, yet encourages collaboration. I am not sure how much I will utilize

flexible seating in my early years of teaching, but I hope to utilize it more as I become

more comfortable with my management and instruction. In addition to these things, I plan

to have a cozy spot for students to read or work quietly and a larger table somewhere in

the room for meeting with small groups.

Rules and Policies

 Care for each other, yourself and our world.

 Keep your hands, feet and body to yourself.

 Listen and follow directions the first time they are given.

 THINK before you speak and act.

 Work as a team.

These five rules address a broad range of relationships including student-student, student-

self, student-world, and student-teacher. These five rules are necessary in order to

achieve the type of climate and community I picture for my future classroom and are

important to my vision of independent, lifelong learners. In addition, these rules highlight

moral bases just as much as they highlight academic ones; I made sure of this because I

want to develop my students character throughout the school year.

C. INSTRUCTIONAL & ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE

MANAGEMENT GOALS

What do you do as an educator that meets student’s academic needs?

To begin meeting students diverse academic needs, I will utilize the framework

provided to me through the VDOE Standards of Learning. These standards identify

essential understandings, knowledge, questions, and skills and let my instruction take a

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meaningful form. Other than utilizing the information provided to me by the Virginia

Department of Education SOL’s, I will conduct personal inventories on each of my

students at the beginning of the school year in order to gain vital information regarding

their motivations, personality tendencies (introverted or extroverted), identified multiple

intelligence(s), learning style, etc. With the information I collect from these inventories,

I will be able to effectively go about differentiating lessons by content, process or

product. Furthermore, I will provide enrichment for advanced learners, remediation for

struggling learners and strictly follow the accommodations set forth by special education

learners IEP’s.

I don’t believe modeling in the classroom can ever be overemphasized. I will

personally model anything a student needs to know how to do to be successful in my

classroom. This includes everything from how to stand in line to how to solve the most

complicated algebra problem. Last but not least, I think it is important to mention

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs when discussing meeting academic needs. In order to

enable my students to reach their fullest potential (self-actualization), I recognize that

their most basic physiological, safety, belongingness, and esteem needs must first be met

(these four things comprise the first four tiers of Maslow’s hierarchy). Keeping a

watchful eye out on students’ physical/mental health, state of peer/family relationships,

and sense of security all come into play when meeting their academic needs. Because

their learning will suffer drastically if these things are not met, it becomes my

responsibility to be their advocate and guardian.

What do you do as an instructor that prevents student’s need to act out?

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I truly believe that positive student-teacher relationships in the classroom are

more powerful than any management hack, prizewinning discipline strategy or top-notch

behavior chart; after all, there is no question that a student who genuinely likes their

teacher is more likely to obey them. Because I recognize that much of a teacher’s success

in earning students’ compliance comes from how well they are liked, I plan to spend time

each day developing authentic bonds with my students that extend beyond the classroom.

Morning meeting is a great place to do this. Letting students into my life in a professional

yet personal way, and taking interest in their lives in a similar manner is another way I

will establish lasting connections with students. Relationships with my students will be

grounded in the same principles any other healthy relationship is grounded in… mutual

respect and trust. I can only hope that my students will never question whether or not I

care for them.

If you were to conduct a study on the students that were bored in class and the

students who act out in class, you would most likely find that you were studying the same

set of students, as there is no doubt a direct correlation between being bored and acting

out. Knowing this, I will prevent students need to act out by presenting them with

challenging content and engaging lessons, incorporating technology and collaboration

and capitalizing upon students’ interests. Ensuring students know the expectation for

when they have finished their work is another important step to avoid the misbehavior

that can come from downtime.

According to Dreikur, students act out on the basis of four mistaken goals:

attention, power, revenge and inadequacy. As an instructor, I will learn how to identify

which of these four mistaken goals is cause for the observed misbehavior (part of this

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comes from knowing your students and having a good relationship with them). In all

situations I will be proactive and focus on low-profile intervention. By having discipline

systems in place, I won’t give the misbehavior at hand any more attention than it

warrants. Furthermore, by constantly praising and reinforcing good behavior, consistently

following through and putting my rules into practice, I will communicate that I take

learning in the classroom seriously and have high standards.

How does your assessment style/procedures promote your management goals?

Pre-assessments, formative assessments and summative assessments will help me

collect quality data that I can use to promote my management goals. Through these types

of assessment, I will be able to inform my teaching, expose gaps in student learning and

design interventions to target those gaps.

How do you allow for variable styles, cultures and circumstances in meeting the

diverse needs of your students?

Diversity in the classroom is one of the valuable teaching tools and I plan to

welcome it with open arms. As a teacher, I will work to inspire a shared vision among a

variety of students, while empowering them to maintain their unique identities. I will

preach tolerance and empathy and give students valuable opportunities to practice

exercising these things in the classroom. I tend to instruct my students on behavioral

appropriateness, challenge the ethnocentric views that tend to dominate our society and

grow their cultural awareness.

D. MOTIVATION

From your point of view, what motivates students?

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In the short-term, I believe that making learning fun and engaging motivates

students. In practice this means varying your instructional strategies, delivery methods,

resources and materials. It means incorporating elements of surprise and wonder into the

classroom every day that will capture students’ attention. Although I never want to rely

solely on extrinsic motivators such as rewards or points in my classroom, I recognize that

some children will not work towards something that is intangible.

In the long-term, I believe that making learning personal and meaningful to their

lives and relevant to their world motivates students. Only when students can recognize

the intrinsic worth of learning, as well as the acquisition of new knowledge and skills that

accompany learning, have they buckled themselves in for the long haul.

How do you plan to motivate your students?

I plan to motivate students in the same ways discussed above, speaking to both

short-term and long-term motivators. In the short-term (for the week or month), I plan to

motivate my students by having them practice become self-reflective learners through

goal-setting. Each week, month or quarter students will make academic & social goals;

at the end of the allotted time period they will reassess their goals and determine how

successful they were in achieving them. Goal setting is a great way to encourage students

to become self-reflective learners. I plan to motivate my students by speaking of

education and their time in my classroom highly. I will teach my students about the

history of education in America, the individuals who forged the path for co-ed public

schooling. I hope to encourage my students to regard their education as a privilege and

something that should be honored. In addition, I plan to motivate students in the long-

term by striving to develop a learning environment that is intrinsically rewarding. Internal

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rewards for students can include challenge, curiosity, control, cooperation, competition,

and recognition (Malone & Leppper, 1983).

How would you characterize your approach?

I would characterize my approach to teaching and motivating students as

constructivist, which is an approach that recognizes learners as the makers of meaning

and knowledge. I say constructivist because I want to make the learning that occurs in my

classroom meaningful to students beyond the classroom. By following a constructivist

approach to teaching, students will be expected to apply their real life experiences to their

learning journey as much as possible and shape their learning into something that makes

a difference in local and global contexts. Students will also be actively involved in the

process of constructing knowledge and meaning out of what they are taught and building

bridges between new knowledge and prior knowledge. PBL (project based learning)

compliments constructivist models of teaching greatly as it explores real-world problems

and challenges.

While I recognize that I am the trained expert in the class, I also recognize that

my students have valuable information and experiences to share. As a result, my

instruction will be one part teacher-centered and one part learner-centered. My instruction

will also be multidisciplinary in scope, addressing a wide variety of subjects and

discipline areas, and therefore giving students the most bang for their buck.

E. VISION

What do you envision when picturing your future classroom culture/ climate/

community of learners or an effective instructional day from start to finish?

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More than anything, I want my classroom community to be a place where

students are kind, compassionate and supportive of one another. While I may fail in

various other areas throughout the instructional day, having students who aren’t kind to

one another is the one critical thing that would truly defeat my spirit as a teacher.

Overall, an effective instructional day for me would mean one in which I, as the

instructor, meet the instructional goals and my students, as the learners, meet the learning

goals. Because I acknowledge that learning in the elementary school classroom usually

takes many unexpected twists and turns and rarely meets all of the outlined goals, I can

only hope that I will be able to take advantage of any and all teachable moments that

present themselves. After all, my goal isn’t just to make my students better students;

it’s to make them better people, citizens and friends. Other than meeting

instructional/learning goals and taking advantage of teachable moments, a successful day

in the classroom to me would also mean one in which I empower my students to change

the world for the better and strengthen the pre-existing relationships I have with them that

much more.

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References

Malone, T. & Lepper, M. (1983). Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic

motivations for learning. Aptitude, learning and instruction, Volume 3: Conative

and affective process analyses, 223-249.

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