Skyler Harwood Literacy Across Contexts Classroom Management Plan 2/14/13 Classroom management allows a classroom to run smoothly.

I believe that in order facilitate learning there needs to be established, an organized schedule, and finally a set of expectations. This way, students know what to expect if they misbehave, how the day will progress, and what is expected of them. I believe that having all of this in place will reduce stress, and allow students to feel comfortable within the classroom environment. I view myself as the kind of teacher who goes with the flow. I try to keep flexible and move with the class. In doing so, I am be able to not only take advantage of unexpected learning opportunities as they arise. But also understanding that there is a time and a place for everything, and having a structured environment is where a positive environment will begin. In my classroom I will guide my students to be self sufficient in the daily routine, such as knowing the procedures for turning in work, and beginning their bell ringers at their desks as they come in. I will also encourage them to be active members in our classroom community, by helping their peers and acting as individuals with confidence and pride. I have created a layout of my dream classroom. In an ideal situation I would have a classroom with an included bathroom and sink. This minimalizes distractions, and eliminates the need for a student to leave the room to use the restroom. I plan to incorporate American Sign Language in my classroom, teaching my students some simple signs for bathroom, soon, later, yes, and no so that we can communicate silently

without disturbing the entire class. When a student needed to use the restroom they would simply use the American Sign Language sign for bathroom. This way the teacher can identify the student needs, and either allow them to go (or not) without stopping instruction to ask the student what they need and then trying to pick back up where you were before the distraction. I have a smartboard and a rug placed on one end of the room, where students will gather and I can lead the morning meeting, and even teach the students using all of the wonderful new techniques that the smartboard has to offer. Getting students out of their desks and moving around the room helps to break up the day, and keeps their minds fresh. (Protheroe, 2007). Just behind the rug area, I have a reading nook complete with pillows and a bunch of shelves. This little nook not only breaks up the classroom, but also provides a lot of storage for books and other materials (such as materials for centers). My hope is that the nook will provide a nice place for students to come and read during free time, or that it can even be used for centers. This will support learning by encouraging students to go there to read, while it can also prevent distractions from becoming an issue within the classroom, especially if there is a lot of activity going on. I have student desks grouped together so that group work can easily take place. It is also very useful for lining up students. Calling groups of students helps to cut down on the traffic jam caused by a mad dash to the door when the entire class is released at once. I have a whiteboard attached to the wall by the desks for easy access if a student is working independently, or even in groups and needs to visualize something on a larger scale, or needs help with something. It can be a valuable resource for modeling things like writing letters, or setting up a math problem (Rutherford, 1999). It is my hope that I will be able to utilize modeling all throughout my classroom, but

having this whiteboard here will prove to be invaluable. Students can come up and utilize it to work through their problems, while brainstorming and discussing their thoughts and concerns with their peers. This allows students the opportunities to learn in different ways. Finally, I have the teachers desk. Ive put it in a corner behind the students desks. This way, the desk is removed from the classroom, but is still accessible by students if they should need my help while Im there. There are also shelves scattered about the room, because you can never have enough organized storage space in a classroom. Especially since there is no closet in this classroom, these shelves will become invaluable for storing snacks, art supplies, books, and everything else that winds up in my classroom. At the beginning of the school year, it is only natural that the class will come together and discuss classroom rules. Depending on their age, having a few simple rules may be more beneficial than having a long list of rules. I think that it is incredibly important that students help come up with the classroom rules. This way they will feel responsible for upholding these rules, and they will also feel like there are fair and just. Personally, I believe that there are three rules that are key in any successful classroom: Treat others the way you want to be treated, be responsible (for yourself, your belongings, and your work), and keep your hands and feet to yourself. However, I do enjoy the idea of phrasing these rules in a slightly different way especially in the youngest grades. Having the class rules state that students in our classroom have helping hands, listening ears, quiet voices, looking eyes, and walking feet. This set of rules covers all of the main ideas of the prior set of rules, but words it positively by stating what students should have and do, instead of setting boundaries. This positive language can

begin to set up a positive classroom environment (Charney, 2002). Enforcing these rules will also come more naturally. Reminding students to use their walking feet or their listening ears acts as a gentle reminder of what they should be doing, and not pointedly telling them what not to do. Using redirection like this can help to diffuse the behavior and remind the student how they should be behaving. Sharing these rules with parents and administrators can help them understand what you expect of students. Since you all work together as a team to educate these children, it is very important that everyone is on the same page. Students are exposed to these rules initially through the first meeting, and then will be reminded of them daily in the classroom. Students will also be reminded of the rules if they begin acting out, or can just be given gentle reminders throughout the day. I want to see kindergarteners who are using walking feet to go line up for recess. This way they will always know what is expected of them. I believe that parents should also receive a copy of the rules and a list of general expectations from the teacher. This way they can understand what is happening within the classroom. All of my lessons will begin with a hook, an interesting thought, a question, a connection to their lives, some cool little thing that captures their curiosity. Then will transition into the actual meat of the lesson, where I am teaching the material. Depending on what it is, I might have the students come to the rug where I can utilize the smartboard. During literacy, I can put up poems and have students come up and highlight the words that they recognize from our word wall. It can even be used to play some math games, or working as a cohesive unit to solve a difficult problem. Gathering on the carpet also lends itself well to reading aloud, and having students practice their critical reading

skills. Asking them to make predictions and focus on the story at hand becomes easier when they are in a group together, rather than sitting at their desks. Centers are another wonderful tool for instruction. They allow students to cycle through many different activities with multiple different learning focuses. This classroom is organized so that this is a viable choice when deciding how to design activities. Students can work in groups at each of the desk clusters, and even read at the reading nook. Students can work privately with me at my desk for guided reading, and a group can also be working on an activity at the rug. Students can also be doing activities that have them up and moving around, such as write around the room, where students have to go around the room and find words that begin with a certain letter. Centers can be utilized to promote literacy, or even math. They will always follow a similar structure. Students will rotate between centers with their group working on predetermined activities. Each station might always have the same type of activity with the specifics changed. For example, there might always be a rhyming center, or a poetry center, but the activities within each center will change. I intend to do a lot of informal assessments, such as asking questions, and monitoring progress on things such as handwriting, and reading. While we now live in a world where worksheets are no longer viewed as a viable teaching tool, I believe that when they are used appropriately they can help the learning process. For example, students need to practice their handwriting a lot in order for it to improve. This can be accomplished with a simple bell ringer where students are asked to copy down a word that is displayed for them. This activity gives them some of the practice that they need to improve, but also allows an opportunity for their teacher to assess their growth.

Encouraging and discouraging behaviors in the classroom can be difficult. I find this to be the most difficult part of classroom management. Ideally, to encourage positive behaviors there are a few options. First, calling on the student and using them as an example shows other students what behaviors you want, and providing them with a model of those behaviors can help them. I love how Suzie is sitting quietly with her hand raised. Secondly, simply using your body language, or giving a student a smile can really do wonders. If you see a student who helped tie another students shoe, you can give them a smile and a nod, or you can even tell them that you are proud. Lastly giving a small reward for good behavior is a great way to reinforce good behavior. Some classrooms have a reward system set up where students who perform well on homework and tests, or even are caught with good behaviors will receive points which they can save and cash in later. Im not a fan of this method myself especially with younger students. I think that by giving a student something as simple as a sticker can just as easily get the point across without having to deal with a reward system. When dealing with negative behaviors in my classroom I have a few strong opinions on what might help. Especially when dealing with students who have been diagnosed with behavioral problems, I believe that a student should have a say in their own behavior plan. If, for example a student becomes frustrated by not being able to complete something in a set amount of time, and this frustration becomes a negative behavior that keeps reoccurring. I would first remove the student from the situation and then talk with them about why they become frustrated, and what might help. If they need time to stop and recollect themselves, allow that. And as time progresses, develop a plan that allows that student to step away from things for a moment when they recognize their

own frustration (Charney, 2002). Utilizing the time out as a means of refocusing a student, and taking their attention off of a negative behavior is a wonderful tool. This method should help cut down on the negative behavior, but also help the student learn when they become frustrated and identify it before that frustration turns into a behavior. I am also a very huge supporter of transitions. Especially since so many classrooms are now inclusive, giving little countdowns such as we have 3 minutes until we need to clean up this activity and then continue with these gentle reminders until it is time to leave. These transitions are helpful in preventing behaviors that may arise from a student feeling uprooted from a task, and as a whole class transitions help everyone move smoothly from activity to activity. When it is too late to prevent a behavior, I think that a warning system should be put in place. This warning system should be the same for every student, and should be very similar to this: First time, the student receives a warning. They are asked to stop the behavior and apologize if necessary. Second time, the student is placed in a time out. This can be a similar situation as when a student needs to take a break. They are removed from the situation and allowed time to recompose themselves (1 minute per age). And the third time a student exhibits a negative behavior the student loses a privilege. This warning system will have to vary depending on the circumstance. Depending on the behavior, its severity, and its frequency, the consequences can be altered to notifying a parent, such as losing recess. Sometimes the loss of these privileges can be a powerful motivator for a student to change their behaviors. Maintaining consistency with punishments while still being able to understand that each situation is unique and could require modifications to the behavior modification plan.

Sources: Charney, R. S. (2002). Teaching children to care. (Revised ed.). Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children. Protheroe, N. (2007). How children learn. (may/june 2007), 41-44. Retrieved from www.naep.org Rutherford, M. (1999). Teaching for meaning. In Matthews, NC: Rutherford Laerning Group, INC.