Classroom Management and Communication Plan

Lauren Erickson

TABLE OF CONTENTS
RATIONALE AND BELIEFS STATEMENT ........................................................................................... 2 DEVELOPING STUDENT-TECHER RELATIONSHIPS ....................................................................... 3 ESTABLISHING CLASSROOM RULES AND PROCEDURES ............................................................ 4 CLASSROOM LAYOUT .............................................................................................................................. 5 MONITORING CLASSROM AND RESPONDING TO STUDENT BEHAVIOR ................................ 6 PARENTS AS PARTNERS ........................................................................................................................... 7

Rationale and Belief's Statement

In order to have a classroom where academic achievement can thrive, it is crucial to have a classroom management plan as a teacher. Classroom management is everything that the teacher does to organize the space, including time and materials, so that learning can take place (Wong, 2009). Being able to manage the classroom learning environment requires the establishment of procedures and rules and the creative incorporation of rewards and consequences in response to emergent student behavior. Strong classroom management skills will make this response natural so that learning may be enhanced in each opportunity. Personally, I plan to use an authoritative classroom management style. How I was raised and how I have learned best stem from this style of teaching. With a clear understanding for expectations and rules and knowing that the teacher will be forgiving and understanding if her expectations are not met, the student is motivated to do their best to meet those expectations. This attitude must originate from mutual respect between the teacher and student. By expressing interest in each student, they will be more likely to accept feedback from the teacher. My philosophy of classroom management hinges on engagement and motivation. Rather than quick-fix rewards, I believe the classroom can be an environment for learning beyond the content if the motivation to maintain a positive learning space is present. This can be accomplished by encouraging cooperation and curiosity, rather than competition. This idea comes from author Alfie Kohn, in his book Punished by Rewards (Figure 1). Discipline can be handled on a case by case basis that aligns with the overarching rules established by the school. In order to address individuals who have misbehaved, I believe it will be most affective to do in private to elicit their response. Giving students a chance to speak by respectfully voicing their opinions reveals their thinking and prepares them for later on in life when those skills are crucial for productive cooperation, such as in a job setting.

F Figure 1: The Ultimate Student Teaching Guide, Chapter 5

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Developing Student-Teacher Relationships

In order to provide a positive classroom, I plan to utilize the acronym KYS (Know Your Students) as a guiding principle to develop student-teacher relationships. One way that a teacher can get to know information about all of his students from day one is an Interest Survey (Figure 2). These results can be used to personalize the instruction throughout the year. For an example, in a Spanish class, the teacher could create a scenario that incorporates the students interests, such as a sporting event for a particular team or a vacation to a favorite destination. Rather than pick arbitrary information, making the content more relevant for students will motivate them to pay attention and engage with the content.

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Establishing Classroom Rules and Procedures

Rules and procedures for the classroom will be addressed on either the first or second day of class. The conversation will be organized in terms of the values we agree are important for a successful learning environment (Figure 3). Students can be given a role in developing the behavioral expectations for the class. An example of this is deciding when is an appropriate time to leave the class to go to the bathroom, water fountain, or nurses office. The rules and procedures concerning student work will be outlined in the syllabus. I would like students to be able to keep track of students progress in a portfolio or spreadsheet. In a Spanish class, they would pull pieces of their work that shows they have met one of the standards for the class. This way, they can see where they need to focus their attention and where they are doing well. In a math class, I would like to have a re-take policy, in which students can re-take any quiz or test. They must show that they have put in effort to learn the content they did not know before. By allowing them to re-take a test, they can learn and re-learn at their own pace.

Figure 3: Discipline with Dignity

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Classroom Layout
The classroom layout I would choose for a math classroom is to have pods of desks with three students at them. As the teacher, I would make the seating chart after the first week of school to get a sense for which students work well together and which are disruptive. Afterwards, I would organize the seating chart based on vision needs, group cohesion, and an aim to minimize disruptions. In the book, Discipline with Dignity, the authors suggest putting students who commonly act out on the wings of the classroom so they are not seated in front of everyone but can still be monitored. In pods, students can get used to working together, vocalizing their thinking, which is important for comprehension. The teacher desk would be off to the side and the teacher would spend most of her time working through examples on the board, walking around to check on students progress with practice problems or various activities. The student table at the back of the room could be used for working with students who need differentiated instruction. Perhaps two students missed a lesson, thus the teacher needs to get them caught up while their classmates work on the current days problems. The teacher could begin a mini lesson with them to more directly address their learning needs than she would the entire class. This table can be used as a site for turning in homework as well. I would like to put formulas, words, big ideas and big questions on the board, to have a bold, yet academic atmosphere. I would have a bookshelf for reference books and materials. Having this layout will allow for student-centered learning that is engaging.

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Monitoring the Classroom and Responding to Student Behavior

A social contract is a tool that teachers can create with the entire class or students that repeatedly misbehave (Figure 4). Students will take an active role in designing the social contract, which will consist of rules for the students by the teacher, rules for the teacher by the students, and rules for each other by the students. These rules should be based on a conversation about the values that students would like to see upheld and the behaviors and actions necessary to run a successful learning environment. The rules need to be clear and specific. From here, consequences can be made that match the rules. As a class, we can develop a range of possible consequences that get at what can be learned from a given situation. Often students need an outlet for their energy, frustrations, ideas, and emotions. Providing appropriate outlets is one way teachers can support their students and prevent misbehavior. Following a discussion of appropriate ways of self-expression, students should be encouraged to speak freely and responsibly. Journaling is one way to provide a suitable outlet. Another would be a survey at the end of every month to illicit student feedback on the environment of the classroom or school and how it helps or hurts their learning. By hearing students concerns and making adjustments, a teacher can instill a sense of responsible approaches for action in his students. It is important to get at the root of the misbehavior in order to change it. If the students is bored with the assignment, differentiating instruction to address their personal interests or incorporating more choice into their assignment may relieve the boredom. If there are outside factors, such as struggles at home or friend problems, talking one-on-one with the student to see if theres any advice that can be given shows the student that the teacher really cares about their well-being. This may be time consuming, but teachers play an important role of being sources of stability and dependability in a setting where adolescents endure many changes. With a classroom full of over 20 students, it can be overwhelming to try to get to know your students as quickly as one would like to start making accommodations for students who have special learning needs. A crucial component of accommodations is working with parents as partners. No one knows a student better than their parents, so they should be considered as a resource for being able to best serve their student. Parents will appreciate the teachers outreach for advice when it comes to working with their child.

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Figure 4: www.cehd.umn.edu

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Engaging Parents as Partners

At the beginning of the school year, I plan to send out a newsletter to their parents to introduce myself and the learning that they can expect to take place in my classroom (Figure 5). This newsletter may include educational goals, activities, and homework expectations. I would also include my contact information and my hours of availability to be reached at. To prevent uncertainties from overly-involved parents or lack of involvement from parents who cannot or do not give time to devote to frequent communication, I would include a link to the class page, which may give access to view grades and checks for assignment completion. There may be times when a call home is necessary to inform the parents of misbehavior of their son or daughter. Having contacted the parents beforehand with praise for their child will make delivering negative situations easier to accept, as parents will better understand that the teacher really cares about their childs overall well-being. Working with parents as partners is all about providing the best learning experience for the child and trusting the students parent/guardian as an informed, supportive resource.

Figure 5: Introductory Letter by Todd Hodgkinson

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