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SampleClassroomManagementPlan

[Name]
ClassroomManagement
[Date]
ClassroomManagementPlan
IbelieveClassroomManagementisthekeycomponentinanyeducationalsetting.Ibelievethatif
studentsareinasafeenvironment,thenlearningcantakeplace.Thisdoesntnecessarilymean
punishingbehaviorproblemsbutratheracombinationofsettingthetoneinaclass,preventing
behaviorproblemswithinterestingandengagingcurriculumsandeffectivelyincludingallstudentsin
theclassroomsothattheirneedsaremet.Havingtherightenvironmentforallstudentstolearnismy
majorgoalofimplementinggoodclassroommanagementwithoutitthestudentswouldnotbeableto
learn.
PhilosophicalStatement
Iamcommittedtomakingmyclassroomasafeandchallengingenvironmentandengagingmy
studentsthroughthecurriculumaswellasgettingtoknowthemandinteractingwiththemoneon
one.Ibelievethatmeetingtheneedsofmystudentsisaverycrucialpartofmyclassroom.Iwant
themtobecomfortablewiththeotherstudents,aswellasme,sothattherecanbemeaningful
discussionsandinteractions.Talkingwillbecommonplaceinmyclassroom,alongwithgroupwork.
Iwanttoencourageallstudentstoparticipateinclasssothattheycanlearnfromeachotheraswellas
me.Iwanttohaveademocraticandequitableclassroomsothatstudentscanlearn.Iwanttobeafair
asIcanbe,sothestudentstrustme.
IfeelthatIhaveaverypatientandcalmattitudewithmyclass.Iaskstudentsabouttheirlifeoutside
ofclassandfeelthattheyrespondinclassevenmore,knowingthatsomeoneispayingattentionto
them.Iwantthemtofeelcomfortableaskingquestionsofme.Ithinkmyattitudetowardsthestudents
isnotoverbearingorauthoritative.Idonotbelieveinforcingthestudentstodoanything.Iwantto
workwiththeminallcircumstancessothatwecanachievetogetherandtheydontfeellikeIam
spoonfeedingtheminformation.Iwantstudentstobeapartoftheirlearning.Iwanttomotivate
studentstolearnandkeeptheirinterestbyusingengagingcurriculum.Iwanttoinvolvestudentsin
rulesabouttheclassroomaswellaswhatcurriculumtheywouldliketostudy.Ibelieveifstudents
feeltheyareinvolvedintheworkingsoftheclassroom,theywillbemoremotivatedtoengageinthe
classandinturn,learn.

RoomArrangement
Walkingthroughthedoor,studentsarehitwithvibrantcolorsonthewalls,naturallightingfromthe
windowsandaninvitingsensationastheyglidealongthecarpeting.Theyfeelsafeandwelcome
wanderingtotheirseatsinabigcircleoftables.Theycanseetheirclassmatesastheyfaceeachother
andglancefromwalltowalllookingatmaps,art,famouspeople,differentculturesandstudentwork
alldepictedincolorfulpostersaroundtheroom.Thereisnotadropofwhitepainttobeseen.The
carpetontheflooriscomfortingtothestudentandyieldsaformoftranquilityamidsttheinvigorating
walls.AsIstartthelessonfrommydesk,whichisalsoincludedinthecircle,thestudentsgetouttheir
journalsandcolorfulpenstorecordtodayslessonandtheirpersonalthoughts,questionsorevenart.I
believethesetupofaclassroomhasabigeffectonstudentlearningandIhopethatmyclassroom
willbeanenvironmentthatwillengagemystudentsincriticalthinking,discussionsandreflection.
Havingthetablesinacirclewillcreateanenvironmentrichindiscussions.Ithinkitisveryimportant
toengagestudentsindiscussiontotrytodrawoutandchallengeideasandlettheclasslearnfrom
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eachother.Nooneissittingbehindthecircleoronthesidesoftheroomtheclassenjoystheeye
contactandfacialexpressionsofeveryoneastheyshareideas.Studentscan"createknowledge,not
simplyabsorbitfromhigherauthorities,"(p.439,Bigelow)intheclassroomwherepersonal
experiencesaresharedandlearned.Ibelievethecircleoftablesencouragesdiscussionandinturn,
studentslearnfromeachother.
Ibelievethatstudentsshouldbeconstantlychallengedandprovokedtothinkcritically.Iputanarray
ofpostersonthewallstoshowanoutlineoftheyearahead.Theposterscoverthewallsfromfloorto
ceilingthereisnotaspeckofblankwhitewalljustasIdontwantmystudentstoengagetheir
mindsonblankwhitewallsforfearthattheirmindsmightbecomethesameblank.Iwilluseallthe
postersthroughouttheyearandhopethattheywillengagethestudentsmindswhilesittinginclass.
Evenifthestudentsarenotpayingfullattentionandtheirmindiswandering,Ihopetocatchafewof
themthinkingaboutthepostersinquisitively.Iwanttohavethoughtprovokingpicturestoinvoke
interestinthestudentswhetheritbeartworkofdifferenttimes,orpicturesofpeople(men,women
andallracesandethnicities)orlandmarksthroughouttheworldorjustablackandwhitephotoofthe
dustbowl.
Iwantsupplementalmaterialsforstudentstohaveaccesstoforstudying,writingorresearching.Iwill
havebookshelvesinthecornerwherestudentscanresearchanduseresourcessupplementaltothe
textbooks.Therewillbeafewcomputersforprojects,reportsandresearch,aswellasuseof
applicationstopresentreportstotheclass(i.e.PowerPoint).Studentswillalsohaveaccesstothe
computerlabintheschoolwheretheycanlearnsocialstudiesaswellastechnologybyintegratingthe
lessons.ThiswillfosteraholisticlearningapproachthatIwillstrivetoteachtomystudents.Wewill
notbesolelylearningthefactsofhistory,butwillbeintegratingart,math,geography,scienceand
psychologytodeepenourunderstandingofourunits.
Asyoucanseebymydrawings(seeAttachments1and2),Iwanttocreateanenvironmentinmy
classroomthatisconducivetodiscussionsandgroupwork.Byarrangingthestudentswheretheyare
facingeachother,IbelievethisleadstoamoreintimateenvironmentaswellasaspacewhereIcan
gettoeverystudenteasily.Iliketowalkaroundtheroomwhileteaching,ratherthanstayinginone
stationaryplaceinthefront.Ifthetablesarearrangedasso,Icanwalkaround,engagemorestudents,
andhopefullycreateanenvironmentwherestudentscantalkandshareideasfreelyandcomfortably.I
amalsoabigadvocateofgroupworkandIshowinmysecondmaphowthedeskswill"magically"
changetoaccommodategroupwork.Iwouldhaveallstudentssittingtogetherwithallthedesksfacing
intothegroup.Thiswillleadtodiscussionsandwillnotletanyonefeelleftoutofthegroup
physically.Iintendtousegroupworkasadifferentinstructionaltechniquetoincludeasmanylearners
asIcanusingmultipleabilitytaskssothateveryleveloflearnercanbeanactiveparticipantandthey
canlearnfromeachother.
Mydeskwillbeinthecorneroftheroom,butusedmostlyformyadministrativetasks.Iwillhavea
computerinwhichtokeepgradesandwillhavelessonplans,attendancesheetsandmiscellaneous
paperworkorganizedthere.Iwilltakeaseatinthe"circle"toconductlessonsaswellasmoving
aroundtheroom.Iwouldliketohaveresourcesavailableforthestudentssuchasdictionaries,atlases,
andbookspertainingtotheunit.Theseresourcescouldbeadditionalmaterialsthatstudentscanlook
throughoutofcuriosityorofobtainingextrainformationonasubject.Ofcourse,Iwouldlovetohave
afewcomputersintheclassroomsothatwecouldusethemtoenhancethecurriculumwhether
lookingonmyhomepageforassignmentstousingthemfornewresearchorusingthemtotypeessays
intoWord.Ialsowillhavebutcherpaperandplentyofmarkers,coloredpencilsandcraftsitemsin
whichthestudentscancreatepresentations.Iintendtoinvolvethestudentsindrawing,making,
singing,rappingormakingmobilesofthelessonsandIwanttobeequippedinhavingmaterialsfor
themtouseandbecreative.Iwouldlovetohavemapsaroundmyroomaswellaspostersofdifferent
culturesandpeoplesaswellasdifferentplaces.Iwillfrequentlyputstudentworkonthewallso
studentsfeela"part"oftheroom.
ClassroomRules
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ThebestrulethatIhaveheardandIwouldbelievetobemyattitudetowardsclassroomrulesisthatI
needaclassroomwherelearningtakesplace,andifwecanrespecteachotherthenwedontneedany
other"rules."Iabsolutelybelieveinkeepingasafeenvironmentwhereputdownsandnamecallingis
notallowedthisalsofallsunderrespect.IfIcanhaverespectformystudentsaswellashavingthem
respectingeachother,Ibelievethisleadstoasafeenvironmentwherelearningcantakeplace.Iam
notasticklerforgumchewingoreatinganddrinkingaslongasitdoesnotinterferewithlearningand
doesntmakeamess.Iwouldliketogivemykidsthefreedomtoeatordrinkaslongastheyare
responsiblefortheirtrashandmess.Ifitgetsoutofcontrol,Iwillletthemknowthattheprivilege
willbetakenaway,rightfromthebeginning.Ialsodonotmindifstudentswearhatsinclass.Tome
thisisanancientruleandaslongasthehatdoesnotinterferewithlearning,thenIwillletthemwear
them.
Imaytrytocreateaclassconstitutionifbehaviorsintheclassareinconsistentlyoutofcontrol.I
reallyliketheideaofhavingthestudentsinvolvedinmakingtheirownrulesandnegotiatingwith
eachotherwhichonestoputintheconstitution.Ifthestudentsareinvolvedinmakingtherules,I
believetheywillbemoreinclinedtoobeythemandtheconsequencesthatwillbeimplementedwill
notbefoughtagainst.Iwouldhavethestudentswritethefinalconstitutiononaposterboardandhang
itintheroom.Iwouldalsosendtheconstitutionhometohavetheparentssignitandreturnittome
sothatIcanincludetheminwhatwearetryingtoaccomplishintheclassroom.
Intermsofcreatingasafeenvironmentforalltolearn,Iwanttocreateanenvironmentwithpositive
andnumerousstudentteacherrelationships.Especiallyindiverseclassroomswheremanystudentsare
fromdifferentbackgrounds,Iwanttocreateanenvironmentwherestudentsarenotanddonotfeel
thattheyarebeingtreatedunfairly.Idonotwanttolabelstudentsorassumetheiracademicabilityon
thewaytheylookoract.Idonotwantthediversesettingstoleadtosituationswherecommunication
isnothappening.Ifeelthisiswherebehaviorproblemsmayarise.Iwanttocreateanenvironment
where"teachersacceptthem[students]asindividualswithuniqueandculturaldifferencetorespect,
relateandlikethemtolistenandcommunicateopenlyandtheunderstandandhonortheirfamily,
culture,language,andrace."(SheetsandGay,1996)Ibelievetosucceedinhavingaclassroomlike
thisitisnecessarytohavegreatinterpersonalskillsevenmorethanclassroommanagementskills.I
wanttocreateanenvironmentwhereIcanweavethecurriculumintomstudentsdifferentlivesand
experiences.Iwantthemtobeabletosharetheseexperiencesandrelatethemtothematerialweare
workingwith.Thisisamajorplusofadiverseclassroom.Wherewecancelebratedifferencesand
learnfromeachother.
Iwouldalsoliketoimplementsomeclassmeetingswherewecandiscusswhatisworkingandnot
workingwiththeclass.Iwouldlikethesetobelikeanopenforumwhereideasandsuggestionscan
bediscussedandhopefullyimplemented.Iamveryinterestedinlearningwhatthestudentsare
thinkingaboutandmakingthelearningenvironmentasmuchtotheirlikingaspossible.Ithinkthis
dialogueiscrucialincreatinganenvironmentwherethestudentsfeelautonomousandincontrolof
theirlearning.
Iwouldalsouseclassmeetingstodiscusswholeschoolrules.Iwouldhopethattheschoolingeneral
takessometimeduringtheyeartodiscusspolicieswiththestudentstogetstudentfeedback.Inmy
highschoolthisyear,therewasclasstimeassignedtodiscussingtheissueofhomework.The
administrationistakingthefeedbackofthestudentstodecidehowtosolvetheissueofstudents
havingtoomuchhomework.Ibelievethatitisimperativetoadheretowholeschoolrulesinorderto
haveaneffectivepolicyintheschool.Iwilltrymybesttofollowthewholeschoolruleswherethey
makesenseforthesafetyofthestudentsorfororderintheschool.IfIdonotagreewiththeschool
rules,Iwillbetalkingtoadministrationtoseeiftheremaybealternativepossibilities.
Inadditiontomakingaclassconstitution,Iwouldliketosendoutamonthlynewsletterorpostoneon
thewebsoparentscanseewhatisgoingonintheclassroom.Ibelieveifparentsareinvolvedintheir
childsschool,thechildwillhavemoresupportathomeandtheparentcanhelpwithanyissuesthat
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arise.Ibelieveininvolvingtheparentsasmuchaspossible.
Ifthereisaconsistentmisbehaviorproblem,Iwillinitiallyaskthestudenttotalktomeafterclass.I
willtalktohim/heraboutthepositivethingstheyaredoinginclassandhowIappreciatesomething
theyaredoing,asinparticipatinginclassforexample.Iwilltellthemwhytheirbehavioris
interferingintheclassandhavethemmeetwithmelatertomakeaplanofhowtheywillbeableto
stopthebehavior.Inclass,Iwillgivethemawarningandthenaskthemtomovetothebackofthe
roomtoworkbythemselves.Ialwayswanttokeepconsequencesinlinewiththemisbehavior.Ifthe
misbehaviorcontinues,Iwilltalktothestudentandmakeaphonecallhome.Imightalsoaskthe
parenttocomeintoschoolforameetingwiththestudent.Ithinkitisveryimportanttoinvolvethe
parents.Idonotbelieveinthrowingastudentoutoftheroomunlesstheyarebeingharmfultoothers
ormeintheclasseitherphysicallyorverbally.Ibelievethatmisbehaviorshouldbeaddressedwith
theteacherandstudentcommunicatingasmuchaspossible.Ifeelthatsendingstudentstothe"office"
isoverused.
ClassroomProcedures
IwanttobeconsistentwithmystudentsintermsofClassroomProcedures.Ialwayswanttohavethe
agendaontheboardsotheycancopyitdownintheirnotebookeverydayastheywalkin.Onsome
daysIhopetohaveafreewritingassignmentsoIcantakeroleandtheycanbeengagedandworking
ontheirwriting.Iwilluseinteractivenotebookssostudentscandoallhomeworkassignmentsinthe
notebookaswellastakeclassnotesinthenotebookandstapleinanyhandouts.Thepurposeofthis
notebookistokeepallclassmaterialsinoneplacesowhentheygotostudyforatest,theyarenot
lookingalloverforloosepapers.Inthesenotebooks,studentscanshowtheircreativityindesigninga
coverpageforeachunitaswellasdoingfreewritesorreflectionstothelessonsandcentralquestions
rightinthenotebook.Iwillgoaroundtheroomandstampthehomeworkeachdayitisdueandwill
collectthenotebookseverytwoorthreeweekstograde.Evenifthestudentdidnotgetthehomework
done,theymayloseapointbecausetheydidnothaveastamp,butstillhastimetogettheassignment
donebycollectiontime.Bystampingthehomeworkandnotgradingit,itaddsconsistencytothe
classroombutdoesnotleadtonegativefeelingseverydayofhavingthehomeworkgraded.
Iamstilldebatingmythoughtsonhomework.Ikeepcomingbacktoaphilosophyofmyprofessorat
Stanfordwhosaidthathomeworkisadistinctionbetweenthe"haves"and"havenots."Ibelievethis
isthecasebecausethereisaclearlineinmyclasseswhodoestheirhomeworkeverynight,who
doesntandwhoevenhasatutortohelpwithessays.Idontbelieveingivinghomeworkfor
homeworkssake.Ibelieveingivingout23nightsaweekofhomeworkthatenhanceswhatweare
discussinginclass.Iwillgivemystudentsthehomeworkassignmentatleasteveryweeksothatthey
canplantheirweeksinadvance.Iwanttogivemystudentsadvancenoticetohelpthemwithtime
management.
Intermsofwrappingup,Iwanttoalsohaveanessentialquestionthatthelessonisrevolvingaround.
Ibelievethestudentswillunderstandwherewearegoinganditleadstoaneffectivewrapupatthe
endofclass.IwanttomakesureIleaveatleastfiveminutestowrapupthelessonandreiteratethe
importantpointsbroughtupthatday.Iwillusedifferentformsofassessmenttomakesurestudents
understandtheinformation.Whetherbypassingoutahalfsheetandaskingfor"threepointsthey
learnedtoday"tohavingadiscussionaroundthemainpoints.Imaygiveoutanunannouncedquizbut
nothaveitgradedsoIcanfindoutwherestudentsareat.Iwouldliketogrademoreonfinalessays
thathavedraftsattachedratherthenstandardtests.Iwanttomakesuremystudentsunderstandthe
materialaswellasusinghigherorderthinkingskillstoanalyze,interpretorevaluatethematerial.I
believeessaysaremoreequippedtoletthestudentsexpresstheirlearning.Iwouldalsoliketogive
outassignmentswherethestudentscanchooseamediumtodemonstratetheirknowledgeofagiven
subjectorunit.Bylettingthemchoosetheirwayofshowingcompetence,thestudentshaveanother
waytoexpresstheirlearninganditwillallowstudentsthatarentahighlevelofreadingorwritinga
chancetouseothermethodsofcreativity.
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Ifstudentsarehavingsometroublegettinghomeworkinornotdoingwellontests,Iwillhavea
conferencewiththemtohelpthemgetbackontrack.Iwillmakeaplanwiththemthattheirparents
willsign,ifnecessary(seeAttachment3).Idonotwantmystudentsfallingbehindbecausetheyare
notdoingtheirwork.Iwanttostayontopofthestudentswhomayneedanextrapush.Iwantallmy
studentstofeelimportantinmyclassandanotherwayIcanaccomplishthisishelpingthemwiththeir
schoolworkandorganization.Iwillbeanotherpersonsettinghighexpectationsforallmystudents
andhelpingthosewhomayneedsomeextraattentiontoaccomplishtheirgoalsintheclassroom."If
studentsbelievetheirpoorperformancetoalackofimportantskillsortopoorstudyhabits,theyare
morelikelytopersistinthefuture."(Anderman,Midgley,1998)Iwanttostudentstounderstandthat
theydohavecontrolovertheirlearninganditisnotaninnateskillorgene.Iwanttohelpthosewho
needitmostbyworkingwiththemoneononeifnecessary.
Iwouldgradeonclassparticipationincludingattendance,homework,groupworkandtestsand
quizzes.Iwouldlovetohavethestudentscreateaportfoliooftheirworkinalignmentwiththeir
notebookssotheycanbegradedontheirimprovementandcompetencywiththematerialsoitisnot
solelygradedontraditionaltestsandquizzes.Ihaveattachedacourseoutlineformyclassroom(see
Attachment4).Iwouldprobablyputhomeworkatonly10%ofthegradetests/presentationsat25%
andgroupworkat25%oftheirgrade.Groupworkisgradedbothatagrouplevelbutalsoatan
individuallevel.IwouldliketogradeasholisticallyaspossibleandIdonotwantstudentswhoare
successfulontests,presentationsorgroupworkassignmentstobepenalizedtoomuchiftheyarenot
completingallassignments.Mypolicyonlateworkwillbethatitisacceptedbutatalowergrade.I
wantstudentstolearn,first.Idonotwantthemtoforgetanassignmentjustbecausetheymissedthe
deadline.Iwantthemtodotheassignmentandlearnfromitandifitishandedinlate,welltheirgrade
ontheassignmentwillautomaticallygodown.

EncouragingAllStudents
BillRogers,affectionatelyknowasMr.Rogers,hasmanyeffectivetechniquesandapproachesto
classroommanagement,frompreventionandpositivecorrectiontoconsequences.Mr.Rogers,I
believe,takesaverylogicalandhumaneapproachtodealingwithstudents.Hedoesnotadvocate
beingastrict,disciplinarian,authoritarianteacher,butgivesstrategiestohelpteachersworkwith
studentstocontroltheirownbehavior.ThefirstpartofRogersplangivestechniquesusedtoprevent
disciplineproblems.Intheestablishmentphase,hedistinguishesrightsfromresponsibilitiesandsays
thattheyneedtobebalanced.Ashediscussesrightsofthestudents,hetalksabouthowtheyhavethe
righttofeelsafe,betreatedwithdignityandrespectandhavetherighttolearn.Ithinkitiscrucialin
thebeginningoftheschoolyeartostatetheserightsandexplainwhatthestudentsneedtodotohave
theserights.Inordertoestablishalearningenvironment,studentsneedtofeelsafephysicallyand
emotionallytheyneedtotreateachotherwithrespect,whichmeansnotallowingnamecallingor
putdownsintheclass.Ifoundthisstrategyparticularlyuseful,asmyCTsonly"rule"atthe
beginningoftheyearwasto"respecteachother,theclassroomandtheteacherinordertocreatean
environmentinwhichtolearn."AllnegativelanguageintheclassroomisimmediatelystoppedandI
believethestudentsnowfeelsafetoexpressthemselveswithoutfearofbeingmadefunof.This
preventsdisciplineproblemsaskidsmightactoutiftheyarefeelingattackedorunsafeinthe
classroom.
Alsointheestablishmentphaseistheideathatyouhavetobeconsistentwithyourrulesthatyou
reallywanttoestablish.Onemustmakesurewhichrulesyouwantyourkidstoobeyandyoumustbe
absolutelyconsistentinlettingthemknowwhatisappropriateornot.Iagreewiththisprevention
strategybecauseonceastudentisnotheldaccountable,thentheproblemwilljustperpetuate.Rogers
talksaboutreclaimingteachablemomentsandhowitishardifyoudontcatchaproblemrightfrom
thebeginning.Ibelievethatthismaymakeiteasierinthelongrun,butIdonotthinkyouhavetouse
ateachablemomentrightfromthestarttohaveitbemeaningful.Ibelieveifaproblemisreallyoutof
controlaftertwomonthsorevenfivemonths,aproper,forcefulteachablemomentcouldteachthe
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samethingevenbeinglaterintheclass.
Establishingattentionisonelastpreventativetechnique.Rogersinsiststhatyoushouldnottalkover
noise.IagreewiththispreventionandInoticethatwhenIstandinthesameplaceintheroom,the
kidswillquietdown.IfI"wait"forthemtobequiet,theywillquieteachotherdown.Establishing
thisearlyoniscrucialinhavinganenvironmentconducivetoteachingandlearning.Itisessentialthat
directionsareheardandimportantpointsinclassareheard.
WhileRogerstalksaboutPositiveCorrection,heemphasizesreactingfromthe"head"versusthegut.
Ibelievethisisaverylogicalwaytoviewcorrection.Insteadofescalatinganargumentwithastudent
aswithsecondarybehavior,Rogerssuggestssteppingbackandaddressingjusttheprimarybehavior.
Hesuggestsnotgivingintothesecondarybehavior,suchasbacktalkingorbodylanguage.He
suggestsusingatechniqueofpartialagreementthatalsofocusesontheprimarybehavior.Tome,this
keepsahumanesideofcorrectingastudent.IbelieveitcoincideswithatheoryofLindaAlberts
whichsaysthatstudentsmisbehavewhenthereneedsarenotmet.Teacherscanonlyinfluence
behaviortheycannotcontrolit.Byescalatinganargumentwithsecondarybehavior,theteachermay
beassertingcontroloverthestudent.NeitherRogersnorAlbertsagreeswiththistechniqueandargue
againstit.Ithinkthishelpsthestudenttakecontrolofthesituation.Theteacherisnotbeingpulledin,
awayfromtherestoftheclass,justtoassertcontrolandprovetheirpoint.Itisnotaneffectivewayto
correctpositively.Rogerstalksaboutseparatingtheactionfromtheperson.
HealsoagreeswithAlbertsthatstudentsneedtohavethechoicetocontrolhisorherbehavior.By
giving"takeuptime"theteacherletsthestudentsavefaceinfrontofhisclassroom.Rogerssuggests
givingdirectionsandimmediatelywalkingaway.Ibelievethisisagreatwayforstudentstobeable
tomakeachoiceabouttheirbehavior.Iftheteacherstandsinfrontofthestudentto"make"himdo
something,thestudentswillnaturallywantto"betough"infrontofclassmatesandwillprobably
disobeytheteacher.Whentheteacherwalksaway,thestudentstopsbeingthecenteroftheclass
attentionandhastheopportunitytomakeachoiceabouthis/herbehavior(hopefullyapositiveone).I
havefoundthiseffectivewhenastudentistalkingoutofline,Ihaveaskedthemtostop,said"thank
you"andwalkedaway.Ididnotcreateadistraction,butletthestudentmakeachoicewithoutlosing
face.
Finally,Rogersaddressesconsequencesbyhelpingastudentfindaconnectionbetweenbehaviorand
outcome.Theconsequencesneedtoberelatedandreasonable.Iagreewiththislastpoint.Italsogives
studentsachancetochoosetheirownbehavior.Whenconsequencesaregiven,thestudentlearns
becauseitisrelatedandreasonable.Thestudentcannotgetmadattheteacherforanunreasonable
punishmentandinturnnotfocusonwhathe/shedidtodeservethepunishment.Iftheconsequenceis
fairandreasonable,Ibelievestudentswillbeabletoattributethepunishmenttotheirwrongdoing.
OnethingRogerdoesnotaddressinhistheoriesisapointthatKounintalksaboutinpreventing
disciplineproblems,whichhavetodowiththesubjectmatteroftheclassroom.Kouninemphasizes
thatteachersshouldmakeinstructionalactivitiesenjoyableandchallengingforthestudents.Ibelieve
ifthestudentsarebusywithworkthatisrelevanttothemandischallenging,therewillbeless
disciplineproblems.InoticedwhenIsubstituted,andtherewasonlyavideotowatch,thestudents
weremoreoutofcontrolthanwhentherewasastructuredactivitythatengagedthem.Kouninalso
talksaboutthesmoothnessofthelessonthatwillpreventproblems.Theseteacherdirected
suggestionsaboutteachingourcontentareaarenotdiscussedinRogerstheoriesandIbelieveare
definitelyamajorimportanceinkeepingaroomfreeofdisciplineproblems.
OneothermainpointofthedifferenttheoriesthatwehavereadbyDreikursandAlbertspointoutthat
studentswhoarenothavingtheirneedsmetwill"actout"inordertogettheirneedsmetforeither
attention,power,relevantorinadequacy.RogersdoesnotaddressthispointandIfeelitisanother
importanttheorytorememberwhendealingwithclassroommanagement.Theseneedswillhelp
teachersunderstandsomeofthereasonswhychildrenmaybemisbehavinginclass.
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IalsoagreewiththeWholeSchoolSystemthatRogersadvocates.Afterlisteningtotheargumentsin
facultymeetingsatourschoolabouttheattendancepolicy,Iunderstandthatifthewholeschooldoes
notbuyintoit,nothingwillgetdone.Thetardypolicyisverylenientandtheprincipalhasbeen
tellingtheteacherstomarkallstudentstardy.Someteachersdonotthinkitmattersbecausethe
studentscanhave30tardiesbeforetheparentiscalledin.Becausethefacultyarenotallinagreement
aboutthesystem,itcreatesabreakdownandthestudentsdonotgetaconsistentsignalabouttardies
andnothingisdone.ThisgoesbacktoRogersotherpointofbeingconsistentwithstudentsonpolicies
youreallyfeelareimportanttoenforce.Notonlyinyourclassroomisthistrue,butasaschoolasa
whole.
PositiveReinforcement
Insteadoffocusingsolelyonthemisbehaviorintheclassroom,Iwanttofocusonthegoodbehavior
andattitudesinmyclassroom.Iwillhavethestudentsfilloutpostcardsatthebeginningoftheyear
withtheiraddressonthem.Iwillusethesepostcardsthroughouttheyeartosendpositivefeedbackto
theparentsathomeeveryweek.Iwillfocusonsendingafewpostcardshomeeachweek.Iwantto
acknowledgeandencouragegoodbehaviorandacademicsuccessinmyclassroom.Ithinkthatletting
parentsknowathomeisanotherwaytoinvolveparentsintheclassroomaswellasreinforcegood
behaviorandlearningbythestudents.Iwillmakesurethatpositivepostcardshomewillbegivenout
forallstudentsnomatterhowbigorhowsmalltheaccomplishment.Iwillalsomakesomepositive
phonecallshomeasthesehaveworkedwellformethisyear.Ithinkparentsreallyappreciatepositive
phonecallshomeanditalsosetsupadialoguebetweenparentsandteachers.
Idonotbelieve,however,inusingrewardslikestickersorstars,Asorpraise.ToquoteAlphieKohn,
"Whenrewardsstop,peopleusuallyreturntothewaytheyactedbefore."Iwantmystudentstobe
intrinsicallymotivatedandgivingoutrewardsinhibitsintrinsicmotivation."Studentswhoare
encouragetothinkaboutgrades,stickers,orother"goodies"becomelessinclinedtoexploreideas,
thinkcreatively,andtakechances."(Kohn,1994)Iwantmystudentstoknowitisokaytomake
mistakesandtakerisksintheclassroom.Iwanttoencouragemystudentsbytellingthemspecific
feedbackonanassignmentratherthanastaranda"goodjob."Idontwantthemtobecome
dependentonmypraise.Iwantthemtobesuccessfullearners.AsDreikurs(1982)argues,
"Encouragement,referstoapositiveacknowledgmentresponsetofocusesonstudenteffortsof
specificattributesorworkcompletedUnlikepraise,encouragementdoesnotplacejudgmenton
studentworkorgiveinformationregardingitsvalueorimplicationsofstudentstatus.Iwanttofocus
onimprovementandeffortnotjustafinalproduct.

Conclusion
AsIstatedearlier,IbelieveClassroomManagementisthekeytoanenvironmentwherelearningcan
takeplaceandstudentscanfeelsafeparticipating.Ihopetocreateanenvironmentthatisconduciveto
learningandinvolvesallmystudents.Ibelievethemostimportantpartofclassroommanagementis
notthebehaviorproblemsbutcreatingagoodrapportwiththestudents,encouragingthemtosucceed
andsettinghighexpectationsforthem.Aswellasusinganengagingacurriculum,Ibelieveyoucan
createthisenvironmentanditwilllimitthebehaviorproblemsinyourclassroomfromthestart.
[DevelopedbyInstructor:ColinHaysman,StanfordUniversity]
ReturntoClassroomManagementPlaninstructions
Returntocoursesyllabus,BeingaNewTeacher
ReturntoAllanFeldman'shomepage
http://people.umass.edu/~afeldman/beingnewteacher/sampleplan.html

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3/18/2015

SampleClassroomManagementPlan

EmailAllanFeldman

http://people.umass.edu/~afeldman/beingnewteacher/sampleplan.html

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