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Personal Classroom Management Plan

By Stacey Hoffe

My personal classroom management philosophy is structured into three main cate-


gories; preventive strategies, engaging teaching methods and corrective action. Ac-
cording to Macdonald (2010), these considerations help teachers to be proactive in
creating the type of atmosphere they hope to achieve, implement strategies to maintain
that environment, and finally, know how to address situations to best benefit long-term
class management goals and the interests of the students.

Prevention Strategies

I believe the classroom seating plan plays an integral role in controlling the type of at-
mosphere and work environment that is created in the classroom. Taking the time to
consider what type of environment would be most constructive, is a preventive measure
that can be implemented into a class management plan. In my future classes, I hope to
create a safe space where communication and collaboration is encouraged. For this
reason, I feel that seating plans that allow for small group discussions and group work
are more in line with the type of environment I hope to create. I also believe that seating
plans should be constantly re-evaluated based on the goals for that class and the group
dynamic that exists. In order to be proactive, considering factors such as, what groups
works well together, what students benefit from group work, what peer relationships ex-
ist in the class, all help to create a seating plan that will be effective. Recognizing that
relationships and circumstances change will serve as a reminder that constant reflection
is critical.

In addition to the seating plan, there are a number of other factors that should be evalu-
ated and possibly changed or added in order to create the most effective learning envi-
ronment for all students. For instance, the location of whiteboards and SmartBoards,
appropriate lighting, curtains or blinds for windows, a quality audio system with speak-
ers placed in appropriate places around the room are all valuable things to consider. In
the future, I plan to continue to reflect upon what needs exist in my classroom and the
goals we hope to reach, and consider the changes I can make to best address these
needs and reach the goals. I plan to have my students involved and have them provide
feedback about what works best and what does not.

Having students involved in creation of the class management plan is also important. I
believe that students should have a voice in creating the expectations or ground rules
that are in place in a classroom. With every new class, I plan to have time to have an
open discussion to consider the expectations that students have for me, the expecta-
tions I have for them, and also, the expectations they have for each other. I think that
providing students with the opportunity to have their voices heard and suggest what ex-
pectations are important to them, will assist with long-term enforcement of these expec-
tations. I think this method is an effective way to create accountability. It is my hope that
this will lead to building personal integrity, respect for peers and provides students with
clear guidelines for what the classroom norms are. This helps shape the behaviour that
occurs when in this environment and teaches students social competency skills and
self-regulation in the classroom (Alderman & MacDonald, 2015).

I strongly believe that the foundation of a successful class management plan relies on
positive relationships in the classroom. First and foremost, teachers need to build a
trusting relationship where students feel valued and safe in asking questions and shar-
ing ideas. It is only after this relationship has been established that engaging work and
even effective corrective actions can be implemented.

Engaging Teaching

Engagement is probably the most effective class management tool. When a class in
engaging, students are more likely to want to participate and learn. In order to achieve
an engaging classroom, I plan to use differentiated teaching methods in order to ad-
dress the needs that exist in the classes I teach. For example, using a variety of tech-
niques that appeal to visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners. Integrating a combina-
tion of these methods not only captivate more students, but will make the information
more accessible to them and their needs.

In order to decide on the most effective methods of instruction, I think it is important to


be aware of the exceptionalities and the preferred learning styles that are present in the
class. This knowledge can be accessed from reviewing their files and speaking with
previous teachers; however, I also believe that talking with students, getting to know
them and asking them how they learn best is often the way to get the most accurate in-
formation. Assumptions are frequently made about the accommodations that are re-
quired for students with exceptionalities. While there may be common solutions, it is
also important to know that symptoms vary, behaviours vary, needs vary, and the solu-
tions vary. During my training to become a social worker, I was taught to value the expe-
riences of others and be able to interpret these experiences and individual expertise on
their life; meaning although I might be in a professional role, it is the client that is the
expert on their life and their needs. When applying this idea to education, it means that
professional knowledge from other teachers may be valuable, but equally, and debat-
ably more important, is the expertise of the student themselves.

I also believe that teachers hold immense power in their classrooms, particularly over
the information that they share with their students. This information can shape the opin-
ions and attitudes that students have. For this reason, I believe that teachers have to be
particularly critical over the information they choose to use and share and also teach
students to be critical thinkers. An example of this is how certain populations are depict-
ed in popular media. Groups can be heavily stigmatized and stereotyped in popular me-
dia which perpetuates assumptions and beliefs about people that are largely untrue. As
a future teacher, I will strive to reflect on all information I share and consider it thorough
a critical lens to ensure that it does not further oppress marginalized populations. More
importantly, I want to teach my students about what oppression and marginalization
means, how its caused, how to critically think about the information they gather and the
choices they make, and how to create spaces that are safe and inclusive. These
thoughts are closely linked to the idea of anti-bullying, a concept that is significant to ef-
fective class management.

Teaching from a person-centered and strength-based perspective is another critical


method that I believe is linked to a successful class management plan. I plan to work
with students to help them find their own success and reach goals that are individual-
ized to their personal needs. Additionally, focusing on their strengths and how we can
build on these skills and traits will help students to feel empowered and therefore, more
motivated to learn and grow. This belief is also closely linked to my background as a so-
cial worker. There is ample research in the field of social work that suggests that using a
person-centered approach and working from a strength-based perspective is an effec-
tive way in motivating people and assisting them to facilitate change in their lives. In
fact, this is the foundation of many counselling theories that exist in social work practice.
I can attest that this method is effective in therapeutic relationships as I have utilized
them with clients during my experience as a social worker. I am confident that these
skills are transferrable to a classroom environment and would be most effective in em-
powering students to work towards their goals. Problem centered approaches can be-
come saturated with negative views, while a strength-based approach can move stu-
dents away from focusing on what their problems and instead, focusing on what their
strengths are. This method fosters positive self-esteem and self-confidence. Building
confidence will ultimately help students to tackle challenging situations that they may
have been unwilling to tackle before.

Creating an environment where all students are acknowledged and valued is also a pri-
ority for me. I want to celebrate every success and ensure there is no hierarchy that dic-
tates which successes are more important or worthy of celebrating. Success in my opin-
ion, is such an individualized measurement, and therefore cannot be ordered in a hier-
archical way.

Corrective Actions

Despite integrating engaging teaching methods and prevention strategies, situations


can still occur that require corrective actions. However, the type of corrective actions put
in place will ultimately impact the group dynamic and relationships in the classroom.
This is why, I believe that being thoughtful and considerate of what corrective measures
are implemented, is vital to maintaining successful class management. Specifically, I
think that supportive or restorative responses are the most effective way to respond to
conflict but also maintain the relationships that were previously built.

I believe addressing conflict and challenging situations must start with empathy and un-
derstanding (Beaty-OFerrall, et al., 2015). Working from this perspective will allow for
deeper understanding of why students may make the decisions they do. Additionally,
students who feel listened to are more likely to connect with their teacher so spending
the time to explore their actions and reactions has been proven very valuable (Alderman
& Green, 2011). This is concept is also known as chasing the why as suggested by
Siegel and Payne-Bryson (2015). Correcting student actions from an empathetic per-
spective can assist with separating the person from the problem. Instead of labeling the
student in a negative way, we should be acknowledging that a poor decision was made
and work with that student to try to understand the implications of their actions and how
to make positive changes in the future. In order to be successful in facilitating change,
teachers need to believe that people are inherently good and with guidance, people
can make changes to their behaviour. With this in mind, I plan to work with students
without bias and judgement and allow them to learn from their mistakes and move for-
ward. This is valuable because in many circumstances, there are multiple contributing
factors that cause people to act or behave in a certain way. I believe that in many cases,
chasing the why and understanding the root of the action and helping students over-
come the barriers that exist in their life is not only beneficial in terms of long-term class
management plan, but more importantly, it is more beneficial for the student.
References

Alderman, G., & Green, S.K. (2011). Social Powers and Effective Classroom Manage-
ment: Enhancing Teacher-Student Relationships. Intervention in School and Clinic.
47(1). 39-44.

Alderman, M.K., & MacDonald S. (2015). A Self-Regulatory Approach to Classroom


Management: Empowering Students and Teachers. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 51:2,
52-56.

Beaty-OFerrall, M., Green, A., & Hanna, F. (2015). Classroom Management Strategies
for Difficult Students: Promoting Change through Relationships. Middle School Journal,
41, 4-11.

McDonald, T. (2010). Classroom Management: Engaging Students in Learning. Oxford:


Oxford University Press.

Siegel, D.J., & Payne-Bryson, T. (2015). Discipline: Its All About Connection. Work and
Family Life. 30(4). 1-2.

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