Classroom Management Plan Psychosocial Dimension of Classroom Management There are several strategies that may be used to enhance

the psychosocial dimension of the classroom environment and create a positive classroom climate. Teachers should strive to be authoritative in their classroom to encourage a productive and positive classroom. Authoritative teachers are loving and supportive, and are just and fair in implementing classroom rules. Often, students take part in developing these rules. Authoritative teachers expect a lot from their students and challenge them (Wittekiend, 2011). The combination of high expectations, fair rules, and a supportive environment where students know they will be heard and their opinions will be considered helps greatly to promote a positive psychosocial environment. By challenging students, having high expectations of them, and respecting them, a teacher can create a classroom where students want to work hard because they feel respected and in turn respect the teacher. When students or their families approach the teacher with problems or conflicts, or if the teacher has a problem or conflict with a student or a member of a students family, active listening skills will be extremely useful in resolving these potential conflicts. Speaking to these individuals privately can be extremely beneficial, and there are several important things to keep in mind when employing active listening. The teacher, as listener, should have open, relaxed body language and always remain calm. He or she should remember that it is his or her job to listen, and to avoid interrupting the speaker unless it is absolutely necessary for understanding or for another reason. This interaction should take place when both parties have time to complete the conversation. The teacher should ask open-ended questions to try to understand the situation from the other partys perspective

Classroom Management Plan and how that other person is feeling. It is also important to give the speaker a minisummary of what they have said to check that the teacher understands the situation from the speakers perspective. After both parties have spoken, they can then work together to identify the problem and to brainstorm possible solutions if it is appropriate. They may then choose one of these possible solutions, make a plan, and meet again to see how the plan is working. In order to effectively promote a positive psychosocial environment in the classroom, the teacher should be aware of the social pressures and hierarchies inside and outside of the classroom that effect his or her students. Teachers should strive to

understand the relationships between students in the classroom, family attitudes towards education, level of family support and involvement in the students education, and the amount of pressure placed on a child by the family (Smith, Polloway, Patton, Duwdy, 2008). These factors greatly influence the classroom environment, and a teacher should know about them in order to promote a positive climate in his or her classroom. Procedural Dimension of Classroom Management Establishing rules is a very important aspect of classroom management. Rules should not be overly complicated or numerous. It is beneficial instead to have a few simple rules that are known and understood by students. Students should have a part in developing these rules and deciding on the consequences for violating these rules. These consequences should be appropriate and logical. They should make sense in light of what the cause of the consequence was, and they should be neither too severe nor too lenient. Consequences should never be academic, since this could create a negative association with academic work.

Classroom Management Plan Procedures are a very important part of any efficient classroom environment.

Because of the number of people in a classroom, it is important to establish procedures for things like beginning class, handing in assignments, and leaving for the bathroom. Teachers should explain the procedure immediately prior to the first time the activity will take place (Burden, 2005, p 20). For example, if students are expected to take a book from a shelf when they have finished a test and read quietly until all of their classmates have finished reading, the teacher should tell students this before they begin their tests. It is also beneficial to demonstrate a procedure that the teacher is introducing (Burden 2005, p 20). For example, while teaching students to place their homework in a basket at the beginning of class every day, it is helpful to place a piece of paper in the basket as while explaining so that students can see where the basket is located and how the procedure will be executed. Finally, teachers should practice [the procedure] and check for understanding (Burden, 2005, p 20). While introducing the procedure for leaving for a field trip, for instance, the teacher might ask students to line up as they will need to while on the trip to check for student understanding. Physical Dimension of Classroom Management I would like my classroom to be arranged to encourage and facilitate interaction and discussion between students. Depending on the number of students in my class and the activities of the day, I will arrange desks in pods or a large horseshoe. All students will be able to see the smart board or white board so that they can take notes, watch the teacher and their classmates work at the board, and reference information on the board while working. If no smart board is available, the teachers computer will also be an important technological tool and it will be necessary for all students to be able to view the screen.

Classroom Management Plan Students with disabilities and special needs should be taken into consideration when planning the physical environment of the classroom. If there is a student with limited mobility in the classroom, for instance, the room should be organized to facilitate easy movement throughout the room for the student. Desks and shelves should be spaced

so that there is ample room to maneuver between them. If there is a student who requires a quiet space to work free from distraction from decorations and other students, this should also be taken into account in the physical arrangement of the room. The classroom should also be free of hazards that could injure students who have visual impairments (Smith et al, 2008, p 468). These and other modifications are essential in order to create a classroom where all students can learn and be productive. Behavioral Dimension of Classroom Management As mentioned previously, rules are extremely important in effective classroom management. The first class period is a good time for the teacher and students to work cooperatively to formulate the rules that will govern their class for the remainder of the year. The rules established by the teacher and students should be written in broad enough language so that they encompass related behaviors (Burden, 2005, p 17). This will help keep the number of rules to a minimum and keep rules fairly simple. A few examples of such rules are always treat others with respect and follow directions given by the teacher. Teachers should also act as behavior models for their students. Students are constantly watching the teacher, so it is important to act in a way that he or she expects the students to act. It is also extremely important to acknowledge and reward positive behavior. If students feel recognized an appreciated for positive behavior, they are more likely to repeat that behavior. Acknowledgement should be genuine and describe what the

Classroom Management Plan student did well, and rewards should consist of something the student actually wants or enjoys. When behavior problems do occur in the classroom, it is best to start with less intrusive intervention strategies and see if the issue can be resolved in this manner. For example, if the disruption is uncharacteristic, accidental, or occurs because of unusual circumstances, the teacher may find that it is best to simply ignore the behavior. Some

situations can be resolved by cueing the student. If a students is off-task or speaking when they shouldnt be, walking towards the student, looking at the student, or saying his or her name may be enough to resolve the issue. Discussing the problem privately with the student can be very effective. If, for example, the student fought with a classmate earlier, it may be beneficial to speak with both of the students privately to resolve the issue. If students do not want to misbehave, but cannot help doing so. This is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with students to set up a plan so that the student can learn more effective self-regulatory skills. All of these strategies can be useful to resolve a variety of issues in the classroom, but they alone may not be enough to resolve more serious problems. More strategies to help resolve these more serious problems will be discussed later (Principles/ Assumptions Handout). Instructional Dimension of Classroom Management I want students to be engaged in my classes and to take initiative, so I believe it is important to create an environment where the student is encouraged to ask question and suggest alternatives to what they are taught, not an environment characterized by dominance and submissiveness. Students questions and ideas are often the most revealing, and can prove an invaluable part of the classroom experience. An environment

Classroom Management Plan that requires that students synthesize questions and their own unique ideas necessarily

requires critical thinking as well. When students are asked to find solutions to problems or critique and examine information that is given to them, they think about content in different ways than if they were passively receiving it. They become more engaged in the learning process, which is my main goal as I enter the classroom as an educator. Language is learned through speaking and working directly with the language, not by passively receiving information, so my classroom will be student-centered as often as possible. Classroom activities should be varied, interesting, engaging, and allow room for students to explore their interests and express themselves creatively. If students are interested and engaged, they are much less likely to misbehave. Students also learn language in different ways, so I will present Spanish in as many different modes as possible. Students will be exposed to printed texts, audio and video recordings, films, and songs. They will also be expected to engage with the language and demonstrate their proficiency in a variety of ways, such as speaking aloud, writing, and creating projects such as songs, films, poems, and drawings that will allow me to assess their knowledge of course content. Multiple modalities will be particularly useful for students with exceptionalities. Students who have trouble with speech will be able to express knowledge in written or visual form. Students with disabilities that affect their ability to comprehend written language will benefit from audiovisual presentations of language and may find this a more effective way to learn Spanish. Organizational Dimension of Classroom Management

Classroom Management Plan Organization of the classroom is very important in creating a productive learning environment. All resources that students will use regularly should be readily accessible, such as texts and craft supplies. Other resources that will be used less regularly should be stored in closets or on shelves so that the classroom is not cluttered and unorganized. It may also be beneficial for classrooms to have designated areas for different activities. For

example, there may be a corner with bookshelves and chairs where students may read, and tables near the art supplies where they may work on posters and other creative projects (Burden, 2005, p 15). Teachers should be well prepared and have all materials that they will need prepared before each class. A lesson plan should be prepared so that time is not wasted during the class period planning activities and presentations. A syllabus should also be distributed at the beginning of the unit, semester, or school year so that students are aware of the structure of the course and what is expected of them (Burden, 2005, p 10). Teachers should also have a well-established routine for turning in homework, returning graded assignments, and completing class activities. For example, files should be established for homework assignments, projects, essays, tests, and quizzes. A separate file for makeup work for absent students should be readily accessible so that the teacher can place worksheets and quizzes in it during class to give to the absent student at a later point. Locations for turning in homework should also be well established. If students know to put completed assignments in a basket on the teachers desk as they enter the room, there is no need to waste class time collecting these assignments. These assignments can then be placed in a folder for the appropriate class period, corrected as a group, and redistributed in a future class.

Classroom Management Plan Addressing Behaviors that are Challenging As mentioned previously, it is not possible to resolve all behavior issues with the

interventions addressed in the Behavior section. Some behavioral issues, for instance, may occur because students are struggling with the curriculum. These behavioral issues may be identified and addressed by implementing Response to Intervention or Curriculum Based Measurements. Both of these techniques employ regular assessment of students mastery of content covered in the general education classroom, and can therefore determine if students are struggling with this content. RTI then calls for the implementation of more personalized instruction. Once students begin to master the curriculum thanks to this personalized instruction, they may no longer act out in class. Teachers may also implement Positive Behavior Supports or Functional Behavior Assessments to resolve behavior issues in the classroom. Consequences are sometimes not effective in managing misbehavior, and Positive Behavior Supports can consist of actively teaching proper behavior in class and rewarding students for good behavior. When these strategies do not work, more intrusive supports can be implemented. Functional behavior assessments can be used to document the students behavior, the situations which elicit the behavior, and any other relevant information in order to identify the reason for the behavior. The teacher can then use this analysis when he or she consults outside resources, which are a very important tool in classroom management. Teachers are simply not qualified to deal with some problems, and should always feel comfortable consulting outside parties like counselors, principals, parents, social workers, the school nurse, etc. Outside resources and Positive Behavior Supports (sometimes in conjunction with applied

Classroom Management Plan behavior analysis) can be invaluable in creating a plan to help the student become a productive and successful member of the general education classroom.

References
Burden, Paul R.. An Educator's Guide to Classroom Management. Belmont, CA:

Classroom Management Plan

Wadsworth, 2005. Print.

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Principles/Assumptions, Six Strategies for Dealing with Student Misbehavior. 2011. Handout. Smith, Tom E. C., Edward A. Polloway, James R. Patton, and Carol A. Duwdy. Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings. Boston: Pearson Education Inc, 2005. Print. Wittekiend, Phillip. Parenting and Teaching Styles: Better Ways to Facilitate Personal and Social Development of Children and Young Adults. 2011. Powerpoint.