Classroom Management Plan

Effective Classroom Management is the key component in any educational setting. I believe that if students are in a safe environment, then learning becomes a natural consequence of social interaction. I am committed to making my classroom a safe and challenging environment and engaging my students, as well as getting to know them and interacting with them one-on-one. I believe that meeting the needs of my students is a very crucial part of my classroom. I want them to be comfortable with the other students, as well as me, so that there can be meaningful discussions and interactions. Discussing will be commonplace in my classroom, along with group work. I want to encourage all students to participate in class so that they can learn from each other as well as me. I want to have a democratic and equitable classroom so that students can learn. I want to be a fair as I can be, so the students trust me.  

Room Arrangement

Walking past me into the classroom, students will feel welcomed, safe, and inspired. They will find group seating, technology/learning centers, and a classroom library. Having the tables grouped in fours will create an environment rich in discussions. I think it is very important to engage students in discussion to try to draw out, challenge ideas, and let the class learn from each other.

I believe that students should be constantly challenged and provoked to think critically. I put an array of posters on the walls to show an outline of the year ahead. I will change the posters throughout the year and hope that they will engage the students’ minds while sitting in class. The majority of our bulletin, ceiling, and wall space will showcase our projects. I will frequently put student work on the walls so students feel an ownership of the room.

There will be a few computers for projects, reports and research, as well as use of applications to present reports to the class. We will make use of PowerPoint and Publisher for our research and writing projects. In our library is where we will present our projects as we sit in the “Author’s Chair.”

My desk will be in the corner of the room, but used mostly for my administrative tasks. I will have a computer in which to keep grades and will have lesson plans, attendance sheets, and miscellaneous paperwork organized there. I will take a seat in a chair or rocker to conduct lessons as well as moving around the room. 

Classroom Rules

The best rule that I have heard and I would believe to be my attitude towards classroom rules is that I need a classroom where learning takes place, and if we can respect each other then we don’t need any other "rules." I absolutely believe in keeping a safe environment where derogatory comments, bullying, and name-calling are not allowed. If I can have respect for my students as well as having them respecting each other, I believe this leads to a safe environment where learning can take place. I may try to create a class constitution if behaviors in the class are inconsistently out of control. I really like the idea of having the students involved in making their own rules and negotiating with each other which ones to put in the constitution. If the students are involved in making the rules, I believe they will be more inclined to obey them and the consequences that will be implemented will not be fought against. I would have the students write the final constitution on a poster board, each signing it, and hang it in the room. I would also send the constitution home to have the parents sign it and return it to me so that I can include them in what we are trying to accomplish in the classroom.

In terms of creating a safe environment for all to learn, I want to create an environment with positive and numerous student-teacher relationships. Especially in today’s diverse classrooms where many students are from different backgrounds, I want to create an environment where students are not and do not feel that they are being treated unfairly. I do not want to label students or assume their academic ability on the way they look or act. I do not want the diverse settings to lead to situations where communication is not happening. I feel this is where behavior problems may arise. I want to create an environment where we all accept each other as unique individuals. An effective teacher must have well developed interpersonal skills to be an effective manager. I want to create an environment where I can weave the curriculum into my students’ different lives and experiences. I want them to be able to share these experiences and relate them to the curriculum.

I would also like to implement some class meetings where we can discuss what is working and not working (e.g., lunch and learns). I would like these to be like an open forum where ideas and suggestions can be discussed and implemented. I am very interested in learning what the students are thinking about and making the learning environment as much to their liking as possible. I think this dialogue is crucial in creating an environment where the students feel autonomous and in control of their learning.

I would also use class meetings to discuss whole-school policies. I would hope that the school in general takes some time during the year to discuss policies with the students to get student feedback. I believe that it is imperative to adhere to whole-school rules in order to have an effective policy in the school. In class policies will be in the form of a class constitution, which will be referred to as “Our Code of Conduct.” We will concentrate on what and how we must conduct ourselves. In addition to making a class constitution, I would like to send out a monthly newsletter or post one on the web so parents can see what is going on in the classroom. I believe if parents are involved in their child’s school, the child will have more support at home and the parent can help with any issues that arise. I believe in involving the parents as much as possible.

I believe in preventive methods while realizing that action that is more evasive may need to be taken. My initial reaction will be non-verbal: close proximity to undesirable behavior, “the stare,” and silence. If there is a consistent misbehavior problem, I will initially ask the student to talk to me after class. I will talk to him/her about the positive things they are doing in class and how I appreciate something, they are doing, as in participating in class for example. I will tell them why their behavior is interfering in the class and have them meet with me later to make a plan of how they will solve this issue. In class, I will give them a warning and then ask them to move to the back of the room to work by themselves. I always want to keep consequences in line with the misbehavior. If the misbehavior continues, I will talk to the student and make a phone call home. I might also ask the parent to come into school for a meeting with the student. I think it is very important to involve the parents. I do not believe in throwing a student out of the room unless they are being harmful to others or me in the class, physically, psychologically, or verbally. I believe that misbehavior should be addressed with the teacher and student communicating as much as possible. I feel that sending students to the "office" sends the wrong message: passing along our problems does not promote effective conflict resolution. I prefer restitution in lieu of punishment.

Classroom Procedures

I want to be consistent with my students in terms of Classroom Procedures. I always want to have the agenda on the board so they can copy it down in their notebook everyday as they walk in. I do not believe in wasting time taking roll, instead we will have a “punch-in” wall chart that each student as they enter the room will move his/her card to the “at work” side. I will use interactive notebooks so students can do all homework assignments in the notebook as well as take class notes in the notebook. The purpose of this notebook is to keep all class materials in one place so when they study for a test; they are not looking all over for loose papers. In these notebooks, students can show their creativity in designing a cover page for each unit. I will go around the room and stamp the homework each day it is due and will collect the notebooks every two or three weeks to grade. Even if the student did not get the homework done, they may lose a point because they did not have a stamp, but still has time to get the assignment done by collection time. By stamping the homework and not grading it, it adds consistency to the classroom but does not lead to negative feelings every day of having the homework graded. I will also give students every opportunity to complete their work and to redo assignments that they reflect upon as substandard.

If students are having some trouble getting homework in or not doing well on tests, I will have a conference with them to help them get back on track. I will make an “action plan” with them that their parents will sign. I do not want my students falling behind because they are not doing their work. I want to stay on top of the students who may need an extra attention. I want all my students to feel important in my class and another way I can accomplish this is helping them with their schoolwork and organization. I will be another person setting high expectations for all my students and helping those who may need some extra attention

Positive Reinforcement

Instead of focusing solely on the misbehavior in the classroom, I want to focus on the good behavior and attitudes in my classroom. I will have the students fill out postcards at the beginning of the year with their address on them. I will use these postcards throughout the year to send positive feedback to the parents at home every week. I will focus on sending a few postcards home each week. I want to acknowledge and encourage good behavior and academic success in my classroom. I think that letting parents know at home is another way to involve parents in the classroom as well as reinforce good behavior and learning by the students. I will make sure that positive post cards home will be given out for all students no matter how big or how small the accomplishment. I will also make some positive phone calls home as these have worked well for me this year. I think parents really appreciate positive phone calls home and it also sets up a dialogue between parents and teachers.

In sum, I believe Classroom Management is the key to an environment where learning can take place and students can feel safe participating. I hope to create an environment that is conducive to learning and involves all my students. I believe the most important part of classroom management is not the behavior problems but creating individual relationships with the students, encouraging them to succeed, and setting high expectations for them. As well as using an engaging a curriculum, I believe you can create this environment and it will limit the behavior problems in my classroom from the start.