Classroom Management Plan

Robert Pearson, Student Teaching

2015-2016

The Philosophy
My classroom management plan is hard to pinpoint to just one model or theory. I like
aspects from both a high and low control classroom. I do not believe that children can learn by
themselves to solve behavior problems; however they also do not require a babysitter 24/7 either.
I am most likely in the middle of control; I do not want to constantly apply pressure because it
becomes tyrannical. When the students have been correctly taught how to act within the
classroom walls, then I will become there guide, as new experiences occur.
After the necessary amount of thinking occurred, I arrived at a conclusion: the Wongs.
The most important piece of their theory is the first two weeks of school, the teaching of the
procedures and routines. I believe that the classroom should be in order, where every student
understands the routine required for each hour and each transition. When these routines are
established and secure, I will have a smooth and cohesive class for enhanced learning.
The rules of the classroom are not challenging to teach, but if a student has never seen
these rules or were not held to a higher standard in previous classes, they will be something to be
learned. These rules are universal in most classrooms and are aligned with the Wongs theory:
Respect yourself, respect your neighbors, and respect your school. Within these rules there are
many additions such as raising your hand to speak, keep your hands and feet to yourself, and
follow the directions the first time given. These extras can be tacked onto our class
constitution.

According to the Wongs, a morning greeting is very important to the beginning of every
day. To add, they mentioned that teachers need to begin each day fresh, no grudges.
Classroom rules indicate the behavior you expect from students. In order
to provide a safe and effective learning environment, establish and enforce
appropriate rules.

Rules of behavior set limits, just as do rules in games. They create a work oriented

atmosphere in the classroom.

Behavior associated with rules must be taught through discussion, demonstration, and

practice.
Consequences should be attached to rulespositive consequences for compliance and

negative consequences (but not punishment) for noncompliance.

Explain your management plan to students on the first day of school.

Charles, C. M. (2013-01-22). Building Classroom Discipline (11th Edition) (Page 120).

Pearson HE, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Anderson, M. (2011). What every third grade teacher needs to know. Northeast Foundation
for Children.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2014). The Classroom Management Book: Turn classroom
chaos it student achievement. We will show you how - overnight. California: Harry K. Wong
Publications.

Ideal Classroom Layout

The Big 8 of Behavior and Instruction

In my classroom, the students behavior, a respectful learning environment, and
instruction will be managed using the Big 8: expectations, attention, proximity, time, cueing,
signals, tasking, and voice. These items will aid me as I guide my students throughout the year
and help them learn to be more independent.
Expectations: I will have these posted daily on the white board; one for each core section
and behavior. As a class, we will discuss what we will accomplish during the day and by what
means. Each week we will set a goal that we will work on during the week, to be attained by the
end of the week, this goal will also be on the board. The goals will help the students create a
classroom that they enjoy and a class that they want to be a part of. The students will know the
classroom expectations by heart because I will have taught them at the beginning of the year and
continually reinforce them throughout the year.
Attention: To make sure that my students are able to return their focus back to me
following a transition or during an activity, I will use an attention prompt. This prompt will be
shown on the first day as Give me five 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 at which point the students will stop what
they are doing and have their eyes on me and mouths closed. For this procedure to be effective, I
will call them from the front of the classroom and stay there until complete. This procedure will
be taught on the first day and the students will know immediately what is required of them. To
make sure that I do not have to repeat myself, I will not continue with instruction until all the
students are ready.
Proximity: To help my students keep focused I will use proximity. This will help them
maintain focus and allow me to observe their work. Proximity will help create a respectful

learning environment by showing the students that I care about them and the effort that the put
into every assignment. I do not want to be confined to one location or a teachers desk, I want
to be able to move and instruct, but just enough that the students can maintain eye contact with
me.
Time: This is important to help the students maintain focus and help them begin and finish
a task. Setting a time limit for the lessons and assignments ensure that students will work and
pushes them to ask questions. When a student does not have a set time, they will not waste time
or look for excuses to finish the task at a later date. I will accomplish this by giving the students
an amount of time to complete the assignment and when appropriate five-minute warnings. This
procedure will make sure that the lesson and task continues at a perfect pace and no one student
becomes bored or falls behind.
Cueing: In general, my cue to help students focus will be a positive reinforcement. For
example, I really like how quickly table 2 arrived on the green cup, or Thank you Lauren for
following directions on your own. These positive reinforcements will cause a chain reaction
from the rest of the class to be able to be noticed. Cues are particularly important during
transitions to maintain a quick focused whole class movement. To ensure that everything runs
smoothly, I will give the instructions and provide a time limit for the students. Then I will cue
with Lets get it done, and allow the students to move at that, and only that point.
Signals: The students will be able to let me know that their table is ready to learn by
showing the green cup. A yellow cup represents a question; this could be one person or the
whole table. A red cup tells me that the students are not ready and need more time to prepare
themselves. Due to the fact that my class will be run mostly in groups, each table will need to be
together to continue. Another silent way that I will help the students refocus is to point to and

look at my watch to remind them of the limited amount of time they were allowed. I also found
out that the stare is another way to get any students attention; a neutral, non-threatening look.
Tasking: I must create lessons that are engaging, that involve every student, and the
students understand that the information they are receiving is important. To help the students
stay on the task, I will create lessons with engaging questions and use a mixture of whole class,
small group, pairs, and individual tasks. In my class there are no filler activities, every
assignment has a purpose to the days objective. If questions are asked the students will know
exactly how to respond, there will be no hiccups in the flow of the lesson. For example, I tell the
students that a choral response is required and ask the question, all students will respond after the
appropriate amount of time as passed.
Voice: My teacher voice is important when speaking to the students. It means that I am
ready and that they should prepare to listen. This includes calling them to attention with the
correct volume and pitch. I must not have an angry tone and I need to use the correct words that
they will understand. To be certain that my students understand me when I am giving
instruction, I need to use the correct rhythm and speed. It is important that the students see that I
am interested in the lesson and the subject. I should also be certain to use the correct tone of
voice when I am disciplining the class, neither angry nor pleased, but a neutral matter-of-fact
tone.

Procedures
To ensure that the students are safe and healthy, I will set some ground rules on the first
day. These will include the washing of hands after each recess and prior to heading off to lunch.

If hand washing becomes too much of a burden on time, the students will be receive a spurt of
hand sanitizer after recess and do a more thorough cleaning before going to lunch.
My classroom rules will be created with the students, but I will guide them to create rules
that are classroom appropriate such as: The positive Bs ( be positive, be respectful, be kind, be
wise, and be ready to learn). My classroom will be fueled with positive reinforcement such as:
whole class points, table points, and individual points. These points will accumulate and can be
spent when the students arrive at certain quantities. The points will be based on behavior and
quick transitions for whole class and table points. For individual points, it will be based on the
clip chart.
Point System:
Whole class

Table/Group

Individual

1-5 per day

50 pts=PE
150 pts=Read-a-thon
300 pts=class party

20-100 per activity

At the end of the week, points
totaled and winner receives a big
prize.

Clip chart
Students who stay in green
receive a small prize.
Students to reach purple
receive two small prizes.

Clip Chart:

Purple: Outstanding, you made it

Blue: Awesome, almost there
Green: Great, dont stop
Yellow: Good, can be better
Red: Time for Reflection

Each student will have a clothes pin with their name and they will be allowed to decorate
on the first day. They will have ownership of their clip chart and of their behavior. The clip
chart system will be based on behavior and work completion.
According to the Wongs:

A procedure is required for the assemblies, to show respect and be able to go and come
back without incident.
There are procedures for the bathrooms and drinking fountains. The students must get a
pass from the wall and place it on their desk; this will be a mini orange cone.
The students will understand and practice the procedures of all safety drills of the school.

I will instruct the students with modeling and videos how to deal with bullying. This
includes what to do and say in the event that they see something unkind.

The First Two Weeks

According to the Wongs (2014), a plan of teaching procedures should be created and
established in the first two weeks of school. This includes how to enter the classroom, begin
school work, where to turn assignments in, and many day-to-day activities to create a smooth
running classroom. I will have a first day planned and scripted including letter home to parents,
classroom rules, procedures, and how to contact me. This packet will be set out on the desk
along with first day activities to help the students get to know me and each other. Activities can
include writing hobbies to share with other students, bring items that represent the student, a
chart of birthdays to be used in math, a whos who questionnaire to be filled out while mingling.
There are also fun games to strengthen teamwork and create a classroom community, building
towers with objects, legos, outside PE style activities. If possible, I would love to create a class
blog that we will use for assignments, DOLs, questions, and various items that could come into

play during the year. This will help keep the students and I connected through a safe medium
and also an opportunity to practice writing online without using texties.

Interaction with Parents and Colleagues

In order to establish a good relationship with the parents, I will create a class website. In
fact, I will use ClassDojo. After hearing about it, I decided that it would be a good fit for me and
my students. I liked how both the students and the parents can be involved in the process. I also
believe that my students will enjoy the little monsters and like watching the points go up and
down. However, I am still not wholly intent on this form; I also like the idea of a clip chart for
behavior management.
I will send out announcements at the beginning of each semester to allow the parents to
be knowledgeable of what goes on inside the classroom and any larger upcoming projects. I
would also like to send out little letters weekly to ensure that the parents know what the students
will be studying during the week. I believe that these letters can also be available through
ClassDojo. However, due to the fact that some parents will not have access to a computer at
home, I will also make sure that I send paper copies home with the students. I also plan to send
out a Welcome Back letter at the beginning of the year. This will introduce the families to me
and my teaching philosophy, plus all the activities that I have planned for the year.
The best way that I would like to be able to communicate with parents and establish a
relationship is through home calls. I would once a month call each parent and tell them the great
things about their child and what they have accomplished. If I never have to call home about
something negative, that would be perfect, but I will make it positive call on how to help the
student.

Here is an example of a letter that I would send home with the students.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am writing this letter to introduce myself as childs teacher this year.
I am writing you this letter to explain my philosophy of education and my
goals for this year.
I believe that I am a facilitator in the classroom. What does this mean?
As the facilitator, I will guide your child through the concepts and allow
him/her to explore them. I will provide your child with the tools to search out
answers to their questions. I will allow your child to learn in a safe
environment; a respectful, non-threatening, and fun place. I feel that if a
child feels safe he/she will be more open to test, experiment, and learn from
mistakes. We do not do busy work in my classroom, every assignment or
activity has a purpose and is important to your childs growth and
understanding of the world around them. Therefore, my classroom is your
childs classroom, a place that they would want to be and doing what they
find enjoyable. Learning is fun and should not be placed as a lowest priority.
Your child will be assessed throughout the year to ensure that they are
on the correct path for best learning. If the material is too hard, your child
will not be able to learn and if the material is too easy your child will not
want to learn. Every assessment is an opportunity for me to make sure that
your child is heading in the correct direction to be successful and that he/she
is always learning. I have created many different styles of assessment for the
students to allow each child a type that is best fit for them. These
assessments will include several styles of writing, art projects, group
projects, and many hands on activities to keep the students creativity
flowing. By the end of the year, your child will have a portfolio of their work
that they will be proud of and willing to show off as an example of their
accomplishments. Homework will only be sent home your child does not
finish the work in class. The students will be provided ample time to work in
class, and I am always available to help. However, I expect them to study for
any assessment at home; this will ensure that they prepare themselves well
for this years assignments and their educational future.
My goals for this year are to help your child develop self-worth and
confidence as a student. I will also work with your child to prepare them for
life experiences to come and how to overcome difficulties. Your child will
also set goals in our classroom, which they will show to you at SEPs this year.
Therefore, both of you will be on the same page. We will work with these
goals throughout the year in preparation of a theme for our end-of-year
portfolios.

I look forward to meeting both you and your child; feel free to be a
guest in my classroom at any time. If any questions should arise, you are
welcome to contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX or my-email@myschool.com.

I also will establish a good relationship with my peers and colleagues by having open
communication lines and positivity. I want to be able to call on any of the coaches or resource
people whenever I have a question and it is smoother when a good relationship has been created.
I will be a team player and provide assistance whenever possible and work well during team
planning sessions. As long as we, as a team, are working on creating a better learning
environment for the students, I am all in.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this management plan is set up to be tweaked for every year. It is not set
in stone, but adaptable according to each set of students and each grade. It is a set of guidelines
that provide the groundwork to create a successful and fun learning environment for all involved.
I am excited to implement my ideas and most of all, the opportunity to get to know my students.
I am excited to know their strengths that I can build upon and their weaknesses that I can
strengthen. Wherever I work and teach, it is important to have procedures in place and an action
plan set prior to the first day of school to ensure a year of continuing education and
improvement.