Yocasta Rojas

EDUG 781
Dr. Nicholson
Behavior Management Plan
I am currently in a 3rd grade classroom and the behavior
management techniques that the teacher uses are very useful. It starts
from when the students leave the lunchroom from breakfast to the end
of the day. The students know that they have to line up in a straight
line and that they have to be quiet in the hallway as they move to the
classroom. Once in the classroom, the teacher holds students
accountable for misbehavior without having to yell, scold, or lecture.
Although sometimes teachers resort to this because they think that
these are some ways to address the behavior correctly. A classroom
management plan eliminates the need to use these and other
stressful, counterproductive methods. In order to reinforce positive
behavior she uses non verbal and verbal strategies such as: reminding
them how to walk in the hallway, or looking back whenever she hears a
sound. It allows for the demand of impeccable behavior without
causing friction and resentment, which then frees you to build
meaningful and influential relationships with the students.
One of the main parts of a management plan is how the
classroom is arranged. The classroom should be a place where a
student feels welcome and at home. In order to have a good
management plan it is good to organize the classroom with a student

centered objective. Have things labeled or in a place where it is

accessible to the students. It should be should be clean and pleasantly
decorated with student creations and arranged in a way that allows
students to work cooperatively. The teacher should have space to walk
around freely, when needed. The extra material should be put in a
closet where it is accessible. Some classroom materials that are used
more often should be organized and put in a place where they can be
accessed but are not distracting the students. Each area in the
classroom should be clean and clear for the students. There should be
a section for one to one interaction and small group interaction. This
section should be in a part of the room where the teacher can still
monitor the other students.
The first thing I noticed when I entered the class is that my
teacher has an agreement with the students on what the rules of the
classroom are. These rules include: Listen and follow directions, raise
your hand before speaking or leaving your seat, keep your hands and
feet to yourself and respect your classmates and your teacher. These
rules need to be in a student friendly language and have to be rules
that students can understand and follow. After the rules of the
classroom are set, the rules can be posted and the teacher and
students can sign it, like a contract. Having these rules discourages
misbehavior, argument and complaining. It also sets a sense of order,
meaning everybody has to abide by the rules in order to be engage

during instruction. This contract helps to build trust between the

teacher and the students and lets them know that you respect their
opinion. It also allows forStudent and teacher needs, rights, and
expectations to be openly discussed.
Students are expected to come prepared to class with
appropriate class materials and a willingness to learn. They are
expected to behave respectfully to the teacher and to other students.
Furthermore, the student is expected to accept the consequences of
misbehavior. These and other statements should be used as the
statement of purpose of the class. It will serve as a reminder of the
teacher and student purpose in the classroom. It can also serve as a
symbol of trust and expectations which can build on the student
teacher relationship. It lets the students know that you care for them
and that each student is important to you. It opens the way for a
learning centered classroom environment.
It is also important to develop a daily routine, yet remain flexible.
Students will often misbehave if they don't know exactly what they
should do and when.An effective routine could be having the students
begin work immediately. A good idea is to have a problem of the day
which links to the lesson from the day before. Another idea is to have a
list of the task the students can follow, guiding them at the beginning
of the year, but expecting them to be able to do it by themselves at
the end of the year. It is also good to always have something for them

to do since if students get bored and have no task at hand they might
get distracted and lose focus. For this reason it is always good to have
an extra activity for when they are done with the original task, these
include: reading a book, writing on their notebook or doing a
worksheet.
A classroom management plan, will allow me to devise a set of
rules that cover every conceivable misbehavior or disruption that could
crop up in my classroom. It will also help me as a teacher, to be more
organized and get adjusted to having a routine and procedures that are
carefully taught, modeled, and established in the classroom. Having a
management plan allows me time to spend more time in meaningful
instruction.

Theorist:
In order to have a effective management plan, teachers need to
keep in mind behavior, discipline and structure. There are many
theorists that have build theorist regarding classroom management, I
will focus on three: Jacob Kounin, Redl & Wattenberg and Ginott. They
provide a combination of strategies that a teacher should always keep
in mind while instructing.
While in the classroom it is very important to be firm but flexible.
Students are very perceptive and they can feel which teacher will
implement positive discipline and which teacher will not. Jacob Kouning

designed an effective behavior management plan in which he

described techniques and strategies designed to prevent discipline
problems. He believed that organization equals structure, and that if a
teacher has good organizational skills and a set structure, her
classroom will be free of negative behavior.
Research that Kounin did showed that activity flow is maintained
through:
Preventing misbehavior- this can be seen in the classroom when
the teacher walks around the room. This strategy is telling the
students to stay on task, and prevents them from talking, moving
or not completing their work. The teacher has to be aware of all
that is happening in the classroom.
Managing lesson movement-one way to achieve effective lesson
movement is to have a well organized lesson plan. If you have a
good lesson plan and you do not pay attention to the classroom
interruptions and distractions, neither will the students. You have
to prevent slowdowns in order to keep the flow of activities. One
good way of doing this is discussing with students how to
enter/leave the classroom in order to not cause a disruption in
the flow of the lesson.
Maintaining group focus-this means that the teacher needs to be
able to multitask, when she is doing whole group instruction or
small group, she needs to be alert and stay on task. She has to

engage the attention of all students in the learning process so

that all students are active participants at all times.
Kouning believed that if teachers were organized and consistent
they would have an effective management tool. This is a very good
strategy, however, sometimes a hard one to accomplish without
consistency. Since teachers have other work to do, i.e. paperwork,
data, a new student drops in, it is sometimes hard to prevent student
behavior. Once done consistently, I would say this theory helps reduce
the misbehavior because it keeps students focus and engage.
Another theorist that research discipline through dealing with the
group are Redl and Wattenberg. Their approach was intended to
maintain control and help students develop self-discipline. He argued
that group expectations affected the individual and vice versa. For
example a student might be quiet and engage in the classroom, but
might get in trouble during lunchtime because of his interaction with
his peers.
Redl and Wattenberg wanted to help teachers understand the
causes and provide techniques to deal with group behavior. They
describe concepts such as: group behavior, student roles, group
dynamic, teacher roles, supporting student self control, among others.
They proposed that the teacher do self evaluation before addressing
the behavior. Teachers should ask themselves if the activities are too
boring? Are new class activities needed to stimulate and provoke

thought? The answers to these questions can tell the teacher why their
students are not as engage in the lesson.
Teachers should keep in mind that group and individual work is
influence by how students perceive teachers. Since most students
perceive teachers as role models, it is very important to keep the
student feelings in mind when addressing the behavior. For example, if
a student is making funny faces to make the other students laugh
during instruction, it is not correct to yell at the student in front of the
class. The correct approach would be to pull the student aside and
discuss with him how his actions are not appropriate for the classroom.
Students should know that there are consequences for their actions.
These consequences should be positive reinforcement in order to
reduce the behavior, i.e. have them write what they did, loose recess,
letter to parent, etc.
Redl and Wattenberg want the teacher to practice corrective
techniques that are student centered. Teachers should promote selfcontrol, aimed to help students help themselves. In order to do this
they can send non verbal signals such as: physical proximity, showing
interest, humor and ignoring. Another corrective techniques is showing
encouragement and setting clear enforceable limits. Students love to
hear that they are doing a good job. It encourages them and motivates
them to keep on working hard.

The last theorist, Ginott, also believes in Self esteem and

empowering students, he considers feeling and emotions before
discipline. He has a humanitarian approach to teaching, in which the
student and the teacher are key components. He promotes
communication that addresses the students situation rather than the
students character and personality.
His thoughts on discipline do not include a reinforcer but having
small steps that produce genuine changes within students. He suggest
correcting by directing, which means that teachers should show
students the correct behavior rather than blaming them for not doing it
correctly. Teacher should not lose their temper and self control.
Although some behaviors cannot be predicted or prevented you
just have to learn to deal with it in a positive manner. All of the
theorists support one thing, teaching should be student centered and
guided. They propose different methods of addressing behavior
problems but all have the same thing in common. Using discipline,
structure, consistency and organization we will be able to have and
form a better learning environment for our students.

The example below would be my Management plan, some of the

information would be shared and discussed with students in order to
come to an agreement. It will be discussed throughout the first day,
and revised throughout the school year as often as necessary.
Classroom Management Plan
Statement of Purpose
My classroom will be a place of respect. It will provide an
inclusive and safe environment that will encourage students to learn.
Students are to play an active role in their learning and are also
expected to respect each other and the teacher.
Arrangement of the Classroom
Depending on the resources that I have in my classroom, the
arrangement will follow this guideline. Students will be facing the white
board, or a Smart Board. My desk will be located in the back corner of
the classroom.
Rules of the Classroom
Students are expected to:
1. Come to class on time and be ready to learn.
2. Respect fellow students, teachers, and anyone that visits the
classroom.
3. Follow the directions given to them during class time.
4. Complete and turn in assignments, papers, and projects on the date
that it is due.
5. Be honest in all the work they do.
Student Engagement
Student engagement will play a big role in classroom management.
First, I will setup a routine to start class. It will start with a problem of
the day question, which will scaffold the previous lesson. We will
discuss problem of the day together. This routine will give the students
a warm-up exercise before the lesson begins. While doing this problem
students will know to stay on task and start class.
I will design my lesson plans in a way that involves multiple styles of
learning. Visuals will be involved in most of my lessons because this
will benefit people that are visual learners. Alternating between styles

of learning in my lesson plans will keep my class fresh and interesting

for all of my students.

Classroom Procedure
Classroom procedure for passing or collecting papers:
I will have a box for the students to put their homework, papers,
quizzes, and tests (each labeled). This will allow for the student to get
some movement during class. When homework, papers, quizzes, or
tests are graded, I will put the graded material in the students mailbox.
Classroom procedure for passes:
There will be two passes in the class, one for girls and one for boys, the
use of the pass will be determined according to the lesson.
Students can raise their hands to ask for:
One finger up: water/ sharpening a pencil
Two fingers: bathroom
Three fingers: nurse
Students are not allowed to call out, or get up from their seat without
permission.
Classroom procedure for tardiness:
If a student comes into class late, the student must bring a late pass
from the main office. I will instruct the student to talk to me after class.
If the student continues to be tardy consistently, I will contact the
parents through writing.
Checking for Understanding
During lessons, I will periodically ask questions to the students in order
to see if they are learning the lesson. This will be a part of my
formative assessment. I will have the students raise their hands. I will
not accept an answer that doesnt follow that procedure. I will try to be
as random as I can when picking a student to answer these questions. I
will wait at least 5 seconds before calling on a student.

I will also give explicit direct and clear instructions in my lessons. This
will tell my students exactly what I want them to do. These instructions
will be less confusing to the students. While working on assignments in
class, I will walk around and check the students progress.
Safe Classroom Environment
A safe classroom environment will allow for all my students, regardless
of background, to feel safe to be themselves and learn. I will have
posters around my classroom that will have a theme of respect for
others. I will make all students feel like they are an integral part of the
classroom. I will be consistent with my rules. I will try to get the
parents of the students involved in their childs learning. I will try to go
to every meeting regarding my students, especially IEP meetings.
Consequences
There will be consequences for breaking rules in my classroom. I will
try to handle most of the discipline problems within my classroom, but
if it gets too out of hand, I will report it to the office.
If a student breaks a rule for the first time, I will have the student write
a behavior plan. This plan will have three steps. First, the student will
write what he or she did wrong. Second, the student will state why the
student broke the rule. Finally, the student will write what he or she will
do differently so he or she will not break the rule again. This behavior
plan will be used to help reduce the behavior of the student.
If misbehavior persists for a second time, besides writing the
misbehavior, the student will lose recess or computer time. If
misbehavior persist for a third time, a call will be made to the parents,
the note the students wrote will be sent home, and the student has to
bring it back signed.
Classroom Seating Chart
My seating chart will depend on the size of my classroom, and what I
have available for students to sit and write on.