McKenzie

Kelly
19 February 2013
Classroom Management Plan
I.

My Classroom Philosophy
Classroom management is one of the key foundations to effective learning. When a teacher

clearly establishes rules, expectations, and behaviors students are able to focus their energy on learning-
the most aspect of school. However, teachers must be aware that not all students already understand
the structure of rules and consequences. It is the teachers job to harness and foster the individual
responsibility they want their students to have.

At the secondary level, I want to give my students freedom in the classroom. I believe that if the

teacher sets the expectations, students should then be responsible for their own behavior (Marzano).
With this approach, teachers must give up some of control, but students will often respect how the
teacher trusts their judgments. Along these lines, rules and procedures should be an entire class effort
with students expressing their thoughts (Marzano). Again, this builds students responsibility and allows
them to be in an environment that they understand. I believe a classroom should function as a
democracy, in most respects, with the teacher as the facilitator who has the additional power of the
veto.

Finally, I believe teachers should offer their students a safe environment with understanding

and compassion. A teacher should always see the big picture and make judgments with this is in mind
(Rldnouer). A teacher should be an authoritative figure and not a police officer (Kohn). They should
understand that their students have lives, problems, and stressors outside of the classroom. Beyond
this, a teacher should be aware of the cultural differences within her classroom. Because there is a
unique makeup of each student, no two classrooms should be formatted and structured exactly the
same. In other words, a teacher should consider the backgrounds, learning styles, and opinions of her

students before designing a classroom management plan. Whether as an authoritative figure, team-
player, friend, teacher, or all of the above I plan to keep the following quote in mind: Kids dont care
how much we know until they know how much we care. You can be the reason some student gets up
and comes to school even when his life is tough. Remember that as long as you are a teacher, even on
your worst day on the job, you are still some students best hope (Bell 2003).
II.

Room Arrangement

The above classroom arrangement is based on a classroom that I enjoyed and found functional

as a student myself. At the secondary level, I believe that it is important that students have an individual
area to work as well as easy access to grouping. With my seating arrangement of student desks, all
students have a clear view of the chalkboard and smart board. The seats are arranged in a circular
pattern to allow an environment that is open for discussion and involvement. However, there are also
two rows of desks in the center of the classroom. This is an area for the students who require more
individualized attention and fewer distractions. However, seating arrangements will not be permanent.

Students will frequently change seats to be exposed to more people and a new working environment.
The arrangement of students desks also allows for quick and different grouping. Students can be
grouped by inside/outside circle, groups formed by the rows (5), or the inside circle can turn their desks
to group with the outside circle. These different groupings again allow for students to work with a
variety of students and opinions. I also have a round table that is accessible for group projects, teacher
meetings, or for students who need to make up work or just need time away from the rest of the class.
My arrangement also includes a computer area for students to incorporate technology into their
learning. Furthermore, my arrangement includes bulletin boards to display classroom rules and
procedures, as well as, school rules and student work. Storage areas are accessible to all students, but
also out of the way to avoid being an obstruction to the flow of the classroom. Finally, the teachers
desk is placed at the front of the classroom. Since the teacher will rarely be sitting at her desk during
instruction, this placement allows for the teacher to have easy access to materials throughout her
lesson. In addition, when the teacher does need her space, this arrangement allows her to be able to
view all the students, while also being out of the way of students desks.
III.

Classroom Rules
Classroom Rules would be established by a give one, get one method. This method is carried

out by the teacher giving one of her rules followed by the students creating one of their own. This
method would allow students to feel involved in the classroom rules and further establish a community
environment. Each rule suggested (by the students or teacher) would require an explanation on why the
rule should be in place, any objections or concerns with the rule, and a classroom vote on the
implementation of the rule. This would again enforce the democracy classroom; however, the teacher
would always have the veto.

On the first day of class, the teacher would explain the give one, get one method to students.

The students would then have time to think on their own and then in groups on rules they would like to

implement. On the first day, the goal is to establish about 4-5 classroom rules. Teacher rules that I
believe would be essential to suggest include:

Respect- others, materials, the classroom, and yourself!

Follow directions

Listen when others are talking and raise your hand when you have something to contribute

Do your best to remain positive

At any point throughout the year, students or teachers may request a class meeting to discuss

or add new rules. This process would still function in a give one, get one manner. Additions and
revisions may be necessary as new issues or dilemmas in the classroom arise. However, it is important
for the teacher to act as the facilitator in these meetings and adjust the rules accordingly. The class as a
whole should try their best to maintain a five overarching rule limit.
IV.

Classroom Procedures
1. Each day would begin with an opening activity known as a bell ringer. This could be
question, a reading, a riddle, or basically anything to get the students on task and engaged.
The students would be expected to come into class, look for the bell ringer on the board,
and get started working on it in their seats. The students would also be expected to keep a
journal filled with their bell-ringers. This would be collected frequently and graded for
completeness and thoughtfulness.
2. The teacher would then go over the classroom agenda that would be on display on the
board. The teacher would also read the Guiding Question(s) to students. This would also be
displayed to the class. The class would then proceed to go over the bell ringer. This could be
done in various formats including: asking for volunteers, using the information for an
activity, or using a Popsicle stick sort method for random participants.

3. The class would then go over the homework from the previous night. This would usually be
done in some sort of differentiated activity, like numbered heads or jigsaw. I believe that
homework should never be assigned if it is not going to be used in some way during class.
The homework would then be collected and graded on completeness and thoughtfulness.
4. The class would then progress to the main class activity.
a. Class Discussion- This would be structured around thought provoking questions.
Students would have time to gather thoughts on their own, in groups and then share as
a class. I would use some kind of token method to promote active engagement and
discourage one person from dominating the conversation. Class discussions would be
dynamic and continually flowing. I would also sometimes ask my students to come up
with their own discussion questions.
b. Lecture- Lectures will be used to initially introduce material to the students. This would
usually include a PowerPoint presentation for students to follow along with and take
notes. Since the lecture only addresses one type of learner, it will always be coupled
with another activity in class to help spark curiosity with other learning styles (examples:
graphic organizer, creating discussion questions, etc.) Although the lecture material will
be essential for success on tests, concepts will be reinforced through group and
individual activities.
c. Group Activity- This could take the form of a project, worksheet, or reading assignment.
Students would be encouraged to work together and acknowledge each others
strengths and weaknesses (I would also remind them that it is sometimes the best
method is to delegate). Students would move their desks to create this intimate working
environment. Students would be reminded to consider the classroom rules when
working together. Grading will vary based on projects, but will always be given as an

individual grade. Especially for larger projects, students will be given evaluations to
complete.
d. Individual Work- This could take the form of a project, written assignment, reflection,
worksheet, reading assignment, or be technology based. These assignments would allow
students to self-reflect and become familiar with new material. Many of these
assignments would be differentiated to meet the various needs of many unique
students. These assignments would often not be graded besides completeness, but
mostly function as a form of formative assessment for the teacher.
e. Testing- Testing would occur on a regular basis at the end of each unit. These tests
would usually consist of a variety of questions, but would always include a define and
synthesize section and an open ended response. In addition, quizzes would be given on
a weekly basis to check up with the students progress. These quizzes would be
announced. This would serve as a way for the teacher to ensure that the students are
keeping up with the material while also functioning as a form of formative assessment.
As previously mentioned, class work (bell ringer journals, activities) would also be
included in the students overall grade based on completeness and thoughtfulness.
Some special projects would be accompanied with an individual rubric explaining
expectations. The students will also have a homework grade based on completeness
and thoughtfulness. However, students are allowed to miss 2 weeks (10 assignments)
throughout the year or drop their 10 lowest homework scores. This allows students to
have a bad day and takes into consideration that students have a lot going on outside
of the classroom. Finally, students will be graded on their participation is class. This
grade will consider if the student is attentive, contributing, following rules, and working
with others. This grade will also take into consideration that many students have

different learning styles and personalities. I believe that a students grade should
encompass many things in order to represent all of the aspects that are involved in
learning.
Tests 20%
Quizzes 10%
Classwork (including bell ringers) -20%
Projects- 20%
Homework (drop 10 lowest) 20%
Participation- 10%
5. The class will finally conclude with a closing activity. This will be different each class period,
but the goal will be for students to reflect on what they had learned, make connections, and
tie everything together for the day. Examples of closing activities includes: answering the
Guided Question in their bell ringer journals, sharing something you learned with the class,
filling out a post-it of something you still want to know, etc.
V.

Discipline
I want my classroom discipline policy to be constructed around positive reinforcement. I believe

that students often respond better to positive praise than negative consequences. I plan on reinforcing
positive behavior in a private manner with my students (Marzano). A single tap on the shoulder and
whisper of great job or private signal of thumbs up can motivate students to continue their good
behavior and realize that it has not gone unnoticed. I also want to keep a private tracking record for my
students behavior (as necessary). This record would be between the student and me and represent
their individual behavior progress (Marzano). Concert rewards should only be given to the entire class
and not individual students. This would reinforce teamwork and keep fairness in the classroom. I want
to operate my classroom with compassion and care and keep positive attributes as the main focus.

When addressing negative behavior, I want to continue my private methods. I dont believe that

students should be overly punished. I want to form my classroom discipline around the guidelines for a
caring classroom: nonverbal warning, verbal warning, private conversation, removal from class and
conversation with parents (Rldnouer). Furthermore, I think that consequences should be considered on
an individual basis because all students are unique and each problem (even the same problem) may
have different causes and therefore require different solutions.

However, I do think there will come a time when a problem arises that needs to be addressed.

Since I want to operate my class in a community environment, I believe that issues should be addressed
in this manner. For instance, I have a few class members who not are regularly handing in their

homework. This would need to be addressed on an individual basis with these students to discover the

cause and possible solutions. However, to prevent this from becoming a habit among the entire class,

the teacher may call a classroom meeting where they would address the rule or procedure that was in

question. The teacher may suggest give one, get one method to revamp the rule or simply

reemphasize the rule/procedure that is already in place. After this class meeting, students should

individually reflect on what had happened, how they felt about it, how they are personally going to

change, and any questions or concerns they may have. On the other hand, if the issue was bullying

amongst the class, the teacher may pull the class together for a meeing on bullying. This would be

slightly different because the teacher would not only be adjusting behavior, but also teaching the class a

character lesson. The students should still be required to reflect on the experience. If this initial class

intervention is not effective, teachers must resort to another method including individual attention or

parent and school involvement. The overall goal of discipline is to keep the students focused on their

learning
and limit various distractions.