Haylee Clapshaw

Classroom Management Plan

In order to maintain a functional classroom, there are many aspects of classroom
management that a teacher must keep in mind. Because there are so many different students
with a significant amount of different needs, a teacher needs to learn how to manage her
classroom in a way that is conducive to all students learning. There are several dimensions of
classroom management that are important to incorporate into a classroom. These dimensions
include: the psychosocial dimension, the procedural dimension, the physical dimension, the
behavioral dimension, the instructional dimension, and the organizational dimension. Each of
these dimensions is essential in providing the ideal environment and flow in a classroom.
The psychosocial dimension refers to the psychological and social dynamics of the
classroom. It focuses mostly on the classroom climate which includes teacher factors, student
factors, peer factors, and family factors. One way that I, as the teacher of a classroom, can
facilitate a healthy psychosocial environment in my classroom is to always try to maintain a
positive attitude while at school. I will have a leave it at the door policy. I will make sure that
I keep my personal life and my school life separate from one another. I will work on making
sure that I do not let possible problems in my personal life affect my mood as a teacher.
Another way that I can help to facilitate a positive classroom climate is to make sure that I am
always using positive language. There is always a way to change a negative statement into a
positive one. When addressing students and their behavior I will always attempt to remain
positive with my suggestions. In order to become an effective communicator I will need to
display constructive assertiveness, empathic responding, and problem solving. This aspect of
classroom management hinges greatly on teacher and student attitude and mood.
The procedural dimension refers to the rules and procedures that are part of operating
the classroom. It is important for a teacher to present rules and procedures in the first few
days of school in order to create a high functioning classroom. When introducing procedures, a
teacher should develop the procedures beforehand, explain each procedure in detail, teach
each procedure, model the procedure, use guided practice, and review the procedures
regularly.
One example of a procedure that I will use in my classroom is bathroom breaks. We will
go all together as a class after each recess and after lunch time. If a student absolutely cannot
wait to use the restroom, they may raise their hand at an appropriate time to ask, and will be
allowed to take the bathroom pass quickly and quietly. A second procedure will be attendance
and lunch count. I will have lunch sticks laid out on a table near the door each morning.
Every student will have their own stick with their name on it. As they walk through the door in
the morning each student will find their own lunch stick and place it either in the cold lunch
basket or the hot lunch basket. I will know that the sticks left out on the table are the
students who are absent, and I will quickly be able to count how many students will be having
hot lunch that day. Another procedure will be answering questions in class. There will be a few
different procedures when it comes to answering questions. I will specify which type of
response I am looking for before I engage the students in discussion. One way that students
will answer questions is by raising a quiet hand and waiting patiently to be called on. Another
option may be a corral response where I will ask all students to answer together at the same
time as a class. Lastly, I may have the students turn and discuss the answers with a partner.
On the first day of school I will explain the Attendance/Lunch Count procedures to my
students. I will show them where the lunch sticks will be placed in the morning and where the
hot lunch and cold lunch baskets will be. I will physically walk over to the table, grab a stick and
explain to them that if I were to be having hot lunch I would place my stick in the hot lunch
basket and if I were to be having cold lunch I would place my stick in the cold lunch basket. I
will explain to them that this procedure not only serves as a lunch count, but also for a quick
way for me to see who is here in the mornings. I will tell them that it is important for them to
remember to do this each day, or they may be counted absent even if they are here. I will then
have all of their lunch sticks laid out and I will have them all go out into the hall and come back
into the classroom pretending like it is the beginning of the day and they have just arrived.
They will practice placing their lunch stick in the appropriate basket. Each day, for the first
couple of weeks, I will gently remind the students as they walk through the door to make sure
they take care of their lunch sticks. I will also make an announcement, before I use the sticks to
take attendance, reminding students to come take care of their lunch sticks if they havent
done so already. I will do this until I see that it has become second nature for my students.
This procedure will become a habit and will serve as a convenient way for me to take
attendance and send the lunch count.
In order to create a physical environment that enhances the conditions of learning in my
classroom I will set up the desks in a way that I can make sure that each student is placed in an
area that is conducive to his/her learning. The way that I have the desks arranged will depend
on the type of lesson that I am using. If I am facilitating a whole class group discussion, I will
have the desks formed into a circle all facing in so that it is easier to communicate and discuss
information. If I am having the students work in small groups, I will group the desks together in
groups of four or five so that the students can face each other and easily discuss. If I am having
the students work individually, I will have the desks in rows all facing the front of the classroom.
I will place students that have problems focusing or are easily distracted toward the front of the
room. If I have any students with differences in mobility, such as a wheelchair, I will make sure
to have the aisles wide enough that the entire room will be accessible. Many classrooms these
days come equipped with a smart board. If I am fortunate enough to have a smart board in my
room, I will make sure that when I am using it that it is the center of attention. I will have all of
the desks arranged in a way that no matter where a student might be sitting, they will be able
to easily view the smart board. I will also make sure that I place students who have vision
problems toward the front of the classroom.
When I am creating the rules for my classroom, I will focus on making sure that the rules
that are chosen are essential to classroom functioning and also help to create a positive
learning environment. I also know that it is important to develop no more than seven rules, to
involve students when coming up with the rules, to keep the rules brief and clear, to explain
rules in detail and discuss possible consequences for violating those rules, to use positive
language, to post the rules in an area where all students can see, to teach the rules through
modeling and practice, and to review the rules on a regular basis. A list of rules for my
classroom may look something like this:
1. Always use good manners.
2. Respect others, our school, and school property.
3. Listen carefully and follow directions promptly.
4. Raise your hand before speaking.
5. Keep your desk and work area neat.

Having the skills to be able to manage inappropriate behaviors that may disrupt the
learning environment is a very important aspect of classroom management. There are many
different tactics that may be used to handle such situations. For example, if I have a student
who continues to call out answers without raising his hand, I think that I would choose to use
the method of extinction. Extinction works well in a situation such as this because it uses
positive reinforcement for good behavior and ignores the bad behavior. So, each time the
student shouts out an answer, I will ignore his answer until he realizes that he needs to raise his
hand. Once he decides to raise his hand, I will praise him on following the classroom procedure
on answering questions in class. Another example of an inappropriate behavior would be if a
student is talking while I am trying to teach a lesson. In this situation I would choose to use
benign behavioral tactics to try and eliminate this behavior. There are a few ways to use benign
tactics including positioning yourself near the student who is creating the problem, redirecting
behavior in unobtrusive ways, touching the students shoulder gently, using gestures,
establishing eye contact, and calling on a student who is not paying attention and asking them a
question that they can answer successfully. I think in this situation the benign behavioral
technique that I would choose to use would be to walk over to the student and gently place my
hand on her shoulder. This avoids embarrassment and spot lighting of the student, but gets the
point across that I would like her to be quiet.
I believe that teaching requires an equal combination of kindness and sternness. It is
important to earn the respect of your students without using fear. I believe in mutual respect
between teacher and students and I think that it is essential to be prepared and organized in
order to run a successful classroom. I also think it is important to make sure that students of all
learning styles have equal opportunities to learn in ways that fit to their needs. To do this, it is
important to represent, engage, and express knowledge in multiple ways with each lesson.
Lesson information can be represented in a multitude of different ways. It can be represented
orally through a lecture, visually using a power point presentation or poster, or even
kinesthetically through the use of manipulative. Lesson information can also engage students
in several different ways including using worksheets during a lesson, having the students take
guided notes, or having them work in groups throughout the lesson to problem solve and
discuss the information. I think there are endless ways to get students to express the
knowledge that they have obtained from your lessons. Allowing students to choose how they
want to express what they have learned is a great way to get each student to reach their full
potential. You could give students options such as role playing, writing a paper, drawing a
picture or comic, writing a rap, creating a power point, creating a movie or podcast, or giving an
informal presentation. The key all of these aspects is flexibility and choices. It is important to
give your students choices when it comes to their own learning.
As I stated before, I believe that organization is key in running a successful classroom. I
only feel prepared when I have my thoughts, ideas, and plans organized. Not only is it
important for me to be organized for myself, but it is also important for me to be organized for
my students as well. I think a great way for me to be able to keep myself organized would be to
keep a large calendar somewhere near my desk where I can write down all of the important
activities going on in my classroom. I can write down projected test days, things such as
programs and picture days, and even put my students birthdays up there as well. Another way
that I will help myself to stay organized is to have an in box and an out box. I will have my
students turn in their completed work to the in box and I will put corrected work in the out
box. I will also keep folders that contain resources for each subject area and have them clearly
labeled with what is inside. One more tool that I think would be extremely useful would be
boxes labeled with each day of the week. Then, after I complete lesson plans for the week I can
put resources or handouts that I need to accompany my lessons in the appropriate box for the
corresponding day.
There will always be behaviors that are challenging in the classroom. There are many
tools that are specifically for helping teachers to deal with such behavior. One tool that is
commonly used is Response to Intervention. In RTI teachers implement high-quality, research-
based interventions for all students. RTI includes multiple tiers of increasingly intense
interventions matched to student needs. This process is a means to help individualize a
students education based on his/her needs. Another tool that is used to monitor student
learning is curriculum-based measurement. CBM is a useful method for tracking a students
progress in reading, writing, spelling, and math. It involves directly assessing a students skills in
the content of the curriculum being taught. A common strategy that is used to help deal with
problem behaviors is positive behavior intervention and support. PBIS is a systems-level,
problem-solving-oriented, and data based approach to reducing problem behavior, improving
appropriate behavior, and reaching important academic, social, and communication outcomes
for a particular student. Teachers help students to replace their problem behavior with the
appropriate behavior that is expected. PBIS also involves changing students environments to
their strengths and needs. One more common tool used among teachers is a Functional
Behavioral Assessment. An FBA is used to identify specific relationships between a students
behaviors and the circumstances that trigger those behaviors. It is a way for teachers to lay out
all of the information and to come up with the best individualized solution for a student. These
are helpful in situations where the environment can be changed in order to help fix the
problem behavior.










References

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