Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen1

Classroom Management Plan

1. This plan will be used for high school students in grades 9 through 12. This plan is for Spanish
classes. The students will be generally between the ages of 1 and 1! years old. " few may be
slightly older or younger by a year or two# depending on factors such as whether they placed out
of a grade or are repeating a grade and whether their families started them in school at a later
age. This plan will probably be used in a rural or suburban school with $%%&1'%% students.
2. ( am most secure when ( ha)e planned for many contingencies. *ecause of this trait# ( li+e to be
)ery detailed in my instructions and grading rubrics. That le)el of detail may pre)ent some
conflicts regarding grades# and it may help students stay focused on their wor+ instead of as+ing
classmates for clarification and initiating con)ersations that could lead to disruption. ( am more
intro)erted than e,tro)erted# so ( don-t feel as strong a need for e,ternal positi)e reinforcement
as my students might. ( will therefore need to ma+e conscious efforts to reward students- good
beha)iors and build relationships with each student. ( will remind myself to ma+e an effort
each day to as+ a few students indi)idually to share a little about what is going on in their li)es
as we begin class# and then ( may design lessons around what they share so ( can increase
student buy&in for the lessons. *eing intro)erted means ( do not depend hea)ily on affirmation
from others to support my sense of well&being# so ( will probably not find myself allowing
students to get away with actions .ust to please them so they will be my friends. ( do# howe)er#
ha)e a sense of humor that can help defuse potential conflict situations in the classroom and
help ma+e emotionally distraught students feel comfortable again after a tearful episode. /or
e,ample# if a student cries when she recei)es her first * as her final grade in my class# ( may
create an e,aggerated scenario li+e the 0Mayhem1 commercials for "llstate (nsurance about
what will happen to her life as a conse2uence of this setbac+. 3nce she laughs at the absurdity
of the scenario# we can get bac+ to a more realistic appraisal of the conse2uences of the *# and
she might be reassured that it is not the end of her world and that ( do not 0hate1 her or thin+
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen2
she is an inferior person for ha)ing scored a * rather than an ".
$. My management style according to the wor+sheet we completed for class# the Powerpoint
presentation from Classroom Teaching Skills# and the e,cerpt from Hearts, brains and growing
pains: terrific teaching that changes you and your kids is 0raccoon1 or authoritati)e. ( will
li+ely enforce rules# but ( will always try to e,plain them. ( tend not to be authoritarian in the
sense of e,pecting strict obedience to a rule with unwa)ering conse2uences for noncompliance
simply because ( ha)e set it as a rule. ( will gi)e students a chance to e,plain their conduct and
be heard before ( discipline. Sometimes the students may ha)e good reasons for failing to
comply with a rule such as arri)ing at class on time. (f the teacher of the pre)ious class held the
students o)er late# the student is not responsible for the tardiness# and an alternati)e
conse2uence may be necessary for the situation# such as ha)ing the teacher sign an
ac+nowledgment of the late end to his4her class. 5owe)er# ( may not always agree with a
student-s e,planation of his4her noncompliance# and then ( will gi)e the student an e,planation
of why he4she is being disciplined. *y managing my room this way# ( might earn my students-
trust. They might come to e,pect they will be treated fairly and learn that rules e,ist to further
higher goals 6li+e a social order that facilitates learning7# not to satisfy someone-s desire to
e,ercise power.
. My classroom would ha)e des+s arranged in rows for theater seating during testing periods so (
could easily circulate around the room and monitor indi)idual wor+. 8uring other periods# my
classroom would ha)e des+s arranged in pairs facing the whiteboard 4 screen area. This
arrangement would allow students to easily wor+ with a partner or a small group of three or
four 6one pair turns to face the other7 during con)ersation practice. (t also would allow students
to feel secure with an intimate group of friends as they try new language structures and ma+e
errors they might feel to be embarrassing if they were to perform them before the whole class.
9o more than four students would be arranged in each group in order to pre)ent large#
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen$
disrupti)e cli2ues from forming and to ensure that each student must participate in each acti)ity.
6:arger groups often result in the best students ta+ing the lead while the others entertain
themsel)es.7 ( could also easily see what each student is doing in pair arrangements. My des+
would be against a side wall to allow )iewing of all the students# but ( would rarely be seated at
it during class. ( would stand at the front of the room when we are doing wor+ that in)ol)es a
)ideo screen or whiteboard and would circulate throughout the room during other acti)ities to
assist students# informally assess them# and +eep them on tas+. My room would be decorated
with some authentic cultural artifacts from 5ispanic countries# such as Me,ican blan+ets and
tissue&paper cut&out garlands called papel picado. ;ith these decorations# ( could create a
feeling that Spanish class is a special place where we e,plore other cultures. "s students
produced their own pieces of wor+ such as posters or papers# ( might pin them to the blan+ets
for display with the students- permission. Then the students could feel a sense of ownership of
the classroom and pride in their wor+. 3n a wall at the front of the room ( would post a copy of
the Class Code 6rules7 for reference. <lsewhere on the walls# ( would hang posters with scenes
labeled with )ocabulary the students could learn# such as a soccer field labeled with words
relati)e to the sport# since =. >etin and :. /lamand ha)e shown in their 2%1$ study 6Posters#
self&directed learning# and :2 )ocabulary ac2uisition7 that students do learn )ocabulary from
posters such as these. ( may also hang a few posters with tourist&site photos from different
5ispanic countries to gi)e students a goal such as a class trip to one of the countries so they can
remind themsel)es why they might want to learn Spanish if they get distracted. "ny items that
would be off&limits to students e,cept during designated times would be stored in cabinets
6which ( could loc+7 along the walls so they would be out of the way and out of sight to
minimi?e distractions.
'. My routine to begin class each day would be to close the door# greet the students in Spanish#
and then as+ how they are. The students would need to respond in unison to the greeting# or (
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen
would repeat it until they do. That way ( will +now ( ha)e their attention. ( would as+ a few
students how they are doing that day and a few 2uestions about what is going on in their li)es
so they get to +now each other and ( get to +now them# building respect and relationships in the
classroom. ( would call on other students to build on what a pre)ious student said or summari?e
a pre)ious student-s comments so all students pay attention when one student is spea+ing and all
students understand that getting to +now one another 6in Spanish7 is important. "t this time (
would pass the attendance map through the class for students to sign the places that mar+ their
seats# and ( would later call on any students whose seats are empty but whose friends might
ha)e signed their names. That way ( would +now who is absent# but ( would spend minimal
time ta+ing attendance. ( would conclude the opening routine with an introduction and outline
of the lesson plan for the day and the lesson ob.ecti)e which ( would write on the board or the
Powerpoint. Thus students could +now what is the goal of their )arious acti)ities and stay
focused if they get impatient for any acti)ity to begin or end.
My routine to transition from a pair or small group acti)ity to a whole class acti)ity would be to gi)e
count down warnings about the cloc+. The students would get notice when there are ' minutes left and
again when there are 2 minutes left for them to wor+. "t $% seconds left# ( would begin to as+ each pair
if they are ready and tell them they must complete the sentence they are currently wor+ing on and then
stop. ;hen time is up# ( would return to the front of the room# tell e)eryone 0*ueno1 and as+ for
)olunteers to share what they produced with the class# and ( would start as+ing any remaining tal+ers if
they are ready to )olunteer. The pairs that do not stop tal+ing would then be the first to present.
6Students who are not presenting would ha)e another tas+ to do while the others tal+# such as preparing
a ran+ing of the spea+ers- arguments according to some established criteria.7
( would end class with an announcement of the homewor+ assignments# and then ( would also write
them on the board or Powerpoint. This would be the second notice students recei)e of the homewor+
since ( would post the assignments on the class website or management program for the entire wee+ at
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen'
the beginning of each wee+. ( would conclude the class with a reminder that they can loo+ at the class
website if they forget what the homewor+ is. ( would use multiple means of communicating the
homewor+ assignments so students do not get confused and do not forget them. (f the students ha)e
homewor+ to be completed for the day# ( would e,pect them to ha)e it on their des+s at the beginning
of class so ( could see that they ha)e each done it and mar+ a tally sheet to gi)e them each credit for
preparedness 6which goes into their participation scores7 and so we spend minimal class time hunting
for homewor+. Since we might refer to their homewor+ during class# they will +eep it until the end of
class. (f ( collect an assignment for grading# students will turn it in to me as they e,it the door. "s (
ta+e the homewor+ from each student# ( will say goodbye to him or her in Spanish.
@. ( may employ Socratic dialogues or instructional con)ersations for most topics. /or e,ample# in
a lesson on religious differences and freedom# ( may pose 2uestions about the morality of
different cultural practices from the students- own cultural point of )iew and from the other
culture-s members- point of )iew. ( may then dri)e students to clarify their beliefs with further
2uestioningA if the students end in a point of cultural relati)ism because it is comfortable for
them to refuse to disagree with another culture-s )alues# ( may as+ them to consider the morality
of human sacrifice as practiced by the "?tecs. Students may find this +ind of con)ersation
engaging and be less tempted to do acti)ities unrelated to class when they +now their ideas are
ta+en seriously by the class and can affect the direction of the class. ( may also employ note
ta+ing as a strategy to manage the group during student presentations. ( may ha)e students
select and research topics for oral presentations# and their classmates will use an outline to ta+e
notes during the presentations. The students would need to identify main ideas and supporting
ideas and then ma+e comments and pose 2uestions they would now ha)e about the topic. They
would share the comments and 2uestions with the rest of the class# and the presenter would
respond. :ater tests would include material from the presentations in essay 2uestions. ;ith
this strategy# students would +now that their presentations matter to the rest of the class and that
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen@
they must ta+e responsibility for informing each other. They would also +now that they must
pay attention to others- presentations and form courteous responses to their classmates so as not
to let their peers down# and distracting beha)ior such as doing other homewor+ or sending te,t
messages may be minimi?ed. " third approach ( may use is the decision ma+ing model. (
might present a photo of a teenage girl yelling at a parent and present a scenario to accompany
the photo such as the girl ha)ing made contact with a 2$&year&old man online who now wants to
ta+e her to a 3ne 8irection concert o)ernight in Milwau+ee. The students must come to a
decision from the parent-s point of )iew and consider the responses the girl might ma+e
following the eight steps 9aylor and 8iem 619!B C cited in 8uplass 197 identify. Students
would wor+ in pairs or small groups to propose alternati)e solutions# and this interaction and
the need to come to a decision might encourage them to beha)e as the adults they role&play and
refrain from off&topic con)ersation.
B. To end group chatter and a group acti)ity# ( may as+ the students to loo+ in my direction by
saying 03.os a2uD1 and pointing to my eyes. The students would then need to stop tal+ing and
point to their eyes. The last student to point to his4her eyes would then become the first
)olunteer to share what he4she discussed during the acti)ity. "nother techni2ue ( may use to
gain the group-s attention would be to mo)e to the front of the room and stand before a
whiteboard or computer console before ( say 0*ueno1 or another word to indicate the end of a
con)ersation. ( would then start calling on indi)iduals to as+ if they are ready for the ne,t item
on the agenda until the whole class settles 2uietly. Since ( would circulate around the room
during group and pair acti)ities# my change in location would be an indicator that the acti)ity
has ended. " third techni2ue to gain the whole class-s attention would be to play a giro# a
groo)ed gourd used in :atin "merican music# until students stop tal+ing. 6Musicians rub and
stri+e a stic+ o)er the groo)es to produce the sounds.7 This techni2ue has the added benefit of
introducing students to 5ispanic musical instruments they might not otherwise hear and pi2uing
Classroom Management Plan Mary KempenB
their interest in authentic cultural products.
!. (f ( notice one student disturbing the others and not focusing on his or her wor+# ( may
compliment the class for following our rules for respect and focus and then gi)e the non&
compliant student a loo+. (f the loo+ fails to resol)e the problem and the student continues to
disturb the others# ( may mo)e to stand near the non&compliant student. (f this student then
continues his4her beha)ior or turns to confront me# ( may ta+e him4her outside the room with
me into the hallway to discuss the rules and the noncompliance# and when we return# ( may
isolate the student from the others in a separate area of the room and allow him4her to re.oin the
rest of the class only after he4she completes a short 0thin+ paper1 in which he4she describes the
infraction and its conte,t# proposes better solutions for the problem that led to the infraction#
and agrees to desist from the undesired beha)ior.
9. *efore we begin any group or pair acti)ity# ( would remind the students about the rule that
states we will focus on our wor+ and how that means we will spea+ in Spanish and only about
the topic of the acti)ity. Then students might be less li+ely to start tal+ing about their friends-
latest ad)entures as soon as they get into their group arrangements. ( also remind students
about the rule that states we will respect each other so they do not harass any assigned group
member with whom they might not be on the most friendly terms. *efore students begin any
+ind of research pro.ect# ( would remind them about the rule that states our wor+ must represent
our own efforts and how they must properly 2uote and cite material they find in other sources. (
would also remind them that using translation software is a )iolation of this rule. That way# (
could minimi?e any accidental plagiarism or e,cuses of ignorance of the rules by those who
might be tempted to try the Eoogle Translate ruse.
1%. 8uring student presentations# the students who are not presenting would complete an acti)ity
that re2uires them to identify main ideas and prepare 2uestions and comments about the
presentation that they will share with the class and with the presenter at the end of the
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen!
presentation. ( would re)iew the rule that states we will respect each other if a student ma+es
critical comments about another student-s oral presentation. The class would need to be aware
that only constructi)e responses are acceptable and that bringing another student down will not
be tolerated. "nother situation in which ( would re)iew the rules is when a student plays with a
cell phone during class. ( would remind the class about the rule that states we will focus on our
wor+ during class and how playing with cell phones does not help us learn Spanish. (f the play
persists# ( would issue another reminder and ta+e the phone6s7 away until the end of class.
11. ( will spend time at the beginning of the course e,plaining the rules. <ach student will get a
copy of the Class Code 6list of rules C without e,planations7 and +eep it in his or her file for
class materials for the duration of the course. (n class# ( will pro)ide e,amples and non&
e,amples of following the rules such as respecting one another# and students will then supply
additional e,amples and non&e,amples in a brainstorming acti)ity. They may write these on
their copies of the code as we discuss them. ( will gi)e reasons for some of the rules and in)ite
students to figure out reasons for others before ( share my own. /or a rule about turning in
professional wor+# ( may show e,amples of papers with a 0professional appearance1 and
e,amples of wor+ that does not ha)e a professional appearance# such as a paper with a big
coffee stain. ;e will then ha)e a discussion about conse2uences for rule )iolations# and
students will ha)e some input into what those conse2uences will be. ;e will settle on the
conse2uences by the end of that class period# and ( will )eto conse2uences that ( thin+ are too
harsh or too lenient. ( will as+ students why they thin+ the options they chose might be
effecti)e or ineffecti)e. ( will record our lists# either on Powerpoint or with a photo of the board
or a flip pad of butcher paper# and the ne,t day ( will gi)e each student a list of the
conse2uences to +eep. ( will then pass an ac+nowledgment sheet through the class in which
each student signs to agree that he4she has recei)ed copies of the code and the conse2uences
and agrees to abide by them. ;ith this ac+nowledgment# students could begin to feel li+e
Classroom Management Plan Mary Kempen9
citi?ens in a class and thin+ about their responsibilities in creating the class atmosphere. ( will
then post the code complete with e,planations and the conse2uences on the course website or
class management program so any student or parent could refer to them outside of class# and (
will post a copy of the code 6abridged without e,planations and e,amples7 on the front
classroom wall. ( and the students could then refer to the abridged code as necessary and to the
longer list with e,amples and e,planations if the short reference is ineffecti)e.