Jade Mears

Classroom Management
5/2/17
Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management

Within a classroom, a teachers classroom management skills are essential to be

effective. When first entering this class I have a very narrow scope of what classroom

management was. I thought of it as specific strategies, such as attention getters, and

very disciplined based. Throughout this semester my definition has changed to

encompass a much broader view of a whole-child focused philosophy of classroom

management. These classroom management theories that I have been compiling over

the course of this semester are based on the Danielson Domain 2 of an effective

classroom environment. Many of these ideas and strategies that align from theorist also

alight with what a distinguished teacher would look like on this framework. Before this

class I knew very little about the Danielson framework, but over the course of this

semester this framework has become one of my best resources for developing my

classroom management plan. For the purpose of this paper I will be discussing my

personal philosophies of classroom management in the lens of a 6 th grade teacher. To

begin to understand a classroom management system it is helpful to break it up into

several key pieces, as we have done this semester. These pieces are a plan for

prevention, intervention strategies, and finally a plan for self-management.

Planning for prevention is the first aspect of classroom management. This

system has to begin to take shape before students even enter the classroom. The first

steps are establishing an idea of how the physical space of the classroom should be set

up. In a whole-child focus, my classroom environment will be focused on meeting the

needs of my students. 6th grade students are in the heart of adolescents, and in order to

engage students they need to be active. My plan for prevention begins with a classroom
Jade Mears
Classroom Management
5/2/17
design of flexible seating. Movement and activity will be encouraged within my

classroom, and students will have a variety of active based learning seating including

standing desks, and yoga balls. The most important aspect of the physical environment

is that it promotes collaboration, with students grouped into pods of 4 students. I want

students to feel ownership and belongingness within the classroom, and so I will

encourage students to adjust the physical space to meet their needs.

The second aspect of developing a Plan for Prevention is creating an

environment for respect and rapport. To begin creating this environment a teacher has

to reflect on their personal values and what they believe respect and rapport are within

their own classroom. My personal definition are, Respect- A way of thinking, acting, and

communication that acknowledges other human beings, the environment, as well as all

things in their uniqueness in a positive way and Rapport- A way of communicating that

is respectful, kind, as well as empathetic to all. In my classroom it is my expectation

that students are treated with respect and rapport, and in turn do the same. I believe is

creating a warm and positive environment starting with my own attitudes, and so these

relationships I build with students will build on this positivity.

The last component of the Plan for Prevention is managing classroom

procedures. The works of Harry Wong and Fred Jones have been the most influential

theorist in developing my own procedural plans. Before this course I had never explicitly

thought of how many procedures must be developed to begin the year. My procedural

plans now build upon my definitions of respect and rapport as well as emphasis giving

students a choice. Within a middle school setting I believe that it is time for students to

start taking responsibility and ownership of their learning. To begin the school year I will
Jade Mears
Classroom Management
5/2/17
sit down with my students and have a conversation about what expectations are needed

in the classrooms, as well as what procedures need to be. Through careful scaffolding, I

hope to create unique expectations for each group of students that they feel ownership

of, and therefor will be more apt to follow. My own personal procedures will include

nonverbal cues such as signaling for restroom breaks, or questions. My overall goal is

to have these procedures tie into building a students self-management.

Strategies for redirection, reinforcement, and intervention is the second aspect of

a classroom management system. Where a plan for prevention sets the stage of

classroom management, this second aspect to me is the practical ways we will address

behavioral issues within a classroom. The most influential theorist for my ideas of

managing student behaviors is the Discipline with Dignity model. I believe that this

model most aligns with my values of empathy and expectations for both myself and

students. A major part of managing behaviors is having high expectations for students to

live up to. I want my students to know that I have these expectations for them, and

above all I expect them to be respectful students, engaged learners, and successful

adults. If there are misbehaviors within my classroom I will address them immediately

with proximity, eye contact, and a strong sense of with-it-ness. If misbehaviors

continue to get worse some reinforcement tools that I will use will be is my own

reactions to behaviors and the strong relationships that I build with students. If

behaviors come to the point where intervention is needed I hope to work closely with my

colleagues to create the best individual plan for that child. With these behavioral

management systems one thing that has really stuck with me throughout this semester

is looking at my own teacher misbehaviors. Asking myself if I am doing something that

Jade Mears
Classroom Management
5/2/17
is prompting these behaviors, and being self-reflective can be one of the most helpful

techniques that I can use within my classroom.

The final part of this plan for classroom management are strategies that promote

self-management. Before this class I had never thought of classroom management in

terms of teaching students to be self-regulating of their own behaviors, but instead

mostly focused on addressing behavior. However, this section is essentially the end

goal of education for teachers. We want students to become happy, healthy, self-

managing adults and this begins within their academic careers. My thinking is very

closely aligned with the thinking of Alfie Kohn and supporting the basic needs of

students being autonomy, belonging, and confidence. I believe in creating a culture

where it is truly child-focused instruction. I want to address students developmental

needs to create a climate where they feel at home, and in turn are more engaged

academically. Building a growth mindset is the foundation of my classroom

management styles, for both myself and the students. Within my classroom, I will care

about the content and the learning. My students will know and see my enthusiasm for

learning and teaching. Again, expectations will be high to promote a growth mindset. A

poster displayed in my classroom will sum up my thinking by stating, it is okay not to

know but it is not okay not to try.

A teachers classroom management style begins with the teachers values and

beliefs. Over the course of this semester my own values and beliefs have grown to form

my own system of management where the most important pieces are my relationships

with students and having a growth mindset. If I can have a class where students know

they are important, they are smart, and they can achieve anything then I have done my
Jade Mears
Classroom Management
5/2/17
job as a teacher. It is my personal philosophy that every child can succeed if they have

someone in their corner, and that personal will always be me.