MILLER MASTER’S PORTFOLIO !

Goal #6: Classroom Management

The most intricately planned lessons with the proven best engagement and interactive

practices can be unravelled in seconds by an undisciplined classroom environment. Until

classroom management is a skill that a teacher has gained proficiency in, many students will

learn virtually nothing, no matter how skillfully or artfully planning for the learning objectives

has been designed. In nearly every educational guidebook on classroom management, experts

agree that establishing classroom rules, guidelines, procedures, and routines should be the first

and most crucial aspect of the learning environment that teachers consider and plan for (Charles,

2014; MacKenzie and Stanzione, 2010). If students do not know what is expected of them in

terms of behavior, procedures, and tasks, they will continue to demand this information through

their behavior. Most often this questioning behavior is disruptive to the overall knowledge

acquisition of all students.

In this reflective collection of vignettes, I explore three instances of student disruption,

misbehavior, and disengagement in a multi-aged elementary classroom. The individual vignettes

portray classroom management practices at a variety of grade-levels, each representing issues

characteristic of specific age-groups. My consideration of multiple developmental and ability

groups is inherent. This collection of explorations in classroom management techniques is an

analytical look into the related background theories of specific techniques, the implications and

results of the disciplinary response implemented, and reflections on future actions and my

changing philosophy of discipline. Substantially supported by the theoretical work of researchers

and practitioner experts, the paper shows how my disciplinary decisions have been informed by
MILLER MASTER’S PORTFOLIO !2

both theory and practice. It provides evidence of my adherence to a philosophy of classroom

management built on sturdy foundations, but also characterized by continual reflection,

responsiveness, and adaptation.

In the first vignette, I rely on physical proximity to discourage off-task behavior. My

actions during this instance reflect my belief in helping students to construct their own intrinsic

motivations for building self-discipline (Fields, Meritt, Fields, 2018). My physical closeness was

meant to influence students to stay on-task with nothing more than my presence. When this

wasn’t enough, I learned that implementing a logical consequence was best done before giving

students too many chances. The logical consequence the teacher applied was to separate the

students who were off-task, and this was done immediately to ensure redirected behavior.

In the second vignette, I apply an adherence to established rules. I also consider the

implications of how the rules were initially established, modeled, and practiced. Reminding

students of behavior agreements they helped determine, and then practicing the behaviors that

imply adherence to those rules and what happens when classroom rules are not followed is the

approach I consider (Wong and Wong, 1998).

In the final classroom vignette, I encounter student disengagement and non-participation

in the learning experience. My response to this relied on establishing a personal connection and

convincing the student of my stable and reliable presence through persistence. Educational

theorists and practitioners like Ruby Payne, C.M. Charles, Stephen Covey, Allen Mendler, and

Judith Kleinfeld have influenced my philosophy of classroom management with their reliance on

making connections with individual students and understanding their needs while warmly

demanding high expectations for both academic achievement as well as behavior.

MILLER MASTER’S PORTFOLIO !3

These three vignettes on how I chose to approach classroom behavior issues and reflect

upon the foundations of my philosophies and how they match up with the practices I put in place

in the classroom are good examples of a responsive and reflective developing philosophy that

continually aim to narrow the gap between beliefs and management practices.
MILLER MASTER’S PORTFOLIO !4

References

Charles, C.M. (2014). Building classroom discipline. Pearson Education.

Fields, M.V., Meritt, P.A., Fields, D.M. (2018). Constructive guidance and discipline: Birth to

age eight. New York, NY: Pearson.

Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. School Review, 83,

301-344.

Lickona, T., PhD. (1983). Raising good children. Bantam Books.

MacKenzie, R.J., EdD., and Stanzione, L., M.A. (2010). Setting limits in the classroom. Random

House.

Mendler, A.N. (2001). Connecting with students. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Wong, H.K., and Wong, R.T. (1998). How to be an effective teacher: The first days of school.

Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.