My Classroom Management Plan

1. My Classroom Management Plan Jackie Nicolosi

2. Content Ideally I would like to find myself landing a teaching job somewhere in the 3rd or 4th grade. I would teach an array of subjects being that I am in an Elementary School setting. A diverse student population would allow me to gain an understanding of how there are different cultures and personalities that make up a classroom; and how much that can benefit my learning as a teacher and the education of my students. Therefore, a sense of community can be built. It would be ideal to be in a community with involved, interactive parents and a community that is under one belief of how a school or curriculum should be ran.

3. Physical Design White board/Smart Board Door Bulletin board Bulletin board Coats and bags Bulletin board Bulletin board

4. Physical Design- Steele’s Framework My classroom is designed to allow a student center as well as a whole class center. Having the rug, projector and easel together this creates a work area for the class as a whole while surrounding this area with the students’ desks. In the back corner of the room there is a student center. This includes a student table, computer, and shelves of student activities and materials. This demonstrates Steele’s function of Social Contact. Students interact in different areas of the room both together as a whole and individually. Sense of community and working together. In back corner opposite the student center would be the sink and refrigerator and hung bags. This way they are out of the way and can be with storage. I placed the teacher’s desk in the front to that the teacher can see the entire class but not directly in front of the student’s desk to seem too much in charge. The Smart Board or white board is in front of the student’s desk to be there for the projector and easel work that the teacher will use to teach. I have placed bulletin boards around the room in order to display students’ work and decorate with posters and displays. These boards will be full of colors, themes, and inspirational posters. The classroom rules, the class jobs, and any lessons learned will be placed in these boards for the class to refer to at any time. This demonstrates both Symbolic Identification and Pleasure from Steele’s functions of a classroom setting. This allows students to see there jobs well done and be in a room that full of life and color.

5. Rules I believe the rules in the classroom should be student-centered with my help. The students should feel a part of their work and behavior, that there is something they have designed and believe to be right. They hold responsibility for their actions after having rules they created themselves. I agree that these rules should be done through talking and over time; adding to the rules as they come into play instead of being bombarded at once. The consequences as well should be determined as a whole class; what do they believe is the next step after having broken a rule? We will develop these rules as a whole and I will have all my students sign and agree to the rules that, they as a class, have created. I am not a fan of rewards and consequence unless truly necessary. I like the idea of a genuine reward; one that is given to the students in result of a good thing but not having been told of this reward ahead of time. Students should not be rewarded for things they are supposed to do.

6. Routines Routines are meant to provide direction to a specific task that takes place within the classroom all the time. They enforce order and organization when it comes to a specific task needing to be done. There are three different kinds of routines; class running, lesson running, and interaction.

7. My 8 Classroom Routines(Class running routines) 1. Morning /class arrival routine: This is a class running routine. I would have the students come in and look at the board, first thing. There will be a morning job and a way of taking attendance. The students will take out any books they had brought home from the night before and place all homework into the homework bin at the front of the room; where they will grab the morning work or “job”. The students will hang their bags and go to their desks and start their work.

8. My 8 Classroom Routines 2.Bathroom routine: In order for the students in my class to use the bathroom they will have to ask my permission and then write their name my the bathroom slips. I will have a slip made up that the students will have to place on their desk and return to its designated spot once they are back in the classroom. The reason I have the student’s place their name by the bathroom slip is to remember who has left the classroom. Yes, I know I gave the student permission to leave and should remember who has left, however, sometimes those who have left the room also leave my mind and this way I know for sure who is in the bathroom. Along with the names, I will have the students write the time they have left, if I am in the upper grades, at least in the beginning of the year. This will get them into the routine that a bathroom run doesn’t need to be long.

9. My 8 Classroom Routines 3.Sharpening pencils: This can be one of the most irritating things in an Elementary classroom. My plan is to have the students do an exchange program for new, sharpened pencils. I will have a pencil sharpener position as a class job and there will be a designated time that this job will take place; snack time or at the end of the school day. However, throughout the rest of the day there will be two baskets or cups; one holding sharpened pencils and one holding pencils in need of sharpening. If you take a pencil, you leave a pencil. Basically no one needs to sharpen a pencil during the day to make a distraction.

10. My 8 Classroom Routines 4.Getting supplies: When it comes time to getting supplies I will have a “supply runner” as a classroom job; about 2 or 3 students will receive this job. These students will be in charge of getting and passing out supplies when there is a whole class activity or assignment. If there are small group activities in need of supplies there will be a designated “supply runner” per group that I will assign before the groups split to do their work together. All the supplies will be in one area of the room, labeled and organized as best as possible; this way all the students are aware of where everything is when they need it.

11. My 8 Classroom Routines(lesson-running routines) 5.When an assignment is completed the students will know to place their work in the designated “finished” basket. If the students are in the upper grades I may want them to hand in their work to me to be checked over quickly; otherwise placed into the “finished” basket. 6.As for distributing materials, I will assign students as “paper passers”; again as a classroom job. As for the older students, I may just ask someone to hand out papers if I don’t do them myself to cause less hassle within the classroom.

12. My 8 Classroom Routines(Interaction routines) 7. The routine during independent work is important. I want to make it clear that during independent time the class is quiet and respectful towards all who are trying to work. During this time students will keep their eyes on their own paper, their thoughts to themselves, and they will raise their hands and wait to get my attention. 8. When the students are working in small groups they are to use 5 inch voices so there is no disturbing of the other working groups. Students will be told to stay seated with their group, not to move around the room unless needed. Prior to getting into groups and loosing their attention, the groups will be made by myself or by student choice and placed in a specific area of the room that will stay their designated spot.

13. Relationships Creating caring relationships is a very important part of my classroom and management plan. I believe students work better in this type of environment and it causes for a classroom of community and fairness. Creating a relationship with my students will allow me to understand them better and to be a real person they can come to trust and work together with. In order to show my students that I care about them I need to work these different ways, or strategies, into my teaching methods.

14. Relationships(how they know I care) Students will know I care about them in the way I make myself available to talk and discuss just about anything that is appropriate to discuss. I want my students to be able to talk to me about whatever is on their mind. Students need that relief at times. Students will know I care about them when I demonstrate the fact that I am a “real” person. I make mistakes too. I have a life, and friends, and issues, and happy moments. I was in school once, I was just like them; I am just like them. Students will know I care about them when I give them both academic and personal support. When a child knows that someone else knows they can do something, they begin to believe it might be true. The encouragement and the support, both in and out of the classroom, means my students mean something to me; they are worth the effort and attention I give them and the students will catch on to that and know I truly care. With all these strategies I will be an active listener and get to know my students.

15. Relationships(fostering a sense of community) Community in my classroom is important. My room is made up of different personalities, different home lives, different minds. I want to make sure those minds are shared and everyone learns off of one another. In the beginning of the year, to create a sense of community, the students will participate in “getting to know you” games that allow students to share things about themselves while the others do the same; myself included. Morning meetings are full of mini lessons, but one aspect that can help build community within the classroom is having the students say good morning or hello to each other within the meeting circle. The students can say hello in so many fun ways as well as using all the students’ names to enhance the classroom’s sense of friendship and community. Team building as well is a great way to gain community within the classroom. With these games, activities, or skills the students work together to figure out a problem or a puzzle. Like lining up in birthday order without talking for example. Any way of having the students work together, talk together, get to know each other there grows a sense of togetherness, a sense of community.

16. Discipline Depending on the type of misbehavior that is going on in my classroom, will determine the type of reaction I implement. I want to be positive as much as possible and like the strategies of talking it out to get to a problem a student might be having. When dealing with a minor misbehavior I like the idea of proximity and non verbal strategies to make the student aware of their wrong doings. The “look” and or quick hand signal can cut a certain student off from any small misbehavior. When a chronic, everyday, issue arises in the classroom. My plan of action would be to discuss with the student where exactly this behavior is coming from. There maybe a reason behind this behavior that may only need to be expressed. Having the self-monitor themselves as well, is another plan of action. The student targets the change in their behavior, exemplifies the proper behavior and then the student, by themselves, monitors their new behavior. The student is involved with changing their behaviors while not exactly viewing it as a consequence, but a learning method. I don’t want to say that my classroom has a certain consequence to a certain action or misbehavior. I do however agree that a consequence given must and will be followed through.

17. In the end… In the end my goal is to create a classroom of comfort. To allow discussion and new opportunities. I will encourage and help my students reach the potential I know they will all desire. I want to know my students in and out and be able to relate to them in a way that creates a trusting, fair environment; one that is able to allow the creation of teachable moments and risks of learning. I want to make a difference, whether it be academically or personally; I want to be the role model to my students.