Classroom Management Main Page - EDEL 414 - EDSE 415 – EDCI
402
Classroom Management
Plan
1. Philosophy
of Classroom Management
Ideally, classroom management should be a common understanding between
the teacher and the students. It should
be an agreed upon model that everyone abides by. In order for classroom management to work
effectively, it is extremely important that the teacher and the students agree
upon a standard set of rules and consequences that apply to everyone; including
the teacher. It is my belief that the
only way to effectively manage a classroom is by establishing what the
appropriate and accepted behaviors are from day one. It is imperative that the teacher develops a
set of rules and consequences with the assistance of the students. Allowing the students to participate in the
development of the rules and consequences will encourage them to follow these
rules and will feel a greater sense of ownership and responsibility for
something that they created.
In addition to establishing a “social
contract” with the students at the beginning of the school year, it is also
important that as the teacher, I recognize, understand, and embrace each
student’s diversity, uniqueness and individuality. Understanding that each head that walks into
my classroom is a whole different world will enable me to meet their
needs. Classroom management should not
only be a source of control for the teacher, but rather be centered on the
premise that the order of the classroom will facilitate a more beneficial
learning environment for the students and the teacher alike. As an educator it will be my goal and
responsibility to ensure that all students walking through the door feel safe,
valued, and happy to be there. Happy
children will thus be ready and anxious to learn and participate in the
classroom. I will foster a challenging
environment where the primary focus will be centered on the process of things
rather than the final product or outcome.
Children will realize that if they care about the process and the steps
they follow to complete a task, the end result will
inevitably be great. Finally, I will
encourage my students not to quit or give up and not to be afraid of making
mistakes because mistakes are natural and are part of the learning process.
Assumptions about the nature of young people and
learning are often what cause us as educators to fail our students. It general, some common assumptions about
students are that they are powerless and helpless “blank slates” for the
educational system to mold into what is socially acceptable. But are our young students really “blank slates” that should be feed
information and perfectly molded? It is
my belief that young minds are very powerful and are inherently motivated to
learn. They are in control of their
learning and therefore, the teacher should serve as a facilitator and not a
dictator that feeds them information to store in their memory banks. It is in the students’ best interest for
educators to assume that they are intelligent young minds that only need to be
watered as plants to grow and blossom into beautiful flowers.
Rather than drill information into
students’ minds, the focus of an educator should be to facilitate a cooperative
learning environment where students learn from each other. Student input should be more important than
looking for the teacher to answer every question. If we are to assume that all young minds are
competent enough to be accountable for their own education, then we should
develop a learning environment that promotes this assumption. Cooperative learning will allow students to
develop their social and interactive skills.
In addition, cooperative learning will facilitate the active
participation of all students. Working
in groups will allow students to interact with others and to learn different
perspectives and different ways of solving problems. Furthermore, cooperative learning enables
those stronger students to assist the weaker students while reinforcing their
skills in the process as well. Students
will develop strong and lasting bonds with each other as they work in a group
to complete an assignment and will also develop a greater sense of belonging. Cooperative learning will promote a sense of
community and will encourage everyone to take pride in what they do, thus
students will help each other perform to the best of their abilities.
Finally, as educators we should assume
that all of our students are young capable minds that simply need a little
guidance to develop their skills. The
problem lies with how effectively we manage our classrooms and not in the poor
performance that we often times expect our students to display. There is nothing worse than to have lowered
expectations for our students. By
creating a classroom where we assume that our students are not accountable for
their own education, we also create an atmosphere where students buy into the
self-fulfilling prophecy. Students will
only perform at the level that they believe they can and will not push
themselves any farther because they believe that the teacher does not expect
anything more than that from them. As
educators we need to walk into the classroom free of negative assumptions
regarding our students in order to assist them in achieving to their fullest
potential and to always strive for more rather than to simply give up.
Students will be expected to be active participants
in the classroom and learning process.
In addition, students will also be expected to work with others and
cooperate. Respect and equality will be
highly stressed in the classroom from the beginning of the semester. Everyone
is expected to respect each other as well as respect the teacher. Respect is not only displayed through the
interactions that students have with each other and the teacher, but also by
being prepared for class every day. Not
being ready for class or not having their learning materials ready at the beginning
of class will be considered a lack of respect for the teacher. Students will understand that if they are not
ready to learn and participate in the class, it will affect the outcome of the
daily classroom plan or lesson.
Moreover, honestly and fairness will be
highly valuable qualities to have in the classroom. All students will be expected to be honest
with their actions and their work.
Cheating and copying others work will not be tolerated in the classroom,
as everyone will be encouraged to take pride in their individuality and
uniqueness.
2.
Expectations of Classroom Climate
The classroom climate will be very warm and inviting for all
students. The climate will be
stimulating and encouraging where the students can feel safe and secure to
express their thoughts, concerns and beliefs.
They primary goal is to create classroom climate and environment where
everyone that forms part of it feels valued and cared for.
A warm classroom climate will foster a
greater sense of learning and encourage students to participate without being
afraid of making a mistake or being humiliated by the classroom as a
whole. Overall, the classroom climate
will promote an ecstatic feeling among the children and they will be more
inclined to participate.
3. Rules and
Policies
Classroom rules and policies will be clearly outlined within the first
couple of weeks at the beginning of the school year. Students will be asked to participate in the
process of creating these rules and policies with the assistance of the
teacher. Once we come to an agreement as
to what the rules and policies should be, we will create a social contract that
everyone will be held to. The students
as well as the teacher and the parents will sign the social contract. In order to make the social contract work
better, parents’ help and participation will be highly essential. The social contract will only work when all
parties involved agree and are aware of what the rules, policies and consequences
are.
Students will feel a sense of belonging
and ownership as a result of participating in the making of the social
contract. They will feel that their
opinions and needs are therefore will feel responsible for the success or
failure of the social contract.
Boundaries as to what is accepted and what
is not will be clearly outlined in the social contract; always using vocabulary
that is easily understood by the students.
Students will be well aware of the consequences for breaking the social
contract and will all be held to it.
Maintaining consistency will be key in the success of the social
contract. Students will realize and
understand that what is written in the social contract will be respected. However, often times things do not work as we
plan, therefore the social contract may change to fit the needs of the specific
class. If students come up with a rule
that really does not work for the class as a whole, then there will be some
revising to be done.
Overall, expectations will be centered
around the students and their basic needs.
Expectations will be designed to fit the students and to foster a better
learning environment as opposed to focusing on the teacher.
Students’ academic needs will be meet by relating the material presented
to them. When a student can relate to
the lesson, they are more inclined to be interested and therefore, to learn and
to participate. I will build on their
desires to belong by presenting material that they can relate to their
lives.
I will always give my students a reason
for why they are learning something and teach them to deeply think about what
the lesson is. In order to capture the
student’s interest in learning and in the specific material, I will constantly
engage my students by asking them many questions. For example, if I am covering a unit on
agriculture I will make it relevant to their daily lives by asking, “how many
of you have parents or relatives that are farm workers?” For many students, this will be a topic of
interest because they will want to share with the classroom what their parents
do for a living. I can further expand
this unit by inviting some of those parents to share their experiences with the
classroom.
2. What do you
do instructionally to prevent the students’ need to act out?
Inevitably, we cannot fool ourselves, as educators into thinking that
there will never be behavior issues in the classroom. Behavior issues may arise as a result of not
meeting a particular child’s needs.
Rather than placing the entire blame on the student, I will concentrate
on what I can do as a teacher to better meet his or her needs. Before condemning this student for acting
out, I will want to know what the problem is.
Perhaps the student is bored or does not understand the material and
that is why he or she is acting out. If
this is the case, then simply explaining the assignment one more time may solve
the issue. If the student is clear about
the task then he or she will inherently be motivated to explore and learn
more.
It is also essential that as the teacher,
I present the material in a way that stimulates the students’ curiosity to know
more. If the students feel that the
teacher is not enthusiastic about the material, then they will choose to zone
out and begin to think about other things that are more interesting to
them. Creating a fun and interesting
lesson will foster an environment where the students are engaged in the
learning process. When students are
actively participating in the learning process they have no time to act out
because they are so engaged. Interested,
engaged and participant students will eliminate any behavior issues.
3.
How does your assessment promote the goals of your management?
Students will be assessed using a combination of
letter grades, portfolios, and group work.
Students will have a wide array of opportunities to demonstrate their
understanding and competence throughout the school year. Although letter grades will be distributed,
they will not be the central focus or reason for completing a task. Close attention will be paid to the process
by which students come to an answer or create a final product.
There will be some tests to evaluate students’
academic level. However, these tests
will only assist the teacher in creating cooperative learning groups. Students will form groups that are equally
formed, where those that are more skilled will assist the less skilled
students.
Finally, portfolios will be used to track the
progress of each student. These
portfolios will include essays that the students have written and will clearly
show how the students’ writing have improved and evolved as the school year
progressed.
4.
How do you
allow for variable styles, cultures and circumstances in meeting the diverse
needs of your students?
In order to meet the diverse needs of my students, I
feel that knowledge is key. I will make
sure that I am knowledgeable about the different cultures that are present
within the school where I work. I will
also take into consideration that each student has a different learning
style. In attempting to meet the
different learning styles and different cultures of my students, I will create
an environment where we embrace each other’s diversity and where not only those
who are extroverted will succeed, but also those who are introverted and are
more quiet or perhaps shy.
I will develop a curriculum that uses all the senses
to engage students. There may be
students who require the assistance of visual aides or those that need
manipulatives to better understand the lesson.
Students will be provided with some form of lecture in addition to
books, illustrations, hands-on materials, group discussions, etc. to ensure
that all are being reached.
D. Motivation
1. From your
point of view, what motivates students?
Motivation
in the short-term
I
believe that students are motivated in the short term by the desire to be liked
and praised by the teacher. Students
want to feel good and look for the approval of the teacher and the reassurance
that they are right. Students may also
be motivated by the desire and the need to be liked by their peers and to seem
intelligent. They may often become somewhat
competitive simply to look “better” in front of their peers. Short term motivation can only go so far and
there comes a point when the student is no longer motivated or looses interest
in whatever was motivating him or her.
Motivation
in the long-term
Students experience long-term motivation when they
are genuinely interested in what they are doing. Perhaps the students are working on a group
project and are motivated to do well not only because they will be graded on
their work or because they will present their findings to the classroom, but
also because they are enthusiastic about the discoveries that they are making
and want to share these with the rest of the classroom in the best possible
way. The students will work hard and
will try to do their best to create a noteworthy end product.
2.
Why do/will your students do what you ask them to do?
Students will do what they are asked to do because
they will be innately motivated to participate in the learning process. Students will naturally want to form part of
discussions in the classroom and will share their ideas and opinions without
any apprehension.
3. How do you
plan to motivate your students?
I plan to motivate my students by using a combination
of grades/tokens, praise, self-improvement and positive reinforcement. Students will understand that although grades
are important, self-improvement is much more important. I believe that if I take the time to
positively reinforce desired classroom behaviors, rather than focus on those
that are misbehaving; the general message will be that those that work will
have the attention of the teacher.
I will praise my students for their effort and not
for a “job well done” to teach them that what is important is that they attempt
to complete a task rather than doing something “right”. With time and patience, my students will
become intrinsically motivated and will seek self-improvement on their
own. If all of these variables are put
into play, then students’ grades will improve in the end.
4. How would
you characterize your motivational style/approach?
I would characterize my motivational approach as
centered around the best interests of my students. Rather than focusing on pleasing the teacher,
the students will mainly be motivated by their own desires to learn more and
become knowledgeable people for their own benefit.
Although I do praise my students for their efforts,
there is little focus given to what the teacher says and more on the students’
overall effort.
E.
Vision
A Day in my
Ideal Class
A day in my ideal classroom would begin with my
students coming to class prepared to learn and be active participants of the
learning process. The classroom is very
warm and inviting and there is a sense of safety that the students clearly
feel.
The classroom is very
brightly decorated and there isn’t a blank space on the walls. From the moment you step into the classroom
you know that it is a classroom that the students and the teacher take pride
in. The classroom is very neat and
organized as well as very clean.
Bulletin boards display students’ work.
There are different bulletin boards throughout the classroom such as a
science, math, reading, writing, and an art section. Every student has at least one piece of work
on a board to insure that no one feels left out or less than anyone else.
The chairs are arranged
in a non-traditional way. They are
arranged in the form of a horseshoe so that the students may all face each
other and know when someone is speaking.
There is a small library in the classroom that has a wide variety of
books for the students to read. There
are four computers in the classroom that are used by the students when writing
essays or papers.
The students take a seat and are ready to begin the day. I will begin the lesson by talking about the
Civil War and engaging the students in the discussion. Ideally, students will be asking many
questions and will be participating. We
will have a brief overview regarding the Civil War and students will be
instructed on what they should do.
We continue our day by
breaking up into groups of four to begin our assignments on the Civil War. Students will closely research more on the
Civil War and later present their findings in a creative and unique way.
As students are
discussing what they want to do for their projects I am walking around the
classroom to make sure that everyone is on task. Unfortunately, there is a group that is
having trouble working with each other.
Here I must decide how to address this problem in a way that will not be
disruptive to everyone else. I address
the problem by approaching the group and first ask what the problem seems to
be. I clarify any questions that they
may have and continue to observe the rest of the groups. Since I did not give the “problematic” group
too much attention they proceeded with their task without any other problems or
issues.
After working in their
groups for about fifteen minutes, I ask for the students’ attention one more
time. We come together as a class and
share with everyone what each group plans to focus on to ensure that no group
is doing the same thing.
Once we choose roles
and project ideas for all groups, the students go back to their groups again to
work more on their presentations. The
class is noisy, yet everyone is actively participating with their groups.
Students are excited and engaged in what they are doing. There is much discussion among the groups as
to how they will present to the class.
Everyone is happy and has many different ideas to share. All the students want to present in a very
creative, fun, entertaining and unique way.
Overall the classroom
environment is productive and students are on task. Students are having fun working with others
while they are learning at the same time.
As they work in groups students are expanding on their social and
interactive skills and learning from the many different opinions of
others. Students learn the value of “two
heads are better than one” and are stimulated by the vast array of opinions and
points of view.