John Donofrio
Winter 2002
Classroom
Management Plan
(use as a reference only – using any part of this paper word for word is plagiarism)
A classroom management plan is essential in order for a teacher to affect student learning. An effective plan will take into consideration many factors. First and foremost the focus must be on the content of the material to be taught. The teacher must plan the academic lessons thoroughly. It is important to keep your eye on the ball. Your goals for the academic progress must be at the heart of this plan. Therefore you must know where you are taking this class, before a path can be chosen. In this respect, I share the philosophy of William Glasser. He believes that the key to classroom management is a vital interesting curriculum. A need for this curriculum must be demonstrated to be relevant in their everyday lives, and their futures. The students must see that their basic needs of survival, belonging, power, freedom, and fun can be met through cooperation with the lesson plans. He believes that children will even exhibit the appropriate behavior to achieve these ends. I believe that this is a little idealistic, but a relevant curriculum with appropriate consequences for effort or lack of effort will be effective. The better this is done the more intrinsic motivation will exist. Kohn, put the emphasis on content, as well, while Albert and Dreikurs stress the need for belonging. Gordon shares this aspect of intrinsic motivation through need satisfaction with the other four, but stresses the appropriate use of power to affect this result. Their views on the priority of needs and the implementation strategy differ a little, but there is a great deal of similarity. For instance their view of children is that they are capable of making choices. These goals should be made clear to the students, so that the classroom physical arrangement, procedures, and social contract reflect a logical progression toward this end. They all feel that establishing a classroom community is important. After all the need for belonging is very important. Being an integral part of a community is belonging on a very large scale. For students or anyone to feel like they are members of a community, they must have made an investment in it. Albert believes that the contribution to the code of conduct is a sufficient contribution to form a community. Gordon suggests that contracts and agreements establish communities, as does Dreikurs. Kohn places the emphasis on cooperative learning, where academic contributions are the best way to forming a safe comfortable community. I think that they are all correct, but I believe that even a bigger investment could be made. Just like any community, it is important to have leaders and assignment of responsibilities. The method and process for the selection of these should be determined by the social contract, but I would like to see these issues put on the table. Here again I agree with Jones in practice but not theory. I like student led bell work and student assigned chores. I think that if the leadership roles and chores were student generated, regulated, and rotated, everyone would eventually have a physical investment in each other and in the classroom itself. It could be a viable community.
Consistent with their view of children, all of the theorists mentioned believe in a democratic classroom. Properly sold, the teacher’s academic goals will become the students’ goals as well. When this is the case, the academic goals must be the focal point of the social contract. This contract is between all of the members of the class, including the teacher. Each member must be allowed to input to the classroom reality. Their expectations for the behavior of each other and the teacher must be identified. The five basic needs, however each defines them, must be addressed. The consequences of proper and improper academic effort and behavior performance should be specific. Only a unanimous approval is acceptable, and there should be a regular interval for re-adjustment and refinement. These could be concurrent with weekly classroom meetings. I am perfectly comfortable to operate within the climate the whole class determines is appropriate, since I will have input and we will all have the same goal. I believe the rest of the class will be comfortable too. Certainly the students arrive in school with a variety of unique personalities, conceptions, and expectations. They will have preconceived notions of school, teachers, learning, and themselves. Although they may not have an apparent thirst for knowledge, it is my belief that they want to learn. They even expect to learn. Vacation may have been fun, but most children look forward to returning to school. Usually, this is the only place where their need for social and academic fulfillment can be met. Children are no different than other humans. We want to feel good about ourselves, and know that others like and accept us. Armed with this knowledge, the teacher has a special position and responsibility in the development of each child under his or her care.
The physical environment of the classroom is an important consideration to this end. It must allow teaching and learning to happen. It must be neat and orderly, and free of miscellaneous distractions. Personal items, book bags, and such should have a storage place other than with the students during class time. The desk arrangement should allow for freedom of movement for the teacher and the students. Jones in particular describes major corridors in both directions between the desks. This arrangement must allow for student interaction with each other with a minimal need for moving desks. Each student should have a clear view of the board and teacher. I think that the walls should have appropriate content material divided into subject sections. An important suggestion by Jones and others is that there should be graphic reminders or models of the work to be done around the room. This would allow students to take responsibility for their success and minimize re-teaching. The students will gain self-esteem by doing the work themselves. I would have these reminders occupy a prominent position in the content section to which they apply. Motivational slogans should also exist in every area of the room. It is key that all the displays are cheerfully colored and have different shapes. Don’t allow the room to be drab and boring. I think there should be a student corner, for personal input, and posting of their work. There should also be a modest size teacher’s corner that says something personal about the teacher. Although I believe in a democratic classroom, the teacher should initially control these physical arrangements, with input allowed after the fact. In other words these should be accomplished before the students arrive the first day to set the scene.
I’ve already mentioned that I must make the curriculum relevant to the students’ everyday lives and their futures. Children cannot be fooled. They know whether or not they are learning. They know if what they are learning is relevant to them. These kinds of lesson plans are very difficult to create. Since I am a constructivist and believe the teacher is the facilitator of learning, the students themselves must discover these relevant lessons. If presented properly, I believe the students will supply the relevance if given the chance and a little coaching. It will really mean a lot to them, if this occurs. An effective coach allows all the participants to succeed. They make sure that each student has realistic personal goals that reflect the application of proper effort and ability. The only component the student must supply to be successful is the effort, and that is the one thing they can control. I believe all learning can be accomplished through problem solving. This method is very dependant on student participation, and interaction. It serves both to satisfy the students’ academic needs and to eliminate or mitigate students’ need to act out. There will be plenty of opportunity for students to get attention. Since all answers and suggestions are acceptable, it is safe for the students to be heard in a positive venue. Being aware that satiation can occur is also important, so it can be avoided as Kounin advocates.
Effective assessments will promote the objectives of my management goals. Assessment is the method I would use to see if my lesson plans were working, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the social contract. A good assessment is extremely clear and objective. A rubric can be created to assess the progress being made toward any goal. For the area of classroom management there can be a four or five level rubric. The highest tier would describe all of the performance criteria possible for good behavior including the amount of time in which the criteria was met. This amount of time should be 100% of the time for the highest tier. The next lower level would reduce the number of performance criteria and/or the percentage of the time these criteria were met. The same process would be applied to each successive lower level. The higher level will always include the same items or more than the lower level. The lowest level is described where none of the criteria were met at all. This kind of assessment can be applied by anyone, even the students themselves. A rubric like this can be created to assess the entire class for a given time frame, or a specific function, like a transition between subjects, or getting the classroom ready for dismissal. An assessment rubric like this can be created for a smaller group, like a project group, or even an individual when a problem is identified. The importance of a quantitative assessment like the one described is that the teacher and the student or students can know exactly how they are performing, strive to improve, knowing it can and will be fairly evaluated. Using this tool the students can self-regulate their behavior. This is another tool the social contract can and should create. Depending upon the grade level this rubric can be as detailed as the class deems necessary. The students may even decide one should be created to assess the teacher’s behavior on a subject that concerns them.
I appreciate that each child has a unique learning style, as I have a unique teaching style. If I easily understand a lesson, it is a good bet that the child with the opposite learning style from mine didn’t get it. I must be sure to keep this in mind as I create the lesson plans. It may be appropriate to alternate the learning style focused upon for subsequent lessons or conduct a lesson in more than one way. It may appear that either of these methods will use up valuable time. However, if you can reach a significantly higher percentage of your students by doing this, and you will, it will save the time required for re-teaching and the loss of time and energy required to deal with behavioral problems. The constructivism method of teaching through problem solving addresses most of the diversity needs of the students. The students are asked to relate the problems to their own prior knowledge. That would involve their culture and/or special circumstances.
Motivation is a component very necessary to affect learning and behavior. Basically there is extrinsic motivation where the stimuli come from a reward for doing the acceptable action, or a negative consequence for doing an unacceptable action. These are behavioral approaches espoused by Watson, Skinner, and Jones. In the short-term, this could be a term or a year, they can be effective, but the conditioning will not have a sustaining effect on behavior or learning. The students will become accustomed to the reward or consequence, and it will no longer motivate them. The positive or negative consequence has to be constantly amplified in either direction to have an effect. This method does nothing to modify the attitudes, feelings, or self-efficacy that causes behavior. The other basic type of motivation is intrinsic. This method comes from within the student by need satisfaction and can influence the attitudes, feelings, and self-efficacy of students. This change will have a long-term effect on learning and behavior. There are several theories that address this kind of motivation. Albert, Kohn, Dreikurs, Ginott, Gordon, and Glasser all prescribe to this method, but to some extent address different needs. As I stated in the first paragraph, my focus will be on learning. Glasser has it right. I will try to make the content relevant to the students’ everyday lives, and their future. I am excited about every subject, and will convey this message. The lessons will be challenging, but doable, so that each student can feel a sense of competency and accomplishment. A good relationship between teacher and students is also very important. The children must know that the teacher truly cares about them. This is conveyed by the kind of language used, and the teacher’s participation in extracurricular activities, in other words the time given to students outside of the classroom. I also believe in some form of extrinsic group rewarding, especially for appropriate behavior. However, this will be tied to an objective assessment created by the social contract. Those 2 or 3 students whom I cannot intrinsically motivate will get help from their peers to cooperate. My approach can best be described as a cognitive one, although there are elements of a humanistic and a behaviorist nature as well. Maslow’s theory of needs satisfaction must also be considered in the case where a student’s deficiency needs of survival and safety are not being satisfied.
Well I’m not sure
that this is a fair exercise, but like in any endeavor it is important to
visualize the optimum result for it to ever be accomplished. I believe the teacher, just as the coach of
a sport’s team, has a tremendous effect on the performance of a class. Ok, I’ll dream for a moment, but one year
from now I doubt that I will even have my own class. If I did, I still doubt that I could get this good in only one
year. The great teachers I’ve seen took
several years to approximate this ideal.
I think that I would like to have a 4th or 5th
grade class. I would have had a chance
to digest their academic and behavior histories before the first day of
school. I would be able to conference
with their previous teachers, as well.
Not that I think it is a good idea to pre-judge children anymore than I
would adults. We all act and perform
differently in different environments.
I would use this information to focus on the lesson plans, and create
the lessons to reach the greatest number of students in my class. My physical classroom would be similar to
the one I described earlier. I would
have spent the first couple of weeks in discovery and relationship
building. We all need to get to know
each other. I need to get an idea of
the students’ prior knowledge. Although
we would have subject areas, everyday a period of time would have been
dedicated to the development of the social contract. All the elements described earlier in this plan will have been
addressed and modified. There are, of
course, a few students who continue to be uncooperative learners, and a few who
have behavior issues. These are being
dealt with on a regular basis in and out of the classroom. I will probably be a part of an
extracurricular activity, because it is fun and rewarding for me. I will conduct a before or after school
homework study hall, or timeshare in one.
The stage is pretty well set, so it is Tuesday, March 20, 2003. I arrive early as usual, about 8:30; greet
teachers, parents, and students as I see them.
I don’t have duty this morning.
Students, being accustomed to me being in the room, come in to hang out,
visit with me, or address issues of concern to them. The first bell rings at 8:55, so we all go to the designated
meeting place on the playground. The
line captain is present and at the second bell, 9:00, takes charge of an
orderly return to the classroom. He or
she makes note of our orderly conduct during this movement on an assessment
chart in the class register. The personal
items are stored in the appropriate place after all school materials are placed
at the students’ desks. It is about 5
minutes after the bell by the time this is accomplished. There was chitchat, but no horseplay or rude
behavior during this procedure. This
week’s class leader takes charge and conducts a language exercise called D.O.L.
or Daily Oral Language. This consists
of correcting English sentences already on the board. Everyone is eager to participate and everyone is given a chance
to respond within the week. The class
leader has a correction key and prompts the class for confirmation or
correction of the responses placed on the board by the designated
students. I am observing this while
taking role. There is some
miscellaneous conversation, but it does not interfere with the procedure. When this is completed, in about 15 minutes,
the class leader announces, “Language Arts now!” and everyone prepares for
Language Arts. Their books and
necessary materials are out just as they were at the end of this period
yesterday. The homework is also out for
this subject. After negotiation, we
have determined that 1 minute is ample time for this to happen. It is about 9:21 when I ask students at
random to recall yesterday’s lesson and call for questions on the homework. Within 10 minutes this is completed and the
homework monitors collect the Language Arts homework, and a notation is made in
the class register for completion of it.
Today’s lesson is a natural, logical complement to yesterday’s
lesson. I present the topic and the
general purpose of the lesson and ask the students to get in their L.A. groups
and discuss how and why this lesson is important. This is only for 5 minutes and the recorder of each group takes
notes in their groups’ journal. During
this I move around to insure the groups are having the correct discussions, but
after two-thirds of the year, appropriate modeling, and assessment, this goes
very well. Each group then reports
their findings, we have an open discussion about the findings and each group
records the missing elements in their journal.
Depending on the scope this could take another 10 minutes. It is now 9:50. At this time I show the mechanics of the grammar rule introduced
earlier. Armed with the class’s
combined knowledge from the previous discussions we again discuss how and why
this rule makes sense and why it is important to know. The class offers examples of the proper use
of this rule and how the improper use may cause a communication problem. The students are encouraged to take
individual notes to help them with the homework, but the group recorder is
required to take notes, and make them available for the group members to
copy. The group responsibility rotates
on a predetermined schedule, so everyone at some time has this responsibility
to the group. It is 10:10 and the
homework has been assigned. Everyone is
required to keep a daily homework assignment journal and they have been
annotated. I say, “Social Studies now!”
and everyone gets out the books, materials, and homework necessary for the
Social Studies Lesson. This lesson is taught
with the same procedure. It lasts until the recess bell at 10:50, only 40
minutes. If some one was disruptive or
off task during the first two periods they were advised that they have broken
our contract and will be invited to stay in during recess to discuss this
problem. Only about 3 or 4 times a week
do I have a guest for recess. It is
generally the same students, and they are asked to assess their conduct using
the rubric created by the class. There
are no further reprisals necessary; it has been a good year, and even these
students have made improvements. They
really do not want to give up recess and talk with the teacher, but they are
not threatened by it. They do not want
to let the class down, because the class reward is dependant on no one student
having to stay in at recess more than once in a week. The rest of the day’s lessons are conducted in the same manner as
the first. To go into them precisely
would serve no purpose for the focus of this plan, and would take reams of
paper to convey. At the weekly class
meeting the students evaluate their performance as a whole. We have determined that the assessments are
only based on effort for academic purposes, but on performance in
the area of behavior. Most of the time
they decide at these meetings if they have a reward coming and what it will be
this week. These meetings will have
some structure and are limited to one half hour in most cases. Topics are generally decided at the previous
meeting and can consist of sharing experiences, complaints with each other, the
teacher, or anything else. If a
complaint is voiced, the class must offer a resolution to the problem and act
on it. The class officers conduct these
meetings, and the secretary keeps notes.
The selection of the officers is governed by the social contract. We are truly a community with common
goals. We speak respectfully to each
other, and solve problems together. We
care about each other. The teacher has
an honest relationship with each student.
His approval or disapproval is focused on the action not the
person. We are learning and we know
it. We are proud to be recognized by
the school as a very well behaved class.
We can look forward to having fun even during the lessons because we all
get to contribute to them. It is really
not difficult to learn even though the material seems difficult at times. We know we can do it and if we ever need
assistance, it is available from our peers and teacher without any
judgments. I look forward to class
everyday just as my students do. How’s
that for a look through rose-colored glasses.
I really believe it could happen this way someday. This has been a great class. Have I learned anything?