A classroom management plan is needed because without one, the students and the room would be chaotic. Students need structure and a classroom management plan can help implement structure. This management plan is divided into physical environment, psychological environment, daily classroom procedures, and classroom rules and consequences.

My Classroom Management Plan

• By studying and understand the components that make up a classroom, educators are able to evaluate their own teaching philosophies, methods and strategies for working with students. There is a wide range of aspects to consider, some may work perfectly for all classroom scenarios, while others may only work on a handful of students.
• Classroom Management Plan My classroom management plan consists of a variety of discipline techniques and proactive '5 minute filler' activities I found for grades Pre-K through five. I would use these techniques and activities to keep order in my classroom and to promote a learning environment.
• CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLANS Overview Most highly effective teachers utilize classroom behavior plans. Such plans lay out the basic expectations to be in effect at all times in your classroom. These plans also indicate what students can expect from you if they choose to meet or not meet your expectations. A typical plan will include: 1.
• Like many new teachers, Juan Jimenez was terrified when he began his career as a middle school teacher in Moreno Valley, California. But, he tells us, he learned from our example to come into teaching with a classroom management plan, and that saved him. Jimenez proactively organized his classroom to minimize problems and maximize learning.

Classroom Management Teaching Portfolio

Classroom management is about my ability to create a highly structured and well run classroom. In my estimation, classroom management determines a teacher’s capacity to establish classroom routines that will enable all students to perform to the best of their abilities. A well implemented and organized management plan will not only help facilitate student learning, but it will also enable me to teach to the best of my abilities. Being that teaching is more art than science, I know that adjustments to this plan will be necessary. I also expect to have to grow and adapt as it is implemented, or as I find problems within its rather broad scope of ideas. As a disciple of Sprick, Garrison, and Howard (1998), I will use their book CHAMPs: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management to adapt this plan as needed.

As a point of reference, this plan is specifically pointed at the primary grades, but it could easily be adapted for most elementary classrooms. With these thoughts in place, I put before you the comprehensive details of my management plan.

Classroom Practices

Communication

My management strategy begins by communicating with students and their parents/guardians. First I will first inform the students in a classroom meeting, so they know the rules, expectations, and consequences of this plan. I will then send a letter home to the parents/guardians communicating an open door classroom policy, student expectations, and the values of this plan. I want families to know and understand that my classroom is a community for learning. As the teacher, it is my responsibility to invite participation just as it is their responsibility to help their son or daughter reach their full potential. Once the lines of communication have been established, I will begin teaching other critical classroom routines.

Establishing Critical Routines

While I was unable to implement my own classroom routines during my student teaching, I utilized all or portions of the routines in this table (ROUTINE TABLE LINK). These routines are critical to any good management plan. First and foremost, I consider learning student interests as being essential to a successful learning community. Building community will always be my primary focus and concern. Once I have launched the process by encouraging the sharing of some teacher and student interests, I will use this as a stepping stone for teaching additional routines. The first formal routine I will teach is lining up. This routine will be preparatory and a standard for teaching other routines. For instance, responding to signal quickly will be taught next, and it will eventually become part of our classroom constitution. Likewise, transitions in and out of the classroom will be day one priorities. However, these routines are not enough by themselves to manage a classroom. Many other routines are essential for establishing a stable learning environment.

Some of the other routines that I have taught, managed, and have a plan for include supplying materials, beginning and ending the day, managing and posting student work, trips to the drinking fountain and restroom, classroom pullouts, turning in homework, group and class merit systems, and student leadership roles. These routines and directions to these routines will not be written per se; they will be internalized by verbal instruction and through practice as they are implemented during the first weeks of school.

Classroom Management Planms. Schrader's Teaching Portfolio Login

High Expectations

High expectations are starting points for classroom management that should never be compromised. Your students will only reach as high as you ask them to. My Cooperating Teacher stressed high expectations as a key to helping students succeed. This was wonderful advice. Every time I struggled with classroom issues or student production, I reflected on what I was doing wrong. Most of the time, it came down to the fact that I had slacked off and had not held myself or my students to high standards. After refocusing on this objective, I was always able to get better production out of my students.

I believe that teaching student boundaries for good behavior and high expectations in the classroom will not be difficult. By word and example, I teach them that I expect them to do their best work, respect one another, cooperate while working together, and respond to signal quickly. These values will be essential pieces of our classroom constitution. Evertson et al indicates that it is useful for students to generate their own rules and responsibilities for their own behaviors because it gives them ownership and encourages them to act according to the plan (2006).

With guidance during classroom meetings, I will allow my students to generate their own values and rules for a classroom constitution. These ideas and objectives will then be organized and posted on a wall for regular revue and discussion. We will then use them as a cause for celebration when things go well or as a source of spotlighting, cueing, and discussion when issues arise.

Self-Discipline and Self-Managing

As another foundational element for my management plan, self-discipline begins with each student learning how to manage their own behavior. If this is understood and accomplished, then classroom management is simplified.

After experiencing the rewards of self-managing, I strongly advocate its use. Prior to my student teaching, I had not previously thought of teaching students how to self-manage. I had primarily concentrated my thoughts and energies on a whole class picture of management. However, I have learned that the whole class is only as strong as its individual members. I will expend a good deal of class meeting time modeling, discussing, and reinforcing self-managing strategies with my students. I have learned that with practice, persistence, and attention to responsibility every student is capable of becoming a self-manager. When students learn to be self-managers, the classroom becomes an ordered system for learning.

Responsibility and Building Self-Esteem

Good teachers look for opportunities to give all students the chance to be a role model. If everyone gets to shine and stand tall, this becomes an avenue for building community and self-esteem. This is always my objective. If facilitated properly being a student leader, teacher’s helper, class leader, or demonstrating a problem on the whiteboard often becomes an opportunity for growth. Almost every student craves some kind of responsibility. For a teacher, it does not get any better than seeing a student’s proud smile when they are told they have done well or are setting a good example for the rest of the class. As a consequence, I look for ways for even my most distracting students to model good behavior.

During my student teaching, we had a teacher’s helper everyday, and I will also use this approach in my classroom. This leadership position was eagerly anticipated. When students knew that the next day was going to be their turn, they made sure their name was written on the whiteboard so that everyone knew tomorrow was going to be their day.

Positive Reinforcement

Every teacher’s dilemma is that students learn and mature at different rates and times. For this reason, I employ positive reinforcement and rewards. I also offer frequent feedback and provide repeated modeling and cueing of student behavior to give my students confidence in their abilities. With clear expectations, consistent routines, and positive reinforcement, students are better able to self-manage their behaviors.

As an example, the youngest and most immature student in my student teaching class was rarely on task. I made it a point to offer him rewards and frequent feedback. One day, I received a wonderful gift from this student when I least expected it. He had been offered a small trinket (a contract of sorts) if he completed his assignment on time and to the best of his ability. After it was finished, he happily gave it to me as a gift. He got his reward, and I got mine.

Normally a scribbler, I was shocked at how well he had colored this picture. It was far better than any product he had created all year (PICTURE LINK). When I showed the picture to my Cooperating Teacher, she was also amazed at how well he had completed this project. The potential this student demonstrated that day was beyond any of my expectations. He demonstrated a willingness to stay on task, attention to detail, and sense of color selection. He also made great use of the time allotted for this assignment.

Classroom Management Planms. Schrader's Teaching Portfolio Assessment

Time Management

Time is the most valuable commodity in the classroom. As a teacher, it is one of my goals to waste little of it. Even seconds are too precious to waste, so I try to maximize the little time I do have with my students. Careful preparation, detailed planning, and being highly organized are traits that I have developed to help me make the most of each day of instruction. Indeed, time management is critical for successful classroom management.

I follow the advice of Sprick et al. and try not tot engage in any particular task for too long because students become restless when instruction, independent work, or group activities become tediously time consuming (1998). I will admit that I had to learn this the hard way, but learn it I did. One of my first few second grade lessons was almost 50 minutes long. And consequently, many of the class members became restless and inattentive. This was my fault, not theirs. I learned! The length of a lesson should be determined by the maturity of your students. Looking back on my student teaching experience with second graders, my most successful lessons were the ones that I kept close to a 25-30 minute time objective. Anything longer, and their behavior would let me know they had tired of the task.

Behavioral ExpectationsCueing Good and Bad Behavior

Good and bad behaviors are a part of every classroom—stuff happens. Students speak out, cause distractions, and among many other issues they may have difficulty staying on task. My response, then, is to support all behaviors with positive reinforcement and cueing. I find it is always best, if possible, to make the students feel good about the situation that is being addressed. With cueing, it can be done at an almost subconscious level. However, this may mean ignoring some minor behavior concerns and supporting them or cueing them later when the opportunity arises.

I quickly came to realize that some behaviors could be ignored for a more opportune time for modeling. If a behavior was ignored, it would be cued later by the modeling of another student during the school day or role played at the next class meeting. It is amazing how powerful this strategy is. When behaviors are cued and spotlighted well, cueing has little or no psychological impact on the targeted student(s). Cueing influences students to not resort to unacceptable behavior in the classroom.

Unacceptable Behavior

Behaviors that were not acceptable in my classroom included: swearing, speaking out, running, teasing, or any form of striking another student. While I did not have any serious violations of these boundaries, I had to deal with all of them as minor incidents. Some of these incidents I could simply ignore, but many were serious enough that I had to deal with them immediately. One of the most common occurrences was teasing. After many recesses students would complain that someone had teased them.

The most common type of resolution I employed for teasing was to get all of the individuals involved together for a discussion (often role reversal) and a resolution of the problem (always empathy and an apology). Teasing during recess was such a large issue that I had numerous class meetings to talk about it. During these class meetings, we used role playing to build empathy for teasing victims. While teasing at recess did not completely stop, my students came to understand the impact of teasing on it victims. To go along with this, they knew what the consequences would be if they continued to participate in this type of behavior.

Choices and Consequences

Discipline is multifaceted. It is about my ability to build a classroom based behavior system that is consistent, fair, and reasonable. It is also about giving students the confidence to act within the principles set forth in that plan. Discipline then becomes a student’s ability to exist under a set of directives, and the student’s ability to self-govern behaviors as set forth in that system. Under such an arrangement, teacher and student must be consistent, adapt, or suffer the consequences of their choices.

The purpose of having consequences is to assure that all students clearly understand that they are responsible for their own actions. In other words, they have choices. If a student chooses to break a school or classroom rule, then I make it very clear to them what the consequence are and why they now have to live up to the choices they had made. What are my consequences? (MR. NOBLE’S CONSEQUENCES TABLE LINK)

How have I used these consequences? One day during winter quarter, I had a student decide that he was going to ignore me, act defiantly, and in general do the opposite of what he was asked. Knowing some of the issues this child faces at home, I was not overly concerned. My first thoughts were that he just needed some attention. I let him know with a smile, my body language, and proximity that I was on to him. I also knew that I could not let this act of defiance become a bigger problem. Subsequently after setting the class on task, I approached him to find out what the problem was. We had a brief chat and agreed to talk during recess. During recess, I gave him a listening ear, some positive feedback, a pat on the back, and sent him on his way. He came in after recess and went to work and was not a problem for the remainder of the day. I learned from this and other incidents with this child that he had a high need for attention and friendship. From this day on, I made it one of my daily tasks to check in with him often. I wanted him to know that I cared.

A Time for Laughter, Play, and Work

I have a high tolerance for noise and activity, and so my classroom is lively and busy. What I stress with my students about this tolerance level is that there is a time for laughter, a time being noisy, and a time when they can expect to work and work very quietly.

I have the patience of a father and grandfather. I have, in fact, lived the life of a rambunctious child, and I would not take this away from any student. It is who they are. However, I want my students to know that they can learn to control their energy when it is time for work and save their vigor for times when it is appropriate to play and have fun.

Conversation, Help, Assignment, Movement, Participation: CHAMPs

To help my students achieve within these parameters, I make five directives very clear to them before each assignment or project. I explain to them what level of conversation is acceptable during the activity or assignment, how they can get help if needed, what the expected product of the activity or assignment should be and what it should look like, what level of movement will be tolerated, and I also explain what behaviors will demonstrate that they were participating responsibly (Sprick et al, 1998).

Classroom Management Planms. Schrader's Teaching Portfolio Allocation

Final Analysis

Classroom Management Planms. Schrader's Teaching Portfolios

The above classroom management plan involves appropriate standards for behavior, a positive classroom environment, and effective goals for managing routines, transitions, and time. This plan will be intertwined into my instruction and everything that I say or do. However, it is limited and in no way a complete picture of my plans or intentions. As I have mentioned earlier, I am an advocate of CHAMPs by Sprick et al. This book is a wonderful classroom management resource, and I will continue to reference and rely on it as inspiration for adapting and improving my management strategies.

As this plan is implemented in my own classroom, it will go a long way toward establishing my objectives of meeting the needs of all of my students. The ideal management plan establishes roles for the teacher and the students. It is based in love, trust, respect, responsibility, and understanding that both student and teacher are learning. As yet, I have not perfected the plan because this will only be approached by practice. Additionally, I know that every classroom is different, and every year I will face the uncertainties of how my students will behave and react under this plan. Hence, my intentions are to treat this plan as something that is flexible and a work in progress. With this in mind, I believe this plan is solidly based and the foundation for making my classroom a successful learning environment.

Reference ListEvertson, C. M., Emmer, E. T., & Worsham, M. E. (2006). Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers. Boston: Pearson, Allyn, and Bacon. Sprick, R., Garrison, M., & Howard, L.M. (1998). CHAMPs: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management. Pacific Northwest Publishing: Eugene, OR