Classroom Management

For the Elementary Classroom

Angela Brown

2015

Classroom Management
For the Elementary Classroom
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction...................................................................................................................p.3
Class Environment..........................................................................................................p.3
Positive Feedback............................................................................................................p.4
Self-Regulation...............................................................................................................p.4
Rules..............................................................................................................................p.5
Routines and Procedures..................................................................................................p.5
Discipline.......................................................................................................................p.6
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................p.7
References.....................................................................................................................p.8

My Classroom Management Plan

For the Elementary Classroom
!

All students come to school with different backgrounds and personalities, which teachers

need to be aware of and prepared to embrace so that students can become the best they can be.
The key to effective management is to work with your strengths, be firm, creative and caring.
Effective management is invisible explained Mr. Slack from New Brunswick. When someone
walks into my classroom they should see students enjoying their time in class, working together
in a healthy and safe environment. Management tricks, tools, creative transitions, and
accommodations must be seamlessly intertwined in each lesson. Anything that is done within the
classroom needs to have a purpose, and direction. As a teacher, we have many obligations to do
what is best for the student and the school community. I will create a fun environment where the
teacher tends to the individual and ensures positive reinforcement is given more than the
negative. Students will be encouraged to work hard, do their best, and always be kind. This is
what I plan to model as a teacher.
Class Environment
My classroom will be welcoming and enticing. I will use different types of lighting with various
lamps, plants and a cozy sitting area with pillows and blankets. Every morning the students will
be greeted at the door with a smile. The materials for the next instruction will be laid out for each
table group so there is enough for everyone to share. A separate bin for scissors and glue,
coloured according to table teams, and colouring tools in another.This saves time and
encourages teamwork by sharing with table mates. Special materials such as art supplies,
manipulatives, window writers, fancy pencils, and highlighters will be hidden so the teacher can
bring them out for the students when self correcting, difficult math problems, art, and other
special events occur. This will help create student engagement and decrease anxiety because
students will wonder what new hands on tool they will get to use today! Technology, math games,
discovery centres, music, movement, and many other tools and resources will be used as a class
to stimulate learning, and engagement. A dynamic classroom will also reinforce the importance

of behaving well and using tools appropriately. Otherwise, a cool down (time-out), or worksheet
on the same topic can be given to an individual until they learn.
As the classroom is often more diverse than people realize, with students from other countries,
religions, and such, I plan to use a variety of books so a multitude of cultures and holidays are
embraced rather than forgotten. This will make for a more inclusive classroom and encourage
students to be open minded and understanding of differences. I will also incorporate music into
the classroom that is appropriate to their age. Relaxed music will work well in creating a calm
environment great for things like independent reading and upbeat music will set the mood for
movement and fun when integrating phys. ed, music, or art into the classroom. Many students
need breaks from sitting in their seats. Incorporating movement, and music into the classroom
will help their learning and keep them engaged.
Creating a colder environment in part of the classroom, by letting students sit closer to the
window and a warmer environment with pillows, or blankets will also cater to different learning
needs. I also plan to add colour to my classroom. I love to decorate and my goal is to come up
with some creative ideas for my students to help with decorating our classroom. It is very
important that they feel like it is their classroom too, so changing it up and adding their work to
the walls is important as well. When students know you respect them as individuals, and truly
love their ideas, they will be more apt to reciprocate and listen to yours as well.
Positive Feedback
With positive feedback in daily speech, the snowball effect will occur and students will
reciprocate with positive behaviour. When you praise a student for good behaviour, other
students will want the same recognition and begin to model the same good behaviour. Positive
feedback is given each day to select students to make them feel special. It is important to nurture
their need for encouragement and also necessary to ensure all students are given a fair amount of
it, with the understanding that some may need a little more of it each day than others.
Self-Regulation
It is important to not let emotions take over when put into a difficult situation. A successful
teacher is similar to a backbone parent who respects others, models the behaviours asked of
others, and treats them like an individual who can be given second opportunities to mend a

mistake or misbehaviour (Coloroso, 2010). Therefore, teachers must regulate their emotions,
and teach students the tools to do so as well. Students need to develop independence and the
ability to manage their emotions on their own. With self regulation techniques, children can
learn to calm themselves, and think before they act. Through the teaching of breathing
techniques, brain breaks such as yoga, giving students the chance to withdraw from a situation,
and use a cool down caddy, students will be better able to make good choices. It is important
that the teacher also practices self regulation as this is important for all ages. In my classroom, I
will have a cool down area where there will be a cool down caddy full of tools such as stress balls
and glitter shakers and when possible, an iPad with apps, such as the Angry Octopus
interactive story, which helps children manage their anger.
Rules
When the students feel involved in the rules of the classroom, and have developed they are more
likely to abide by them. We will create posters of expected behaviour together as a class.
Students will practice and pictures will be taken of students modeling correct and incorrect
behaviour through tableaus for certain tasks that will be posted on a behaviour wall to ensure
commitment to the rules of the classroom so students do not forget what is expected of them. For
all learners, rules need to be clear, concise, and obvious to the students. Rules can also have an
element of fun and positivity incorporated! Smiling and positivity are the most important rules
because it applies to me and to them in a nice way. Rules have to be addressed simply and child
friendly and should be practiced and enforced right away. Students often hear about explicit
obligations during the first day of classes and it is in the best interest of the child to do so at the
beginning so they know what is expected of them, and who is in charge.
Note that rules of the classroom can change depending on grade level. I am writing my
management plan with experience as a pre-service teacher in a grade 4 and grade 1 classroom. I
believe that more independence and choice can be incorporated into the daily schedule for ages 9
and up. For the younger learners, they need more structure and routine to ensure they
understand the importance of following directions and step by step processes of learning. They
are just learning to be a student and need more time to adapt.

Routines and Procedures

For the early years of elementary schooling, a routine typically consists of students raising an arm
to speak, staying in their seat, or having to ask to go somewhere such as the bathroom. I would
prefer using two bathroom blocks in the classroom as this eliminates a common classroom
disruption. With a structured daily schedule that students can check each morning will help ease
anxieties, get students excited for whats to come each day.
To make students feel more comfortable, physical education needs to be integrated into the
classroom. Having a warm-up before a lesson recharges the brain, and stretches the vocal and
physical muscles. Stretching needs to be done before and after any type of exercise, including
mental ones. Warm-ups, also known as brain breaks, reinforce the feeling of a classroom
community as everyone is encouraged to participate and have fun.
Discipline
All punishments or corrections must be made in correlation to what is being corrected otherwise
the student will not understand what they did wrong. It is important that the teacher finds
context in the situation as the student being disciplined may have acted out in response to
another student. If a student chooses not to do their work in class, and distract others they should
be given a warning. The traffic light system works well in the classroom for this and for noise
level. In terms of behaviour, yellow is a warning and red means the student must stay in at recess
to finish their work, or to think about what happened, and have a chat with the teacher. When I
used this in the classroom, it usually was used for a student who was physical with others, and a
student who chose not to do their work. Again, context is important! As a teacher, we must
confer with the student first to find out what triggered them, and why they chose to do what they
did. If they simply did not work hard in class, some one on one help or motivation may be needed
to encourage them and teach them the importance of learning and working hard.
With apt social intelligence, a teacher can handle a situation by fostering a sense of intuition, and
compassion so, cognitively, they will know how to make positive change quickly. Stepping back
when action is not needed right away, analyzing the situation, and being neutral yet concerned is
important to managing a potential dispute or conflict. As a teacher, we must model nonjudgment and teach with an open-mind to what students have to say. I want to be able to manage
my classroom well without being too strict or too lenient. From the first day of classes, I plan to

articulate a set of rules, have students engaged in the rule making, and do my best to understand
the needs of the students in my classroom while also being consistent and fair.
Conclusions
To manage a class effectively, respect, consideration, discipline, and assertiveness must be
included in the recipe. Routine, with a hint of surprise each day will help students stay engaged
and comfortable each day. I am the type of teacher that believes rapport and rules need to be
established before respect can ever be given and thus, we must work hard as teachers to ensure
consistency and kindness is given. Respect must be earned and given, and students must also
learn this while attending my class. Most of what is learned in the classroom is not what is taught
through the curriculum, but what is experienced in the classroom as students learn to manage
their emotions to allow themselves to learn. Peter De Vries once said that,the value of marriage
is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults. We often think that
children are the ones who have to learn to become adults. While it is true that they learn from
adults, adults also learn a great deal from children. As a teacher, we are constantly learning and
developing as teachers, learners, and as a person. Therefore, my management plan will continue
to grow throughout my teaching career as I gain experience as a teacher and learn from each
individual that enters my classroom.

References
Coloroso, B. (1995). Kids are worth it: Giving your child the gift of inner discipline. Toronto:
!

Somerville House Pub.