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Classroom Management Plan

By: Neyra Hanley
Ec-6 Generalist

As a future educator, I feel that it is my responsibility to establish an

environment conductive to learning. I believe that all students regardless of their
learning abilities and social-economic status have the right to be in an
environment where collaboration is encouraged, active engagement is promoted,
and where classroom safety is essential. I also believe that introducing the daily
routines and my expectations on the first day of school is imperative in order to
avoid student misbehavior. In this paper, I will also go through a comprehensive
management plan that will address misbehavior. It is important for teachers to
understand and work with diverse students in order to learn their values and their
motivation. My classroom management plan and activities are going to be
according to a second grade social and cognitive development. I will implement
my classroom management methods across all content areas.

As an educator, one of my goals is to create an atmosphere that fosters

diverse learning. I plan to achieve this goal by demonstrating respect and
consistency. One theorist that supports this notion is Jerome Freiberg. Freiberg
constituted the Consistency and Cooperative Discipline program. According to
Freiberg consistency provides a sense of continuity of actions and expectations
for students and teachers (Bucher, Manning, pg. 175). Respect is a very

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important concept that teachers have to be aware off. Learning should be a
collaborative effort between students and teachers. Freiberg cooperative
discipline program allows all students the opportunity to become leaders (Bucher,
Manning, pg. 176). Respect and constancy allows the teacher to enhance
collaboration through active engagement and provide a safe environment where
the students can feel cared. By adhering to my philosophical beliefs I will be able
to maintain a firm and orderly classroom environment. Classroom expectations
and routines should be introduced on the first day of school.

The first day of school is one of the most anticipated days for a first year
teacher. First day activities and interactions will set the tone for the rest of the
year. Second grade students are self-focused and tend to find group work
overwhelming. They learn better when there is a predicable schedule and
routines in place. For the first day of school I plan to greet students at the door
with a smile. As students come in the classroom, I will say, Good morning, find
your name and have a seat quietly. I will start the class with some icebreaker
activities like classmate scavenger hunt or all about me survey sheets. These
activities will help me learn about my students and their home environment and
interests. Following the ice break activities, my focus will be on introducing and
modeling student expectations and classroom routines.

For example, during my observations I realized that second graders loose

a lot of time taking lunch count each day. I plan to establish a routine that is less

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time consuming. I will show each child-laminated apples shapes, with their
picture on it. On the bulletin board there will be pictures of a lunch box and a
lunch tray with a carton of milk. I will explain why is it important to give cafeteria
the correct count of the day. Every morning when you come in you are expected
to find the apple with your picture on it and move it to the correct slot. I will
model this routine with my own apple picture. Ok scholars today I brought my
own lunch from home. I will move my apple picture to the lunch box picture.
Next, I will invite a student to model the routine. To reinforce the routine, I plan to
greet students at the door every morning Good morning, Dont forget to put your
apple in the right spot, This routine will not only help me with establishing a less
consuming lunch routine, it will also help me take class attendance without using
class time, as I could see from the remaining apples who is absent. Theorist,
Fredric Jones said that one of his fundamental skills is that effective classroom
structures consist of rules, routines, and standards (Butcher, Manning Pg. 126).
By setting expectations and routines the first day of school, teachers can avoid
losing instructional time to non-instructional activities. Having a good classroom
environment can help achieve this goal.

Routines and classroom environment can be easily managed if a

classroom provides a well-organized layout. I will begin by arranging seating
desks in a U shaped layout. This layout allows a sense of unity between
students. It will also help to encourage participation, increase student focus, and
use body proximity. Student cubbies will be placed against the wall. Cubbies help

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eliminate clutter and give each student their own
personal space. The walls will be covered with
anchor charts. Each wall will be a separate subject.
For example, the blue wall can be the Science
Wall, the red wall can be the writing wall, and the yellow wall can be the Math
wall. There are so many possibilities for wall dcor, but my vision is for my walls
to be filled with meaningful learning material. I will also have a visible and clear
daily schedule so student groups know where to be throughout the day. Materials
and school supplies will be at students height level for easy access. In order for
student

Classroom policies are the minimum necessary conditions for getting work
done in class. The classroom policies are rules that students will adhere to
achieve productive learning. There will be only six classroom rules that my
second grade students have to follow. 1. Listen when others are talking 2. Follow
directions 3. Keep hands and feet to yourself 4. Work quietly with out disturbing
others 5. Show respect for school and personal property 6. Work and play in a
safe manner. The classroom rules will be sign by all
students if they agree with them. Changes will be made if
students do not agree with them or would like to add some.
The classroom policies will be available for parents and
administrator to refer to in our classroom online newsletter

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and our classroom bulletin board. Once students learn what our classroom
policies are they will appreciate classroom procedures.

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Classroom procedures will have a set schedule every single day. Classes
will begin promptly at 7:50 am. I will great students at the front door every
morning. As soon as the students enter the classroom there will be a Math
sponge activity on the board. The sponge activity will focus students to the math
objective for that day. When the times come to make a transition I will call on
each table by their color. For example, Ok. Scholars its time to write in out
writing journals about what we have learned today, red table get up and have a
seat, green table, and now blue table have a seat. According to Cohen and Nath
Becoming an EC-6 Teacher in Texas, successful learning depends on the
development of an environment in which children easily transition (Pg.228).
Transitions will be practiced every time an interruption of behavior occurs until
desired transition behavior occurs. I will implement a class visitor procedure.
Whenever a visitor comes to visit my classroom I will remind students to be polite
and continue to work quietly until further notice. I will make students aware of the
procedure by non-linguistic hand gestures.
According to Cohen and Nath, implementing
procedures for getting and putting away supplies,
materials, and technology must be practiced at the
beginning of the school year(Pg. 232). Procedures
are important routines that teachers must adhere to in order to decrease any
misbehaviors.

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There are different factors that can cause a student to misbehave in the
classroom. I believe that teachers have a responsibility to let their children know
what behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable in the classroom. When
unacceptable behavior arises, I will address it calmly, quickly, and assertively.
Teachers must pick their battles. Ignoring some behavior is necessary. For
example, I will use the broken record technique that my cooperative teacher
used with her second grade class. This technique establishes direct eye contact
and repeats a command until the student complies Drew, go to the back of the
line. If any disruptive behavior is caused while instruction is happening, I will use
body proximity to address the situation. If the behavior persists, I will then ask the
student if he needs to go sit in the cool down corner and think about his actions.
As far as consequences, there will be a teacher to student contract where the
student and the teacher get to specify what are fair and appropriate
consequences for his actions. If he violates the contract the consequence will
take effect immediately. I will have constant communication with parents
regarding the students behavior progress and the strategies that have been set
to address the misbehavior. My goal is for students to take responsibility of their
actions and be motivated to learn.

Motivation plays a big part in childrens learning experiences. Teachers

have to plan age appropriate lesson plans. If the activities are too easy for
advance students they might get bored and loose interest in learning. For
advance students I plan to enrich their thinking skills by increasing the complexity

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of concepts changing their reading text a more challenging one If activities are
too hard for a below group they might develop learned helplessness and lose
motivation to learn. For below level students a small group fun activity can benefit
them. The activities can still target a skill and be enjoyable. Diversity is also
important for motivation. Teachers have to know students diverse background
and align activities with students prior knowledge.

In conclusion, my classroom management plan is subject to change

according to grade level. I believe that I have the foundation to a successful
management plan. I believe that respect for diversity is a very important concept
to keep in mind in order to achieve productive learning. I also believe that
routines and procedures should be introduced the very first day of school to let
the kids know what is expected of them everyday. Classroom environment
should be a place where a kid can feel safe and motivated to learn. Classroom
policies should be acknowledge and visible by students to remind them what is
expected of them in certain situations. Student behavior is at the front of
classroom management. I believe that we as teachers should address
misbehavior calmly in order to avoid any disruptions in the feature. Motivation is
key to student success. I plan to motivate my students in every way possible. I
will take into considerations students background and previous knowledge to
motivate them to learn and have a fantastic academic school year.

References

Manning, M., & Bucher, K. (2007). Classroom management: Models,

applications, and cases (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson /Merrill
Prentice Hall.

Nath, J. (2011). Becoming an EC-6 teacher in Texas: A course of study for the
Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) TExES. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning.