Classroom Management

Saint Francis University

Ian Greiner
 Table of Contents
Philosophy………………………………………………….. 1
Setup………………………………………………………… 2
Rules ………………………………………………………… 4
Behavior Expectations………………………………………... 6
Pre-School Checkoff………………………………………….. 7
Classroom Motto……………………………………………… 8
Hierarchy of consequences……………………………………. 9
Motivational Strategies………………………………………… 12
Procedures……………………………………………………… 13
Instructional Planning…………………………………………. 14
Philosophy of Classroom Management

I believe that my style of teaching is rather laid back. I like to give the students freedoms

and allow them to have fun in class. This is better for me and them, since I do not have to lecture

all day every day. Most high school students can handle a certain level of freedom in a

classroom. That is why I believe that they should be given these freedoms from the start. This

helps to build relationships and respect between the teacher and students immediately.

However, when students are given the freedoms from the start, they must understand that

they can be taken away. Also, once they are taken away students will need to work hard in order

to earn them back. They must be able to show me that they have changed for a longer period than

one class.

Students should be taught in ways that fit them. Some people are visual learners so,

pairing a picture with whatever you are talking about may help them. Other students may prefer

to read rather than listen to a teacher talk. So, articles and readings should be mixed into lessons

as well. The important thing is to try and find out how a student learns and teach them in that

way. If a student can be taught in a way that they can best understand it will make it easier for

them and they will be more motivated to learn in your class.

Setup

My classroom setup is simple with few distractions. The teacher desk is in the back on

the opposite side of the door. There are windows along this far side. Shelves and cabinets run

along the back of the room with artwork from students depicting historical figures or events

displayed on the top of them. The left side and front of the room are whiteboards with more

student work displayed above them. A computer cart sits in the front of the room for students to

grab and use daily in class.

The student desks are set up in rows facing the front of the room where the projector is.

The rows are four to five desks back and there are seven rows total. A podium sits in the back of

the classroom for use while using the projector. The positioning at the back of the classroom

allows me to see student’s laptop screens during class. This is a rather large issue with the

growing use of technology in classrooms. Students may feel the need to look at other things on

the internet instead of doing the assigned task or work. However, by positioning myself in the

back of the room, I can easily see their laptop screens to help keep them on task.

The rows of desks allow me to easy use an activity that I like to use to get students more

involved. This activity is a pair share or, turn and talk. It allows students to express their thoughts

to a partner before they speak out loud to the class. It helps some students who think they may

have a wrong answer or anxiety about speaking in front of the class. The rows also allow me to

walk in-between them and check on individual students during activities. Overall, I feel that this

layout is best suited to my style of teaching.

 Whiteboard Projector
Door
Whiteboard
Computer
Cart

Desk Desk Desk Desk Desk Desk Desk

Windows
Desk Desk Desk Desk Desk Desk
Desk
Whiteboard

Desk Desk Desk Desk Desk

Desk Desk

Desk Desk Desk Desk

Desk Desk Desk

Desk Desk
Teacher‘s
Desk

Shelves and Cabinets

Rules

Classroom rules will be few and simple. On the first day I will present my draft of the

rules to all classes and we will review them. At the end, I will ask if there is anything that

someone believes should be changed for the better or worse. Any student can bring up a change

and we will discuss it as a class until a decision is reached. This gives the students an opportunity

to not only delete rules but, add rules they feel should be used in the classroom. Once we all

agree on the rules they will be printed in contract form. These will be distributed to students who

will take them home for their parents to review. The parents and students will sign them and

bring them back. At this point I will collect them, sign, them myself, and keep them in my room

for reference. This allows the students, parents, and myself to know that they agreed to the rules

and know if they are breaking them. This signed contract also gives me a form of documentation

that all parents and students agreed to the rules at the beginning of the year so, there is no

argument that they did not know.

Mr. Greiner’s Classroom Rules

1. Treat others, as you would like to be

treated.

2. Be on time and do not pack up early.

3. Bring all required materials to class.

4. Only speak when called on.

Behavior Expectations

I believe that there are a few big parts of gaining appropriate student behavior. For

example, if a teacher is prepared and has all materials ready, they will look professional and

students will respect them. Respect is important in students behaving appropriately because, they

will not misbehave if they know you will handle it immediately. Another key aspect of gaining

appropriate student behavior is giving clear signals. This means that when a student is doing

something they shouldn’t, you should stop them. It does not matter which student it is; they are

not allowed to misbehave. You cannot show favorites and confuse students on what they can and

can’t do. Finally, problems need to be foreseen and prevented when possible. If a problem can be

prevented before it happens you can prevent any disruptions in class. This means that class can

run smoother and students will respect you for dealing with them in private before class, rather

than yelling during it. Thus, I believe there are a few simple steps to gaining appropriate student

behavior but, it can easily be done.

Pre-School Check off
(Letter to Parents)

Dear Parents,

My name is Ian Greiner; I am a Social Studies Education major at Saint Francis

University. I am reaching out to you in regards to my student teaching experience. I will be

student teaching in Mr. Evans classroom this semester in order to finish my degree and begin my

career as an educator. As of now, I will only be teaching Mr. Evans second semester tenth grade

U.S. History class, however I will continue to take over his other classes as the year progresses.

By the beginning of April, I will be teaching all of Mr. Evans classes. It is important to note that

while I have all the necessary education, I am still learning in this practical environment. I will

be supervised by Mr. Evans and your children will receive the same education that they would

under his instruction. If there is an issue, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. I

will be happy to discuss and solve any issues that there may be, hopefully we will not have any. I

look forward to teaching, as well as learning from your children.

Best Regards,

Ian W. Greiner
Classroom Motto

“Continuous effort- not strength or intelligence- is the key to

unlocking our potential.”

-Winston Churchill
Hierarchy of Consequences

1. Non-verbal Reminder (Proximity, The Look, tapping student’s desk)

2. Verbal Reminder (saying the student’s name, ask student a question to reengage)

3. Individual meeting with student (at teacher desk or in hallway, after or during class)

4. Referral to office and phone call home (office could determine detention or other

consequences)

1 Non-verbal Reminder Proximity, The Look, tapping

on the student’s desk

2 Verbal Reminder Saying the student’s name

while talking, asking the

student a question to

reengage
3 Individual Meeting/ At the teacher’s desk after

class, in the hallway during

Take a Walk
class, take a walk to cool

down
4 Referral to Office and Office will determine

consequences, parents are

Phone Call Home
notified of the situation

Motivational Strategies
 There are a few ways to raise motivation for students. In history classes particularly, I

find that students have little interest and motivation in class. However, the best way to combat

this is to make the information more relevant to them. If history can be related to modern day

issues, it should. This shows students that we are experiencing history, not learning it. Students

will be far more motivated if they have an interest in the class and can learn about things

happening today rather than things that happened one hundred years ago and have no impact on

them.

Additionally, teachers need to develop meaningful relationships with their students.

Teacher-student relationships can mean that students grow a further interest in your class. A

student is much more likely to pay attention and work hard in your class if they respect you.

Teachers should not be overly nice in order to build these relationships; they must come

naturally. A good teacher can gain respect from students by simply being reasonable. They

should not be too nice or too strict, they should be somewhere in the middle.

Finally, clear and high goals must be established by the teacher. This needs to be done

early and often for students as a group and on an individual basis. The goals must be set in place

from the beginning but also, reassessed frequently to keep pushing students to better themselves.

If a student has goals to meet and push through, they will be more motivated than if they simply

show up and take notes and tests in your class.

Procedures
 In my classroom, lessons will begin with students coming in and getting whatever

materials are necessary for the day (laptop, books, etc.). We will begin everyday with an opening

question or activity that is fun and will make them think about the topic for the day. Class will

end with some form of a check on understanding to know if the students comprehend the

material or I need to review it with them the next day. When students leave the room, they will

put their materials back and make sure they do not forget anything or leave their desk dirty.

Procedures for whole class work, instruction, and seatwork will be simple. If they are expected to

participate they need to do so. If they are not participating for one day, that is fine but, if it is a

reoccurring theme I will first ask them what is going on. I will not call on students who seem that

they do not want to talk because they are shy or nervous. Materials, and graded assignments will

be given back by me, and may be passed back through the rows. Overall, it will be simple but, I

will not be mean and force all students to participate every day.

Instructional Planning
 When planning lessons and units, teachers must consider the different styles of learning

in their classroom. Some students may favor an artistic project, while others may favor reading a

book and writing an essay. An attempt should be made to include a variety of lessons to

accommodate all styles of learning and keep students involved. Students are more likely to be

motivated and interested if you can find a lesson that is oriented towards their style of learning.

Grouping must also be considered when planning for lessons. There are many different

ways that I have grouped students. If the lesson involves a quick partner activity, they may

simply turn to the person next to them. However, a longer term partner work session may involve

using the clock partner worksheet they have. This is something that allows partners to be

randomized. Random partners allow students to work with students at different levels, as well as

students they may not typically work with. Finally, groups may be predetermined before the

lesson. This would be used to keep some students from working together or if I would like

students of a higher level to work together or work with students of a lower level. Overall, there

are many levels of planning instruction.