Running Header: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 1
Classroom Management PlanSixth Grade
General Education Classroom
Lauren WilliamsOctober 10, 2011
Dr. TovarEED 521
Instructional Planning and Management in the Inclusive Classroom
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Personal Philosophy of Education
"The best teacher is not the one who knows most but the one who is most capable of reducing
knowledge to that simple compound of the obvious and wonderful." – H. L. Mencken
We live in an age where education is a right, but a good education is a privilege. This is a
fundamental flaw in the American education system. All children, regardless of where they live
or who they are, deserve an inspirational education.
When I was seven years old, I asked my father to explain all the levels of education. He
told me about elementary school (which I already had begun to know well), middle school, high
school, and college. I sat wide-eyed as he told me about college and graduate school, all the way
up to that illustrious PhD. When he finished talking, I immediately proclaimed my desire to earn
every degree available. From that moment, I dedicated myself to school. It became my only
priority. In Montessori, which was where I a majority of my elementary education took place, I
blew through spelling books and craved more attention to history in the curriculum. My desire of
learning continued through the years and it was because of my love of learning and knowledge
that I decided to become a teacher.
In the summer of 2006, I toured England for two weeks. As I explored castles and ruins,
small villages and immense cities, I couldn’t help but seek out all that I could absorb. In
Stratford-upon-Avon, it wasn’t enough to watch the Royal Shakespeare Company’s most recent
rendition of Romeo and Juliet. No, I also crashed the local grammar school’s production of A
Comedy of Errors. That grammar school also happened to be the one and only school of the Bard
2
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
himself. It was in this moment that I first found myself desiring to teach children Shakespeare
and drama, to synthesize his works into “that simple compound of the obvious and wonderful.”
On the final day of my trip, I stopped at the British Museum. As I examined the hundreds
of Egyptian artifacts, photographing diligently, I paused as a large group of children circling a
nearby glass case. I watched the children, ranging in age from about six to eight, all dressed in
white polos and blue trousers, gathering in the small space. Standing at the center of the sea of
attentive faces, a tall man, no more than 30 years old, pressed his finger to the glass and called up
an expression of awe. The glass case held the remains of two mummies in all their decayed
glory. Rather than turn away in disgust, show signs of terror, or giggle trivially, the children
absorbed the experience with the same awe. I could tell the teacher not only loved what he did,
but that he was good at his job, and his students admired him all the more for it.
I believe inspiration is the driving force behind a child’s wonderment. It pushes them to
inquire and discover, developing a love of learning and knowledge. Teachers provide that
inspiration. They ignite the spark of creativity in the minds of children. A good teacher will try
her hardest to encourage all her students to reach their fullest potential. As a teacher, my goal
will be to stir passion within my students and enhance their desires for accomplishment in all
areas of life. A child may look out and see a world of possibility, but may also see a world
overwhelmed by information and facts, and prodigious pursuits. The job of a teacher is to present
that intimidating world to the child and inspire him to attack it head on, with determination and
enthusiasm.
The first step to inspiration is self-esteem. Before a child can feel inspired to jump into
the world feet first, they must have a strong foundation of self-esteem; they must recognize that
they are inherently worthy. Linda Albert’s “Three C’s” concept is a wonderful system to build
3
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
this self-esteem. “When students believe they’re capable and know they can connect and
contribute successfully, they no longer need to engage in misbehavior to try to fulfill their need
to belong” (Albert, 2003). Albert’s strategies of removing the stigma of mistakes and building
confidence through acknowledgement of efforts, strengths, and achievements, should be
implemented along side a general sense of community, where the whole class works together to
build up one another. Alfred Kohn says “The only way to reach those goals is to give up some
control, to facilitate the tricky, noisy, maddening, unpredictable process whereby students work
together to decide what respect means or how to be fair” (Kohn, 1996). Building a community
with and among the students is imperative to their development of moral and social respect for
both one another and themselves.
I believe in melding a Montessori-style independent learning experience with
traditionally structured education into community-driven classroom defined by mutual and self-
respect. There is no one education practice that is completely perfect or correct. For example,
independence, like that in Montessori schools, does not always result in responsibility; both
internal and external force are often necessary. Having grown up in nearly every form of
education, public, charter, Montessori, performing art, visual art, private, Catholic, as well as
home school, I’ve tasted the many forms an educational experience can take, and there isn’t one I
preferred over another. Each builds elements of a character that are integral to a well-rounded
person.
Variety in education is the cornerstone to my philosophy. Not only should education be
diversified in style, but also in substance. Sir Ken Robinson says it best: “There isn't an
education system on the planet that teaches dance every day to children the way we teach them
mathematics.” He goes on to outline the three elements of intelligence, being diverse, dynamic,
4
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
and distinct. As for diversity, Robinson notes that we do not have one definitive process of
thinking. “We think visually, we think in sound, we think kinesthetically, we think in abstract
terms, we think in movement and in many other ways, too,” he says (Robinson, 2006). This leads
into the dynamic element of intelligence. Robinson explains that the brain isn’t
compartmentalized; creativity isn’t separate from analytics. Intelligence is fluid. The third
element, distinction, signifies the individuality of intelligence. While one person must move to
think, another may need silence and another may require a room full of colorful stimuli. What
this comes down to is that intelligence and the capacity for thought cannot be defined. For this
reason, I aspire to integrate as many forms and styles of learning into each lesson as reasonably
possible, whether through a reading lesson with an art component, a math lesson with a musical
component, a history lesson with a dance component, or any combination therein.
5
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Classroom Layout
Figure 1 and 2. Classroom layout created on Floorplanner.com
6
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Classroom Layout Narrative
A big decision for me on how to design my classroom was whether or not to place
students in the traditional rows. For a while, I played with the idea of three rows of two, with
individual desks placed in doubles, so each student had a full-time partner. I eventually scrubbed
that idea in favor of a more group oriented class. It took some time before I determined how to
organize the groups. I knew I wanted every student to have an easy line of sight toward the
SMARTboard/white board, so no one would have their back to the front of the class. I came up
with a modification of my original rows idea, where the seating chart is made up of three rows
with two groups of four per row. The students still retain their individual desks, which allows for
easy reorganization if necessary, but the students face one another to instigate open discussion.
With all the desks facing the sides of the room, rather than the back or the front, the students
each have an easy view of the board and one another. As for the seating chart itself, where each
student is individually placed, I’ve decided to mix the students regardless of learning level. In
order to create a community of learners, and avoid segregating the students based on learning
capability, I want each group to be an amalgamation of learners, with a relatively even mix
across the classroom.
Next, I created a large area for quiet reading. It is important to me that the students have a
comfortable place to go where they can read or sit quietly and do their schoolwork. I included a
decent size couch and two bean bags with a soft rug that marks off the perimeter of the area.
Three bookcases may not be enough, but I made sure to leave open space in the room for
additional bookcases and storage.
Adjacent to the reading area is the group study table. I’ve separated the two areas by a
pass-thru shelve. The group study area has a large circular table that seats at least five students
7
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
with room for more when necessary. This table will be the site of small group work, teacher-
student tutoring, and a gathering place during free time. There are two storage shelves on which
various learning activities and games will be placed for use in the groups. It is also on one of
these storage shelves where the classroom pet will reside. I like the idea of a classroom pet that
requires the students’ care and responsibility. This pet will be a fun community activity, as the
choice of pet will be made as a group, within my (and the schools) limitations. I particularly like
the idea of a turtle.
Along the back wall is the computer center. I’ve included four iMAC computers in my
room, as well as a printer. My hope is to provide the students with high-tech equipment, which
will allow ample room for creativity and innovation. The computer area will be the hub of
individualized digital learning with computer games, such as Portal, for physics, mathematics,
and problem solving, and Civilization, for history, politics, and strategy, as well as social
networking and online media. The kids may use this space for creating their own podcasts, which
are a great way to get kids involved with what they are learning (Kisicki). For social networking,
I would use a site like Ning, which has privacy perimeters much more in tune with the needs of
educators. It would be an interesting way to set up an online, interactive classroom environment,
great for group projects (Debattista, 2009). The social networking site, Ning, would be entirely
used in a student’s free time at home to work on group projects when not physically with the
group. It would also be used to keep parents involved with their student’s education, as I would
have parents join not only to see the work being completed in class, but also to interact with one
another. I may have a separate Ning for the parents, so the students do not feel as though Mom
and Dad are hovering.
8
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
My personal desk is placed in the corner next to the door, which allows me to see all the
interactions within the classroom and keep an eye on the comings and goings of my students.
I’ve given myself a large bookcase/storage shelving unit for all my educational materials and a
filing cabinet to keep everything tidy and organized. Along this same wall, on the other side of
the door, I provide cubbies for the students to place their belongings during class. My wish is to
keep the floor and backs of chairs clear of clutter and distractions, while still keeping the
students close to their personal belongings in times of need.
At the front of the classroom, I’ve placed a large lockable cabinet for all my high-tech
teaching materials. This cabinet is at the front of the room so I can access it easily during my
lectures when I utilize tablets and smart response remotes. Along with a SMARTboard, I would
use response technology so the students could interact with the lesson immediately. I have a
great deal of experience with remote response technology, and I find that it provides a desirable
anonymity amongst students. Meanwhile, I am able to check for understanding, without needing
to memorize the responses of each student, as they are recorded by the technology system. The
response technology would come into play during lectures. I would have the students key in
answers to questions to check their understanding of the material. I might also have it set up so
the students can ask anonymous questions without having to raise their hand, as they might feel
uncomfortable doing so. Beside this unit is the classroom TV, which I’ve set on a portable cart
for quick, easy movement throughout the classroom.
Finally, at the very front of the room are the SMARTboard and white board. Visible from
all areas of the room, this is the centerpiece of my classroom. A digital projector in the ceiling
connects wirelessly to my laptop at my personal desk, and projects images on to the white board.
I decided project on to the white board so I might write on the images, particularly when
9
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
teaching math. The SMARTboard will be utilized most for online media and additional elements
key to teaching history, literature, and science. I will likely utilize things like the Google Earth,
YouTube, and other educational sites.
I have decided to leave the walls of my classroom mostly blank. I want the kids to work
with me throughout the year to fill the walls with their work, where everything decorating the
class is made and determined by the students (Kohn, 1996). I will designate the wall space beside
the white board and next to the reading area, for a daily activity. This activity will be the same
for the whole week, then it will change each following week. One week it may be related to
math, the next it may be a word wall, or a historical time-line. Each week will relate to
something we are working on in class and each day will begin with a related group discussion.
The main concept I tried to display in my classroom layout is that of individual
differences. I’ve attempted to create many various stations for the differentiated learners, from
the quite comfort of the reading area, to the simulating environment of group study table, from
balance of the traditional desks in rows with the community interactivity of the prearranged
groups, to the visually and technologically stimulating computer center and resources. Each
student should be able to find a pathway for inspiration in the classroom.
Classroom Procedures
On the first day of school, I will teach the students the daily procedures and routines, as
well as the discipline procedures of the classroom. Because I do not fully agree with flat-out
telling students the rules, I will instead create the rules of the class along with the students. As a
group, one of the first activities we will complete will be to determine what rules and
responsibilities we as a class will expect from one another. While I will have my own ideas of
10
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
what the rules will be, the point is to “guide” the students to coming up with these rules as a
group. This way, the rules become community guidelines to create a better learning environment
for all, rather than a list of “dos and don’ts” invented by the teacher. We will write the new
“community guidelines” on posters and decorate the posters before hanging them up on the wall,
visible to the whole class (Kohn, 1999).
Procedures, unlike the community guidelines, I will fully develop before the first day of
school, and those procedures will be posted alongside the “community guidelines.” The
procedures will be introduced slowly, with each set of procedures being introduced on its own
day during the first week or two of school (Wong, 1991). This is to prevent an overwhelming
number of procedures to memorize and follow right away. The first procedure I plan to introduce
is my attention grabbing techniques. I plan to have a selection of attention grabbers that I will
rotate. The students will know each one and we will practice them many times throughout the
first couple weeks. The idea, after they have learned this procedure, is to never again need use it,
as the community guidelines will stipulate attention and respect be shown at all times toward the
teacher. Of course, I will use my attention grabbers when necessary.
After all the procedures have been discussed and learned, and the community guidelines
have been drawn up and hung up, I will send the students home with a form to go over with their
parents. This “contract” is to be signed by the student, their parent or guardian, and myself. This
way everyone knows what is expected of one another. If someone breaks the contract, there is
not question, as everyone has signed with full knowledge of what is and is not acceptable in the
classroom. This protects all parties involved in the community of the classroom.
Each morning, the students enter the room, place their belongings in their designated
cubbies, which are assigned and tagged before the school year begins. All homework will be
11
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
turned in to the homework basket at my desk before taking a seat. After taking a minute for the
students take their seats, the students begin a silent prompt written on the white board, while I
take role. When a student finishes their prompt, or any assignment, they will wait silently until
the whole class is finished. We will then begin class with a short activity related to the silent
work they have just completed. This activity will have a theme that changes weekly and has to
do with a topic being covered in class. For example, if we are learning about the American
Revolution, that week’s activity may be a growing timeline of the war. This helps check for
understanding of material previously covered and gets the students thinking right away. The
group leader at each group will collect the written prompts at their table group and those students
will walk the papers to the collection basket next to my desk, then return to their seats. If the
group leader is absent, the group leader from the other table group in the row (three rows of two
groups) will take over those duties for the day.
I will devise a point system, which allows the students to accumulate points towards a
class prize. This will likely be a “class party” with popcorn and movies. If the whole class turns
in their homework on time, they will receive points toward the prize. A class word count will
inspire the students to read independently in order to earn further points. The point system is
similar to that of the house points in Harry Potter (Rowling, 1997). Individuals may earn points
for the whole house, or the whole class may earn points as a collective. Individuals, however,
will not be docked points. The class as a whole, on the other hand, may lose points. This
maintains the sense of community, as the students must work together to earn the prize. It also
allows individual students to add to the community and build their self-esteem, but it does not
put a spotlight on an individual for losing points. Marvin Marshall says, “Competition increases
performance, but collaboration increases learning” (Marshall, 2001, p.1). This is the reason I
12
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
choose to have the class work together to earn points, rather than be divided up into separate
“houses” within the classroom.
The rest of the day will not be broken up into blocks of time in which we focus on one
particular subject at a time, rather, I would like the subjects to flow. While some subjects may
seem to have a separate time block, such as math, because of how definitively distinct it is, it will
not have a scheduled time slot. The day’s schedules, which will be planned out ahead of time,
will be open to alterations throughout the day and will change daily. I may determine the
students succeed better at a subject like math earlier in the day, or reading is better after lunch. I
do this in an attempt to suit my personal philosophy, as also explained by Sir Ken Robinson that
we should not focus on subjects as a hierarchy nor should they be wholly segregated (Robinson,
2006). I would like the day’s lessons to be fluid and open to the students’ input, as they are the
learners, and they should feel involved in the process of their own education. This also helps to
differentiate instruction for individuals, as all learners do so differently and they deserve to be
treated uniquely.
When beginning a subject, we will start with either building background understanding
(if the topic is new), or a short review of what we learned last time. After my lecture, I will open
the floor to discussion as a class, then allow the students to break into their designated groups to
complete an activity. The students will be given an idea of how much time they have to work
with their groups before we must move on. To transition to the next activity, I will gain the
attention of the class by using one of my unique attention grabbers (which I’ve not yet
determined) if needed. When the students complete their work, they will pass it turn it in to a
designated basket by my desk and move on to other work. They may use this time to read
quietly, work on homework, or join the group study table. In order to use the computer during a
13
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
non-designated computer time, the students who have completed their other work may ask
permission. Computer use is determined entirely at my discretion.
While the students are at their special activity (if that activity is outside the classroom) or
during free time, I will have my personal time during which I can grade student work,
communicate with parents through email, update the classroom Ning, prepare the next lesson,
etc. In my room, I will keep a filling cabinet next to my desk, in which all my lesson plans will
be organized, along with records of the students’ grades and attendances, my contracts with the
students and parents (each student will receive their own file), and any other important
information that should be readily available.
Discipline Strategies
As should by now be apparent from my personal philosophy as well as from my
classroom layout and procedures, I idealize a classroom build around the concept of community.
While it would be nice to say I will have no use for discipline in my classroom because there will
be a well established sense of mutual and self-respect, I know that is unrealistic. For this reason,
I must implement a structured disciplinary strategy to follow in times of need. My ideal
disciplinary system places the responsibility of discipline on the student, rather than on the
teacher. This removes the stress from me and increased the student’s awareness of how their
behaviors affect the community of the classroom. Two disciplinary theorists after whom I plant
to model my system are Marvin Marshall and Linda Albert.
The first of theorist is Marvin Marshall, whose system, “Raising Responsibility,” would
work in my classroom due to its focus on “build[ing] self-discipline, respect for self and others,
and both individual and social responsibility” (Marshall, 1999). There are three phases to this
14
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
system: teaching the levels of development, checking for understanding, and guided choices. The
four levels of development are A) Anarchy (the lowest level of behavior), B) Bossing or
Bullying, C) Cooperation or Conformity, and D) Democracy (the highest level of behavior). The
difference between levels C and D is the mode of motivation, where C utilizes external
motivators, like rewards or punishments, and D uses internal motivation, the source of
responsibility. When misbehavior occurs, you check for understanding by asking the student at
what level they are behaving, guiding them to “acknowledge [their] level of behavior” (Marshall,
1999). This allows the students to think about their behavior and decide for themselves if they
are behaving in a respectful manner. The final phase, guided choices, is used when a student
continues to misbehave. By asking, not telling, the idea is for the student to develop through
guided questions (“Would you rather… or…?” or “Would you prefer… or…?”) their own
procedure of how to behave the next time the urge to misbehave arises (Marshall, 1999). Only a
few of the students will likely ever progress to the guided choices phase. The only thing that I
disagree with in Marshall’s system is the lack of punishments. This system may work for
students who work well when given great responsibility. However, as I mentioned in my
personal philosophy, not all students do their best when given such a great deal of independence.
Some students need a more structured system of rules and consequences.
Like Marshall’s Raising Responsibility system, I am also partial to Linda Albert’s
Cooperative Discipline system, which also focuses on the behavior, rather than the student.
Unlike Marshall, however, Albert does not disallow punishments. Revoking privileges, involving
parents, or requiring the student to make amends are some of the consequences that may come
into play when misbehavior occurs (Fraser, De Gasser, & Albert, n.d.). Consequences would
15
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
enter my discipline strategy after the Raising Responsibility system is exhausted or if there are
particular students I notice simply do not respond to Marshall’s system.
While I am a fan of internal motivation, I do not discount the power of external
motivation when necessary. I try to think about it as a form of differentiation. Some students may
respond better to external, rather than internal motivation, therefore, I believe my classroom
should provide this differentiation of discipline, just as I differentiate learning. As it follows, the
main concept I attempt to express throughout my both my discipline strategy and my classroom
management plan is that of flexibility; I try to remain free to alter, or differentiate, my plan to
suit the needs of my students.
16
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
References
Albert, L. (2003). Helping students feel capable. In Cooperative Discipline AGS Publishing.
DOI:ced.ncsu.edu/profed/NCTEACH/documents/13__HelpingStudentsFeelCapable.doc
Debattista, A. R. (2009, June 24). Ning [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://teachersandcomputers.blogspot.com/2009/06/ning.html
Floorplanner. (2011). Floorplanner. In Floorplanner. Retrieved 19 September, 2011, from
http://floorplanner.com/.
Fraser, S, De Gannes, C, & Albert, L. (n.d). An overview of cooperative discipline. In An
overview of cooperative discipline. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from
http://cdiscipline.tripod.com/.
Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline. Education Week, November 20 (1996) Retrieved from
http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/discipline.htm
Kohn, A. (1999). What to look for in a classroom. In The Schools Our Children Deserve (p.
Appendix B). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved from
http://www.alfiekohn.org/books/tsocd.htm
Kisicki, T. (n.d.). Web 2.0 in elementary classes. Retrieved from
http://toddkisicki.com/web2.0/Welcome.html
Marshall, M. (1999). How to discipline without stress® punishment or rewards & promote
responsibility. Retrieved from
http://www.marvinmarshall.com/articles/promoting_responsibility/discipline.htm
Marshall, M. (2001). Collaboration for quality learning. In Discipline without Stress,
Punishments, or Rewards. Los Alamitos: Piper Press. Retrieved from
http://http://www.disciplinewithoutstress.com/pdfs/Collaboration_for_Quality.pdf
17
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Robinson, K. (2006, October 19). Schools must validate artistic expression. Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/node/2829
Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry potter and the philosopher's stone. London: Bloomsbury.
Wong, R., Wong. H. (1991). The First Days of School. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry K. Wong
Publications.
18
