Classroom Management Plan
*Added management strategies are bolded
I identify with components of multiple
different educational philosophies, but the educational philosophy that I most
closely identify with is experimentalism. Experimentalism is student centered
and focuses on problem solving, discussions, and projects. Experimentalism is
natural and flexible and encourages students to analyze and criticize
information. In order to foster a desire for knowledge amongst students and an
encouraging learning environment, teachers must be flexible and encourage their
students in thinking critically and analytically. My classroom management plan
is a compilation of the following strategies: “Beyond Discipline,” “Discipline
with Dignity,” “Inner Discipline,” “Noncoercive Discipline,” and “Positive
Classroom Discipline.” These discipline strategies will enable my students to
learn from their mistakes and participate in a positive learning environment.
Preventive Approach
I believe that the preventative
approach is the most important of the three classroom management approaches
because it sets the standards for what is expected of the students. If a
teacher provides a positive classroom environment and teaches students to take
responsibility for their actions, the class will be less likely to need
disciplinary action in the future.
1. Develop rules to guide the class
(Coloroso 1994). I believe that setting reasonable expectations at the
beginning of the year will provide a solid foundation for the rest of the year.
If students know what is expected of them (academically and behaviorally), they
will not be able to use the common excuse “Oh, I didn’t know.” I think it is
important for me to be prepared with my own expectations and rules, but it is
even more important for me to be open to my students’ ideas for class rules and
expectations. My students will have a say in the rules that guide the class.
This concept leads into my next point that students need to be included in
decision making.
2. Include students in decision-making
(Kohn 1996). I believe that it is incredibly beneficial for students to create
and make arguments for their own rules. If they think it should be okay to chew
gum in class, then they need to come up with a convincing argument for why it
is okay. This will teach them problem-solve and think critically– both
important components of experimentalism.
3. Structure classroom to discourage
misbehavior (Jones 1970’s). This approach seems simple, but I have seen
classrooms where it is not implemented. My classroom will be set up to
encourage energetic and participatory behavior. One way I will do this is by
letting students choose their seats on the first day. Giving them the freedom
to choose where they sit and with whom will immediately make them feel more
comfortable. If students’ learning is consistently impaired by whom they choose
to sit near, I will assign them a new seat. Another way that I plan to
implement this strategy is by focusing on group activities and discussions so
that students are active participants instead of a passive audience.
4. Provide a warm and supportive
classroom environment. (Glasser 1985). If my students feel like they are
supported by their peers and I, they will be less likely to act out. I plan to
create a classroom that students feel that they are a part of. In order for
students to feel this way, they need to take part in the planning and running
of the class. They will learn what does and doesn’t work –a key aspect of
experimentalism. I also want students to feel safe in my classroom, so my class
will have high expectations for respect.
5. Hold students responsible for their
own actions (Curwin and Allen Mendler 1983). Responsibility is necessary for
every other preventative strategy. The students must learn to be responsible
for their actions and even their own learning. Because I align with the
experimentalist philosophy, I believe that students learn best in a flexible
and open environment. In order to have this kind of environment, however, the
students need to recognize the importance of responsibility. As the teacher, it
is my duty to hold them accountable.
6. Chairs are around tables to facilitate interaction and there
are comfortable areas for working (Kohn 1996). The students will be more likely
to participate in class activities and discussions if their desks are
positioned in ways that facilitate participation. Students will be more likely
to stay on task if the are comfortable, rather than constantly be looking for
distractions.
Supportive Approach
The supportive approach contains the
strategies that will help me to nurture, improve, and enforce the strategies
mentioned in the preventative approach. My supportive approach focuses on the
teacher supporting the students and also the students supporting their peers.
Experimentalism is natural and flexible, and that is exactly the kind of
environment that I want my students to learn in.
1. Hold class meetings to address class
activities and behaviors (Kohn 1996). This strategy allows students to problem
solve and think critically- both components of experimentalism. I want my
students to interact with their classmates to come up with ideas and solutions.
I believe that holding regular class meetings will foster a sense of security
and trust between my students and I. This sense of security will transfer into
the classroom during academic activities as well and lead students to
participate more in class.
2. Establish a correlation between
effort and achievement (Glasser 1985). This concept is incredibly important.
Students need to recognize that the amount of effort they put into something
directly affects the outcome. A non-abstract way to implement this strategy in
my classroom is to have the students actually keep track of their effort and
achievement. Students could have charts in their binders to score their effort
and grade of each assignment. I believe that students will see an incredible
correlation between these two categories, and it is my goal to encourage them
to change their habits.
3. Provide efficient help to individual
students (Jones 1970’s). Jones’ strategy sounds great in theory, but it is
nearly impossible to give efficient help to 50 individual students each class
period. Although it may be impossible to enforce this policy exactly, I believe
that it is important to carry this goal into the classroom. If I am always striving
to provide efficient help to my students, I will no doubt be more helpful than
if I don’t even try. I also chose this strategy as part of my plan because it
is important to connect with students individually as opposed to always on a
whole-class basis.
4. Ensure students that it is okay to
make mistakes (Coloroso 1994). This strategy is one that needs to be employed
in all classrooms. Student need to know that mistakes are natural and are even
beneficial learning experiences. I want my students to be willing to
participate and challenge themselves, but in order to do so they need to push
away the fear of making mistakes. I believe that students will be less likely
to act out in negative ways if they know that they are in an atmosphere that
supports their efforts regardless of mistakes they may make.
5. Indicate politely what you want from
students (Curwin and Alan Mendler 1983). This seems to be a “no-brainer,” but I
so often hear quite the opposite. If I expect courtesy and respect from my
students I need to model those attributes for them. Respect is a two-way
street, and if I don’t respect my students they will not respect me. Giving
direct polite instructions or suggestions will foster students’ trust and
encourage them to treat others the way that they are treated by the teacher.
6. Understand your students’ currencies (Jackson 2010). I
need to understand what my students value in order to know how to interact with
them and what to expect from them. I also need to be able to assess my own “currencies”
to understand how to best adjust my currencies to fit my students. Students
need to have a way to make things rights, so I need to give them that
opportunity.
Corrective Approach
The corrective approach is the approach
that I will need to take to address student behavior issues. My corrective
approach is composed of strategies that align with my philosophy of experimentalism.
They are focused on cooperation, respect, and problem solving.
1. Use privacy and eye contact when
possible (Curwin and Allen Mendler 1983). As with many of the strategies that I
selected, this strategy is also based on respect. It doesn’t do any good to
publically humiliate a student, so I plan on using privacy for corrective
action whenever possible. I do, however, realize that privacy is not always
possible, so I will do my best to correct the behavior in the quietest way
possible. I believe that eye contact is necessary and beneficial because it
shows students that you are focused on them. Corrective action can be as simple
as making eye contact with a disruptive student from across the room. I want my
students to look me in the eye when they talk to me, so I must do the same for
them.
2. Cooperatively work towards solutions
as a class (Kohn 1996). This kind of corrective action can be applied to
situations involving the entire class. For instance, if a class has trouble
efficiently forming groups I can discuss ideas with my class for how to better
approach group situations. If they have a say in the solution, they will be
more willing to participate when it matters.
3. The teacher should concentrate
immediately on the behavior and consequences (Coloroso 1994). I agree and
disagree with this strategy depending on the context. I think that students
need to know when they have acted in a way that is inappropriate, so as I
teacher I would tell a student that I did not appreciate their behavior.
However, I would talk to the student apart from the rest of the class in
detail. If I were to focus all of my attention solely on one student in the
middle of class, the rest of the class would suffer.
4. Ask students to evaluate work they
have done and improve it (Glasser 1985). Self evaluation is so important. This
can be applied to evaluating actual classwork/homework or to evaluating
behavior. I think that having students evaluate how they behaved and come up
with a plan for how to improve behavior in the future will immensely help with
behavior issues. It also fits with my philosophy of experimentalism because
students will learn to problem solve.
5. Let anger pass and defer discussion
until a later time (Curwin and Allen Mendler 1983). This point seems to
contradict point number three, but I believe that both strategies can exist
simultaneously. A teacher should never yell at a student. I understand that
there will be plenty of instances in which I am frustrated of angry, but it is
my job to make students feel safe, not afraid. If I am angry at a student I
know to pause and wait until I can speak to him/her rationally and calmly. I
could loose my credibility with students in an instant if I blew up.
Conclusion
My management plan essentially is
focused on mutual respect, student input, problem solving, and critical
thinking. All of these components align with my philosophy of experimentalism.
Overall, I believe that students should feel safe and comfortable in my
classroom and that I should be an advocate for them. I also believe that they
should advocate for themselves in class meetings and discussions in order to
play an equal part in the classroom management procedures.
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