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Classroom Management Plan
Personal Theory of Discipline ………………………………………………………… Page 1 – 3
Room Arrangement …………………………………………………………………… Page 4 – 6
Basic Expectations …………………………………………………………………….. Page 7 - 9
Procedures …………………………………………………………………………... Page 10 – 14
Organizing and Managing Instruction ……………………………………………… Page 15 – 17
Consequences ………………………………………………………………………. Page 18 – 20
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………Page 21
Personal Discipline Theory
Classroom management is one of the hardest things that a new teacher must learn how to
do. Without management, instruction cannot take place. It is important for a teacher to know
his/her values before coming up with a discipline model. A teacher’s values will help him/her
shape his/her discipline structure. Having a consistent structure will help out not only the teacher
but the students as well. It places everyone on the same page and prevents both parties from
being thrown off guard.
In his article, Classroom Management: Creating a Successful Learning Community
(2003), Paul Burden discusses different discipline models developed by psychologists and
educators. The two discipline theories that stood out to me were Richard Curwin and Allen
Mendler’s Responsibility Model (1999) and Lee and Marlene Canter’s Assertive Discipline
Model (1992) (p. 27 – 29 & 31 – 32). The Responsibility Model is ranked as a “medium” on the
teacher control continuum. Its main tenets are: 1) students misbehave for a reason, 2) teachers
and students should work together to come up with rules, 3) students need to be treated with
dignity and 4) the goal of discipline is to foster creative thinking skills and shared responsibility
(p. 28).
The Assertive Discipline Model is ranked as “high” on the teacher control continuum and
thus it has a more definitive structure. The main tenets of this model are: 1) behavior limits are
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clearly defined, 2) use other adults, such as parents or administrators, for support, 3)
consequences are methodical and have order, and 4) to teach students to make the decision to
behave responsibly (p. 31). The main attraction factor to me of both of these models is that they
both set a high standard for clarity of classroom rules and sane repercussions for misbehavior.
My attraction to these two models is based in my own upbringing, what I have
experimented within my previous jobs, and my CT’s current model of discipline. In my own
upbringing, my parents were clear of their expectations for me and my brother. The key to my
parents’ system was to make the rules clear and succinct. This strategy helped outline the
parameters of the household. I felt that my brother or I were punished equal to the severity of the
misbehavior. The most common punishment that we would receive was either a loss of a
favored item or, as we got older, a privilege.
Working at a summer camp for six years also helped me to experiment and solidify the
way I handled discipline with my students. The things that I found to be the most effective,
through that experience, were to make the students very clear of the rules and to have a system of
tiered consequences for breaking a rule (related to Assertive Discipline). Another thing that I
noticed was that, even though sometimes it feels as though kids just act out, there was always a
method to their madness (Responsibility Model). The longer I worked there, the easier it became
for me to pinpoint the cause of a child’s misbehavior and react accordingly.
After reading through the discipline models, I discovered that my CT’s discipline model
most aligns with Lee and Marlene Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model. My CT uses behavior
cards and every flip of the card correlates with one of Lee and Marlene Canter’s levels. Every
student starts on green every day. If a student breaks one of the classroom rules he/she has to
flip their card to yellow; he/she is on warning. If the student misbehaves again, he/she has to flip
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their card to red; he/she now loses a privilege. And, if the student continues to misbehave,
he/she has to flip their card to purple. Depending of the severity of the behavior, either the
parents are informed or the student is sent to the principal’s office.
In a melding of the two models, I would call my discipline model Enforced
Responsibility and it would rank as medium-high on the continuum. In my model, I want the
teacher and the students to come up with the classroom rules together so that the students feel
that they have some sort of control in the trajectory of the school year. I want the students to
understand that our classroom rules govern our classroom community so, when a rule is broken,
there will be consequences. Because of the tiered hierarchy of consequences, students will not
be surprised when they receive their consequence. But, I want students to see their actions and
consequences as learning experiences. I want to be able to talk with my students to see what
caused the misbehavior and how we, as a team, can work together to make better choices.
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Room Arrangement
When reading the text, a couple things stuck out to me as things to keep in mind when
designing the seating arrangement. I wanted to make sure that all the high traffic areas were
clear. This was relatively easy to do since all the permanent equipment and furniture were stuck
around the outer edges of the room. Another important aspect of room arrangement was being
able to navigate in between the desks. Because I am in the inclusion class, we often have the
special education teacher or a special education aide in the classroom. She needs to be able to
navigate around the room to reach her students. I would not place all of her students at one table
but instead, break them up into two groups. I would do this for two reasons. First, the students
need to be somewhat placed together so that the special education teacher can work with them.
And second, I want the special education students to also be able to interact with the general
education students. Breaking them up into two smaller groups accomplishes both of these target
goals.
An issue with the room arrangement is that there is no area for group meeting. My CT
uses the back corner whenever he needs to meet with a group (an example would be for book
club). But, there is no space back there to fit a table so everyone just sits on the floor. This
becomes an issue whenever students need to write things. In my future classroom, I would
prefer a circle table.
I changed the arrangement of the desks from what my CT typically does. My CT never
places the students in table groups; the most I have seen him place students together is in pairs. I
really believe in cooperating group work so that is why I decided to place my students in table
groups. Another reason I want the students to sit in groups is because I think that interacting
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with each other helps the students to build a classroom community. It sends the message that
they need to rely on one another for academic and community support.
Comparison to a Kindergarten Classroom
A similar aspect to the room was that all their permanent furniture was affixed to the
outer edges of the room. The kindergarten teacher also had her desk facing outward towards the
students. This was the same as my 5th grade class. This reflects the practice backed up in the
book of having the teachers desk facing the students so that he/she can easily keep an eye on the
students.
In the kindergarten classroom the students do not have desks, they only have tables. This
forces the teacher to place the students in table groups. The way the school divvys up the
classrooms, the kindergarten teachers get the corner rooms. These rooms are bigger, have an
additional side room, and are the closest to the bathroom. Both of these considerations reflect
the age of the students. The students are not tall enough to sit at the regular desks. That is why
the tables work better for them. Kindergarten teachers need to have more space to have a rug
area since the students use the rug for more activities than 5th graders. The kindergarten
students are also placed closer to the bathroom because it can be difficult for younger children to
hold their bladder.
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Basic Expectations
Class Rules
1)
The Golden Rule: Treat Others the Way
You Want to be Treated
2)
Nobody’s Perfect – Ask for Help when
You Need It
3)
4)
Come to School Ready to Learn
Make Good Choices (Student Created)
5)
Only One Person Speaks at a Time
(Student Created)
Signed By:
Ms. Cilke and Class
Patriot Pride!
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Reflection
Along with my medium-high style of discipline, there are a couple of rules that I want
included in the class but I am very open to having the students create their own rules for the
classroom since they will also be living in our classroom community for the next nine to ten
months. The rules that I have created above are written for an upper level grade but I believe
transcend grade levels.
On the first day of school, I would have a group meeting with the whole class and discuss
the classroom rules with them. In this meeting, I would discuss how we are a classroom
community and that means that we support one another. But, in order to function smoothly as a
community, everyone must know the community’s expectations.
As a first step in creating rules, I would ask the students to give suggestions as to what
they thought the classroom rules should be. I would then record the students’ responses on a
piece of chart paper. Then I would see if we could condense the students’ responses into a
coherent and condensed list of rules.
After doing this, if any of the top three rules, The Golden Rule: Treat Others the Way
You Want to be Treated, Nobody’s Perfect – Ask for Help when You Need It, or Come to
School Ready to Learn, were not suggested by the class, I would add them to the rules list and
discuss why those three in particular are so important to me as a teacher and to them as students.
I would never have a class without any of these three rules in place.
If I needed to explain any of the above three rules, I would do so with this rationale. To
explain “treat others the way you want to be treated,” I would explain to the students that no one
in this world is better than any other person. It should be our goal to build people up, not take
them down. Thus, before you speak or act, think about how you feel if someone else did it to
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you. Only continue with the words or action if it would make you feel good to have the same
words/action done to yourself. For the rule “nobody’s perfect – ask for help when you need it,”
I would explain that everyone makes mistakes, including me. The best way to learn is to learn
from one’s mistakes. Finally, I would explain “come to school ready to learn” by asking, why
else are we in school if not to learn. I would explain to them that their education is something no
one can take away from them. That is why it is imperative that they put their best foot forward.
I’m not asking them to succeed all the time but I am asking them to try.
The last step of my rules introduction would be to discuss what happens when someone
breaks one of the classroom rules. It is here that I would explain my discipline system. The final
step is to have everyone sign the rules list, including myself, and hang the list in the front of the
classroom so that it can be seen and referenced throughout the year.
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Procedures
Grade Level: 5th
Fire Drills
Procedure 1
What are the detailed steps to
follow for carrying out the
procedure?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
When will you teach the
procedure?
How will you present the
context and rationale?
When the alarm goes off:
Quietly get up from your seats
Line up at the classroom door (the last person to
leave the room shuts the door behind himself/herself)
Exit the building from the front door silently and in a
straight line
Walk to the soccer field
Once there, silently stand in a line behind the teacher
facing away from the school building
Once instructed, return into the school. If you are the
first one in the door, hold it open for other students
I would review this procedure with the students at the
beginning of the year. Since the students are 5th graders, the
only change from what they have been doing in past years is
that now the students hold the door open upon return to the
building.
I will explain to the students that we have to review this
procedure because the school runs a fire drill every month.
I would also explain to them the rationale for the
monthly fire drills. I would tell the students that it is
important for us to exit the building quickly because,
if there was a real fire, there is no telling how fast the
fire would spread. I would also say that the reason
we stand so far away from the school building during
a fire is so that we will be safe if the building actually
did burn to the ground.
How will you describe and
demonstrate the procedure?
I would not demonstrate this procedure for the students since
they have already been doing it since they began elementary
school. I would just orally remind them what to do when the
fire alarm goes off.
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How often will you ERR the
procedure?
I would not rehearse this procedure. Because the school has
a fire drill every month, the procedure is constantly
reinforced (as compared to say a tornado drill).
(explain, rehearse, review)
When will you reteach the
procedure?
I would only reteach this procedure if the students did not
follow the procedure correctly.
Language Arts Time
Procedure 2
What are the detailed steps to
follow for carrying out the
procedure?
During Language Arts Time:
1) Do Daily Language Review posted on the board
2) Listen to the lecture of the day
3) Break out into independent time
a. Work must be done in this order
1) Black Binder Work
2) Practice Test packet [sample passage
with sample SOL questions]
3) Uncompleted Work
4) Read Book Club book
5) Other Silent Reading or Language Arts
board games
b. Note: When your group gets called to meet in
book club, that takes precedence.
c. If you need teacher assistance, wait until the
teacher is finished with one reading group and
before he pulls another group. He will
circulate the room before pulling another
group.
I would teach this procedure within the first week of school.
When will you teach the
procedure?
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How will you present the
context and rationale?
I would present this to students during our first full language
arts time. I would also not introduce the whole procedure all
at once. I would introduce a new independent activity every
week until the students knew how to do all the activities.
For the rationale, I would explain to the students that,
because they are 5th graders, I trust them to be able to
do work independently and without teacher
supervision. I would also explain to them that, by
taking responsibility for their own independent work,
their time in reading groups with the teacher can be
more productive.
This system treats the students like adults and, as near
middle schoolers, it gives them the independence
they crave.
How will you describe and
demonstrate the procedure?
How often will you ERR the
procedure?
(explain, rehearse, review)
I would have a schedule posted on the board for the students
to reference back to during every language arts period. To
demonstrate this procedure, I would show them what a
"good" student looks like at each stage of the procedure.
During the first couple weeks of school, I would orally
remind students of the procedure and have it posted on the
board. After the first couple weeks, I would just reference
that we are moving into language arts time. The students
would always have the list on the board to reference.
Since the students have language arts every day, this
procedure is constantly being rehearsed and
reinforced.
When will you reteach the
procedure?
I would only reteach the procedure if I had to include another
activity into the procedure or the students were not following
the procedure.
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Checking Books Out from the Class Library
Procedure 3
What are the detailed steps to
follow for carrying out the
procedure?
1.
2.
1.
2.
When will you teach the
procedure?
How will you present the
context and rationale?
To Check a Book Out:
Choose a book off the shelf – Books are arranged first
by level, then by author’s last name.
Fill out the checkout slip that resides below the
bookshelf.
a. Make sure to include:
i. Your name
ii. The title of the book
iii. The date you checked the book out
To Return a Book:
Write the return date on the checkout slip next to your
entry
Place the book back in the “returns” cabinet under its
corresponding color
I would teach this procedure within the first week of school
so that students could begin to check out books as soon as
possible.
I would introduce this procedure when I am familiarizing the
students with the classroom. I would tell the students that
they are free to check out any books from my library as they
wish as long as they inform me what books they are taking so
I can keep track. I would then show them the checkout slip
that stays below the bookshelf.
My rationale for this procedure is that it allows me to
be able to know who has my books and to stay
organized.
How will you describe and
demonstrate the procedure?
To describe the procedure, I would role play as a student
seeking to check out a book. I would show the class how to
fill out each part of the checkout slip. I would then role play
how to return a book, again showing them how to fill out the
slip and where to put the book.
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How often will you ERR the
procedure?
I would only explain this procedure once but, I would have
an example of a filled out check out slip with the blank slips
to remind students what to do.
(explain, rehearse, review)
When will you reteach the
procedure?
I would reteach this procedure if the students were not
following it correctly.
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Organizing and Managing Instruction
Grouping Students
I believe strongly in the benefits of cooperative groups. I think that students learn better
when they can, not only collaborate with their peers, but also teach their peers. I also believe
that constructing and maintaining interpersonal relationships, whether professional or personal, is
a lifelong skill that students will have to take into their adult and professional lives. To this end,
in my classroom, I would place my students in table groups of four to five students. These table
groups will rotate and be heterogeneous in terms of ability level.
This will not be the only time the students are placed in groups. I would also group the
students into homogenous reading groups. This allows me to target instruction to different
ability levels to make sure that everyone is growing in knowledge, being stimulated, and getting
the personalized attention they need. I am also not opposed to trying out math groups; a similar
structure to reading groups. This technique is not currently being done in my student teaching
classroom but, it is done in the younger grades in the school. I believe that it would also help
target students’ specific learning needs in math.
Finally, during the school year, I would give students the choice to work with a partner
on certain classwork assignments or projects. The students would have the ability to choose their
partners. This accomplishes two goals. 1) It again works with students’ ability to problem solve
within a group setting; a 21st century skill. And 2) It allows the students to feel as though they
have choice in their lives. Choice can be a powerful motivator for students, especially older
students. This leads into the second topic of managing instruction, motivation.
Motivation
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It is the goal of any teacher to be able to motivate his/her students as all teachers hope
that they can make learning interesting and relevant. The number one key in engaging students
in a lesson, and to make them want to learn, is for the teacher to be interested and excited about
the topic. If the students see their teacher engaged, that may spark their own interest in the
subject.
Another aspect of motivation that I believe in is the power of choice. Similar to adults,
students crave the ability to take control of their own lives (especially as they get older).
Teachers can provide choice for their students in a structured way that benefits both the teacher
and the students. Choice can be provided in two ways. 1) Teachers can give students choice in
the order in which they do assignments or 2) Teachers can give students a choice in their
assignment topic. By giving students choice in the order in which they do assignments, it gives
the students a sense that they control their own learning. The students still have to do both
assignments but, it gives them that outlet for control; both parties win. Giving the students an
option in choosing their own topic, for example a history project where students have to pick a
famous person from the 19th century to study, can be a very strong motivator. This style allows
students to pick what interests them. This interest can be a strong intrinsic motivator. The only
caution with choice is to make sure that teachers do not give their students too many choices.
That can become overwhelming for the students.
Another form of motivation I am not opposed to is extrinsic rewards. If used properly,
these can be a driving force in getting students to act appropriately and turn in work. For older
students, these rewards can be used to teach responsibility and economy. In my student teaching
placement, the fifth graders have a “Fun Friday” at the end of each month. The only way to get
“Fun Friday” is to save up enough points to attend. Students are free to spend their points on
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other prizes throughout the month (candy, homework passes, etc.) but, if they do not have
enough points at the end of the month to participate, they are not allowed in. One caution with
extrinsic rewards though. All students should have an equal opportunity to earn the tangible
reward.
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Consequences
In the results of my student interest and reinforce surveys, I discovered that my class was
overwhelmingly motivated by adult approval, and more specifically by good grades.
1) Rewards for adhering to rules and procedures – Identify the positive consequences of
following rules and procedures. Decide if students will be publicly or privately recognized.
If you choose to use a reward system, specify in detail the behaviors you will target.
I want to have a two pronged rewards system, a group rewards system and a class wide
rewards system. Because I will have my students sitting in table groups, I want the reward
system to reflect the behavior of the table groups. When any table group is behaving properly,
they will get marbles in their jar. Each group will get one marble for each correct behavior, this
will keep the system more objective. “Behaving properly” is determined when the students are
following the rules of the class and/or the directions provided by the teacher. The rules of class
are: Treat others the way you want to be treated, nobody’s perfect – ask for help when you need
it, come to school ready to learn, make good choices, only one person speaks at a time. At the
end of two weeks, the table that has the most marbles in their jar will get a homework pass. This
prize was determined because my students are motivated by good grades. Since, I cannot just
give the students 100% on assignments unless they earn the grade, this is the next best thing.
The table groups will be rotated so that one group never dominates the system.
The second group system that I want to enact is the school wide token system. At my school,
the school runs a school wide token system where any teacher, administrator, or staff member
can give a class tokens when the students are being model citizens. Every time my students
receive a certain number of tokens, I will award them with a class party.
Both of these systems have the rewards awarded publically. I want to award the students
publically because it makes the students models for everyone else to strive through. It also
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makes my expectations clear. The reason I want to do group reward systems is to reinforce to
the class that we are a community. Only by working together can we succeed.
2) Consequences of failure to adhere to the rules and procedures – Identify the steps you
will take when addressing noncompliance by a student. How will you record and report
infractions? How will you manage or respond to misbehaviors including minor, more
serious, chronic, and “thorny” issues, such as fighting or vandalism? Be sure to comply
with your school’s procedures.
In contrast to the rewards system, my consequences system will be on an individual basis.
I want the consequence system to be on an individual basis so if a student has a hard time
behaving, he/she will not be ostracized from the class for preventing the group from earning
points. When a student starts to misbehave, I will try some minor interventions (proximity, nonverbal cues, etc.) with the student to let him/her know that I see him/her. If the behavior persists,
the student will be verbally and privately reminded of the classroom rules/directions and given a
choice on his/her next course of action.
If the student continues with the misbehavior he/she must go and flip his/her card from
green to yellow. Yellow means the student is on warning. If the behavior continues, the student
flips his/her card from yellow to red. Red means the loss of a privilege. Instead of participating
in fun time, the student has to fill out a behavior plan. This plan lists the rules that the class
agreed on. The student must fill out what rule he/she violated, what he/she did, and how he/she
could make a better choice in the future. The student must also indicate if he/she needs help
enacting their solution. If the student still continues to misbehave, the student flips his/her card
from red to purple. Depending on the severity of the behavior, either the parents are informed or
the student is sent to the principal’s office. At any point during this process, when the student
decides to behave, he/she can flip their card back up the levels all the way to green.
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I know that the card system of discipline has its critics. The most frequent criticism is
that the consequence is not related to the misbehavior. Thus, it does not teach the student what
the proper behavior should be. While I agree on some level with the criticism, I like the card
system for two reasons. One, I like the fact that it is structured. This means that it is transparent,
the students and I know exactly what is going to happen when misbehavior happens; the
subjectivity of discipline is reduced. Two, it’s a direct consequence, when one breaks a rule, you
flip your card. No ifs, ands, or buts. I have tried to counteract the system’s potential ambiguity
by incorporating a behavior plan into the card system.
For more serious offenses, such as physical fighting, the school has a mandatory outlined
plan of action. If two students are physically fighting, administration must be called and is in
charge of giving the students their consequence. Administration is also in charge of talking to
students who are intentionally breaking school property.
3) How will you ensure that your behavior management is anchored in positive
reinforcement rather than punishment?
In having a consistent rewards system, I hope to show the students that I am always on
the lookout for positive behaviors. This shows the students that my main focus is their positive
behavior. As part of my consequences system, the students get two chances to rectify their
behavior (the minor interventions and a warning with a prompt for the student to choose the
proper behavior) before any sort of major consequence occurs. To make it clear that I am
correcting the behavior, not the student, the students have to fill out a behavior plan when they
reach the red marker. This plan only discusses the behavior and how it could be avoided next
time. Also, because the students can move out of the negative colored cards, it shows them that I
am always looking for positive behavior even after misbehavior has occurred.
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Bibliography
Burden, P. R (2003) Classroom management: Creating a successful learning community (2nd
ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.