Task 1 1
Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments Task 1
Anna Campbell
Teachers College, WGU
D170: Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments
Monique Vaughn
Task 1 2
Sections A 1-8
Section A 1-3
My future class is a secondary English class. One type of instructional activity I will
use will be whole group discussions. Another type of instructional activity will be literature
circles. I think a teacher’s role as a classroom manager is to build relationships with the
students so that I can create a safe environment and use diverse activities to meet all the
students’ different needs. It is also a teacher’s role to make any classroom rooms and
procedures clear and understandable for all students as well as easily accessible in case a
student needs help remembering. One goal of my classroom management plan is to cultivate
a positive learning environment for diverse learners. Another goal is to be proactive in
lessening behaviors that are disruptive, harmful, and/or non-productive. A third goal is to
model positive social behaviors.
Section A 4-4a
My classroom layout would have desks in groups of three to four with the desks
oriented so every child could see the board without moving them. I would have my
whiteboard, chalkboard, or smartboard in the front of the classroom. My desk would be off to
the side towards the front of the room with my back to the wall and facing the students. Any
cabinets with supplies would be along the walls. This layout would work very well for
literature circles and other group work, but for big classroom discussion days, I would move
the desks into a u-shape or a semi-circle so that everyone could see each other while
discussing.
Task 1 3
Section A 5-6
One routine would be having bell ringers, or small assignments the children do right
as they enter the classroom. This is associated with the procedure of what to do when you
enter the classroom. Another routine would be greeting each student at the door with the
option for a fist bump, wave, or high five as they come in. This is associated with the
procedure of what to do when entering the classroom. These procedures will be verbally told
as well as practiced multiple times by the class. If someone forgets a procedure, they will be
given a reminder on what the procedure looks like. One rule for the classroom is to be
respectful and listen to classmates. Another rule is to be quiet when others, teacher or
classmates, are speaking. A third rule is respect others’ property, whether it is a classmate’s
or the teacher’s or the school’s. These general rules will inform norms because they help to
make specific norms in the classroom based on existing rules, such as what to do when we do
want to talk in the classroom while being respectful of classmates. These norms will reinforce
the classroom rules and expand on them which is how they are supported by the rules. These
rules will be repeated out loud for the first week or so of school, included on a syllabus, and
posted inside the classroom for is students need reminding.
Section A 7-8
One consequence I would use would be parent contact for a serious rule break. One
positive reinforcement would be verbal praise for following norms and procedures both
individually and as a class. One method for both positive reinforcement and consequences is
a system like Classroom Dojo where you can add or subtract points for behaviors, such as
adding points for helping a neighbor or subtracting points for continuous refusal to follow a
rule despite verbal warnings. These points are then used to redeem prizes like a piece of
candy or a music break. Students will be involved in the plan and what their roles will be by
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me regularly giving them options for giving feedback, both with their name or anonymous,
such as a feedback exit slip every month to make sure they are actively being heard
throughout the year. I would also give them the ability to suggest and decide on norms as a
class at the beginning of the year.