Classroom Management Plan

Miller 1 Classroom Management Plan Michelle Miller EDUC 360 Professor Shipman 3 December, 2009

Miller 2 PHILOSOPHY OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT I believe that every student can learn given the right environment, tools, and opportunity. It is a student s right to have these components in the classroom to succeed. The rules and consequences should be written with the purpose to give a student dignity and respect while letting the students take responsibility for his or her actions and addressing a student s needs in and out of the classroom. Through my classroom management class, I learned my personality type. According to my learning style, I am an introvert, sensate, feeler, and a judger. I am classified as the protector. This means that I love to take care and protect the people around me. One characteristic of this personality is that I love caring for others and offer great pride in presenting comfort and service. I am also an introvert which means my service and caretaking may go unseen or underappreciated. This describes me, because one of the reasons I chose teaching was to be able to help people or students by giving them the tools to succeed in life. I want to be able to give the students knowledge, encouragement, and inspiration to go on to succeed into whatever endeavors might fall in their way. I went to a very small, rural community school. The building was K-12 and I had the same math teacher for my entire high school career. Diversified is not something I would describe my high school as. Going to Manchester College has helped me to become more diverse in my knowledge and experience. Manchester College has given me opportunities to go out into the community and experience what a larger school might be like. My first education class was at Portage Middle School in Fort Wayne, where I was shocked to find what an city school was like. I also chose a big school to student

Miller 3 teach at to give me a wide range of experiences. I feel like through all of these experiences, my teaching style and philosophy has changed dramatically. Before I came to Manchester College, my idea of an education system was more glazed over and not idealistic with the real school systems out there. It is through these experiences that I have realized that I believe that my students have a right to learn and it is my responsibility to create such an learning environment that provides the student with dignity, respect, responsibility, and nurtures the student s needs. The first component that I want to address is the student rights. According to the Lee and Marlene Canter, their discipline through assertive tactics talks about student rights and teacher rights. The students have a right to learn in a calm, orderly classroom and the teacher rights includes teaching without interruptions. As the teacher, it is my responsibility to strive at all times to provide this type of environment in the classroom to enhance learning. In order to prevent misbehavior from happening and maximize learning, I will strive to be an assertive teacher. I need to create a sense of trust and community with in the classroom. I want to encourage student cooperation. Many times, students learn better when being helped by their peers. I know that this is an essential student need in the classroom. They need this social aspect in the classroom to enhance learning. An assertive teacher provides warmth and encouragement while still setting boundaries that the students are well aware of. An assertive teacher is incorporated throughout the Canter s Assertive discipline theory. I also want to address the student s needs in my classroom. I understand students need to have a certain environment to prevent misbehavior and maximize learning. I plan to address the five student needs in my classroom. According to William Glasser and his

Miller 4 discipline guided by choice, student needs include survival, belonging, power, fun, and freedom. I like the idea of students feeling safe in my classroom. Once this is strived, real learning can take place. Encouragement can do so much for a student. Giving them choices in their tasks and homework will give the students the power that many of the students strive for. I believe that when you give students some power in your classroom, it motivates them to succeed in your class. It almost motivates the students to do their work and behave in your classroom because they don t want to let the teacher or themselves down. This gives the students the tools to survive in your class and well as the world around them. It is also important to give the students some fun in the classroom. Sometimes math is challenging to make fun for all students, but I accept and look forward to that challenge. I think creating fun activities will also motivate the students learn and minimize misbehavior if the students are aware that activities are a privilege. I feel addressing the student needs is extremely important in the classroom environment. I also feel that responsibility and self control needs to be taught and granted in the classroom. I like the thought of letting the students have responsibility for their own actions and learning from their mistakes. Letting the students get involved in their consequences will hopefully prevent the students from acting out. If the students are aware of their consequences before hand, because they were part of constructing the rules, this will hopefully prevent misbehavior from happening. If a minor or moderate misbehavior does happen, I like Barbara Coloroso s inner self control tactic. She says that there are three types of misbehavior: mistakes, mischief, and mayhem. She says that her tactic when handling students who misbehave is allowing them to make their own decisions and grow from their results. She says that once a student misbehaves give the

Miller 5 students an awareness of what they have done wrong, give them an opportunity to take owner ship, and provide them strategies for solving their own problem. I feel that allowing a student to make their own punishment will give them an opportunity to grow and learn from their mistakes. This allows a student to take ownership and responsibility for his or her own actions. I also feel that this establishes a sense of respect between the student and the teacher preventing the student to misbehave in your classroom. I also believe in respect and dignity in my classroom management. Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler talk about dignity and respect in their discipline with dignity approach. They believe that misbehavior does not become a significant problem in the classroom that maintains student dignity and an opportunity for success. I never want to destroy a student s dignity. Giving them this sense of respect will also help in my classroom management. When this respect is destroyed sometimes aggression and defiance creates a bad classroom environment distracting the students and my self from the task at hand. Taking the student away from the situation and talking to them privately will help defuse any misbehavior. I also like Curwin and Mendler s tactics for handling severe and more disruptive misbehaviors. They talk about several ways for a teacher to handle students who are just generally hard to control. They say that a consequence should always be given when misbehavior occurs. Make sure that this consequence is logical and relates to the behavior. Never embarrass the student and always state the misbehavior so the student is aware of their wrong doings. Hopefully giving him or her this respect, the student will respect you back. Finally, try to prevent escalation at all costs. By pulling a student away from the situation will hopefully prevent escalation that might be caused by peers. I feel

Miller 6 that if these strategies are implemented into my classroom I should be more prepared for students that are more difficult to control. My overall philosophy of classroom management involves granting the student s right in the classroom to have the most productive learning environment. I feel like it is my responsibility and job to address the student s needs as much as possible in my classroom. It is crucial that the sense of respect and dignity needs to be evident throughout my consequences and rules. Responsibility needs to be apparent within my classroom but also my procedures.

Miller 7 CLASSROM RULES/ROOM ARRANGEMENT I believe that every student should have equal opportunity to succeed in my classroom. In order for my students to learn, they need to have the least restrictive classroom environment. I believe in respect and many of my rules reflect this concept. I feel that students must respect the teacher, peers, and property in my classroom. It is my right, as the teacher, to have cooperative students. It is also my students right to be able to learn. In my classroom, I expect the very best from every student. Mathematics is a hard subject to grasp and in order for my students to succeed they need to do homework, participate in class, and ask questions. Asking questions is a key tool to understanding mathematics. Therefore, it is a key tool to learn in my classroom. I included a copy of my classroom rules and a copy of my homework policies. I believe that if my students and I work together we can all succeed.

Miller 8 Miss Miller s Classroom Rules and Homework Procedures 1) Be respectful of yourself and others. This includes: Pay attention in class. Be quiet when others are talking. Talk only when called upon. Be polite: teasing, swearing, or name calling are not acceptable. 2) Be respectful to other s property. This includes: Ask before using other s property. Return any property given to you. Be respectful of classroom furniture and supplies. 3) Be prepared. This includes: Bring textbook, paper, pencil, homework, and calculator. You may go back to your locker to get supplies but will be given a tardy. Be in seat with materials ready and quiet when bell rings. 4) Follow school rules. Consequences for Breaking Rules First offense: One verbal warning. Second offense: Student will be given detention. Third offense: Administrator involvement and parent notification. *Further action can be taken if needed for serious rule infractions

Miller 9 Homework Policies/Tardies 1) Homework will be assigned almost every night and will be collected the next day. 2) Do your own work. If a student is caught cheating, his or her work will receive at most 50% credit for assignment 3) Homework will be completed in pencil. 20% will be deducted if work is done in pen. 4) Turn in your homework on time. 10% will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. 5) If you are absent when an assignment is given, it is your responsibility to find out the homework you missed. I will have a chart showing the assignments given each day. From the day the student returns, he or she will have the number of days absent to complete missed assignments. For example, a student is absent 2 days. When the student returns to school the student should find out the homework he or she missed on the chart and will have two days to complete it. 6) If an assignment is due on the day a student is absent it will be due the day the student returns to school. If a student is really sick, some accommodations can be made. 7) Tardies will be given if a student is late or needs to go back to locker. My classroom follows the school s policy on tardies. See handbook. Grades The students grades will consist of nightly homework, ten quizzes throughout the semester, in-class assignments, and tests. Homework - 30% 10 Quizzes 20% Tests- 40% In class work- 10% Grading Scale A+: (100-99) B+:(89-87) C+:(79-77) D+:(69-67) F:( 59 or lower) A: (98-94) B: (86-84) C: (76-74) D: (66-64) A-: (93-90) B-: (83-80) C-: (73-70) D-: (63-60)

Miller 10 MY IDEAL CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT Bulletin Board Computers/ Work Table Teachers Desk / Computer Locker Door Pencil Sharpener Waste Basket Bulletin Board Student Desks Storage Blackboard Storage Storage Podium Blackboard

Miller 11 This is my ideal classroom arrangement. I feel that this has all the essentials for students to succeed. I don t like a ton of distractions so there is not a window in my classroom. I also have the students facing the board and the door is behind the students so they aren t distracted by things in the hallway. I want my students to have access to technology so I wanted a computer station in the back of my room where students can do WebQuests and other fun math activities online. This is also the desk that I would place my late and handout trays that are in my list of procedures. I placed my desk behind the students so I can monitor them. I have two bulletin boards located in my room. One that displays a fun interesting math topic and the other one has the list of assignments for the students to look at if they missed school. Math teachers need a lot of board space so I have two bulletin boards located in my room. To me, this would be the most ideal classroom arrangement for management style.

Miller 12 PROCEDURES AND ROUTINES 1. Beginning of the Period- Students will be in my classroom and seated before the bell rings. Students that are absent have the responsibility to turn in any homework that was due when they were absent and check for assignments you have missed on the chart by the door (see procedure for late or makeup work). Once the bell rings, you should get out a piece of paper and pencil and complete the bell ringer on the board for them. This bell ringer usually goes over the previous day s lesson. You should also have all materials needed for class on their desks (textbook, notes, pencil, and calculator). Once you are done, you should sit quietly and wait for the rest of your peers to complete the bell ringer. This is important procedure to have because it allows the students to settle down and reviews the previous lesson. It also allows me time to take attendance and gather up my materials needed for that class period. This also helps with classroom management. Students are at their seats and quiet. Without a task at the beginning of class, students might create trouble and chaos. 2. Late or make up work- If an assignment is late 10% will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. This goes until the assignment is worth 50% and then you are given a detention where the assignment is due by the end of the detention. If you are absent when an assignment is given, it is your responsibility to find out the homework you missed. I will have a chart showing the assignments given each day by the door. If an assignment is due on the day a

Miller 13 student is absent it will be due the day the student returns to school. From the day the student returns, he or she will have the number of days absent to complete missed assignments. For example, a student is absent 2 days. When the student returns to school the student should find out the homework he or she missed on the chart and will have two days to complete it. There are also two trays for each class located in the back of the classroom. One tray contains handouts, worksheets, and notes you have missed. The other tray is where late work should be turned in. It is your responsibility to do these tasks at the beginning of the class period that day you return. If you are extremely sick, come and talk to me and some exceptions can be made. This is an important procedure to have because it gives the students responsibility for their own work. It also helps me stay organized with late work. This also a great procedure to reduce the amount of questions when a student misses school. Also, it allows me to start class on time with minimal distractions. 3. Expectations for how work will look- Everything in this classroom will be done in pencil. 20% will be deducted if work is done in pen. All work needs to be neat and legible. At the top right hand corner of the homework, you need to have first and last name, class period, my name, and the assignment problems. The problems need to be in a systematic order. If not, 20% will be deducted from the assignment. All work needs to be shown. If an assignment is turned in with just answers, 10% will be deducted and asked to be re- done with the steps. Tests and quizzes will also be done in pencil and all work must be shown to receive full credit.

Miller 14 This is an important procedure to have because it allows the students to know what is expected and gives them an opportunity to take ownership in their work. It allows them to get prepared for a college math class and know what is expected of them. This will hopefully make the student have pride in their work. It also allows me to be more organized if papers get misplaced. 4. Tardies- If you come in after the bell rings, you will be given a tardy. If you are not seated when the bell rings you will be given a tardy. You are also given a tardy if you need to leave the classroom for any reason and have already succeeded your pass limitation that day (See student handout for pass limitation). If you have more than 3 tardies per semester in my class then a detention is given. I also follow the tardy procedure in the student handbook. (See handbook) This is an important procedure to have because it sets regulations on the number of tardies possible in your classroom. It also makes sure the students are seated when class starts so the students can start on bell work. This procedure gives the students an opportunity to take responsibility for their own actions. It also shows the students that you value them in your classroom and being late shows that you feel it is disrespectful to arrive late to class or unprepared.

Miller 15 August 17, 2009 PARENT LETTER Dear Parents or Guardians: My name is Michelle Miller and I am extremely excited about having your child as my mathematics student this year. I have spent the summer planning many stimulating lesson plans that incorporate the applications and importance of mathematics in everyday life. My goal is to create a fun, educational year and instill a passion for learning. I believe that each student has a right to learn in the least restrictive learning environment. In order to achieve this, I have enclosed my classroom rules, grading policies, and procedures. I believe in respect and this concept is displayed throughout my rules: respect for yourself, others, property, school, and the teacher is vital in any classroom. I have explained all my rules, policies, and procedures with your child on the first day of class. Please look over these rules and discuss them with your child so you both know what is expected in my classroom. Sign the section below acknowledging that you have read the letter and understand my rules and have your child return it to me. This is an assignment for your child worth 5 points. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by calling the school or email me at mmiller@warsaw.k12.in.us. With your help and support, I know this will be a great year. I look forward to working with you and your child. Sincerely, Michelle Miller ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I have read the letter and understand the classroom rules and procedures for mathematics class. (Child s name) Your name: and (Printed) (Signature) Contact Information: (Please include best way and time for me to reach you)