Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

*created for grades 3-5; can be modified for others as necessary

Classroom Management Beliefs

Core Principles of my Teaching Philosophy :
Learner-centered classroom Respect for all Relationship/community based learning Using funds of knowledge Home-school connections Culturally responsive teaching ALL children can learn

Philosophy of Classroom Management My philosophy of classroom management is centered on the needs of the student. The plan is flexible enough to allow for student expression, without embarrassment, while allowing for shared control as well as making provisions for teacher-control as the situation demands (Fay & Funk, 1995, p138-141). I believe students benefit from sharing control of the classroom and how it is arranged and governed. When students are an integral part of the decision making that goes along with writing classroom rules and behavior guidelines they feel more invested in keeping things moving according to the agreed-upon plan. I also believe that students need to be given logical choices to facilitate learning selfcontrol. Choices given in a situation need to be relevant to the situation itself; tailored to the specific student and desired behavior choices (Fay & Funk, 1995, p.142-150; Hardin, 2012, p81-82). I will look at the source of misbehaviors, not just the behavior itself, and incorporate that knowledge into more individualized consequences and/or behavior plans for each student as necessary. Social behaviors will be taught explicitly to address what is appropriate behavior to certain time and place because student knowledge in this area varies according to cultural background and family situation. In order to expect certain behaviors in the classroom, and beyond, from my students they will need to be taught what those behaviors are (Smith, 2004, p.11-16).

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

Above all else, I believe that each student is an individual that brings an amazing amount of knowledge and experience to the classroom; knowledge that needs to be recognized, valued, respected, and integrated into the curriculum so that students feel connected to their learning. In order to accomplish this I will focus heavily on community building and relationship building. A positive classroom environment and relationship with the teacher, adult figure in the classroom, lends itself to higher student achievement in the classroom and in students personal lives as they learn respect for themselves and others. Students are able to attain greater academic success in an atmosphere where they feel valued and respected. Value and respect come from working cooperatively to know and care for one another. When the classroom functions as a community, each of its members takes on a piece of the responsibility for group success; much the same as individuals take on responsibility for the whole as they participate in a democratic society; we work cooperatively toward the good of the whole community. Optimally, my classroom will reflect some of the same cooperative decision making that takes place in the larger context of society (Hardin, 2012, p145-148). My goals of classroom management: Establish routine that allows for student input/ownership Student ownership of own actions/behaviors Keeping discipline a private matter o Preserve student dignity Foster internal motivation rather than relying on external rewards

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

Organization of Physical Environment
Room Arrangement Map:

I have chosen the above room arrangement for several reasons. First, I believe the teacher should always be visible to each student so having the teacher work station to the right of student desks will assure that he/she is visible from any point in the classroom. Second, the arrangement of student desks allows for several passageways the teacher can use to be near a student in a matter of seconds when the situation requires her/him to be (Hardin, 2012, p. 6465). Another aspect to this design is the placement of centers around the room; math, literacy, library. These centers provide areas for students to make good choices as to down time in the classroom and also facilitate the establishing of routine. Finally, student work will be showcased around the room on bulletin boards and walls instead of themed/pre-created teacher designs. This will further cement to the student that the classroom belongs to them and is a safe place to

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take risks in their learning. Student work will include charts weve made to show procedures, writing/math strategies, expectations, etc. that can be pulled out and used when needed then stored to make room for others.

Examples of visuals I will use:

http://chartchums.wordpress.com/

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

http://chartchums.wordpress.com/

http://chartchums.wordpress.com/

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

This is a revised craft chart that encourages children by including examples of classmates who have tried each craft move. http://chartchums.wordpress.com/

Organization of Social Environment

Classroom Rules Key rules: o Respectful behavior/using the golden rule o Student responsibility/ownership of own decisions/actions How will they be determined? o Student input o Cooperative whole-class effort o Social contract Method of communication to students, parents, and administrators: o Newsletter o Invitation for input o Class wiki page or blog

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

o E-mail o Posted in the classroom and easily visible/accessible. Classroom Procedures Activity/lesson structure: o follow classic Hunter ITIP model (anticipatory set, procedure, student engagement, guided/independent practice, closure) Homework turned into an IN basket on day due. Deadlines for assignments/projects will be posted on the board, listed in assignment journals, sent home in newsletters. Students can ask for help by raising hand, by written request in journal, teacher-student conference, signaling with red/yellow/green foldable on desk. Class attention will be gotten by ringing of bell or using power-teaching techniques such as call-and-response (i.e. Teacher says: Class, Class , Students respond: Yes, Yes)
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Transition times will be structured through explicit teaching of a routine. Transitioning between subject lessons will look different than transitioning for intervention, recess, or lunch and will need to be taught deliberately for each situation.

Rules and procedures will be cooperatively decided following guidelines recommended in Rick Smiths book Conscious Classroom Management (2004). Smith highlights the importance of creating rules according to adopted principles rather than having a bunch of rules that are not connected to the underlying big picture (Smith, 2004, p.163). Principles will be used in my classroom to offer an anchoring point for rules and will include such goals as having respect and responsibility toward the teacher and each other, working for a safe, kind, and productive (Smith, 2004, p.164) environment, and remembering that students have a right to learn and the teacher has the right to teach (Smith, 2004, p. 164). Having these principles to

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

anchor the classroom rules will allow students to develop in a caring classroom community that provides for specific reasoning as to why rules exist and are enforced. Rules will be decided through whole group class discussion about what teaching and learning behaviors look like and how we want to structure our classroom. Students and teacher will create and sign a social contract that will then be displayed in the classroom where all can see it and be reminded of our collective effort toward a positive classroom experience for everyone. Rules will be written and enforced with the understanding that students want to learn and need to have boundaries with logical choices and consequences in order to be successful (Fay & Funk, 1995). Students will be listened to with empathy and treated with respect at all times; showing they are a valued member of the classroom community. The theorists mentioned above were chosen because their findings align with my personal belief system, style of teaching and other information Ive read concerning classroom management and implementing rules and consequences in the classroom.

Classroom Incentives
Classroom system for encouraging positive behavior:
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Students will be supported, both individually and as a group, through the giving of positive feedback, noticing of positive behavior, and awarding of bonus activity/choice time for those whove consistently made good choices and worked to improve behavior. Ensuring that an incentive system is fair to all students will be difficult. I will need to make sure to teach my students the difference between equality and equity; everyone doesnt need to have the exact same thing/treatment in order for things to be fair. Students will be given the incentive they need in order to succeed; not all students have the same needs for success and will be treated differently according to those needs while still giving all the same opportunities for success. To make any incentive program successful I will need to do research. I will ask other teachers what works, what doesnt; ask questions of those with more experience than I have. I will also refer to books and

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articles Ive read for ways to be fair. Bottom line: I need to spend the time getting to know my students in order to provide for their needs. The system will be taught to students through direct instruction methods. We will create expectation charts together using class discussion. Students will work together to internalize the goals of our class system through inquiry based and directed discovery activities. Involving students in making meaning of the system will help to give them ownership of their own success or failure in the class. In order to increase the likelihood that students, parents and administrators will be supportive of any classroom system I will need to be very clear in my expectations, offer evidence of a similar program used successfully elsewhere, and cite research that supports my efforts. I do not have a concrete list of items my incentive system will require. I know that I will need display items for student encouragement and to remind us of our classroom goals. I will also need somewhere to keep track of data used to decide when the reward has been earned or whether more work is required. I feel most of this will be done using classroom provided materials, however, any extras necessary will be provided out of my own pocket or through the writing of grants for funding.
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The above incentive plan is based loosely on my understanding of the Positive Classroom Discipline model outlined by Carlette Jackson Hardin (2012) in her book, Effective Classroom Management: Models and Strategies for Todays Classroom. As referenced in Hardins book, I will use proximity control, incentives and good body language (Hardin, 2012, p. 63) to help maintain control in my classroom and allow optimal opportunity for learning to take place. I have also structured my classroom layout similar to the examples provided by this author to allow for ease of moving among students and keeping the smallest distance and least amount of barriers between me and the students at all times (Hardin, 2012, p. 65). This way I will be able to position myself where I am most needed as quick as possible, allowing for less disruption of classroom instruction as students are redirected.

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

Responding to disruptive behavior:
Disruptive behavior is any behavior that interferes with a student learning or a teacher teaching. Actions for responding to disruptive behavior: Step 1: silent reminder. I will remind students to check their behavior against that of our social contract with a silent hand gesture, eye contact, or by walking over to stand beside/behind the disruptive student. Step 2: physical reminder. I will place an object (paper clip, sticky note) on the students desk as a physical reminder they need to check their behavior and modify it accordingly. Step 3: verbal warning. Simply saying the students name out loud to get their attention and re-focus behavior appropriately. Step 4: private conversation. I will need to speak with the student privately about the behavior and direct her/him to find a solution that will work within our classroom guidelines. Step 5: implement consequence/possible parent contact. A consequence will be given for repeated disruption of class. The consequence will be linked to the behavior and logical to the circumstance. Consequences will be specific to needs of the individual studentnot blanket consequences given the same to everyone. Parent may or may not be contacted depending on frequency and level of disruptive behavior.
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Step 6: involve the administration/parent contact. After all efforts have been exhausted to find a solution in the classroom, the situation will be referred to the principals office for further attention. Parents will be contacted. Administrators may be involved sooner if the disruption is dangerous or could be harmful to the disruptive student or others in the classroom. Parent notification/contact can happen at any step during the process if teacher considers it beneficial. Any or all steps can be skipped over if student behavior is violent/harmful or is seen to be heading in that direction. Teacher will use discretion at all times to ensure student dignity remains intact and that the students privacy is respected.

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

Student Rights: the right to learn the right to know the behavior expected by the teacher (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to have firm/consistent limits (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to have consistent encouragement (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to know [possible] consequences for inappropriate behavior (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to be taught acceptable and responsible behavior (Hardin, 2012, p. 44)

Teacher Rights: the right to establish classroom structure, rules, procedures and routines that clearly define the limits of acceptable and unacceptable student behavior (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to determine and request appropriate behavior from students (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to ask for assistance and support from parents and the school administration (Hardin, 2012, p. 44) the right to teach students to consistently follow rules and directions throughout the school day and school year (Hardin, 2012, p. 44)
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The foundation for dealing with disruptive behavior is taken from various portions of Carlette Jackson Hardins 2012 text, Effective Classroom Management: Models and Strategies for Todays Classroom. Hardins description of using a progressively more invasive approach to dealing with a disruptive student meshes with my own understanding and experience with children, both in and out of the classroom. Students need to be given the opportunity to correct their own behavior in order to develop the intrinsic understanding and self-control that goes along with being a successful, active participant in any societal situation. I also believe that it is the teachers responsibility to deal with as much as possible

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while working to maintain control of the classroom. I believe that the administration should become involved directly only when another solution can not be reached; though documentation of incidents needs to be made to provide a running record of responses to behavior. It also needs to be stated that any time a student is in danger of hurting her/himself or others the teacher/adult in charge needs to take whatever action necessary to keep students safe and unharmed.

Building Community
Community means working together for the good of all; each of us having a place in the classroom to be safe and learn. Community is a sense of belonging and responsibility to something bigger than oneself. Community is the ability to consider the good of the whole over the good of the self. I will foster a sense of community in my classroom by starting the year with community building exercises that help us get to know each other. We will have class meetings, small group activities, team building exercises, and work together to design and approve a social contract. Student role in nurturing sense of community will involve treating each other with respect; working to understand and accept differences while embracing the things we all share. Parent involvement in nurturing sense of classroom community will be at the level of supporting their student(s) as they grow and learn within the newly shaped classroom. Community Communication: (samples)
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Example 1: www.letterbarn.blogspot.com
Teacher's Letter to Parents Dear Parent or Guardian, I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and express my excitement about working with your child this semester [or year]. I love teaching grade school arithmetic because I care deeply about each of my students. I believe students can grow and develop by examining the issues we cover in class. The main goal of my course is to cover the fundamentals of math. Over the course of this year, we will introduce our students to the wonders of fractions and the four basic operations of Math (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division).

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

Additional information about the class is provided in the syllabus attached to this email. Please read that syllabus and sign the detachable portion on the bottom of this note in order to indicate your understanding and support of the classroom system. There is also space provided for you to express any questions, concerns or comments. Students should return that portion to me. Also note that if you ever have any comments, questions or concerns, I am available for phone calls and meetings (by appointment please) each day before and after school. To schedule a meeting, you may contact me via [insert e-mail address or phone number]. I am excited about working with your child. I welcome questions or comments, and am looking forward to a great year! Sincerely, Teacher Anne Letterbarn http://letterbarn.blogspot.com/

Example 2: www.peersunited.com
Dear Parents, My name is Andrew Johnson. I am your childs 5th grade teacher this year and I look forward to working with you both on your childs education. I graduated from the University of New York with a Masters in History and later did my research in childhood development. I have been teaching in the Elementary school system for over 15 years, though I have been working at Longfellow Elementary for the past seven years. I am interested in reading and have my own blog which I see as a window to express my opinions. Apart from that, I am always on a quest to meet new people and learn about their language and culture. I look forward to meeting and working with both you and your child this coming school year. This year looks to be a challenging one but I already have coursework that will make it the most interesting and exciting year yet for our students. Moreover, I do not just want to stick to academics. Rather I am planning activities to develop the students creative skills and interests. I hope to make this academic year, an educational as well as a fun-filled year for the students. I would be happy to meet at your convenience to discuss your childs performance or any other problems that he/she is facing in class. It will be appreciated if you inform me a day in advance to fix the meeting time. Apart from this, you can also email me at AJJP125@Longfellow123.com to discuss any concern you have about your child. Yours Sincerely, (Signature) Andrew Johnson

Example 3: Published on Ballenger Creek Middle School (http://education.fcps.org/bcms

Classroom Expectations

Be present and on time 12 Bring ALL necessary materials (pencil, pen, textbook, paper) ** only one copy of handouts will be given in order to help
conserve paper and develop organization** Respect others and their property Be focused and complete work

Consequences

Verbal warning

Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

Individual conference Behavior letter which must be signed by a parent/guardian Detention Referral to Administration

Attendance: Research shows that children who are regularly present in class and actively engaged, score much higher on assessments and retain information better than those who are frequently absent. A child who misses an 80 min. period is essentially missing an entire lesson ( the introduction of a concept, guided practice, and independent practice) or an assessment (classwork grade, quiz, or test). It is the child's responsibility to find out what he/she missed while absent. There is a procedure set up in the classroom for children to copy assignments and turn in work.

If/when your child is absent, an excuse note must be written by the parent and sent to school when the child returns. This will enable guidance to count the absence as excused. **A child with 5 unexcused absences for any one quarter, will receive an F in all classes which were missed.**

Vacations: If your child will miss school due to a family vacation, the parent is required to write a letter to the school and have the vacation approved by the principal. The child will then take the signed letter to each teacher, so that work can be gathered to give to the child either prior to leaving, or when he/she returns. According to FCPS regulations, children are only excused for one vacation per school year, totaling 5 days.

Building community is one of the most important things a teacher can do with his/her class. Part of getting to know your students, is learning about how they work together in a group. Doing classroom activities and icebreaker games will work toward bringing personal information out into the open. Students will learn about each other while sharing things about themselves in a non-threatening and safe environment. They will learn to trust each other and feel more at ease with sharing and taking risks in their education. I have seen students open up at my teacher assisting placement as they participate in an activity where they are having fun while getting to know each other. They share things and find out what they have in common. In my classroom I will use parts of theories mentioned previously to encourage students to emerge from their own little world and join together as a collective group to achieve great things. I will use ice breaker activities to help students introduce themselves at the beginning of the year. Then, throughout the year we will build upon those foundations of trust as we take
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risks to learn together; risking begin wrong in an answer and learning together as we find out the truth. As a community we will learn to work together, encourage and lift each other up, and celebrate our successes even as we share our try agains.

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Jamie Sanborn Classroom Management Plan

References/Resources Fay, J., & Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with love and logic: Taking control of the classroom. Golden, CO: The Love and Logic Press, Inc. Hardin, C.J. (2012). Effective classroom management: Models and strategies for todays classroom. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Smith, R. (2004). Conscious classroom management: Unlocking the secrets of great teaching. Fairfax, CA: Conscious Teaching Publications. chartchums@wordpress.com www.education.fpcs.org/bcms www.letterbarn.blogspot.com www.peersunited.com

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